Book Girls Don't Cry: What I Look For In a Blog

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

 

Be attractive, baby! *winks*

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Most people will start a blog because they want to share their opinion, so it's important that your blog (design, content etc) attracts readers. What you should really aim for are regular visitors as they're the ones who are your loyal blog supporters and readers. How do you get people to come back? After visiting tons of blogs in my 2 years of blogging - and even before - I've seen it all, and some things will attract me to come back, other things will make sure I never do.

How to attract readers:

• Content! I like content that is a mix of interesting bookish things, though as I prefer reading reviews I'm attracted to blogs who post at least 2-3 reviews every week - to me reviews are the raison d'être of book blogging. I also enjoy discussion posts and some memes (I like Top Ten Tuesday, WoW, and STS). I think the key for memes is moderation; if a blog only has meme after meme after meme, it gets boring and lacks personality. Content should also show effort and that you care about what you're sharing.

• An attractive design! This doesn't mean you have to pay an arm and a leg for a designer, in fact a lot of simple designs that take minimal effort can be very nice. I guess I should say more "a design that doesn't give people headaches". Firstly, white on black is hard on the eyes and while I won't not read a white on back text, I won't read a lot of it. I can't. It physically hurts my eyeballs! I also find it hard to read when the fonts are way too fancy (usually hard to read) or bright colors. No one likes to read bright lime green text!

• Clean sidebar! This is a huge pet peeve of mine but I can't stand when things are all over the place on a sidebar. Similar go together!! For instance, a Facebook icon that is at a totally different place from the Twitter icon irks me (and this is something I deal with daily when visiting for tours), it makes it so hard to find you online which is how you make blog friends and connections! And if you're going to put buttons of blogs you like, why not put em together? One here, one over there, another one randomly on top of everything makes no sense, and if you don't make sense I'm not interested in figuring you out. Moving on, sidebar widgets like moving cats or fish-tanks have a sole purpose of making a site slow to load. Those book countdown widgets, too, can slow your site down tremendously if you have more than a couple. This reminds me, I went to a blog once that had a Hunger Games countdown with sound effects and I almost shat my pants - yeah I didn't go back there. My point: Keep your sidebar clean, logical, and to the point!

• Socialize! Who wants to talk to a wall? Well aside from Facebook? No matter how nice your design looks or how good your content is, if you don't show you care or even notice people are visiting, they're likely to stop coming. If you get a comment, you should reciprocate, especially if the person is a regular commenter. If someone asks a question, reply direct or via Twitter - that's just common courtesy. I know some recommend replying to every comment but in my opinion 1) if you've got  the native Blogger commenting people don't get notified of your reply so I never saw the point (unless they asked a question and thus are likely to come back to check) and 2) a lot of people will appreciate comment backs more than a generic reply if you don't really have anything to add, so I prefer commenting back on their blog instead. I also like people who show an online presence on Twitter; that is how I made almost all of my blogging friends. It's how you really get to know and connect with them, and you get a bigger grasp at their personality. I'm not saying you have to be constantly on Twitter chatting about, but it's good to show your face every day or 2 - and if someone @'s you, reply!

Those are the main things that will be deciding factors on who will appear in my favorite list in Bloglovin and Feedly ;)

What do YOU look for in a blog?

What makes you come back, or run away?

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You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Book Girls Don't Cry: Where Are All the Parents?

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

 

So Many Orphans!

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Seriously? Where are the parents in YA novels? I have noticed a common theme where the characters are either orphans, live away from home (like in a private school dorm or with an uncle), have parents who are always at work or otherwise clueless/uninvolved in the book at all, or gone on vacation for the duration of the story. I know that these "excuses" are things that can happen. A lot of parents are uninvolved, too busy with their careers or otherwise to be very... parenty, but it seems to be such a common occurrence in YA that I wonder, is the author not wanting to deal with writing/creating familial bonds and dynamics? Are they trying to make it feel more mature by keeping out strict parents who may point to the fact that these are teenage kids? I'm not sure, and to be honest if done well it doesn't bother me too much, but a lot of the time the missing parents syndrome gives the book sort of an unrealistic feel.

I'm not saying I need for both parents who are perfectly devoted and clued in to everything their kid is doing. Great parent/child dynamics can be so very unique for every family and every book. Which is why it's unfortunate that it's become so rare in YA - there are so many directions to take. Even though it can be cliché, I don't mind one missing parent. Cliché or not, having been raised by only one parent for most of my life, I do relate to those kids. I have read and enjoyed many books involving a one-parent family dynamic and it can offer just as much.

Having so much familial absence does make those books with actual involved parents and a realistic family dynamic stand out. I've noticed that books with great family dynamics become really enjoyable reads to me as of late. It seems to be a missing elements that can give the book just that extra profoundness. Here are a few examples of books with great parental relationships:

However, there is a way you can take book parents a bit too far, as well. I have found myself annoyed by parent in YA so much at times that it affects my enjoyment of the book overall. Sometimes it's because they are present, but are cold or so uncaring I want to slap them silly for procreating at all. Other times it's by how annoying strict they are, to the point of getting on my nerves as a parent myself. I wasn't raised in a strict home. I was left to make my own mistakes and choices when I was a teenager. Moreover, my mother's way was if you can't stop it from happening - and you likely can't - control it the only way you can. For instance, she was smart enough to know that teenagers (at least where I come from) were bound to drink as some point, so she would tell me she'd rather buy me booze herself than not knowing what and where I would get it. Having no reason to rebel from rules fixed on my head, I never "snuck out", I had no interest in drugs, and never even smoked a cigarette in my life. Being a believer that if you tell someone not to do something, they will do just that, I guess it plays a hand in my not having patience for parents who are clueless to this in books and try to control every aspect of a teen's life. It doesn't mesh with my own parental beliefs and upbringing. I like a balance of openness, while still being the parent figure the child needs them to be.

What do you think about missing parents in YA?
Do you have any recs for books with good family dynamics?

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You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Book Girls Don't Cry: My Reading Life

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

 

This week's topic was suggested by from Siiri of Little Pieces of Imagination

The Life of a Book Addict

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This week we'll be showing you our reading habits - as you can guess (if you know me at all) mine will include a lot of food and coffee... and well yeah who needs anything else? >.< Also, it will be brought to you mostly via pictures - brace yourselves! ;)

I do the most of my reading in the morning right after I ship the lil one to daycare and before the rest of the world is awake and emailing me - aka my workday. So at 7am EST I'm found lounging on this couch in my sunny living room with a book and a coffee:

Although this table is not usually so empty. So how about we add the necessities:

And...

Yup. I love candy. I even wear it (and I was, in fact, reading in this picture):

But don't worry, I indulge in healthy snacks once in a while:

But mostly this is what happens when I try for healthy:

 For when coffee just isn't enough:

I also usually have cute, cuddly company:

And I wish I could say I read a lot outside (I love the outdoors), I actually don't very much. We don't have a gazebo and bugs love me for some reason. But I do go down to my mother's once in a while and enjoy reading in her backyard:

 However that can only happen for 2-3 months in the year, because I'm in Canada. Meaning:

 Sometimes I read in the evenings too, but usually I'm preoccupied by the cuteness:

Or if he's in bed, books on TV!

And once in a while, I do work and stuff:

(but even then I have the necessities of life)

So that's my reading habits/life in a nutshell! 

What are some of your reading habits?

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Leave a suggestion via this short form!

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You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Book Girls Don't Cry: Zombiefied!

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

 

Must Reads - For the Zombie Fans!

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This week we decided to take a favorite genre or ours and do a top list. So, of course, you know me and my zombies! So if you love zombie books as much as I do maybe you'll find some more to add to your lists, and leave me some recs in the comments, too! :) FYI - these are not really in order, because that would be too hard >.<

--The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater--

This is definitely one of my all time favorite - not just of the genre. It's a futuristic zombie book so it's unique and the zombie lore is super awesome (and at an all time creepy). You are not a zombie fan until you read this one, folks! Ohmagawds it blew my mind! (My review)

--This is Not A Test by Courtney Summers--

This book is more like a gritty contemporary (Courtney Summers and all) with zombies to intensify things. There are hardly any zombies at all in the book, but the fear of the unknown gives more than enough creepyfication in this! (My review)

--Newsflesh series by Mira Grant--

Aaah this series is so immensely intelligent, well researched, and realistic. It also has some of the best character development I've yet to come across. It's in the future, decades after the zombie apocalypse, and it's more a political thriller with zombies.  In their world, they've learned to adapt after the zombie apocalypse, so think of it like a zombiefied dystopian filled with governmental controversies. (My review)

--As the Word Dies series by Rhiannon Frater--

This one has made a few appearances on the blog before I think. >.< No secret that I love this series. It's one I recommend to everyone and anyone. It's not about the zombies but about the characters and rebuilding a society in a world in shambles. This is the type of book that you read, and while you're not reading (and months later) you catch yourself wondering what the characters are doing; that is character building for you (or maybe I'm insane)! (My review)

--The Becoming by Jessica Meigs--
This is the most recent zombie book I've read from this list - only just a couple months ago - and it kind of reminded me of the Rhiannon books as far as how they're character oriented and all around badass! I haven't read the rest of the series yet though but I think I have book 2 schedule for review this summer (finallyz!). (My review)

 

--Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel--

Ok one thing you should know, I can't stand romanticized zombies. I mean WTF? Just, no! This is the one and only instance where I actually really enjoyed a zombie book that's listed as a "paranormal romance"; I just love Lia's writing style so much. (My review)

--The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan -- 

This one will always have a special place in my heart because it was my very first zombie book, which resulted in my love of the genre. The MCs make it a hit of miss for some readers because they're... difficult, but the last book, man, totes worth it! So intensely amazing! (My review)

What do you think of zombie books? Love em? Hate em?
If you love em, too, drop me some recs in the comments! :)

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