If your a book blogger than you already know about Weekly Geeks hosted by Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf. This week’s theme is to compile other bloggers book reviews and link to them at the end of your own book reviews. I seem to be ahead of the game here because I’ve already compiled other bloggers book reviews on every single book I’ve read (and not to mention tons on books I haven’t read). For example, want more The Book Thief reviews? Why I have more than fifty. Want more Shannon Hale reviews? Why, I think I have more than a hundred. Stephenie Meyer? Yep, I’ve got her too.

While I will not be starting to add these links into the bottom of my posts as suggested, I hope everyone knows that you are more than welcome to submit to me your book review links and I’ll add it to the database. Heck, I don’t even care if I’ve reviewed it! Just contact me and send the links my way. It’s easier if you send me the links rather than directing me to your blog as a whole. If you send me direct links, I’ll put all of them up no matter what. (Note: this is new. I am now accepting any and all links. Not just those on my reading lists.) It might take me a long time to do it, but I’ll do it. If you direct me to your blog, I’ll add you to my reader and when I add a book that you have happened to review, then yours will get added as well. I hope that you find this database very helpful to find wonderful new blogs and to get the skinny on your favorite and not so favorite books.

So far I’ve created just one button, but I hope to get several more up. If you are the type of person who does the button thing, feel free to add it to your own blog. The more people who know about the database, the more they’ll use it, the more traffic we’ll all get.

Oh, and if you see a book that I’ve reviewed on my blog and you’ve reviewed as well, feel free to leave the url of your own book review in the space provided when you leave a comment. I do this ALL the time. My little secret. If somebody likes my comment enough to follow me over to my blog, they’ll be taken to my review of the same book. Feel free to do that here to alert me to your own review.

Okay, those of you who ran away screaming at the beginning of my post can come back now. I’m done talking about the Book Bloggers Book Reviews database.

For now . . .

Some of you are aware and some are not that I putting up a new list of book bloggers book reviews. The reason? At first, I was feeling guilty because I don’t have a blogroll on this site (only way to get there is to be a top ten commentator – so start commenting!). And then I thought I should have one because I’ve been enjoying so many blogs (by the way – check out what posts I’m reading in the left sidebar). And then I thought wouldn’t it be great if I not only had the blogroll but listed everybody’s book reviews from around the blogosphere. So then this crazy idea was born. I haven’t read anything this month because I’ve been hiding up in the office all hours of the day and night getting this new blog ready for the big reveal.

So without further ado (drum roll please), I introduce to you . . .

Book Bloggers Book Reviews

Okay, so honestly, this has been exhausting. Seriously, what was I thinking? How did I do it? First, I’ve been collecting tons of blogs into my Google Reader. I currently have 381 blogs in my reader. Yes, you read right! Three hundred and eighty one! Seriously, if you have more blogs than that I want to know. In fact, I’ll give you a free book if you do (of course, as long as I’m in it). As a side note, when you comment on my blog, I switch your blog over to the commentators folder, that way you don’t get lost in the crowd, and I make sure that I pay special attention to you. If your not familiar with Google Reader, Trish at Hey Lady! Watcha Reading? has written up a great post on how to get started. If your not using it or some other type of feed reader, you’re wasting your precious time. Use one!

So what I do is put the author’s name in the search box, select all items, and just like that, I’ve got hits on all the blogs with that keyword. I switch over to list view, where I can view the titles and the first few words of each post. First off, I have to say a few things. Titles, people, titles! Why do people not share in their title what their post is about? I have seen so many “a review” or “I can’t think of anything today” titles that it’s crazy! Titles are attention grabbers and if it didn’t grab my attention, chances are I didn’t catch it. Something to keep in mind for your readers reading your blog through a feed. Also, a major no-no as far as search engines go. It’s all about keywords! Also, wow, we people make a lot of lists! Lists, lists, lists. Challenges, challenges, challenges! Me included.

I tried my very best to make sure I caught most of the reviews, so I apologize if I missed yours. Mostly, I’m starting out with the books/authors I’ve reviewed, books on my TBR and books I have in my personal library. After all, selfishly, this list is my list so why can’t I choose what to put up? I also kept discovering new blogs along the way, so your blog may have been added to my reader midway so I have the last half of the list with your reviews but not the first half. Just email me your reviews so I can add them.

By the way, another great resource for book reviews by bloggers is the Children’s Book Reviews wiki, an online database of reviews of children’s books written by bloggers. Visit Kelly at Big A Little a for more information on how to contribute your reviews there. It’s awesome! Also, Sherry at Semicolon has a list of book reviews from bloggers participating in the Saturday Review of Books. I don’t think it’s been updated for awhile, but it’s well worth checking out as well.

A SURPRISE GIVEAWAY!

Wow, this is getting to be one long post! Made it to the good part? First, a surprise giveaway! I wanted to reward those who responded to my call for book review links! So I wanted to thank Christine at Reasons Not to Blog, Jamie at jmadigen, Diane at Book in Hand, Tarie at Into the Wardrobe, Les at Lesley’s Book Nook, Heather at Book Addiction, Rebecca at The Inside Cover, Ann-Marie at My Readable Feast, Jeane at Dog Ear Diary, Marg at Reading Adventures. I hope I didn’t forget anybody! You’re all entered in a surprise giveaway. The winner chooses ANY book from the photo below.

Okay, you’re each getting a number, they’re going in a hat, and the winner is . . . Diane at Book in Hand!! Congrats Diane! Let me know by email what book you want and a mailing address and I’ll mail it out to you right away.

ANOTHER DRAWING!

Is anybody still reading this, because this is the really, really good part. In celebration of the new Book Bloggers Book Reviews blog and to help spread the word, I’m giving away free books! Here’s the scoop. I will be choosing not one, but TWO winners to pick any FOUR books of their choosing from the photo above (minus Diane’s pick), plus other titles revealed when I draw the name. Actually, I’ll list in a separate post the book titles because you may not be able to read them. Here’s how to get entered:

1. You must write a post about the new Book Bloggers Book Reviews blog and this contest.
2. When you do, you must reference this post of the Maw Books Blog and the new Book Bloggers Book Reviews blog using that anchor text exactly (pretty much link exactly like I did, I’ll even give you the url’s: http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/03/31/new-blog/ and http://bookreviews.mawbooks.com ).
3. Leave a comment here with the link to your post to make sure I see it.
4. To get your name entered twice, leave a comment with the answer to the following question, whoever guesses right, will get their name entered twice. Which author do you think came up with the most hits in my Google reader? Shannon Hale, Marcus Zusak, Jodi Picoult, or Stephenie Meyer?

I’ll reveal the winners on Tuesday, April 8th. It’s that easy!

I’m so excited!!! This was a lot of work. Keep checking back because I’ll be adding new reviews all the time. My husband really misses me, as soon as he gets home from work, I rush up to the computer to enter book reviews. I now have 5 websites under the domain mawbooks. Crazy! Check out my links in the sidebar for all of them. It’s been like a full time job this week! Have fun perusing the book reviews!

P.S. Now, that I’ve got a huge blogroll, can I pretty please be added to yours (if you have one)? With a cherry on top?
Update:  I only ask because I have spent hours, hours and hours putting up this new database. It’s a lot of work that should drive a lot of traffic to your site, I just ask for a little in return.  Thanks!

So you do you want me to feature your book reviews? Here’s what you do. Visit “My Reading List” to see what books I’ve reviewed. I’ve reviewed most everything from The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold and UP with some rare exceptions. Send me an email to natasha(at)mawbooks(dot)com and let me know what books you’ve reviewed with the link to that particular book review. I don’t care if your post is 3 years old or if it’s just some random thoughts about that book. Also, let me know by what name you would like to be referred by (if you’re like me, it’s all about branding!).  Do this and I’ll include a link to your book review. As a note, any future book reviews I type up, I’ll seek out book reviews, so go ahead and let me know if you have book reviews of books on my TBR and when I review them, I’ll already have your info. Does this make sense?

I’ll launch this new blog on April 1st. Want your blog and book reviews featured when I go live? Send me your information before March 31st. So what are you waiting for? Ready, set, go!

Oh, and spread the word . . . Thanks!