Armchair BEA: Introductions First!

I’m participating in Armchair BEA this year, a virtual conference for book bloggers who can’t attend Book Expo America in New York this week. So all week long, you’ll see me posting according to the daily themes for Armchair BEA.

Today’s theme is “Introductions First!” Participants were given a list of 10 questions and asked to answer 5 of them, so that we can all get to know each other a little better. So here’s a little bit about me!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

My name is Lauren, and I live in the vicinity of Nashville, TN.  I am a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom (I’d tell you what my job is, but every time I do that, I see eyes roll into the backs of heads). I have two beautiful little girls, 3 and 6 years old, and am happily married to my best friend. He’s a Web developer, which is good, since I use him as free tech support for my site.

I’ve been blogging for just a little over two months, which just seems kind of bizarre to me. I feel like I’ve been doing it so much longer! I started blogging for a few reasons. First, I love to read, but kept falling out of the habit of regular reading because I didn’t have anything to keep me motivated. I thought a blog would keep me motivated, plus help me help me with the “what should I read next?” problem.

Second, I always am itching to discuss the books I read after I finish them, but never have anyone to talk to. I have a couple friends who are avid readers, but we’re often not reading the same things anywhere close to the same time. I wanted somewhere where I could get all my thoughts out, and someone would actually read them.

And third, I’ve gotta be honest, I thought the concept of free books was pretty awesome.

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?

I co-host the Throwback Thursday meme along with Mandi at Never Too Fond of Books. I love being able to introduce others to older books that I loved, and I’ve also added a bunch of books to my TBR list. Book blogging tends to focus a lot on new releases, but there’s a ton of books from the pre-blogging days that are amazing!

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

The post I’m probably the proudest of (and the Review that’s gotten the most traffic) is my post about why everyone should read The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It’s one of my favorite books of all time, and so many people don’t even know it exists.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

I love how friendly and welcoming everyone is. I was (and still am) a newbie, and just kind of thrust myself into the center of activity, hoping people would like me. And no one told me that I was too new to play, or that I was being annoying (even though I probably was). On the contrary, I’ve “met” some great people and discovered some awesome new blogs and authors.

I can’t think of anything I’d like to see change in the blogging community, except maybe some way to consolidate all the different subscription options on blogs into one central place. Some bloggers prefer GFC, or RSS, or Linky…I think I’ve got 6 different ways I subscribe to blogs, and it’s hard to keep track!

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

Yes! I already knew I enjoyed YA books (there’s just something so exciting and fresh about them), but I’ve totally embraced it since starting my blog. I read much less adult fiction now, although I still squeeze one in here and there when I feel like it.

Also, I’ve discovered the awesomeness of indie authors. I didn’t realize how many great books were out there in indie world! So I’ve read some amazing books I never would have stumbled upon if I hadn’t started blogging.

Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to introduce myself! I look forward to “meeting” you!