Armchair BEA: Book Blogging

It is the last day of Armchair BEA!

~sniffle~

Today's topic is Book Blogging!

I've discussed before how I really started book blogging. It was an easier way for me than goodreads to keep track of what books I've read.  I've only been book blogging for about a year. But I've changed my blog quite a bit from the start, because I've learned things.  Here are some of my tips.

~ When posting book reviews try to stick to a specific format. I try to include the book cover, author, title and publishing info, as well as a blurb and a book link before my review.

~ Rating a book is really up to the blogger. Some people choose not to. I know I find it hard to rate books between 1 - 5, which is a typical rating scale. I don't think this is absolutely necessary.

~ If you are truly serious about book blogging, try to have a post a day, but hey, life interrupts us sometime and that can't happen. Don't sweat it.

~ It is not necessary to have a super sweet looking blog design to be a great book blogger, though let's face it, we all want one. I was lucky that a friend bought me my design for Christmas last year. Before that, I had a very plain design.

~ Don't make memes the focus of you book blog. There's an meme a day out there. I even have one..that's more a personal feature for me, but don't make memes what your blog is all about.

~ Be yourself. Don't blog or review for other people. Blog because you love doing it. Blog because you love books.

~ Don't be obsessed with followers.  If you start obsessing about things like that, I guarantee that your blog will become less fun for you and more like work, and don't we all do enough of that?

That's all I can think of now. Book Blogging should be fun and it should be a celebration of all the great books that are out there, old and new!

Armchair BEA: Nurturing Relationships

Today's focus of the Armchair BEA is Nurturing Relationships.  Oh this is interesting, because I have 3 blogs, one is a personal blog, one is a group blog that is a lot of celebrity stuff, music reviews and food reviews and then I have this book blog.

The only blog that I've really established relationships through was my personal blog and that's because it is what it is. Personal. Which is funny, because I share more interests with book blogging people than I might with some of the people I follow through my personal blog. If that makes any sense.

I really think the way of establishing relationships and keeping them going involves commenting and replying to comments. I'm not a fan of twitter and facebook is a place were I play games. If I start spending time posting links to reviews at all the social media sites, guess what? Book blogging isn't fun anymore.

It is like Giveaways w/the clause that you must be a follower to get extra entries. What good is having 700 followers if none of them ever say anything to you?

I think I'm starting to sound anti-social, which isn't the case. I think when it comes to establishing relationships...things like memes and book tours are a great way to discover bloggers with similar reading interests. However, if you are like me, I hate feeling compelled to do something. I started out always doing the What Are You Reading meme on Monday...but then it started to feel like work.

However I'm really a tiny blog in a huge sea of huge blogs, so I really don't know. This topic makes me feel like I should be writing the "How To Be Popular" column when I'm the class nerd.

So what do you do to develop and keep relationships with your fellow book bloggers, because apparently I am clueless!

Armchair BEA: Networking

When I started my book blog a little over a year ago...I didn't have any focus. I was reviewing books and talking about books for myself. It took 6 months before I really jumped in and got the blog really going and that's when I started finding blogs and bloggers that I really love.

Since I didn't do the whole interview thing for Armchair BEA, I want to share some of my favorite book bloggers with you.

The first blog is Rex Robot Reviews. I'm actually a reviewer for that site now. But Julia is actually Rex, and the site reviews some awesome books across many genres as well as hosting some great giveaways.

Julia is also super lucky because, she's actually in NYC for BEA.  I'm pretty jealous too!

The next blog that I absolutely adore is About Happy Books. Sabrina is the blogger behind this site and I absolutely adore her reviews.

Her site is just so sweet and informative. I always find great new additions to my TBR pile when I stop by there.

Another favorite blog of mine is Addicted To Romance in a blogging world where YA seems to reign supreme, it was so refreshing to find someone like me that really loves a good romance novel.

The last blog I'm going to share with you is Heaven Is A Bookstore . Heidi shares bits of her life as well as book reviews.

These are some of my favorites and most often read sites, but there are lots more. Feel free to stop by any of them, and say A Chick Who Reads sent you!

Armchair BEA: Best of 2011

 Today's topic at Armchair BEA is “Best of 2011!”

I have to admit, my reading isn't always the newest books out there. I love to bargain shop and go through backlist books and find stuff I might have missed.

Even on the many book tours I've participated in...the books weren't necessarily published this  year.

However....there is one book that stands out already as a favorite for 2011 and I'm sure it will make many lists.

I think Lauren Oliver's Delerium is probably the most reviewed and anticipated book this year, and for me it really didn't disappoint. I loved it and I reviewed it for Rex Robot Reviews right around the time it was released.

I'm not totally into YA or dystopia, but this book was really a gripping read and I look forward to the continuation of the story.

Now here is one of the books I'm sure will make my list when it gets released.

Kimberly Cutter's The Maid looks like a fabulous read. I love historical fiction so this one is right up my alley!

Blurb: The girl who led an army, the peasant who crowned a king, the maid who became a legend

It is the fifteenth century, and the tumultuous Hundred Years’ War rages on. France is under siege, English soldiers tear through the countryside destroying all who cross their path, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. And in the quiet of her parents’ garden in Domrémy, a peasant girl sees a spangle of light and hears a powerful voice speak her name. Jehanne .


The story of Jehanne d’Arc, the visionary and saint who believed she had been chosen by God, who led an army and saved her country, has captivated our imagination for centuries. But the story of Jehanne—the girl—whose sister was murdered by the English, who sought an escape from a violent father and a forced marriage, who taught herself to ride and fight, and who somehow found the courage and tenacity to persuade first one, then two, then thousands to follow her, is at once thrilling, unexpected, and heartbreaking. Rich with unspoken love and battlefield valor, The Maid is a novel about the power and uncertainty of faith, and the exhilarating and devastating consequences of fame

Armchair BEA: Introduction

Armchair BEA is upon us. I totally wish I could go to NYC and get to see all the fabulous stuff there, but money is tight and I have elderly parents to care for, so it isn't happening here.

This Chick will be armchairing it as much as possible though.

Here's a bit about The Chick Who Reads

Me, in 140 characters or less : Animal lover, Music-Reviewer, Reader. Secretary by profession but not by choice. Lover of historical fiction and romance, chicklit, mysteries and YA. Oh and crazy cat lady extraordinaire.

If you could put one book in the hands of everyone you come in contact with, what would it be and why? 


That is easy, Gaston Leroux's The Phantom Of The Opera.  This is one of the easiest classic novels to read. I think it would almost qualify as a cozy mystery if it had been published more recently.

I really loved all the characters in this book, especially Erik, The Phantom.  I think everyone should read this book. When I was in high school, honors english, I actually wrote the reading test for this novel.

I wonder if anyone ever took the exam?.....hmmmm.

Do you host any special events or memes on your blog that you would like to share with us (outside of Armchair BEA)? Please explain.

Right now I'm trying to get a new meme on Thursdays started. I've had a few book tour commitments that have kept me from getting it done regularly though, but the meme is called TBR Thursday. In this meme, everyone shares a few books from their To Be Read piles.