Monday Thoughts (or Weekend Thoughts)

So, I had originally planned this post for yesterday, but I was busy reading, being at a concert and then had a headache (yep, all yesterday). Now, I’m a day late, but that actually only means I had one more day to think about some of the things I wanted to say, so I can’t really complain.

Now it’s late and I’m tired, but I have a coffee right in front of me and will maybe get a yoghurt for dessert (my second for today, but so what!) later on.

Now, in case you’re wondering, I read (and finished) a great book about zombies this weekend, but more about that at a later point. I promise! It's just that I have some "mystery books" (anyone have a better name for them?) lately...

I’ve also been reading some more of Lonely Werewolf Girl by Marin Millar. I absolutely love the book, although some of my favorite characters will likely make me some enemies, unless my feelings change while reading the last hundred or so pages. It’s just that so far I really, really like one of the "bad guys“. I can’t help it. And Malveria is a hoot! I doubt there’s anyone out there who won’t start laughing and not be able to stop once she appears! But wait, I’m almost starting a review here and I haven't even finished reading the book. So more on that tomorrow or the day after.

Now, my wish list has been growing some (haha!) more thanks to you guys. I am sort of up to date with my reader, but when I signed back in I had 150 unread blog posts there again. So would you please give me a break and let me read the blog posts before you start posting like crazy again? Pretty please??? Now, I know someone started the bad blogger posts where we blame other bloggers for our never slimming wish lists, but I can’t find out who did it. Could anyone help me, by chance? Thanks!

Oh, in case you're interested, the concert was classical music - first François-Josef Gossec's Sinfonia Concertante D-major for flute, violine and orchestra, and then Ludwig van Beethoven's Prometheus (op. 43). The latter, sadly, is hardly ever played in it's entirety, because it is actually a ballett and the "ballett book", where all the dances are written down, is missing. For this concert, they played the entire opus and had a speaker tell the story of Prometheus. In case you'd like to at least see the pictures of the solists in Gossec's sinfonia and the speaker for Prometheus, check out the (German, sorry!) website for the Fränkische Musiktage! (I can translate it for you, if you're really interested.)

So much for the fun parts of my weekend. Now on to the thought provoking ones. I realize some are probably not going to like me after what I have to say, but I can live with that.

For some reason, the comment function at my blog isn't working so well. Some comments that appear to be sent never show up on the blog. A friend of mine commented on my second vlog (she tried to do so twice, in fact), but it never showed up. In case you know what's going on, please let me know! So far, my search hasn't been successful.

A few bloggers (Linda, Bellezza and Marc David) talked about the "industry" book blogging seems to have become (and have done so far more eloquent than I ever will be able to) – and I definitely agree with them. I had my first book blog years ago, when it was just for fun, to keep a reading log somewhere, to give my friends in real life and online a link where they could check in whenever they wanted to see what I’m reading and how I like it. I created a new blog (this one!) when I realized my old one was no longer "me“. It no longer reflected the person I am, and I didn’t know how to change it, so instead I kept it – for myself, for memory, to revisit the "old times“. Now, with my new blog, I still do it for the fun, to keep a reading log of sorts and not worry about where I put the notebook again. I am like that – I constantly misplace notebooks, work sheets, etc. so a blog is perfect.

If I can help someone else find a good book, that’s a nice side-effect and if it helps an authors to promote a book, that’s also good. I stand by my ratings and my opinions, because seriously, where’s the sense in giving a book a good rating when I in fact didn’t like it? It would undermine every reviewers credibility (just look at the whole HK story, if you know what I mean) and it wouldn’t help readers either, as they’d just be frustrated when they buy a book they don’t like (I know I am!).

Maybe it all started with the nice awards. All of a sudden everyone wanted to ge one and instead of leaving it at one or two awards, there are now I don’t know how many out there.
Then, it was all the blog tours. I like author interviews and guest posts every now and then, I don’t mind author interviews with authors you really like or the occasional interview with a young, striving author either, but when I get one author interview after another on your blogs, it gets old! (Especially because at times it seems as if I subscibe to every single participant’s blog of certain blog tours.)

Lately, it has been the giveaways. I know I hold giveaways sometimes, but those are my own books, books I give away to find a good home for them, for various reasons – one entry for each person. But that’s not what’s going on at some other blogs. What’s up with all the additional entries? Isn’t one entry enough? Now if you post about a giveaway at your blog, in your sidebar, on Twitter AND become a follower, you get additional entries for each of these things – and sometimes even more than one for each of those things. Why does anyone want to have an amount of followers when most likely those followers will only mark those blogs read and not take a look at the posts?

To me, the confusing thing is that I still think it’s about the books we read and truly enjoy. But it seems to many others it’s become a popularity contest. Now let me be up front, I hated those back in school and I’m not going to participate now. In fact, I don’t even know how many people visited my blog so far!