Throwback Thursday: May 2008

In May of 2008 I was beginning to feel more comfortable in becoming a book blogger/reviewer and I was feeling more at ease expressing my opinions. Writing my thoughts and points of view down for the world to see was a huge step in coming out of my shell and not being so reserved with my thoughts. Previously, I tended to not speak out as much and let others do it for me. I never realized until I started thinking about this post but this blog has had a big impact on me in that regard.

The books that I reviewed in May of my first blogging year were all very different from each other. There was a mix of non-fiction, historical Southern fiction and contemporary fiction.  When I was writing my review for Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING I remember being uneasy about it because I really didn't like the book. I know many people loved that book, but I just didn't. It was the first time that I felt such a strong negative opinion.  Nervously, I posted my thoughts and . . . the world didn't end. Everyone has an opinion and that is the beauty of these book blogs so many of us dedicate so much of ourselves to. We don't all have to have the same opinion or like the same books. There is no right answer.

I also read and reviewed Sue Monk Kidd's THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. I immediately fell in love with that book and wondered why it took me so long to read it. But the book that really stood out was THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein. There was a lot of hype about this book and when I read it I totally got why. This book touched my heart, made me smile and made me cry. A friend recently mentioned to me that she was thinking about reading this book over her summer break and I instantly got a warm feeling all over. That's what this book does. What made it extra special was that after posting my review I received a very sweet email from Garth Stein thanking me for sharing my thoughts. That was the first time I'd been contacted by an author directly and it was a great feeling.

This is only my second Throwback Thursday post here on the blog and I gotta tell you, I'm liking it a lot. Taking the time each month to reminisce about my first year of blogging and where it all started has been eye-opening and insightful. I hope you enjoy it as well. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back with another Throwback Thursday post next month.

Throwback Thursday: My First Year Revisited

In trying to come up with some new ideas for the blog, I thought it might be fun to go back to 2008, my first year of blogging, to see what I was reading back then. Though I started my blog in January of that year, it wasn't until April that I really started focusing primarily on books. It was the best path I've ever taken. So lets take a look back and see what was on my nightstand in April of 2008.

Reading these old reviews now shows me how my writing in these posts has changed over time. I was so green back then! But hey, you have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes, right?! I posted three book reviews that month and judging by my choices, (these were not review copies), it is clear that I had eclectic taste from the start.  The three reviews were from three different genres. Two were novels, one non-fiction. One of the novels was Southern Chick-Lit, the other was darker fiction, which I still love reading. Give me dark and haunting any day and I'm happy!

I'm not at all surprised that one of my first reviews was from Mary Kay Andrews, a writer I adore! DEEP DISH, a new book of hers at the time, had just come out and I gobbled it up immediately.  Her breezy prose and wit along with the quirky, southern charm of her characters was what drew me to her from her first book, SAVANNAH BLUES.  It was fun going back and reading that review again.

THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold was a difficult one to get through, but that's not to say I didn't love the book. The subject matter was disturbing but I do enjoy going to that darker side as well.  A few years after reading this book, I did watch the movie and I must say, I thought it was fantastic. Very true to the book and the cast was awesome! Rarely do I ever enjoy the movie as well as the book, but this was the exception for me.

The non-fiction book I reviewed that month contained a subject matter that, at that time, had not made it into main-stream, but now dominates our news media outlets daily. The book is INFIDEL by Ayaan Kirsi Ali. After seeing her in an interview on CNN, I was completely impressed by what she had been through, both as a Muslim child growing up in Somalia and as an adult living in refugee camps and later as a member of Dutch Parliament, living with the threat of being murdered because of her outspoken views against the Muslim religion. It was a fascinating read and one I will never forget.

Do you ever go back to see where you were in years past and what types of books had your attention back then? Once each month I'll be revisiting posts from my first year of blogging and sharing them with you. I hope you'll enjoy my trip down memory lane as much as I think I will. Thanks for stopping by!

The Sunday Salon: Confession Time

Welcome to the Sunday Salon, a place where we can discuss bookish, or not-so-bookish things. I'm getting a late start today because I didn't think I had anything earth shattering to contribute as I haven't got a lot of reading done. But after reading a blog post at Still Unfinished, I realized maybe I did have something to say after all. (Thanks Bryan!)

His post about the pressures of blogging, reviewing and reading was a breath of fresh air to me and I found myself relating to much of what he said. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to stop by. There's some great conversations happening there right now.

So taking inspiration from Bryan and his advice to write my own post, here are some of my thoughts on the subject that he so eloquently spoke about:

On Blogging: I have stopped pressuring myself to keep up with other bloggers and readers like I did when I first began blogging. You can drive yourself crazy doing that.  I also believed I had to read all of the newest releases and post my thoughts as quickly as possible to stay relevant. But all that did was deter me from why I started reading and blogging in the first place: My love of books and sharing them with other book lovers. I have eclectic taste in books but there are certain genres I don't care for at all, so I stay away from them - even if that means I'm not in the 'cool' crowd.  I've never been one to read the most mainstream books just because they're on the Hot List somewhere. For instance, I've never read a Harry Potter book! (I know...gasp!) Nor have I read any of the Twilight Saga or even Fifty Shades of Grey, but that's a whole other topic!

You know how as you get older you care less and less what people think? Well, not to sound like a snob or anything, but that's kind of how I feel about my blogging, reviewing and reading. There's no way I could possibly keep up with all of the people I see on social media, so why should I drive myself nuts trying to? I read and blog because I enjoy it. Its not my job, I don't HAVE to do it - its purely for my pleasure. I know many of you feel the same way.

On Reading: Another thing about me is that I'm not a fast reader. Never have been. I enjoy taking my time with a book, especially a well written book and enjoying the writers' craft. For instance, when I read The Book Thief, I would re-read whole sections because the writing took my breath away! I wonder: If you're reading fast do you miss certain things? I once read a book with a friend.(It was one of Stieg Larrson's books) and I read so much slower than my friend that I struggled to keep up with her and it was constantly on my mind while I read, that I gave up and just read at my own pace. Afterward, I felt there were some moments in the book she didn't recall the way I did.

My slow reading pace is also one reason I don't do challenges. The other is I like to pick my next book pertaining to the mood I'm in, which can change on a dime.  I'm all over the map with what books I want to read so keeping to a particular genre or theme wouldn't work for me. Plus, its the whole pressure to keep up thing again.

On Reviewing: Many of the books I read have been out for years and I used to feel no one would be interested in those reviews but I've realized that's just not true. I do enjoy writing reviews and I write one for every book I read. I don't always follow a format and sometimes I just start them off like a conversation but one thing I NEVER do in a review is reveal any spoilers! I am adamant about that. I talk about the book and its characters in a way that if you haven't yet read it, I'm not going to ruin anything for you. That is a pet-peeve of mine. I take great care in avoiding spoilers and I know my readers appreciate that.

As for today, the reason I didn't think I had anything to share is because I've been having a hard time getting started with a book lately. I've chosen a few books I have a genuine interest in but I'm having trouble getting started. I know this is a terrible way to start the year, so I'm hoping it will soon pass. One reason may be that the lenses in my glasses need to be updated. Luckily I have an appointment with the eye doctor Wednesday and will be ordering new ones! I'm hoping my reading will pick up once I get my new glasses. I'm also suffering from some double-vision which makes reading a bit difficult to say the least!

So for today, I'll be flapped out in my comfy chair watching the NFL playoffs and hopefully getting started with DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn. A friend of mine read this awhile back and said it was really good. Supposedly its being made into either a movie or a TV series later this year.

Thanks for stopping by today! Do you feel any pressures regarding reading, blogging or reviewing? Don't forget to visit Still Unfinished and join that conversation!

The Sunday Salon: My Family's Loss

Hello and Happy Sunday to you.  Today's post will be a short one - not a book related post but more of an explanation of why I've been so out of touch in recent months. As some may know, my dad has been battling cancer for several years now and in the last two or three months his health began to decline rapidly and he was in pain much of the time. Sadly, this past Wednesday, my dad lost his battle with this terrible disease.  They gave him about 7-10 days on Monday but he lasted only two days. Although there is a big whole in our lives now without him, we are comforted knowing that he is not suffering any longer. My mom was an angel to my dad in his final days and took care of him at home until his last breath. I am grateful that I was able to spend a day with him a few weeks ago when he was still relatively himself.  We even shared a meal together and had some good conversation. That was his last somewhat normal day. I will always be thankful for that day.

I'd like to thank those of you who have left me supportive comments these last months whenever I've mentioned my dad in my posts.  My blogging friends are always so sweet and supportive and it means more to me than I can say. Thank you so much for your support and your prayers.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and blogging more. I have been so preoccupied and have neglected the blogs for awhile but I'm anxious to get back to reading them regularly. Please accept my apologies for not being present and keeping up with all of you. I have been able to get through a few books though, but I still need to  write my reviews. I'm hoping to get to them later this week.

Again, thank you for your support and I hope to get back in the loop of what everyone is reading very soon. I've really missed the interaction with my fellow book lovers.  I will see you on the blogs real soon.