Top Ten Tuesday: You Are NOT a Bad Book Blogger If…

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Bookish Pet Peeves.” I do have some bookish pet peeves, but I’ve learned over the years that every reader is their own person and my own pet peeves should not hinder other readers, so I usually keep these pet peeves to myself. As a result, I wanted to make this week’s post a little more positive and let you all know that you are not a bad book blogger even if you feel like you fall short sometimes. I’ve been blogging for seven years and consider myself a veteran at it, but I am still in the process of unlearning some of these things. Whether you are a new blogger or have been here for years, I hope you know that no matter where you are in your blogging journey, you are amazing for starting this journey and are deserving of appreciation.

You are NOT a bad book blogger if…

1. …You don’t post a review of an ARC before its publication date – I know this is one of the reasons why publishers send out ARCs, but sometimes life takes precedence and it’s okay if you get to an ARC late.
2. …You don’t review everything you read – We are not machines and we shouldn’t expect ourselves to review everything we pick up. Sometimes it’s nice to read something and not think about how you’re going to summarize your thoughts.
3. …You don’t adhere to a strict blogging schedule – Sure it’s great to get a post out exactly when you intend and it’s great to have consistent content on your blog, but you don’t need to participate in memes every week or post a review every week. You determine your own schedule and you should always give yourself some slack.
4. …You don’t buy every book you read – I know book haul posts get a lot of attention, but over the years, I feel like they also put too much pressure on bloggers to buy buy buy. You don’t have to own every book you read. For some of us, the library is the answer and for others its ARCs.
5. …You don’t have time to blog hop – One thing I never anticipated before I started book blogging was the social aspect of it. I thought I would read books, post reviews, and that would be it. I had no idea a whole community existed and that I would become a part of it. I want to support my fellow bloggers, but I don’t always have the time to do so and that’s okay.
6. …You don’t continue every series whose opening novel you liked – I would love to have all the time in the world to finish all the series I’ve started, but sometimes you just lose interest or other series become more important.
7. ….You aren’t on every social media platform – Book blogs. Book Twitter. Bookstagram. BookTube. BookTok. Bookterest? There are so many platforms out there that demand our full attention. So many places where we could promote ourselves and our content, but doing so would be a full-time job in itself and it isn’t plausible to be present to the same degree everywhere.
8. …You take hiatuses – This year I took the longest hiatus I’ve ever taken from blogging and you know what? I feel fantastic. Not having to blog reduced the amount of stress in my life and provided me with the space I needed to regroup and come back stronger.
9. …You sometimes hate blogging – I have had days where I have absolutely dreaded opening my computer to blog or catch up on comments. I promise you that this is normal. Blogging may be a labor of love, but it is labor nonetheless.
10. …You feel guilty about various aspects of blogging – I struggle with guilt a lot. I always feel like I could be better, that I could do more, that only if I put a little more time or effort into blogging, I’d finally feel satisfied with my blogging career. These are all lies. If you feel guilty it’s probably because you’ve put a lot of pressure on yourself. Pressure can be good. It can push you to be better, but it can also suck all the fun out of what should be an enjoyable hobby. The best advice I can give you is to learn to be gentle with yourself.

FINALLY…

Hey you, I hope you have a good week! Also be sure to leave a link to your TTT post, so I can visit!