I’ve already done this before, but I’m still going to do it again.
A lot of things have changed since my first time doing this nearly a year ago (will be exactly a year this Saturday) and I now have some new favorites and possibly a whole new outlook on life, so I’m curious to see how my answers will differ this time around.
Many thanks to the amazing Nikki @ The Night is Dark and Full of Books for tagging me! (and I’m so sorry for taking 6 months to finally do this!!)
Hey everyone! Welcome back. I hope you’re having a great day. Today I’m going to be doing the Blogger Recognition Award. Many thanks to Emer @ A Little Haze Book Blog for tagging/nominating me!
Rules:
Thank the blogger/s who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select up to 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
Comment (or pingback) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.
How Eternity Books Was Created:
Last year December can you believe that it’s been almost a year?!!!, I decided to put my love of books and writing to use and create a blog where I could talk about them to my hearts content. I had just discovered book blogs and GoodReads the month before, and I also wanted to have my own creative space to do whatever I wanted.
To talk books with people who loved books.
To find new books instead of reading the same old Nancy Drew.
To make friends since I didn’t have any IRL.
I was lonely. Bored.
And having a blog seemed like an excellent way to change that. Actually, it was an excellent way to change that. Now, I have a community of readers, blogger and GR friends, a never ending TBR list, and a place that is all mine that makes me feel happy, (sometimes stressed), understood, and also accepted for who I am.
So thank you so much to everybody who has welcomed me into this beautiful community, recommended and talked books as well as discussed topics with me, and also to everyone who has been following this blog. You all made being a blogger such a fun escape, and I am forever grateful to every single one of you 💚
Two Pieces of Advice:
If you’d like to see more than just two pieces of advice, and not just from me but also from other bloggers, check out my LTB post with advice for newbie bloggers!
#1: Blog for the right reasons
More than likely, you started your blog as a way to relax and have fun. So blog to relax and have fun. Don’t make it a chore that becomes super stressful for you, and don’t be too hard on yourself about anything. We’re all human, and trust me, we all understand. Stuff happens, life happens, and at some point, we’ve all probably been in your shoes. So don’t beat yourself up too much, and remember to blog for the right reasons.
#2: Reach out
I promise, we don’t bite. If there is anything you need help with, or a question that you’d like to ask, or maybe you just want to thank someone for something, don’t be afraid to do so. The book blogging community is super welcoming, and we love to chat. As long as you’re nice and polite, you are probably going to get an equally amazing response.
As always, no pressure if you don’t want to do the tag, and if you’d like to do the tag and I haven’t tagged you, go right ahead! Be sure to link back here so I can see your post 🙂
Welcome everyone! Today I’m going to be answering the questions that some of you asked me on my 200 follower Q&A form. I hit 200 followers in October, and decided to ask you guys to ask me anything you’d like to know! It’s not a lot of questions, but I’m still super glad to answer them all.
Right now, I’m not really sure because I haven’t had ice cream in a while, but I think I love vanilla and chocolate equally. If I had to pick between the two…I think I’d go with chocolate, because hey! It’s chocolate.
If you had to be stuck on a deserted island with 3 characters, who would you want to be stuck with??
Kell, because he’s an Antari magician, so he’ll probably hopefully use a spell to get us off the island; Asher because he’d keep things fun, and interesting with a few explosions; and Inej because she’s sensible, smart, super agile, and maybe she’d teach me some of the things she knows (we can also cry over Kaz and his history together more like I’ll be the only one bawling my eyes out).
How did you manage to reach 200 followers? Do you have any tips?
Lol.
I don’t know.
I went to bed last night trying to answer this question, and I still can’t find the answer.
It’s kind of surprising that I reached 200 followers, because 1. I don’t think I’m a great blogger, and 2. I’m not a very good blog hopper/promoter. I really am not good at keeping up with all the blogs I follow, and commenting on their posts (I usually just read and like which is not good), and I’m working on that, but it’s a struggle.
I think that a mixture of blog hopping, doing book tags, being overly active, especially when I first started out, and taking part in the popular memes helped me get to where I am now. I also think I got more followers through Let’s Talk Bookish.
But what makes people want to follow me? Many of you (and thank you!!!) have said that you loved the design/theme, or my posts, and honestly, it makes me feel amazing and super proud of myself, especially because sometimes I think the design looks horrible and that I’m super annoying in my posts which I am.
So for tips: blog hop, get yourself out there. It’s the most generic advice ever and it works. I don’t have any social media (except if you count Goodreads, and even then I only know of a few people who found me through there), I don’t follow anyone on Twitter or Instagram, or wherever, and I seem to be doing something right, and the only thing that I am doing is blog hopping, being annoying sometimes, commenting with excessive hearts when I find someone who loves the same books as me, and just in general being a part of the community.
What made you want to start a blog, and how do you post so often?
What made me want to start a blog: A mixture of boredom, no hobbies that stuck/no friends, a love of books, and a chance to be creative and do something that was my own. Last December, I didn’t really have any friends and I loved to read. I’d dabbled in painting, coding, writing, cooking/baking, but I eventually got tired of them, and I had just discovered book blogs, and I loved the idea and decided to give it a try. And I’m so glad that I did. I’ve discovered so many new books, people who love books like me, and I have something to do that I love except when it’s 7 in the morning and I just want to sleep
How do I post so often? By procrastinating? I usually wait until the last minute to write my posts, but I always keep a set schedule in my mind.
Monday: Book review or a monthly wrap-up or nothing if I don’t finish the post in time.
Tuesday: Another review, or the review that I should have done on Monday if I didn’t make it, or my off day
Wednesday: WWW Wednesday
Thursday: A book tag, or another review if I didn’t do a second one on Tuesday
Friday: Let’s Talk Bookish
So as you can see, it all depends on my mood, how tired I am, and if I finish writing a post in time. The only two days that there is a high guarantee that I’m going to post are Wednesdays and Fridays, but for the rest of the week, I flip flop and post based on how I’m feeling. And sometimes I don’t write any posts at all, and I only write a post on Friday so it all depends. I always try to at least draft a post every morning and maybe schedule it for later in the week.
I would not suggest you follow my method, and you should actually try and draft as many posts as possible when you have free time, and then schedule them through-out the week. I usually try to do that on the weekends (and I usually fail) so that way I’m not rushing to finish a post.
If you had to change your name to a book character’s name, what would it be?
Probably Josephine “Jo” March from Little Women. I was obsessed with Jo’s name, and I still think it’s really pretty. Though I’d change the last name to Connolly. I really liked Puck Connolly in The Scorpio Races. So, Jo Connolly. I think it sounds really good.
What’s your opinion on liking “problematic” books?
I don’t think I’ve liked a problematic book before really? So I’m not really sure but I guess it depends. If the whole book is problematic, and everywhere you turn, you find something wrong, or someone says something that isn’t right etc, then yes, I think it’s, not necessarily wrong, but it’s not good to like such a book IF you don’t understand or see what the problems are.
For instance, some people may read the book, not notice all the problems everyone is mentioning, or just brush it off as a character being an idiot, or like it’s part of the plot for the character to be saying/doing things like that etc, and they like the book. You can’t really blame someone for missing that. This time last year, I probably wouldn’t have noticed any problems myself.
So I respect everyone’s decision to read whatever they want, and if they like it, then I’m not going to lose sleep over the matter. I can try and convince them of why it is problematic and why I think they shouldn’t like it, but everybody’s allowed to have their opinion, and to like whatever they want. Maybe there’s something else that they liked about the book, or maybe they didn’t see what was so harmful or problematic about it, or they might believe that it is the point of the author for the character to do XYZ.
Perhaps because we are reading the book looking for the problematic content, and they read the book with no idea about it being problematic, they saw the other good parts of the book while we were focused on all the bad things being said or done.
But at the end of the day, if they still like it, then well, life moves on.
Any tips for balancing blogging and school?
I’d suggest you try blogging ahead/scheduling posts on the weekends when you have the time, or setting aside 30 minutes each day to draft a post. By the next week, those 30 minutes will add up, and you’ll probably have one, two, maybe even three extra posts already completed.
Also, take advantage of the holidays!!! Thanksgiving break is coming up here in the U.S. and I’m already planning how I’m going to cram all my reading and blogging into next week starting from this Saturday to the Sunday after Thanksgiving though knowing me, I’m probably not going to write anything 🤦🏽♀️. Holidays are the best time to draft a lot of posts ahead of time, and then when school resumes, you’ll have a bunch ready for those days that you didn’t manage to write anything.
Honestly, the only other thing I could say is to try and find a balance. Maybe your class load is very light and you have the time to blog 5 days a week, or maybe you’re like me, you have assignments to do, yet you still try and blog 4 times a week, or maybe all what you can manage is one post every week.
Find the right fit for you, and don’t feel too bad if you can only post 4 times a month. School is stressful. I’m pretty sure it’s a scientific fact and if it isn’t, it definitely needs to be. Trying to do more than you can handle doesn’t help, and beats (at least for me) the purpose of blogging, which is to relax and have fun while talking about books.
Who are your blogging inspirations?
Definitely you Caitlin!! I absolutely love your discussions, and your humor, and it makes me want to write better posts and be more creative with the topics that I discuss on my blog and with Let’s Talk Bookish. So thank you!!
Kat @ Novels and Waffles is also one of my inspirations, especially for design. Her blog is mouth-wateringly splendid and every time, it makes me want to go and do a rebrand, or try a different look with my graphics/blog. It also makes me seriously crave waffles 😭
Xandra @ Starry Sky Books is another amazing blogger who inspired me to start Let’s Talk Bookish. Her discussion posts are on point, and I love how she explains everything so thoroughly and in such a fun way.
Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads is awesome, and I love her and her blog, and even though we don’t read many similar books, or enjoy the same genres, she still inspires me to be a better reader and blogger overall. It’s one of those things that you can’t really explain, but she definitely does inspire me a lot!
These are only some of my inspirations when it comes to blogging, and definitely not all, because all of you who read my posts, like, and comment inspire me to continue blogging, and not to give up even when I just want to curl up and go back to bed. You are all awesome, and I thank you for being with me on this journey and motivating me to keep going 💕💖💚
That’s it for today! Thank you to Meeghan, Caitlin, Aimee, and Aria for asking me questions!!
What do you think about liking problematic books? When and why did you start blogging? Who are your inspirations? Got any tips for posting more often or finding a balance between blogging and life? And for a random question, what did you have for breakfast? Chat with me in the comments below!!
Hey everyone and welcome to another tag!! Today, I will be doing the Sunshine Blogger Award for the second time, so thank you so much to Kiera @ Kiera’s Bookish Thoughts for nominating me!! The questions are interesting, and I’m super excited to do this!
Let’s get started!!
Rules:
Display the award logo on your blog
Thank the person that nominated you
Answer the 11 questions given to you
Nominate other bloggers and give them 11 questions
What author do you own the most of?
I actually own only one book because I live and breathe library books. A few days ago, however, I saw a book for $1 and got it, so it’s the only one that I own and it is by Chris Ould. The authors that I’ve read the most books from are: Robert Muchamore and Ally Carter. They both tied with 12 books.
Do you have more hardback or paperback books on your shelves?
I read e-books 99% of the time so I have more of that than both hardbacks and paperbacks. I only have one paperback.
If you were on a desert island and you could only bring one thing what things would you bring?
If I could bring only one thing, I’d bring water. No matter how much I love books, I can’t survive without water.
Who is your celebrity idol or crush?
Um, haha, I don’t really have a celebrity idol or crush?? I’m fascinated by any royal family if that counts but they aren’t my idols…or crushes.
What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
I’ve ridden a horse!! I absolutely loved it, even though I don’t think the horse really liked me, but it was so much fun! And grooming them is really nice too!! Until they relieve themselves…
What got you into reading?
I think when my 3rd grade teacher recommended that I read, Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix, that’s when I felt that spark, and that’s when I started enjoying reading. It was also a way for me to pass the time, since I don’t watch a lot of TV. And then I read Cam Jansen, and I fell in love with mystery, and then I read the American Girl books, and I fell in love with mystery and historical fiction. And I’m so glad that I did.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
It was was actually a spontaneous decision. I was bored, I liked to read, and I’d just discovered book blogs and I was like, hey, why not? And so I started it, but because I was my nervous naive self, I chose to use a pen name, and now I’ve switched to my real nickname, Rukky. But I don’t regret doing it impulsively at all, because it was and still is so much fun and I love talking to other bloggers and readers. I probably would have chickened out if I had put too much thought into it lol
What are your hobbies aside from reading?
Well, blogging, coding, and baking. I love desserts, and I seriously love to bake!! I hate cleaning up afterwards and it’s also not good for my health/weight, but I still love it anyway lol. I also like designing websites with HTML and CSS, but it’s been a while since I’ve done that.
Give a shout out to a blogger you love!
But I love so many bloggers!! I can’t do this…I might just have to write a post shouting out all of you amazing bloggers that I love 💚💚
What was the last book you purchased or borrowed from the library?
I found The Blood Strand by Chris Ould at the Dollar Store for $1 so yay!!
Have you ever participated in a 24 hour readathon?
Nope, I have not. I’m not sure how readathon’s work in general, but I think it’s that you have to read as many books as possible for 24 hours? Is that right? Please let me know in the comments if I’m right or wrong! (I love my sleep, so if it is, I probably never will take part in one lol)
As always, no pressure if you don’t want to do it!
My Questions:
What’s your favorite kind of post to write?
What do you do when you aren’t blogging?
What’s your favorite dessert?
If you could spend a day with one famous person, alive or dead, who would it be?
Why did you start a blog?
What’s your favorite animal?
Who are your top three authors?
What’s your biggest pet peeve
What’s your favorite cuisine?
How many times have you changed the design of your blog?
Freebie (Pick a random question you’d like to answer!)
That’s it for this post!! Thank you again, Kiera for the nomination!! Also, if you’d like to do the award, and answer my questions, go right ahead! Be sure to link back here so I can see your awesome posts!! And I’m curious: how do readathons actually work? Chat with me in the comments below!!
Eternity Books 