I’ve noticed that one thing that’s changed for me after more than nine years of blogging is that I seem to have stopped stressing about periodic absences. For a long time, I devoted big chunks of my weekends and stolen hours at the office to preparing content and scheduling it out at least a week in advance, and when I knew I’d have to be away, I’d make plans for coverage with guest bloggers and/or archive posts.
I also don’t pay all that much attention to my blog stats anymore, and that’s probably connected to being less concerned about missing days of posting now and then.
All this is to say that I swear I didn’t intend to put up a post asking for collaborators and then disappear for two weeks, but that’s exactly what happened.
Show & Tell & Catch Up
I haven’t posted anything since mid-June, but if you click through to read this post on the blog itself, you’ll see that I’ve changed things up a bit. I’ve been on the lookout for a new theme for a little while, and I thought I’d give Nosegraze’s Bookstagram theme a whirl. If you like what you see here, check out Ashley’s live demo via my referral link.
READING: I’ve been trying to keep up with my feed reader ever since this happened a couple of weeks ago
and that’s led to slower progress with books. I’m hoping to finish reading my August review selection for Shelf Awareness this weekend (September galleys are already in the mail!), and I’m waiting for my copy of Carolyn Parkhurst’s Harmony for next month’s EDIWTB Online Book Club. I’m between audiobooks right now after finishing the second book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet last week–the next one is on hold at the library, but I’m also buying the whole series in print. Also on hold at the library: Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, read by Scott Brick, thanks to listening to “The Hamiltome” in between Ferrante novels.
‘RITING: I shouldn’t even have this section here today, because obviously, it’s “not much.” I’ve got a few things to work on this weekend, though, including setting up the first go-round of that collaboration I mentioned. It seems like a few of you might be interested in joining up! EDITED TO ADD: I almost forgot to mention that I had a guest post for Audiobook Month over at Book Journey–thanks, Sheila!
RANDOMNESS: I’m taking a few days off later this month with no agenda other than hanging out at home, reading and writing (and getting my LibraryThing catalog updated). We have no plans for this holiday weekend other than appreciating that we get three days of it.
Link & Read
Lessons in Social Anxiety
Language Lessons
Lessons in Life
“‘You look nothing like your avatar!’ From having heard this firsthand myself, I can tell you, it will leave the recipient of your remark wondering for days just what you meant by that. Try this on for size instead, ‘I can’t believe I finally get to meet you!'”
How to Say the Right Thing at #BlogHer16 | BlogHer (Addressing a different variety of social anxiety)
“The more emotional a debate becomes, the more entrenched people become in their sense of what’s right. Because the sense of being right is an emotion.”
“I can’t let my shyness – or my perceptions about any group of people – override my simple human responsibility: to be interested in others, and to treat them with dignity and compassion.”
“If reading is a hobby of pleasure why…WHY would I delay reading books I’m sure to love so that I can save them?” (I do this too. It’s why my shelves are so full of unread books!)
Pleasure Delayed Reading–Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity
Happy Fourth!