Tag: book-blogger

Top Ten Tuesday: Ways In Which My Blogging Habits Have Changed.

BonnieReadsAndWrites22 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by That Artsy Reader Girl. The topic this week is “Ten Ways That My Blogging Habits Have Changed.”

1. My Indie Spotlight feature started out as Self-Published Saturday back in 2021, and then it became Indie Weekend. I just recently changed it to Indie Spotlight because I am retired and I don’t need to wait until the weekend anymore. All of them have the same goal: To celebrate and share Indie books.

2. My first review was a Two-Star back in October 2020! Although I do post some bad reviews sometimes, I now usually use my blog to celebrate good books. The exceptions are when a book I didn’t like is really expensive and popular, and I want to warn people before they spend the money. John Grisham’s supposed sequel to The Firm comes to mind.

3. My graphics are way better. I started using Shutterstock a few years ago, and I think I provide more eye-catching posts now.

4. I change my blog background seasonally, but I started putting clocks in all of my background pictures in maybe 2022. That is a nod to my love of time-travel fiction.

Book Header Bonnie Reads and Writes with white letters over a red background. A red and white clock wearing a Christmas hat is on one side.
A Thanksgiving cornucopia is on the left, and the banner reads Bonnie Reads and Writes in red. An old gold clock sits on top of a book to complete the banner.

5. I only had a little over 3,000 views in 2020. Now I am just about 100 views away from 100,000. That is despite having a down year last year due to moving, retirement, and Hurricane Helene.

6. I have had over 45,000 visitors to my blog since 2020. I’ll do a celebration post when I pass 50,000 visitors.

7. I was very focused on Netgalley reviews for a long time. Now I only have 12 books on my Netgalley shelf. A lot of my reviews now come from The Historical Novel Society and from Indie authors. I’m also about to embark on a “Reviewing the Classics” journey.

8. My logo has changed a lot. Thanks to Author Gail Meath for my latest, and best, logo.

There are six logos that have been used for Bonnie Reads and Writes, with the most recent one being a woman with auburn hair and a green shirt sitting in front of a pile of books. There is a blue background, with Bonniereadsandwrites.com at the bottom.

9. I feel like my reviews are better written now. Reviewing for The Historical Novel Society has helped with that.

10. The best change is the friendships. I’ve made some very dear friends who I met via this blog.

I am so thankful for this blog, and the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you, and that will never change.

How about you? How have your blogging habits changed?

Top Ten Tuesday: The Oldest Titles on my #TBR.

BonnieReadsAndWrites37 Comments

Thank you to That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting Top Ten Tuesday.

This week I went looking for the oldest titles on my TBR. I don’t have any older titles on my Netgalley list anymore so I headed to Goodreads to check out my Want to Read list.

All of these books have been on my TBR since sometime in 2019. Now that I’ve looked at them again, a few of them are going straight to the top. Bill Bryson’s One Summer America, 1927 describes an extremely eventful summer in the US, and I can’t believe I haven’t read it yet. I love his books. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus is about the journey of a Muslim man who eventually converted to Christianity, although he initially had absolutely no intention of doing so. I’m curious about his journey, but haven’t gotten around to reading it. Midnight Chicken is a combination cookbook and recovery story. I’m very intrigued, as the readers/reviewers said the book made them cry, and they enjoyed the recipes, and that is an interesting combination that I can’t miss.

The late Jack Finney was a popular time travel author, and I’ve never read his books to the best of my knowledge. I plan to start with Time and Again and About Time. The Lucky One is a Nicholas Sparks book I haven’t read, though I always enjoy his stories.

White Rose and The Great Alone are historical fiction. White Rose is set during WWII and The Great Alone is set in Alaska just after the Vietnam War. Smoke on the Mountain is a thriller, and What The Wind Knows is another time travel book. Regular readers of this blog know that’s my favorite subgenre, especially when there is a good deal of historical fiction thrown in.

While looking at my Goodreads TBR, I deleted some other books which I realized I’m never going to read.

After doing this list, I’ve decided to review at least one book a month from the oldest books on my TBR, starting with the books above. I need a catchy title for this project: Tackling the TBR? TBR Cleanout? TBR Throwback? Any Suggestions?

What books have been on your TBR the longest?

    Sunday Post: Fuzzy Socks Are the Best

    BonnieReadsAndWrites20 Comments

    Sunday Post is run by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

    I think it’s cold almost everywhere in the U.S., at least colder than everyone is used to. We don’t have the snow right now like Buffalo and other cities are experiencing, but it’s definitely very windy and cold. I find if I have warm socks on, the rest of me is generally warm. The fuzzier, the warmer and more comfy, IMO.

    Stay warm out there everyone! Put on your warmest socks and get that cocoa ready! 

    LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

    On Thursday I reviewed The Pierogi Peril by Geri Krotow.
    On Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop and answered the question: How Many Books Are On Your TBR?
    On Saturday I reviewed the audiobook of the romance Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker.
    Today I reviewed the audiobook of The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler. 

    NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

    I will review two audiobooks that are currently on my Netgalley Shelf, My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman and Beneath Her Skin by Greg Olsen.

    I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop if time permits. 

    I hope to finish and review The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews. It’s the third in the Belles of London Victorian romance series, and I enjoyed the first two books.

    I’m working hard on my Indie books and hope to post a lot of reviews and spotlights for Indie weekend.

    My Top Ten Indie books of the year list is still in progress.

    BOOK HAUL

    I posted my book haul already this week on Book Blogger Hop. Since then I have also picked up The Housekeeper’s Secret by Iona Gray. I am off in search of more audiobooks for my list.

    I hope you are staying warm and getting some reading in!

    Have a great week!