Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Ten Reasons Jamie Loves The Online Book Community


For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!
This week's topic: Ten Reasons I Love X -- could be a certain book, character, author, your indie bookstore, a fandom, a tv show, reading, a hobby, a genre. Honestly anything you want to gush about. 

6 years ago this month, these fabulous ladies and I started planning this blog and what we wanted to do with it. While our blog anniversary isn't until the end of the month when we actually debuted the blog, today I just want to spread some love and talk about why I love the online book community so much in honor of 6 years in this great community!


1. You will never run out of things to read -- seriously being around you people makes my TBR grow exponentially! It's kind of ridiculously how many books I've added because of this community over the past 6 years.

2. When you NEED to talk about a book or some bookish problem, there is ALWAYS someone available for you: The best thing about being friends with people online is that people are from ALLLL AROUND THE WORLD. So like when I finish a show that breaks my heart into a million pieces or a book that I just HAVE to rave about -- there is always someone there for me. Like that time I watched Dance Academy and got to THAT PART at 2am and thank the lord because so many of my friends across the pond were there for me!!

3. Along with that, having friends around the world pretty much means every time I travel I PROBABLY have a friend I can visit wherever I go:  It was so nice last month when my husband and I were in London because I got to meet up with some London bloggers I adore!  FRIENDLY FACES ALL OVER THE WORLD.
  
4. Everyone is so generous and wonderful -- I see the generosity of this community constantly -- sharing books, giving advice, authors taking time to chat with fans or give encouragement about writing, rallying together around people, raising money for important causes or for our friends in the community! It's such an amazing community.

5. It's so easy to meet friends or make really great connections because of the way books are so personal: What I mean is that I find the nature of talking about books a pretty personal thing because every reader brings their own life and experiences into it and I LOVE how this easily opens us up to connecting with people just by talking how we relate to something in a book or by gushing about our favorite characters or thinking critically through a book together.

6. Creativity abounds: I've been in this community for 6 years and I am ALWAYS so impressed by the creativity in this community.

7. We are made up of passionate readers: WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD CAN YOU FIND MORE PASSIONATE PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO TALK IN ALL CAPS ABOUT BOOKS????? The bookish online community is unparalleled LETS BE REAL. I'm so proud of this community for being so passionate about reading and literacy and connecting people with books they love. I've seen that passion do many things for the publishing industry and for readers. I'm seriously so proud of what our passion has accomplished and how we champion books and authors we love and use that passion also for better representation and to fight some of the broken things in publishing. This community CARES SO MUCH about books and readers and authors and just publishing as a whole and pour soooo much time and energy into it.

8. There's so much to learn from it: I don't think I have ever learned so much from any other community I've been apart of. When I started this journey of blogging back in 2010 I wasn't aware of sooo many of the things the bookish online community has taught me. I thought feminism was stupid and in these years I learned what feminism really is and am proud to be a feminist. I didn't know much about sexism. I really didn't know about many of the racism issues that happen or the daily microaggressions I've now seen people I care about have to deal with. I didn't realize diverse representation was a problem. I really didn't know much about the LGBTQIA+ community. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS I JUST DIDN'T KNOW. And it was humbling because I realize how many things I've said were just SO WRONG in my life because I JUST DIDN'T KNOW -- slurs and sexist thoughts and so many other things that I never knew were harmful which is something I would have never wanted to do. I'm happy to learn and do better. This community has taught me SO many things and I get to learn from such a diverse group of people.

9. I am able to get personalized book recommendations: I mean, I can't walk into many places and have someone be like JAMIE JAMIE JAMIE this book is for you. But the online book community doesn't hesitate to let me know if they think I would love a book because they KNOW me or what kinds of books I like. Or when I am looking for something super specific I can shout it out on my blog or Twitter and people rush in with very specific recs to my very specific reading needs. IN AN INSTANT.

10. Because y'all make me feel like I belong: seriously, this community has been a lifesaver for me in SO many ways over the past 6 years. It would take me forever to explain why. What I do want to say is that this community made me feel like I found my people and gave me the courage to BE the person I am rather than the person I was putting on. I embraced things I loved that I previously hid. I just really grew into my own because of this community -- because I felt like I was heard, understood and that I could be so ridiculously open in a way that I couldn't with a lot of people in my life. I was more myself HERE then I was IRL.  All of this really translated into my IRL life through the years and I finally felt like I knew who I was and I was happy with it.

SO...I love all you online book people whether you blog or vlog or take pictures of books or tweet or WHATEVER YOU DO. If we've connected over books....I HEART YOUR FACE.




Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly link-up in the community where we provide a prompt and other lovers of listmaking join in on it with their own top ten list. Feel free to have less than 10 or more if you need to at times and put a spin on the topic if you need to! Just please link back to us if you are participating :)

To join, link up below with the URL to your blog POST (not your blog), your name and your email (which will remain hidden). Then bounce around the Linky!

 Jennifer @ YA Book Nerd   Abbi@Christian Novels   Brittany @ Beauty and the Bean Boots  
 Kelsey @ librasaurus   Evie @ Just Another Belle   C @ Thoughts From Libraries  
 Ricki and Kellee @ Unleashing Readers   La La in the Library   Courtney @ The Green Mockingbird  
 Wendy (Literary Feline) @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty   Lois @ My Midnight Musing   Charlie @ A Books Eternal Glory  
 Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books   Aubrey @ Aubrey's Book Nook   Rachael @ A Little Bit of Literature  
 Chrissi Reads   Sydney @ Singing Librarian Books   Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors  
 Amy @ Amy's Bookish Life   Beckie B.   Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse  
 Emily @ Infinite Lives, Infinite Stories   Analee @ Book Snacks   Lindsay @ Lindsay's Library  
 Savannah @ ReadingBifrost   Amy @ Every Book You Need to Read and More   Camryn @ The Writing Crafter  
 Serenity @ Book Charmers   Jade @ BookMuffin   Jaime @ Two Chicks on Books  
 Shon @ Tangled 'N' Books   Rivalie @ Forever Obsession   Puput @ Unboxing My Thoughts  
 Erica @ Novel Ink   Jamie @ Watch Game Read   Alexandria @ Heart Full of Elves  
 Amy @ Pages of Starlight   Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks   Rachel Patrick  
 Bri @ Paperback Bri   Lori @ Palmer's Page Turners   Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs  
 Kathy @ Kathy Reads Fiction   Majoring in Literature   Laura & Jen @ Reads We Review  
 Christine @ BookishlyB   Alyssa @ Book Club Babe   Ayla @ Books & Babbles  
 Keanna @KeyReadThat   Shelf Worn Books   Amy @ Read What I Like  
 Lisa & Becca @ Lost in Lit   Andi @ Andi's ABCs   The Literary Counsellor  
 Jordon @ Simply Adrift   Tasha @ The Bookie Monsters   Emma @ The Testy Badger  
 Aly @ Of Wonderland   Sonia @ The Book Wielding Harpie   Kirstie @ Upside-Down Books  
 Rachel Troyer @ Obsessed With Fairy Tales   Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom   legolegislegimus  
 Vanessa @ Cross My Heart and Hope to Read   Jess @ Little Book Heaven   Aliaa @ Mademoiselle Le Sphinx  
 Beth @ Betwixt the Pages   Kerr and Rachel @ Paein and Ms4Tunes' book blog   Olivia @ Rainbow of Books  
 Heather @ Based on a True Story   Jessica @ A Cocoon of Books   Barb (boxermommyreads) @ Booker T's Farm  
 Amber @ YA Indulgences   Lisa @ Loca For Language   Annemieke @ A Dance with Books  
 Jen @ Book Lovers Alliance   Emma   Courtney @ Incessant Bookworm  
 Joseph @ thoughts and afterthoughts   Helle @ Bookish Utopia   Alice @ A Readers Fiction  
 Kristi @ Hidden Staircase   Mariela & Allyson   Mandy @ The Reading Diaries  
 Dawn @ Dawn's Dreams   stacey@books,dreams,life   Ashley @ Running While Reading  
 Bri @ Transported By Books   Liza @ Quite the Novel Idea   Kelsey @ kelseyempfield  
 Jenna @ Reading with Jenna   Lindsey @ Bring My Books   Brianna and Angelina @Fables Library  
 Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know   Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales   Julie @ Keep Calm With Books and Coffee  
 Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte   Marcilia @ The Plot Bunny   Deb Nance at Readerbuzz  
 Elena @ ElenaSquareEyes   Dana @ DanaSquare   Carrie @ Reading Is My SuperPower  
 Find Me at the Library   Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense   Tanya @ Girl Plus Books  
 Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog   Pretty Deadly Reviews   Emily @ Midwestern Book Nerd  
 Miranda @ A Real Writer's Life   Bonnie @ A Backwards Story   Cassie @ Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile  
 Alyce @ Everything Alyce   Marie @ Pages to Explore   Candace&Kattie@LiteraryDust  
 Ellen @ The Canon   Kourtni @ Kourtni Reads   Jim @ YA Yeah Yeah  
 Anna @Adventures with a Book Nerd   megan @ love literature art and reason   Brandi @ Brandi Janee's Bookshelf  
 Kayla @ Sunday Morning Coffee   Sam @ Suicide By Books   Islandgeekgirl @ Overflowing Bookshelves  
 Deborah @ The Road of a Writer   Sara @ A Gingerly Review   Cait @ Paper Fury  
 Meggan @ Between The Pages   Camila   Bonnie @ For the Love of Words  
 Sue @ Crushingcinders   There will be books   Aria @ Stuck in Wonderland  
 Caroline @ Stardust Words   Emma @ Awkwordly Emma   Lindsey @ Lindsey Reads  
 Giovanna @ BookComa   Sam Whitehouse   Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally  
 Jen @ Decorate The Soul   Katrina @ Chased By My Imagination   Tom @ Reading Nook Reviews  
 Lefty @ The Left-Handed Book Lover   Elien @ So Bookalicious   Jess @ Such a Novel Idea  
 Dashie   Kendra @ Reads and treats   Amy  
 Jessica @ a GREAT read   Jennifer @ Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews   Debbie Rodgers @Exurbanis  
 Curious Daisy   Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library   Rachel @ Go Read A Book  
 Rissi @ Finding Wonderland   What Aimee Read Next   Stephanie @ Adventures of a Bibliophile  
 Got My Book   Selah @ A Bibliophile's Style   Tanaya @prettypagesblog  
 Kyra Morris   Sheri @ Read in a Flash!   Ashley  
 Marie's Reads   Anushka @ Going Through Books   Alice@ The Geeky Burrow  
 Estefani @ FICTION JUNGLE   Maggie@ Never Done It That Way Before   Alison @Hardcovers & Heroines  
 Sarah @ Exploring All Genres   Stephanie@Don't be Afraid of the Dork   Tiara @ The BiblioSanctum  
 Miriam Michelle Gonzalez   Ara @ Open Pages   Bekah @ Will Bake for Books  
 imyril @ there's always room for one more...   Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog   Kate @ Parchment Girl  
 Kati   Stefani @ Caught Read Handed   AngelErin @ Angel Erin's Book Obsession  
 Holly @ Nut Free Nerd   Aj @ Read All The Things!   Brandy @ Random Musings of a Bibliophile  
 Kelly F. Barr   Bruna @ Bruna Writes   Lauren @ Always Me  
 Reg @ She Latitude   Mia- Top Ten Oldies But Goodies!   Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity  
 Lisa @ Captivated Reader   Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books   Zahra @ To the Bookstore and Back  
 Rachael @ Parawl Perwyl   Ashley @ What's She Reading?   Eve @ Functioning Insanity Reviews  
 Kate @ Mom's Radius   Amy @ Book Babbles and Blues   Lauren @ My Expanding Bookshelf  
 Esther @ Chapter Adventures   Becksa @ Ranty Runt of a Reader   Amelia @ Keep Your Feet  
 Jen E @ critic and fangirl   Jackie   Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook  
 Hannah @ Broc's Bookcase   Lenoreo & Curly Carla @ Celebrity Readers   Nori @ readwritelove28  
 Jacquie @ Rattle the Stars   Sarah @ Scheherazade Reads   Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf  
 Amanda   Marianne @ Let's Read   Kristine @ The Writer's Inkwell  
 Milka@ReadReadRead   Katrina @ Kaleidoscope of Books   Liv @ Curlyhairbibliophile  
 Becky & Angharad @ Two Book Thieves   Mallory at Story at a Time   Austine @ NovelKnight  
 Mari @ Story and Somnomancy   Ara | The Bookish Agenda   Alba in Bookland  
 Valerie @ He Said Books or Me   Katey @ Read, Write, Design   Tracy @ Cornerfolds  
 Cindy @ Oodles of Books   Maybe Books Will Be Our Always   Lynn Williams  
 Arwen@ I Love A Good Book   Megz @ Barefoot Whispers   BookSophisticate  
 JJ@bookloversblog   Akilah @ The Englishist   Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm  
 Bettina @ sweesomastic.de   Kat @ A Myriad of Books   Stephanie @ My Bookish Itinerary  
 Jenna @ Fictional Neverland   Taylor @ Stay on the Page   Megan Easley-Walsh  
 Chelsea @ Books for Thought   Ely & Michelle @ Tea & Titles   Diana @ Little Miss Drama Queen  
 jessicabookworm   Martha @ I'd Rather Be Reading   Shayna @ The Bibliotaph  
 Tasheena @ Dear Reader   Diana @ Voices in my Head   Jocelyn @ 52 Letters in the Alphabet  
 Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem   Maggie @ The Novel Orange   Gabby @ 500 Books  
 Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies   Amanda @ Good In The Stacks   Jessica @ Peace Love Books  
 Elisabeth @ The Dirigible Plum   Nicole @ Reading Books With Coffee   Heather @ Feminism in Cold Storage  
 Yasmine @ Swissbookworm   Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog   Bobbie @ A Page to Turn  
 Girl with her Head in a Book   Becca @ The Bookkeeper's Apprentice   Cora @ Tea Party Princess  
 Sarah's Book Shelves   Kate @ Fangs and Fur  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)



19 comments:

  1. Great topic, Jamie! Love it. :)

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  2. OMG YES to pretty much all of this for sure. I ended up picking something similar (book events) but yeah so much fun and many of the ideas cross over. I love the bookish community!

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  3. An apt topic to pick with your six years drawing in. I really love all the reasons you've shared in your list, and in many ways you've summed up the bookish community so perfectly.

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  4. I love all of these! And I especially agree with point 8, I'm still fairly new to the online book community but I've learned so much already! About genres, tropes, (under)representation etc.

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  5. This is a great list Jamie! I agree especially that there is so much to learn! I've only been doing this a couple of year and every day I feel like I learn something new! Love it!

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  6. Yes to all these!!! Wonderfully said!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  7. Aw that's so sweet but SO true!! I love that there's always someone online to talk to - it makes the book community feel like an entire new universe of AWESOMENESS. And omg, my TBR, the question do I thank or scowl at the community for making it so large!?

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  8. Here! Here! and Amen!

    http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/06/i-love-authors-and-you-should-too.html

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  9. Great list! The bookish community is the best!

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  10. I just had to add my Ten Reasons I Love Classic Literature
    and I really enjoyed reading your reasons for loving the blog and also some of the others. As always, such a great way of thinking about our reading.

    Marianne from
    Let's Read

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  11. Fantastic list!! I love the bookish community and I have learned a lot from being a part of it as well, :D

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  12. Great topic :) There are so many reasons I'm glad I joined the book community and talking about books is one of them!
    My TTT

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  13. Here comes my answer! My blog i originally in swedish but you can easily translate it into english or whichever language you'd prefer :) http://tickmick.blogspot.com/2016/06/top-ten-tuesday-vecka-23.html

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  14. Lovely list! These are some of the reasons I've decided to join in. :)

    C @ thoughtsfromlibraries.blogspot.com

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  15. I totally agree with #8! It's amazing how much I've learned from the book blogging community. I've picked up so many more diverse books and been exposed to lots of topics and issues I never thought about before. I'd like to think the online book community has contributed to me becoming a better person!

    My TTT

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  16. For anyone in the bookish community who loves Liane Moriarty please check out the #ReadSavannah event that is coming up in Sept. at www.shereads.org (may need to scroll down to find it but it's there!). This one-day event will feature a moveable feast, lots of authors, with the final headliner being Liane. It's sure to bring the book community out in force and we'd love to see you there!

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  17. Yeeeeessssss to all of this! The bookish community is so incredibly amazing for so many reasons!
    -Amy

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