Arcs

Book Blogger Myths & Blogging Tips

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
Today, I am going to be shattering those myths of being a book blogger. I think these are Booktube myths as well, but I could be wrong. I am including a few blogger tips for all you new bloggers, or those of you thinking of starting a blog.

No Books Necessary
A lot of people think that book blogging is all about having a huge personal library. We see bloggers posting their rainbow bookshelves on Bookstagram, and we think the first step to being a book blogger is to buy books. This is completely untrue. Many book bloggers use the library and borrow books from friends. You can even use apps such as Libby and Overdrive to get audiobook and ebook copies of books from your local library. You can still share your love of books without owning a single book.

Book Hauls Aren’t A Requirement
This is piggybacking off the last myth, but book hauls don’t matter. Yes, it is cool to see the book people buy or receive, still, there are tons of minimalist book bloggers out there. Also, a lot of book bloggers go on book buying bans until the clear their tbrs. I don’t typically buy books, so most of my collection is books I’ve received as gifts. Library hauls are a great option, or buying discounted books from a local thrift shop is an inexpensive way to grow your collection as well.

Reading, Reading, Reading
I used to think that I couldn’t be part of the book community because I was an extremely slow reader. Luckily, that isn’t a problem anymore, but truthfully, it doesn’t matter how many books you read a month. There are tons of people in the book community that only manage to read one or two books a month. You are not alone in your struggles to read, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hit your GoodReads goal. As long as you have a passion for books, and you engage in the community, you are golden.

What Everyone Else Is Reading
This might shock you, but you’d have to read the same books as all the other book bloggers. It is a common mistake that all book bloggers have to read the same books and genres. At times, I am guilty of trying to read what’s popular. I’m not saying it isn’t nice to read multiple opinions on the same story, but people, including myself, read book blogs to discover new, underrated books. Don’t be scared to read for yourself, and not what people except you to read.

Want An ARC
I am sorry to break this to you, but if you want to become a book blogger just to get arcs, you’re wasting your time. Yes, sometimes book bloggers are fortunate enough to receive ACRS of books. But this rarely happens, especially for physical copies. Publishing companions are very selective about sending out review copies. Most of authors and publishers are turning to Netgalley for ARC releases. I have been using the platform for a while, and I can say that getting approved for some ACRS aren’t easy. Don’t start a book blog for money or gifts.

Tech Savvy
The last myth I want to shatter is that you have to be some web design wizard to start a blog. True, there is a learning curve when starting any kind of blog. But a lot of sites, such as Squarespace or WordPress, are pretty straight forward. Also, there are tons of articles and YouTube videos on how to navigate just about any platform.

As for my tips, I only have a few, so don’t stop reading yet.
1) Write Before Publishing: This is something I wish I had done before publishing my blog. I think you should write at least 10 to 20 blog posts before launching your blog. This way, you have a lot of posts that will go up so that you don’t have to worry about writing a new post every week. You can focus on reading and writing as you go.

2) Set Schedule: Some people might say this is due to my need to plan everything, but I think having a posting schedule is important. Whether you post once a week, month or even once a year, you should pick one day for your post to go up. This way, your readers know which day to visit your site for a new post. I don’t think a set time is as necessary as a regular day, but having both couldn’t hurt.

3) Always Edit: I didn’t do this with my earlier posts, but I found that editing and proof reading is a must. You should read over your post at least twice before publishing it. Also, if you suck at grammar like myself, it couldn’t hurt to use an editing software or subscription. I hear that Grammarly is a great resource for bloggers. But keep in mind their subscription is quite expensive.

I hope that you liked this original post. It was fun exposing book blogger myths and sharing some of my blogger tips. Please support my little book blog by liking and sharing this post. If you want to join my mailing list, you can subscribe via email.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

What’s On My Netgalley Shelf?

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello Book Lovers,
In this post, I am going to share my Netgalley library. I have a lot of ARCs I need to get to, so I thought it might be fun to share the books I’ve been approved for. I will give a small rundown of the book, and why I requested it for review.

The Everything I Have Lost by Sylvia Zeleny (May 11th): This is a coming-of-age young adult story about 12-year-old Julia who is struggling to deal with life in Juarez, Mexico and her fathers sudden disappearance. Zeleny is a bilingual author from Mexico, and I love it when others can write from personal experience. Also, I thought that this story was different from traditional YA novels, since the lead is younger and just beginning her teen years. This is sure to be a very emotional story.

A Chorus Rises: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (June 01st): The story follows a teen influencer that has the perfect life. She posses fame, beauty and is a Eloko. This means that she has a melody that nobody can resit. However, her life takes a turn for the worse when she gets canceled for exposing a Siren to the world. I love the mix of contemporary and fantasy in a very unique way. I haven’t read a lot of magical realism, so I am looking forward to try a new genre.

The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin (June 15th): A middle grade novel about magic, a curse town and finding a place to call home. I have never been drawn to middle grade stories, but this one sounded adorable. Honestly, I feel like this could be the plot of a Disney movie. I just know that it is going to take me on a magical journey, and tug at my heartstrings.

My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows (June 22nd): This is the first book in a new series by these talented authors. They are best known for their Lady Janies series that contained of three book each a retelling of a fame Jane (Lady Jane Grey, Jane Eyre and Calamity Jane). In this new series of books we will be following Marys starting with Mary is the queen of Scots. I have only read the first book in the Janies series, My Lady Jane. However, I absolutely loved it. I was very happy to get this ARCs since this story takes place in the same world as My Lady Jane.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier (Aug 10th): This is a graphic novel that deals with social pressure, friendship and cheerleading with trans and queer representation. I am not a huge graphic novel fan, but I think that this will be a new favorite of mine. Truth be told, I am a total fangirl for cheerleading stories. I have seen all the Bring It On films and was obsessed with the short-lived Hellcats series. Also, you know I love me some diverse characters.

The Endless Skies by Shannon Price (Aug 17): An epic fantasy about a hidden city home of the Leonodai warriors. Seventeen-year-old Rowan is ready to become a Leonodai until a deadly disease plagues the city’s children. Soon Rowan discovers secrets that could change her future and everything she once dreamed. I have made it no secret that I don’t read a lot of fantasy. Although, I was very intrigued by not only the plot, but that this was a standalone. This book gives me classic YA fantasy book feels, which I am loving. As well, as the fact that I don’t have to worry about adding another series to my tbr.

I hope that you guys enjoyed taking a sneak-peak at my Netgalley library. Let me know if any of these books peaked your interest. Don’t forget to follow the blog, since I will be doing reviews on these books and more.
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

April 2021 TBR

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hello Book Lovers,
It is monthly tbr time once again! I am happy that it is finally April, because March seemed to last forever. I have a pretty ambitious tbr planned for this month, but I am ready for the challenge. I do have a few books rolling over from March that I will be continuing, still most of them I haven’t started at all.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers: My husband and I started the audiobook at the beginning of March. I was using this for the Tis The Damn Readathon prompt of “Book with a Film Adaption.” We are only 13% into it, but I don’t mind it taking a bit. However, I would like to make it more of a priority this month.

10 Truths And A Dare by Ashley Elston: I was using this for the Tis The Damn Readathon as well. I believe it was for the “5 Star Prediction” prompt. I got approved for the arc on Netgalley, and have been reading the e-book. I am enjoying it a lot, but just haven’t had a lot of time to dedicate to it. I really want to dive more into it, because I enjoy Ashley Elston’s writing.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill: This is a middle grade book about a witch and a human girl she raised from a baby after giving her magical powers. Honestly, I don’t know much about it besides it being a favorite among readers. I tried starting it once before and didn’t get very far into it. I am hoping I will actually finish it this time around. I don’t think I read enough last time to form any distinct thoughts.

If I’m Being Honest by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley: I have no idea why, but this book as been on my radar recently. I have read one other book by this duo before and didn’t love it, still this one seems more up my alley. It is supposed to give you that teen rom-com feel. I don’t know much about it except that it is about a high-school girl who is known as a b*tch, so she tries to change her image to get a guy. Although, I could be completely wrong.

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins: In 2018, I dnf this book because I couldn’t get into it. The writing felt off and the plot was slow-moving. Nevertheless, I am in the mood for a thriller and I here that Netflix is turning this into a film. I decided I would give the book a second chance before the movie adaption is released. From what I have gathered about the plot it is like The CW version of the Scream movies. If that makes any sense at all.

My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: I love this trio of authors. I read their first collaboration “My Lady Jane,” and to my surprise I loved it. I don’t know anything about this book, but I have heard that it is a Jane Eyre retelling. I am not familiar with the original story, still I am looking forward to reading their take on it.

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston: I have been on a Once Upon a Con kick lately. I am excited to finish this series of companion novels. I have a review up on the first book Geekerella and will be doing a review of the second very soon. I think that this is the last book in this world, which is bittersweet. Not sure about the plot, but I think it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I am here for!

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson: This will be my first Matson read. Yep, it is shocking that someone who loves contemporaries I haven’t read any of her books. Once again, I have no clue what the book is about just that it is a contemporary following a girl and I think she somehow becomes a dog walker. I really have no idea.

I might try to tackle some other arcs, or perhaps throw in a mood read. I am enjoying reading a lot these days, so I hope my want to read stays with me in April. Let me know what is on your tbr in the comments? I would love if you liked and shared this post. You can follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny