Top Ten Tuesday: How Blogging Changed My Reading Habits

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, we’re talking about my reading and blogging life. I’ve had this blog for 6 years, so sometimes it’s hard to remember what life was like without it. What did I do with all my time? Here are 10 ways that book blogging has changed the way I read.

How Blogging Changed My Reading Habits

1. My spreadsheets are a major life achievement. Before the blog and Goodreads, I didn’t track anything about my reading life. I didn’t even write down how many books I read in a year. Now I have a Goodreads account and a stupidly complicated spreadsheet. I track when I buy books and when I finish them, how much money I spend, genre, pages read, target audience, format, star rating, publication date, author gender and birth country, translations read, publishing company, and where I get my books. I wasn’t lying when I said that my spreadsheet is stupidly complicated! I track EVERYTHING.

2. I hop on the hype train. I used to be a classics fanatic. Most of the books I read were published a century before I was born. Now, most of the books I read were published in the last decade. I blame bloggers for this. Most bloggers don’t seem to like classics, and they’re always chasing the hottest new book. The blogosphere’s hype and “most anticipated” lists have definitely altered what I choose to read.

3. Nobody’s got time for that! I used to reread often. Sometimes, I’d finish a book, flip it over, and start at the beginning again. I reread my favorites at least once a year. Now I have so many unread books sitting around that I feel guilty for rereading.

4. I have people! Before I started blogging, I didn’t have any friends who liked to read. When I made random Harry Potter references, people just gaped at me like I’d come from another planet. Now I have bookish friends! I love blogging because it introduced me to a whole community of book-obsessed weirdos. I have found my people!

5. I know everything (about books). Blogging has changed the way I shop for books. I used to walk into a bookstore and read the backs of novels until I found one that sounded interesting. I rarely need to read the back anymore. If it’s on the New Releases shelf, there’s a good chance I already know what it’s about (and what reviewers are saying about it).

6. Is there birth control for books? My To-Be-Read pile is out of control. I usually have 50-something unread books in my house. I swear they breed on the shelves when I’m not looking. My book wish list usually has around 500 books on it. Blogging has introduced me to way too many interesting books. Life isn’t long enough to read all these!

7. What is TV? I used to watch a lot of TV. Recently, I glanced at my TV and realized I hadn’t turned it on in nearly a week. My free time goes to reading and blogging. I have no idea which shows are popular. I haven’t really gotten invested in anything since Game of Thrones ended.

8. I embrace the DNF. I used to force myself to finish every book I started. Blogging has made me realize that life’s too short for that nonsense. If a book isn’t holding my attention, I chuck it in the donate box and pick up a different one.

9. I’m on the Twitters. I never thought I’d be a social media person. Even as a teenager, I stayed off it. I didn’t want the drama. Then I discovered Goodreads in 2011 and promptly signed up. Then I joined Twitter in 2014 because I wanted to follow authors and keep up with bookish chatter. Now I’m on Instagram and Pinterest because my blogger friends are on them. Somehow I’ve become a social media person. How did this happen?

10. I inflict my opinions on strangers. I never had bookish friends, so I kept my book opinions to myself. Now I have a blog that will preserve my opinions forever. You’re welcome, internet strangers. Enjoy.

If you have a blog, how has it changed your reading habits?