Look! It’s a Blog Post!
The irony of a semi-hiatus from blogging just weeks before I go to a major conference as a blogger is definitely not lost on me, but my workload has me operating in “something’s got to give” mode these days, and blogging is one of the things that can give. That said, I’m glad I have a little time to give it this weekend! I really don’t like missing a Sunday post–even when I don’t have a lot to talk about–and I want to get some thoughts recorded about an audiobook I finished this week before it recedes too far into the past.
Right now, I’m not sure how soon I’ll be finishing another book. I’m making my way through the podcast backlog that’s accumulated during my latest stretch of audio reading, and I’ve been forsaking print to focus on blogs and online reading for the last couple of weeks–I didn’t finish all of the “Day in the Life” posts in my Feedly until just a few days ago!
I have been journaling daily, at least. I tried out the 5-Minute Journal iPhone app for about a week–I liked the concept, but the app’s strict format got repetitive pretty quickly for my taste, so I’m moving it over to the more flexible Day One. I don’t think I’ll be moving much of that writing over here, but I will share some links.
A Few Things I’ve Read Recently
I’ve Been Reading My Own Damn Books… and It’s Changing How I Think About My Reading – Entomology of a Bookworm
“(I) love reviewing and reading books in advance of the buzz, but I’m learning (slowly) that the act of reading to review is a very, very different act than reading for pleasure…And then because I get anxious when deadlines loom and work is left undone, I read only the assigned books and the books I own wallow in the stack for reading session over reading session over reading session.” Yep, totally what Kerry said.
National Poetry Month – What Is Poetry and What Role Does it Perform? Rhapsody in Books Weblog — a crash course from Jill
On Reviewing Bad Books When You’re Part of the Literary Community–Book bloggers are part of the literary community, right? Some excellent thought fodder from Book Riot:
“Being part of this community is wonderful, but it also means I feel like I can’t always tell the truth about the books I don’t like, because someone is going to see it and get their feelings hurt….We—the bookish types, the publishing professionals, the readers and writers—have a huge, inter-connected community of friends and colleagues and people we know and respect in real life, as well as online. We’re all seeing what we’re all saying…what I’m trying to work out here is whether and how I can participate in my literary community with both full-blown honesty and compassion.”
This is important if you’re part of any blogging community…and maybe even more imoportant if you’re not: Why You Should Read Your Friend’s Blog – Mindful Still
This post is important for my day job: How to Master Microsoft Office Excel, from Lifehacker
And this post offers a provocative, if weird, perspective on current events: Donald Trump Is the L. Ron Hubbard of Politics – The Daily Beast
Actually I probably need to check out that link on Excel too. I don’t have to use it all of the time, but when I do, I’m always confused…or at least slightly confused. I’ll definitely be referring to it.
I use an app called Journey (for Android), similar to Day One, where I’ve been keeping track of one thing I’m most grateful for each day. I know you can do three things, but I can’t always find three things. One thing? I can do that.
I work with Excel constantly, but there are a lot of functions I rarely use, and that’s why I bookmarked that link. Glad you might find it helpful too!
The 5-Minute Journal worked that way: a morning entry listing three things you’re grateful for, and an evening one listing “3 things that made today amazing/” And you are very right that sometimes it’s hard to come up with three!
Thanks for the links! I liked Why You Should Read Your Friend’s Blog.
Glad you liked that one–credit goes to one of my blogging friends for sharing it on Facebook :-).
I can’t say I agree with the angst expressed in the article about reviewing bad books. A review is a review. Honesty is part of a review. If everyone tempered their reactions to things because someone else might have hurt feelings, nothing would ever get done and the world would be filled with mediocre everything. Still, food for thought.
I thought she had an interesting perspective on it. I don’t often review the work of people I know, but it happens occasionally, and it can feel awkward balancing wanting to support a friend and the responsibility to be honest with people who trust your opinions. (Fortunately, the few times I’ve had to deal with it, I really haven’t had to compromise either.)