Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Monday, September 12, 2011

BBAW Day 1-Two Bloggers That Have Influenced Me


BBAW Begins First  in Asia, New Zealand,
and Australia

Welcome to Day One of BBAW 
on The Reading Life


I will follow back all who follow me-either via GFC or Twitter-

This is my 3rd year as a participant in Book Blog Appreciation Week (BBAW).   I have found the event to be a great networking opportunity, highly educational and a lot of fun.   There are also lots of give-a-way contests and who among us does not love a free book!   The awards process is exciting and always produces some controversy.   Maybe this year will be different.

The organizers of BBAW have setup "themes" for each day and asked us to write a meme related to the topic of the day.   Here is today's topic (From the webpage of BBAW):

Monday September 12th:Community
While the awards are a fun part of BBAW, they can never accurately represent the depth and breadth of diversity in the book blogging community. Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you. They can be your mentors, a blogger that encouraged you to try a different kind of book, opened your eyes to a new issue, made you laugh when you needed it, or left the first comment you ever got on your blog. Stay positive and give back to the people who make the community work for you!

This was a very tough question for me and I not just saying that!  I follow five hundred plus book blogs.   Some I have more in common with than others but I enjoy and profit from  following  each one.   Even if a blogger posts on something far from my normal area of reading (and it is good to get out of your comfort zone once and a while anyway) they might have some great design ideas or have beautifully written posts.   I have come to appreciate that a book blog is much more than just a collection of "book reviews" (one of my least favorite terms now).   A book blog can be a developing work of art that takes on a life of its own.  

Not to long ago on The Book Blog Hop, a very good question was proposed.  It was "do you have anyone in your life to talk about what you read with?"   Some of the answers were from people who grew up in families where everyone was a reader, some had a reading spouse or close friend but one third of the people answered "No One".     This was my answer and it did hurt to think that  these other bloggers had no one to share one of our very most important interests with.  Many never in their lives ever have had someone to talk to about one of their deepest passions.    That is one of the reasons book blogging and the international book blogging community means so much to me.   I no longer feel like I am alone in my passion for reading but part of a very real every growing and adapting network.   

Two Bloggers That Influenced Me



Suko of Suko's Notebook was one of the very first commentators on my blog when I started it in July 2009.   I was so happy (as I still am) to see a comment on my brand new blog that I at once went to her blog to see who had left me this comment.  I found a beautifully designed blog with a deeply artistic sensibility behind it.  In some blogs you can feel the person behind it is very honest and sincere in their posts and I felt that on her blog. I have gotten a lot of good reading ideas from her and enjoyed her frequent author interviews.    Her biggest (and I mean it was big!) influence on me was when she suggested I join a reading event on short stories (I am still big into reading events).   Like the vast majority of bloggers I never read short stories because I felt they were not "substantial enough" for me.    Now 18 months latter I have read over 500 short stories and posted on many of them.   I think as result of this I have gained a lot of readers (and also homework help seekers from around the world).   I love short stories now and they are and will always be a big part of The Reading Life.    I am always glad when a new post from Suko comes up in my Google Reader. 




Dolce Bellezza opened up a vast new world of reading and learning to me. When I first got into book blogging, I joined a lot of reading challenges.   When I saw a post for the Japanese Literature 3 Challenge and saw you had only to read one book I decided to join.  In truth I had never read a Japanese novel prior to then.   It was not from prejudice or anything  like that it is just that when I was in college there were basically no Japanese works of fiction in translation available and by the time they were I already had a full "reading dance card".   I simply fell in love with the Japanese novel and will be reading them from now on.   The more I read the more I think I appreciate and understand them (my Japanese literature posts).   Dolce has great posts on all sort of literature and often talks about her experience as a teacher as well.   I totally endorse her blog to any and all.   She is the very epitome of a Reading Challenge Host.   

There are at least a dozen other blogs I could mention but I am secure in the two I have picked.   

Please join in with us for BBAW.   The more people that join in the more fun it will be.   

Mel u



38 comments:

Marg said...

Just as you said that you hadn't heard of the bloggers that I spotlighted, I don't follow either of these two bloggers!

Isn't BBAW fun!

Mel u said...

Marg, I hope to have a lot of fun and meet some great new to me bloggers-thanks so much fot stopping by

picky said...

I love Dolce's blog. It was one of the first I found, and it is just so well put together. The other is new to me. Thanks so much!

Playing by the book said...

Love the cartoon! And yes, I'd have answered pretty much no=one too to the Book BLog Hop question. The blogosphere can be such a great place to bring people who share a passion together.

Melody said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! :)

I subscribed to the two blogs you mentioned and I look forward to 'meet' more new-to-me bloggers through BBAW!

Judith H said...

Nice post! As I'm doing the Japanese Reading Challenge for the second year now, I of course know Belezza. But I'll have a look at Suko's blog, I think she's new to me.

Have a great BBAW week!

@parridhlantern said...

Like yourself Bellezza through her Challenge opened my eyes to a world I was blissfully unaware of, now some of my favourite writers are Japanese & through that I'm more willing to try books from anywhere.

Jan von Harz said...

While I began my blog as an extension of my classroom, I stay with it because it allows me to grow as a reader and communicate with like minded people.

Because of blogging my passion for reading is something I share everyday with my students and hope that it rubs off.

Heather said...

I love Bellezza as well, but I haven't heard of Suko! I'm off to check out her blog. I love BBAW for the discovery of new bloggers! Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

wecallupon said...

THANK for the intro to suko a new name to me mel I like Dolce blog too ,all the best stu

Unknown said...

Of course, Belezza is an old acquaintance, but Suko is someone I've never really read - must rectify that :)

Carol said...

HI Mel,

Stopping by via the BBAW2011.

One of the bonuses of book blogging for me is that other folks get excited about books like me.
I am very isolated in my houseful when it comes to the subject of books.

This is because they are studying with books so it is not such a pleasure :)

carol

Helen said...

I'm not very familiar with either of the two blogs you mentioned, so I'll have another look at them. And I hope you enjoy the rest of BBAW!

Bellezza said...

Mel, it means so much to me that you mentioned my blog in your post. Thank you for the recognition, and for feeling positively influenced by the JLC5, which I assure you, thrills me with its participants such as yourself. I'm so glad to share our love of reading together, and like you, have come to love the Japanese novel. So much.

I'm not participating in BBAW; in my opinion, it's something that ends up hurting more feelings than acknowledging others, but I do have blogs I love and people who have influenced me. Yours is certainly in that category.

Best, B.

Mel u said...

Bellezza-I think I understand your point of view and I totally respect it just as I do you and your work for the book blog community

Chrisbookarama said...

I've been a follower of Bellezza's since I started blogging. She's one smart blogger!

BurtonReview said...

I agree about the statement of the growing community. In a few short years, the blogosphere has grown by leaps and bounds. There are so many blogs that I cannot keep up, and I finally decided I shouldn't even try to.
This year, I selected the two blogs that I find myself returning to whenever they post.
Find out who here.

Trisha said...

Wow! I thought I followed a lot of blogs, but you put me to shame! I put my list of influential bloggers here, but like you, I found it hard to narrow down.

So many books, so little time said...

Couldn't access your follower button but thought I would let you know I stopped by (via dizzys blog) and are they your kittys? Beautiful!

Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

So many books, so little time said...

Thanks Mel, following now.

Sorry to hear about Yoda but what great ages. Charlie is lovely!

Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

Suko said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristen M. said...

Thanks for stopping by today! I also appreciate bloggers that have helped me expand my horizons and you've picked a great pair.

Anonymous said...

Bellezza is a great blogger.

Lenasledgeblog.com said...

Great post. It always means so much when the first few come and comment. I can still remember the happiness I felt.

Following you through GFC. New follower.

Erin said...

I agree, it's wonderful to have such a great community with which to share reading! I hope you are enjoying BBAW so far.

Unknown said...

Great comic at the beginning of your post!

I know both Suko's blog and Dolce Bellezza and, although I don't get to visit them as often as I'd like, I think they're fantastic blogs!

I really enjoy your blog...you read so many books I love and want to read and your posts are wonderful. I absolutely love opening to your blog and seeing the photos of all those fabulous authors! That is such a great idea! I don't comment nearly as often as I should (I'm a terrible lurker) but I promise to work on that annoying habit of mine!
Keep up this great blog, Mel!

Suko said...

Mel, thank you for mentioning my blog and for your extremely kind words! I am honored to have led you to short stories. Your passion for them is unparalleled, and you've helped me discover authors of short fiction, like Katherine Mansfield and Saki.

I, too, enjoy Bellezza's book blog, and would never have delved into the fascinating (and often dark) world of Japanese fiction were it not for her annual Japanese Literature reading challenges.

Emily said...

I've never read either of these blogs! Thanks for sharing them with us. They sound fantastic :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. Have a fun week!

Memory said...

How wonderful that your first commenter also got you into short fiction! As a fellow short fiction junkie, I approve. :)

Megan said...

Wow, you follow 500 plust book blogs? I'm impressed! I follow just over 100 and I find I'm usually overwhelmed!

I love Bellezza's blog, but Suko is new to me. Happy BBAW!

Lisa said...

Well said, Mel! I do come a family of readers and we do talk books but still I utterly smitten to discover people that wanted to talk about it even more than my family. I can't imagine how great it must have been for someone who had no one else to talk books with to have found this great community.

Literate Housewife said...

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog this morning and introducing yourself. I love these community posts. Such great new bloggers to get to know.

Kathleen Higgins-Anderson said...

Thank you for visiting my blog, Jersey Girl Book Reviews! I love your site! :)

shelleyrae @ book'd out said...

Hi Mel
Thanks for visiting Book'd Out, during BBAW - it's nice to meet you! Your reading choices are very interesting and I am looking forward to poking around.

Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

Unknown said...

Hi Mel

Thank you for stopping by my blog, I have noticed that for the BBAW Day #1 a number of people have given you credit, I can't believe I've never found our blog before!

I'm like you were, I never read short stories and I've never read a Japanese novel - I wouldn't even know how to go about finding one! I think these may both be things I have to try over the next year.

Louise
www.book-bliss.com

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I am familiar with both of these...Suko more than Belleza. But now I plan to visit more.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Amused said...

I loved the comic - so true! I agree that it's really valuable to follow multiple bloggers. That they all offer a different perspective.

Tif Sweeney said...

The thing that always amazes me is how many book bloggers that are out there that are not even on my radar! I've never heard of either of these and I look forward to discovering them for myself.

BTW, thanks for stopping by my blog this past week! I appreciate it! :)