Happy Nine Years, True Book Addict! #Blogiversary

Can you believe it? Nine years! Where has the time gone?

I found my tribe nine years ago and it has changed my life. A girl who already loved reading blew that love up into the stratosphere when she discovered book blogging and this wonderful bookish community. This blog started it all for me. I not only blog here, and at my sister (horror) blog, Castle Macabre, but I also host two book clubs on Goodreads, host six readathons yearly at Seasons of Reading, and I have a community reading site, Gather Together and Read, from which I host all of my reading challenges (and read-alongs of books from those challenges).

I know my blogging/reviews have slacked off a bit, but I'm still around and I'm trying to get back into more regular review writing. In the meantime, I'm participating in Roof Beam Reader's Austin in August, and I still host Cat Thursday every week.

I'd like to thank everyone who follows me and takes the time to read what I post. As many of you know, blogging is a labor of love. We don't get paid. A person must have a real passion for it to keep at it year after year. I have no intention of stopping. I love it. I love all the friends I've made, all the great authors I've met, and all of the wonderful books I've discovered.

So, in recognition of nine wondrous years, and to thank you for your friendship and loyalty, I'm hosting a little giveaway. I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate (egift) from Better World Books to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me a book you've read recently that you would recommend. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact the winner. (Anyone who does not leave an email address will not be entered. If you're afraid of a bot stealing it, enter it like so: truebookaddict AT gmail DOT com) This giveaway will end on September 1st at 12 midnight central time.

Good luck...and thanks again for being here!

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Celebrating 7 Years of True Book Addict!

Time sure does fly! Today marks SEVEN YEARS of my little niche in the blogosphere. Writing this blog has been such a blessing in my life. I honestly can't imagine my life without it. I have made so many friends in our book blogging community. That makes it even more worthwhile.

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My very first post was the bookish meme 32 Questions Asked and Answered. Since then, I've written 1605 posts (this will be 1606), have had 3,116,519 page views, and I have over 600 friend connect followers, over 1200 Google+ followers, almost 400 Bloglovin' and over 100 email subscribers. I'm so glad that people enjoy reading my blog. I certainly enjoy writing it.

I've also been lucky enough to carve an even larger niche with a sister (horror) blog, Castle Macabre, hosting reading communities on Goodreads (TuesBookTalk and Lit Collective), hosting seasonal read-a-thons with my Seasons of Reading blog and community on Facebook, and hosting a myriad of perpetual reading challenges. (Note: I have a new community in the works that will encompass all of my perpetual reading challenges AND I'm rolling out a new challenge. Stay tuned!)

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To commemorate the day, I'm giving away a $7.00 Amazon digital gift. This is only open to followers so be sure to leave a comment with how you follow to enter. I'll leave the giveaway open for a week...maybe two. (Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact the winner)

So, thank you so much for seven wonderful years. I'm looking forward to many, many more.

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BBAW Day 4: Reading and Blogging

Because I'm not feeling particularly creative today, I'm not going to be very original in the way I field the questions regarding today's BBAW topic. I hope you will forgive me. *sheepish grin*

Has book blogging changed the way you read?

Yes, definitely. Before, I would just walk to my shelves and pick a book...or, because I own so many books, I had slips of paper with the letters of the alphabet and I would pick one. Whichever letter I picked would be the initial of an author and I would pick a book accordingly. Ahhh, the good ole days! Now, I'm not being negative here because I love reviewing books and discovering new-to-me authors, but sometimes I sigh wistfully when I think about those more simple times.

Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging?

Yes. I have discovered self-published books and Indie books. Some (most) of them have been absolutely wonderful. I've also discovered new genres like steampunk and dystopian (not saying that I had never read a dystopian book in the past, but back then I didn't know what to call them). I have also had my obsession love for historical fiction enhanced by learning about the many excellent and diverse historical authors out there.

How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits?

This hasn't changed too much. I'm still a huge fan of library sales and I have to admit that, due to my tight budget most of the time, I usually acquire most of my books via these sales or from Goodwill. One thing that has happened though is that I win a lot of giveaways...for books and gift cards. So, I've actually acquired tons of books that I otherwise would not have if not for blogging. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank all the blogs/authors I have won books from in the past two years. =O)

Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging? 

I have made so many connections with other readers in the past two years. I know in the real world there is no way I would have ever met so many like-minded and diverse people. So many fellow readers/bloggers have opened my eyes to new and exciting genres and books and I am truly grateful for it. I really can't see my life ever being without the book blogging community and all of the lovers of reading I have met and interacted with not only within book blogging, but also via social media. I think we should all move to a private island and establish our own utopian society! Who's with me?!