Armchair BEA: Blogging About Blogging

Dear Blog,

The last day of Armchair BEA (Alas). Today's the day of the Book Blogger Convention in New York, so the focus of the Armchair BEA posts today is focused on the blog part of book blog.

I thought today I would take a  few of the questions in the link-up post and answer them myself.
Note: I'm sat in an armchair today.  Whooo.

Oh, before I start: Sorry I missed out on yesterday's post.  I was kind of too busy to think about blogging yesterday, what with lots of Russian homework, various musical escapades and the fact that I was entirely engrossed in reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
So, anyway.

Create a "rule list" of things you should and shouldn't be doing on a book blog.  

• Be yourself.  That's the best thing you can do.  I'd rather read a blog where the writer sounds at ease with themselves and their audience than someone who tries to be overly uptight and takes themselves entirely seriously. Blogging is meant to be fun. 
• Don't feel like you have to post every day.  Post when you have something to say. Though it's true you should post regularly because otherwise you'll lose interest from your readers, I'm less inclined to read a blog that's updated every day when it doesn't really need to be. 
• When talking to other people in the literary and publishing worlds, be polite.  Bloggers/authors/publishers are friends. Not food. 
• As for blog design: I know I'm not the only blogger who dislikes music players on blogs.  I'm also not the only one who feels put off from things like glittery text and a black background with bright text.  Make sure your blog is easy to read in terms of layout and format as well as content.
• Be honest. Yes there is a way of being honest without being mean.
• Don't forget to be awesome.  There's no need to be shy (*cough*likeme*spluttercough*) when the blogosphere is such a fantastic place. 

What are your tips for balance life and blogging?    There are, alas, some things that take priority over blogging  for me (schoolwork, music practise, etc).  I try and do three book reviews a week, but it changes depending on what else I've got on that week and how much I've read.  One thing I would suggest, though, is to read a few books, write a review as usual and then just save it, so that you can just post at those times when you haven't read any new books.

What genre do you blog about and why? My blog's a bit of a weird mix at the moment; probably about 70% young adult fiction and 30% classics/literary fiction.  Doing the Foreign Language Friday series has really got me into some more adult books I might not have found otherwise if I hadn't been purposefully searching for some good translated fiction.

How do you keep your blog fresh and interesting to your readers & yourself? This is something I'm struggling with at the moment, actually, and I'd totally appreciate suggestions.  I don't feel bored with what I'm doing at the moment: I'm quite happy rambling on in my way talking about books as I do. After all, it's what I'm here for.  But it would be better, certainly, if my blogging life had more variety to it.

So, there you go.  What about you?  Have you got any essential blogging tips?  How do you manage to keep your blog consistently interesting? 

Book Blogger Hop!

Dear Blog,

I haven't participated in this meme hosted over at Crazy For Books for a few weeks, mostly because I've been too busy.  However, I'm in search of new blogs this week, so I'm participating again.

Anyway. As with every week, a question is posted along with the Linky for participants to answer.  This week it's:

"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

My answer: It's an interesting question.  Some books can have entirely suckish plots and incredible characters that still make it excellent; some books have an interesting plot but the most loathesome characters in the universe.  So I think that it's the characters that can matter the most; it's easier for a character to strike a chord with you than a whole plot line.

Well, that's all.  Hop forth, book bloggers.

Beautiful Blogger Award. Yay!

Dear Blog,
A very very big thank you/efcharistó and virtual hug to Giota of Just Another Book Blog who found my lowly blog worthy of the Beautiful Blogger Award.  Yippee!  I've never gotten a blog award before.

 
This award has a few rules:
1. Thank and link to the person who gave you the award
2. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic
3. Contact said blogs and let them know they've won
4. State 7 things about yourself

Seeing as that's what everybody else likes to do, I'll start with seven facts about me:

1. I've been to 28 countries, which I suppose for a teenager is rather a lot.  When I was 11 my family and I travelled around Europe by way of motorhome which explains things.
2. I'm home educated/homeschooled.
3. There is nothing better than Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  Except a good book of course.
4. I am obsessed with everything  Japanese. 
5. By the time I was four I could name all the kings and queens of England and name when they were coronated.  I had a poster in my bedroom that had a big timeline with all the names and dates on it and I used to look at it for ages.
6. I play the classical guitar.  My favourite composer is Ferdinando Carulli. 
7. I have a knack for languages.  As well as English I speak German, Russian, can read and write a basic level of Kanji and speak bits of Czech, Norwegian, Icelandic and French (but not very much).

Now then. Blogs!  I'm supposed to list ones I've *recently* discovered, but being new to the Blogosphere (about a month or two) I guess all the blogs I read I've read recently.  But many of these I have stumbled upon recently as in, the last few weeks anyway.  So here are 15 awesome blogs I read and love (started off in alphabetical order but then ended up just in no particular layout). 

Along for the Ride
Book Journal
Daisy Chain Book Reviews
The Bookette
The Crooked Shelf
The Book Cellar
The Book Bug: Books for Teens and Tweens
Rebecca's Book Blog
I Swim for Oceans
So Many Books, So Little Time
Green Bean Teen Queen
The Book Scout
Insert Book Title Here
Read.Read.Read
Overbooked

Indeed, such fantastic bloggers and blogs. They deserve it *nods*. :D
*goes off to read book*

The Book Blog Begins

Well then. A book blog. Here goes.
Books and the Universe.
I thought before I launched into writing endlessly about my passion (books, obvs.), I better introduce myself. So hi *waves*. I will be your book reviewer for this blog. I hope we get on very well.
Heh.
Um...
....
....

Well then, now that insanity and awkwardness of the first few sentences is over, I can start writing endlessly about my passion. Books!
Let the fun begin.