Honest Scrap and TBR Shelves Fun

I was going to share this picture with my trip pictures, but since this entire post is pretty much because of Lisa, I thought I'd share here. When Scott and I went to South Dakota the other week I had the opportunity to meet Lisa from Books.Lists.Life. Over the past two years, Lisa and I have become good friends. I've really clicked with her and love the laughs we have over this and that. If you haven't met Lisa yet, head over to her blog. She's a lot of fun, and I'm so glad we could meet. Despite my chatty nature online I'm actually pretty quiet in real life, but I thought we got along great.

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Lisa of Books.Lists.Life. tagged me for the Honest Scrap meme. According to Lisa, "The "Honest Scrap" award requires me to tell my readers 10 true things about me and then pass it on to 10 more blogs."

10 Things:

1. My house is the cleanest it’s ever been with the exception of my office which is an absolute wreck. For some reason this doesn’t bother me.

2. I make coffee every weekday at 6:15 am. I pour my cup of coffee at 7:00 when I leave the house. I don’t drink it until I get to work at 8:30. I usually don’t finish my cup until 10:30 when it is stone cold. The same cup, 4 hours. I love it.

3. One of my favorite things in the entire world is a freshly made bed. Absolute heaven.

4. Cat hair does not bother me [most of the time]. Dog hair does [all of the time].

5. I have major minor road rage and I might yell speak loudly to other drivers from my own car—or something. I am not proud of this.

6. I sometimes start drafting my reviews in my head before I’m even halfway done with my book.

7. I cannot have both feet uncovered while I sleep. The trolls might eat my toes. I’m 28 and still believe this.

8. I have clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn for years. Some because I hope to fit into them again one day (physically impossible!) but mostly just because I’m afraid if I clear them out my closet will be pathetically bare.

9. Because I’ve never been able to find the right shade of lipstick or foundation, I don’t wear them at all.

10. Even though I have had foot surgery and still have a bunion on my other foot, I wear impossibly uncomfortable shoes.

I'm not tagging anyone (boo!! No fun!!), but I'd still love to hear your honest scrap!!

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Lisa is also have a little TBR contest on her blog. She is daring bloggers to show at least part of their TBR library. She wants to know which ones are important and how they're organized. Head over to her post to leave your link--you have until September 1st and there are prizes.

My TBR? Other than random places on the floor and desk, there are three "shelves" where I keep my TBR books. The first harbors all of my hardbacks and my supposed challenge books (and some school books on the bottom). The middle pictured shelf is more or less alphabetized, except I ran out of room at R, so S-Z is on the fourth shelf of the first picture. The last picture is of my paper boxes. I've run out of shelf room and this is my solution. Even still I've run out of box room. I don't have my books in any order of importance. Theoretically the top corner of Shelf 1 has my challenge books/review books, but I haven't been good about reorganizing lately.

What's your TBR look like? Please tell me you have them shelved better than my boxes!

*By the way! I've only received one email in response to my plea for Eclipse "interview" questions. :( If you feel like throwing in a question or two, email me at trishsreadingnook at gmail dot com. Anything goes. I'll probably finish Eclipse tomorrow and if no more questions, I'll take the ones I have and do another self-interview.

Shmonday Salon - Bloghopping

I don't really have a thorn--just thought the picture was cute.

I started to draft a Sunday Salon post on Friday but decided I was too exhausted to post. Too exhausted to bloghop this weekend. So I nixed it. And last I posted, Google Reader was taking hours to show my posts, so Shmonday might turn into Shmuesday. Ah well.

As I find my Google Reader with over 200 unread posts, yet again, I thought I'd pose a few questions to you about your bloghopping habits. I used to be a pretty good commenter, but as there are more and more blogs and more and more posts (do we really need another weekly meme?), I'm finding myself more and more absent from the blogosphere. Mostly because I get so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to start.

Do you bloghop? How many blogs do you read/subscribe to? How much time do you spend each day reading blogs? What do you get out of bloghopping? Do you do it for social connection, because you're interested in what the other person says, because you feel it will drive more traffic to your own blog?

And of course, how can one talk about bloghopping without talking about commenting?

Do you comment on the blogs you read? How often? Do you read the entire post before commenting or just scan to find something you can comment on? How much time do you spend on comments? Is it better to leave a lot of short comments or a few longer comments? Do you get offended or stop reading a person's blog because they don't comment on your blog?

Holy cow that's a lot of questions. I think for each blogger we could all have incredibly different answers.

My answers?
I do bloghop--not as much as I used to due to time. I could literally spend hours a day trying to keep up with each post in my reader (I subscribe to about 80 blogs), but lately spending hours in front of a computer hasn't been a priority for me. I blog for a social connection. I've met some wonderful people who I consider friends, and reading what they've been up to and leaving comments helps me stay connected.

Unfortunately I do think that bloghopping and commenting are directly related to how much traffic you get to your own blog. Comment a lot and you'll get lots of comments. This makes me wonder if people are commenting just to comment or because they're actually interested in what the person is posting. I'll admit to occasionally commenting just to comment, but this is a little exhausting to me. How many different ways can you say, "wow that cover is really pretty" for a Cover Attractions Meme? (I have nothing against memes even though I don't often participate--it's just hard to come up with original comments).

I've always tried to go for quality rather than quantity, but who's to say whether a comment is a good comment or not? For me, anything more than "great review, here's my link" is probably a good comment, but sometimes I wonder if I talk about myself and my own experiences too much in the comments I leave on other people's blogs. My comments can get lengthy, and I often wonder--does the person even care--or should I have just said "wow, this sounds great"? I get in my own head way too much--probably need to stop over analyzing everything so much!

Do I get bothered when I comment on someone's site and they don't bother to return the favor? I'm mostly bothered or concerned if it is someone I have "known" for a while. But I try not to take offense to it. Especially since lately I've been very bad about returning the favor to commenters who might not be as "regular" as others. I do my best, but lately making the rounds seems to be more and more difficult.

How much time do I spend blogging? I'll go days without being able to get on my GReader and then spend a few hours one night "catching up." It's hard to give a rough number since it is fairly inconsistent. I used to spend Saturday and Sunday mornings catching up, but over the past few months I've frequently been out of town on the weekends. I certainly spend more time on other people's blogs than my own. Despite my current apathy towards blogging, I do really enjoy leaving comments and have no plans to stop.

Man, I wish I could be more concise!!

One more thing--How many people subscribe to follow-up comments? I always do when I know the blogger responds, but sometimes I wonder if anyone else does?

So how about you? Why do you bloghop?

The Sunday Salon 10 - Second Blogiversary

I made a small mention the other day that my two year blogiversary was on June 5th, but I wanted to reflect in more detail upon the last two years. I probably sound like a broken record, but I didn’t do a post last year and I don’t really want this year to slip by either without some type of written entry of my thoughts. I don’t know why I feel the need to apologize for long rambly posts, so I’m not going to this time dangit. I’ve got a lot to reflect upon. :P

I can remember the first time I stumbled upon a book blog. You've heard me mention before that I found out about book blogging through some of the Yahoo Book Clubs I was currently participating in. Wendy, from Caribousmom, posted a list of her monthly reads and when I finally popped over to see what it was she was doing, I was amazed and enthralled. I hopped around from her list of other book blogs on her sidebar and discovered that many other people were also blogging about books. Being a book enthusiast, the idea really intrigued me--writing about books I read in a public forum--how cool is that?

I wish I could remember my first month of blogging in more detail--the feelings I had and the crazy thoughts that were going through my head--but looking back on the posts (there are a lot for that first month!), it is obvious that I quickly fell in love with blogging. I joined several challenges and worked up the courage to actually leave comments on other people's blogs (although some were way too intimidating at the time--I won't mention names because I'm sure it would embarrass them). All of a sudden, I was a part of this interactive community of readers from all over the world. Even in grad school I didn't have quite this level of interaction in terms of pleasure reading.

Over the past two years, I've really grown as a reader. I wish I could say that my writing has improved, but it's the same old ramble day in and day out. But I like it that way and people respond to me (you all encourage me with your "ramble on Trish!" comments)! I remember being really timid in my actual reviews, not quite knowing what to say so that it would be enough for people to get an idea of the book but still leaving a lot of mystery. I quickly fell into a pattern of review writing, usually three paragraphs--a small summary, what I liked/disliked, and my recommendation.

In March of 2008 I noticed that my posts were starting to get a little longer and more detailed--I mentioned this specifically in my review of All the Pretty Horses. I was finally coming into my own and started feeling comfortable about writing about books. It's funny to me looking back at some of my earlier posts, but constant evolution is normal, I think. I started writing my reviews in more detail, but I also was missing out on a key part of this blog--my personality. Sure I included little tidbits of me here and there, but I wasn't really letting loose. Now I kind of feel I've gone to the other end of the spectrum with my posts getting more and more rambling and I think I need to reign myself in a little bit, but what can I say? I'm not a professional reviewer--if I wanted to write stiff and straightforward reviews, why do that on a personal reading blog? And why would people want to read stiff and straightforward reviews? They can get those in print from someone who's getting paid to review.

Ooooh, getting back on topic. :) Over the past two years I've been challenged as a reader. I've always read outside of the box or the normal comfort zone of readers, probably because of the reading I was required during college, but the discoveries I've made through blogging is astounding to me. I've been incredibly influenced by other bloggers' raves and reviews and I've especially been encouraged through reading challenges. I've participated in 26 reading challenges over the past two years--taking me through all different countries and genres and subjects. They certainly haven't helped my shelves be any less empty, but I've learned amazing things and encountered terrific discoveries.

Last summer I mustered up the courage to start my own challenge. I went through the usual Trish anxieties--what if no one joins? What if my rules are too confusing? What if what if what if. This year both the Classics challenge and Non-Fiction Five challenge have over 100 participants. How freakin' cool is that? I love that people are excited about these challenges and other challenges and I hope they are experiencing some of the same joys that I do through participating in them.

One of my favorite things evvvvver is spreading the joy of reading, and I like to think that I help do my part through this blog. I've had a few friends and family members start their own blogs and I've seen an increase in the excitement of those I know as I talk about my reading and we talk about theirs. Isn't it amazing how books can bring people together? I had a really awesome moment last weekend at my brother's birthday breakfast when I gave him Diary of a Wimpy Kid and his friends all said they loved it, which made me excited and my brother excited and his friends excited. Something so incredibly small, but I love when he says to me, "Trish, I need a new book to read--find me one." He's thirteen.

So, the actually reviewing, the challenges, the growth. Last but not least, the interaction. I'll admit that it was a little tough being a new blogger--trying to break into the circles and make friends. Of course this blog is mostly for me--is anyone even reading this far down? But without the interaction, I don't think I would have stuck around as long as I have. After two years I am still excited about each and every comment I receive here. I love that I've met some great friends and two years later we're still connecting on each other's blogs. For me, the crossover moment for acquaintances and friends was probably during the first read-a-thon I participated in last June. I really let the silly goofy rambly Trish peek through in my posts, especially in the wee hours, and I loved getting to see that in other people as well. From there on out I've had more confidence in really being myself. This is my space afterall! But really, you are the ones who make blogging so special to me. I cherish the relationships I've formed and look forward to the ones that have yet to be discovered.

Blogging has been an ever-evolving endeavor for me. Some months are difficult and hectic (such as the past two months), and I have to change gears and do things a little differently. But I learn and grow and try to improve and most importantly stay true to myself. I'm not sure what the future will hold for me and blogging. I hope that I continue to be enriched by the experience and I hope that I can continue to give just a little bit back to the community. I wish I knew better ways to do that, to be more active, but we do the best that we can.

So--happy blogiversary to me. The End. :P

When you reflect upon your blogging, how do you see its impact on you?

Blogging Stats--A Little Blog Weights In

I’ve had some interesting conversations in the last few weeks—some with bloggers and some with people I know personally about blogging and blogging statistics. One blogger mentioned a few weeks ago that he feels compelled to post every day partially because his stats dip if he doesn’t. Another mentioned seeing an increase in readership when she stopped participating in memes. My dad wanted to know about blogging traffic and whether bloggers advertised on their blogs to make a little side money. And then there has been recent talk about how many visitors bloggers get each day or month—many bloggers are now listing this in their “review policy” for publishers and authors to view.

I use Google Analytics to look at my statistics every once in a while, but across the board I stay pretty stable so there isn't a reason for me to look religiously. My stats aren't fantastic but they're definitely consistent. Fridays and Saturdays are always my slowest days and usually Sunday and Monday pick up. Since I haven’t been posting much lately, I’ve dipped a little bit, but I hadn't really thought too much about it until recently. After seeing some of the numbers that other bloggers have posted on their review policies, I'm starting to realize just how tiny my little blog is. I know that in certain circles my name is out there, but the book blogging world has exploded lately and really I'm just a little bitty part of that.

My Questions:
Do you watch your blogging traffic and statistics? If so do you look at the numbers just for fun or try to use them for blogging improvement (or other reasons)? Do you use a specific program to help you watch your stats? Do you do anything particular on your blog to try to boost your stats? We all want to do our best with our blogs, and some of us are fairly competitive in nature, so I’m curious how these statistics are being used by others. I’ve said before that I don’t put a lot of stock into my stats since I usually have a healthy amount of comments on my posts and because it is evident that half of the people coming to my blog are coming mostly from keyword searches for mostly classic or required school books. But, I do find statistics interesting, especially now that I can kind of see how I stack up against a few other bloggers (LOL—or don’t stack up!).

My Thoughts:
I’ll admit I’m a little clueless on what all my statistics mean, so I guess you can say I look at my stats mostly for fun. I find it fascinating that A Rumor of War is my most viewed review since I started keeping track in September, but the post itself only has 10 comments--some of which are my responses. Not sure what people are looking for with their search--maybe they think there is a rumor of war and are trying to find out more about it?! I'm rambling now. But really, it doesn't seem to matter what I do--I'm neither inclining nor decreasing in amount of visitors. Does this mean that I've become complaisant or that I'm naive about how to make my blog successful? I don't think so--I've always thought that if people are responding then I've at least interested someone. That's enough to keep my happy--I'd rather have 5 visitors and have them all comment rather than 10,000 and not hear a peep from my readers. I don't bite! Leave me comments!! :P But it is human nature to want to do better and to improve (or at least Trish nature).

But really, I'm curious what you think about stats or if you think about them at all? I'm having a difficult time even formulating what it is I'm curious about--maybe if it is difficult for a book blog, especially a new one, to make a name for itself in this massive blogosphere or maybe they're having an easier time while some of us old fogeys (i.e. me) are stuck in the past and not moving with the current trends of book blogging? Not really sure, but I do find the whole thing rather fascinating--for those sites that are getting 30,000 hits a month--where are those visitors coming from? Are they mostly other book bloggers or people curious about books or people of the industry? Would you rather have more comments on your posts or more visitors? Or does it even matter at all?

By the way, I can call myself an old fogey because I just celebrated my second blogiversary (which is still fairly young compared to you really old folks!). For some reason I had it in my head that my blogiversary was on the 15th, but my first post was actually on the 5th of June, 2007. I can't believe it has been two years already--even more I can't believe I've kept it up. I don't think I knew this was going to turn into a long-term commitment, but I'm glad it did. In the past two years I've grown, my blog has grown, my TBR has grown--and I'm not done yet!

*Before I hit that publish post button, one small plea. This is a post of curiosity, not jabbing. I love to hear everyone's opinions, but please keep it respectful. I'm sorry I have to even say that, but in the past comments have gotten a little out of hand.