#BloggerRecognitionAward

This is the first time my blog has ever been up for any kind of award so I am so very grateful to the lovely Mairead of Swirl and Thread for her nomination! There are so many fantastic bloggers out there it's an honour to be mentioned alongside you all! To be honest, I am a bit shocked but very flattered to be part of this award! It's a privilege to be part of such a supportive community and chat with such prolific readers and reviewers everyday!



Thank you again Mairead! If you don't already follow Mairead on twitter @swirlandthread er then hello, get over there and get following!! She is an absolutely fab book reviewer and also a very generous supporter of all book bloggers. She is responsible for many additions to my out of control TBR pile and I love seeing what she is reading next! So I am indeed very flattered to have been nominated by Mairead today!

Before we go any further there are a few 'housekeeping' rules to acknowledge:

RULES OF THE AWARD:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Write a post to show your award.
3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide a link to the post you created.

And now, on with the award!

How did my blog start?

Last January, like everyone else, I was vaguely thinking about what personal goals I could set myself for 2016. I have always been a prolific reader and never been able to hide my passion for books so I decided to start a blog reviewing books then the next time a friend asked me for a recommendation I would have a record of what I had enjoyed. I was kind of treating it like an extension of Goodreads! I had never used blogger or Twitter before so it was a steep learning curve - and still is! Like so many other bloggers, I never for one moment thought people might actually read my posts or that it would lead to 'meeting' so many lovely fellow book bloggers and authors.

Two pieces of advice to bloggers:

1. Have a separate email account for your blog / twitter name. I have a separate account for Bibliomaniac and it has been invaluable in making sure these emails and notifications don't get swallowed up in my personal account. It also helps keep it separate in the way you keep your job separate from you private life. Oh, yeah, that leads me on to my next point....

2. Pace yourself. Blogging is a not-a-job-job! Does that make sense? Some blogs earn money but I think this is the exception not the rule, and as far as I know, Book Bloggers do not make money from it so I can't really call blogging my "job" even though it is! Obviously, it is up to me how often I blog, tweet, post on Facebook and accept review copies of new books, but I am a bibliomaniac and I am hopeless at managing my TBR pile. I spend a lot of time on my blog as I enjoy it so much but sometimes my real life demands my attention as well.......! So my advice would be to keep an eye on how many ARC's you request and how much time you spend on social media. I have finally got around to compiling a spreadsheet for the next 6 months so I can avoid getting overwhelmed with deadlines for publication day reviews. (No, it hasn't worked, I've totally ignored it because I just HAD to have THAT book!!)

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is easy to let the blog take over everything else which can then lead to a either a reading slump (a book lover's equivalent of writer's block! Deeply distressing!) or a kind of 'burnout' from too much interaction on social media - although one of the best places in the world, twitter / facebook can also induce a bit of anxiety, frustration, upset and extra pressure. It's all about that elusive 'balance'!!! Oh yes - your family and friends, they might sometimes want to see you without a book in front of your nose!

15 Bloggers to pass this award on to:

Hhmmmmm, this is the hardest question I have ever been asked.......Can I list them all?! I know some bloggers have already been nominated so I will try not to duplicate those I would have wanted to include......apologies if there are any repetitions!

cwtchupbooks
readandlivewell
LoudMouthMauraLynch
thebookwormsfantasy
bookishbeck
emmasbookishcorner
cosybooks.com
readbyjess
bookword
whatcathyreadnext
cleopatralovesbooks
bloominbrilliantbooks
lindasbookbag
portobellobookblog
ravencrimereads

Thanks also to Abbie @Bbrilliantbooks  who blogs at bloominbrilliantbooks.com - she has also nominated me for this award! Thanks ever so much Abbie - I love seeing what you are reading and reviewing and you are a terrific supporter of my blog for which I am really grateful!

Thanks again guys - I think there is only one thing left to say: