Maw Books

Maw Books – book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more!

Today’s guest post is by Carolyn from the new book blog Book Chick City.  As somebody who has been blogging for almost two years I thought it was really enjoyable to read Carolyn’s thoughts and impressions about beginning to dive into this wonderful madness that we call book blogging and how it’s already changed her reading and blogging habits.

When I saw the tweet from Natasha asking for a guest post while she was away on holiday, I didn’t hesitate, I just emailed and offered my assistance. When I received an email in return letting me know that I was her guest blogger, I suddenly thought, what an earth do I write about?  After pondering a while, I decided I would talk about my  experiences setting up my own book blog, the influences other blogs have had on my reading and my ever increasing obsession with books.

My blog, Book Chick City, was created at the beginning of July this year, with the initial idea being an online book club. Since then, it has evolved into a fully blown book blog with news, reviews and even  interviews!

From the first hesitant steps of setting up my blog and not really knowing what I was doing, to how I build my blog today, is all down to the many fantastic book blogs I came across on my journey through  the blogosphere. I accumulated all the ideas and fun widgets I found to create Book Chick City. Most of the people I have ‘met’ along the  way have been really helpful and others have left great comments on my posts. It does seem that outside the book blog world, reading  seems to be dwindling in favour of other activities. I can honestly say that there are not many people I know who read that much any  more, let alone want to discuss the books they have read, so it feels great to chat with like minded people.

My interest in books and reading came at a very early age and since  then it has grown into a bit of an obsession. If I’m not reading books then I’m shopping for books – what would I do without Amazon 1- Click! I find that a week rarely goes by without a few new books being added to my TBR pile – a testament to this is the fun weekly meme, Mailbox Mondays, hosted by Marcia @ The Printed Page and What’s on your desk Wednesdays? hosted by Sassy Brit. Those of you who  follow these on my blog will have seen photos of the mountains of  books I accumulate. Although I LOVE buying new books, I also visit my  library regularly and my local charity shop, where I have found some great bargains. The books that I don’t want to be a part of my  ongoing collection go straight back to the charity shop.

Over the years my reading choices have been quite varied, from the  classics to horror, from crime to chick-lit, but I have noticed that I do tend to stay with authors I know. But after reading the reviews  and interviews on the book blogs I have visited, their choices of  authors and genre have started to influence my buying, and I have  bought quite a few books that I probably wouldn’t have looked at if  it wasn’t for these blogs.

In the last couple of weeks I have been contacted by various  publishers who want to send me books to review. So, along with the hundreds of books I already have on my TBR list, I am now adding  more, but this is absolutely fine with me. I love reading, I love  books and I love writing. What more could a book chick ask for?

Visit Carolyn at Book Chick City and follow on Twitter @BookChickTweets.

Hey you! Yes. You! I've noticed that you've stopped by to visit a few times! But I don't know who you are. Why don't you take a moment and introduce yourself. Don't be scared. I try not to bite. I know you're a lurker but I'd love to hear your thoughts about what's been bringing you here. And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to never miss a post by subscribing to my feed or receiving updates by email. Thanks for visiting!