Today’s topic at BBAW!
The world of book blogging has grown enormously and sometimes it can be hard to find a place. Share your tips for finding and keeping community in book blogging despite the hectic demands made on your time and the overwhelming number of blogs out there. If you’re struggling with finding a community, share your concerns and explain what you’re looking for–this is the week to connect!

The Book Blogosphere has grown by leaps and bounds since I started blogging in late 2008, and it is impossible to keep up with all the blogs I would like to. Since I work full-time and have a 9 year old and a 4 year old, I don't have as much time as I used to. At first when my free time started to dissipate, I did become overwhelmed because I felt like I was not participating as I should. Then I had to realize the purpose of my book blog, and that it was for personal reasons and should not be treated as a job. We do not get paid monetarily for reviewing, and it is a hobby, and I should always step away if I begin to feel stressed.

There are a few number of blogs that I comment on regularly. I try to follow on Google Reader, but mostly that is a once in a month type thing that I browse through. And when I do try and comment on Blogger platform blogs, the comment forms that are embedded do not allow me to post with my gmail/google/blogger account, so all that happens is that I get frustrated with the technology. I would like to comment, but sometimes I just can't, and for the pure fact that it is a rare occurrence for me to have something to actually add to the conversation- I get really annoyed when I attempt to and I cannot. That's when I stop blog hopping.

I have found that the best community feature that has helped me is the Facebook platform. Others use twitter, but since that is a real-time conversation type thing, I find that it is useless to keep up. Facebook has been the best thing for me and easiest to keep up with. Most of my facebook friends are actually bookish friends.. so if you want to be my friend there you are welcome to!

Today at BBAW we are interviewing bloggers who are new to us. Unfortunately.. my partner has been in the hospital due to a car wreck!! Interviews are the last thing on her mind, and I wish her her Godspeed and good health, and a swift recovery!

I still want to join in the fun.. so I am interviewing YOU!

Please tell me.. who you are, where you blog, how long you blog and what is one totally awesome fact about yourself? What are you so super duper double proud of that you want everyone to know?? C'mon, get out your bragging skills and let's hear 'em!

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week again.. and I just wanted to take the time to participate in my small way to highlight those key bloggers whom I appreciate the very most because they take the time to comment and provide feedback on my blog.

Today the BBAW crew prompts us with: "Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you."

After a few years of 'blogging', I have found that I actually have stepped a bit away from the various facets of blogging and have been able to focus on the purpose of this blog: Reviewing Books for the Purpose of Reading Fantastic Books.

With that in mind, I have found a few blogs that I have continually enjoyed, but I will always enjoy Arleigh from www.Historical-Fiction.com for her camaraderie, and for her well written reviews. I have not found a single person who can beat those concise reviews that always seem to point out something that I was wanting to evoke in one of my own reviews.

And for reviews and the new release alerts on my favorite genre of historical fiction, I go to Daphne from Tanzaanite's Castle Full of Books. Pretty much a one stop shop there, and I've found I add the most books to my wish list because of her. That toppling TBR pile.. It's all her fault.

So here is a big Thank You to these two ladies for their always informative blog posts that keep me plugged into the Historical Fiction genre. Thank you Arleigh and Daphne!!

It has been a fantastic week for the Historical Fiction fans out there, if I do say so myself. For the entire previous week from Sept. 14 - 18, I and six other bloggers created guest posts, interviews of each other and scheduled author posts along with some fantastic giveaways. This was the inaugural event of The Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table, and while we certainly need a break now, I hope to do this again sometime. The announcement post is here at Enchanted By Josephine who was an amazing organizer of my scrambled ideas, and I thank Ms Lucy very much for being so willing to jump in and help out with the major stuff. {{Big bear hugs to Ms Lucy!}} Amy from Passages to The Past also posted a wonderful round-up post, go check that out as well.
I started seven new historical fiction book giveaways this week, you can find them on the left sidebar. I hosted authors Michelle Moran, Kate aka Kathy Lynn Emerson, and Robin Maxwell.

You can find the rest of The Burton Review posts for the event here, which will also direct you to the other Blogs that have some great posts up as well. I also wanted to thank the few who wanted to jump in and participate in this royal week, such as Aimee from My Fluttering Heart, and of course Susie from All Things Royal. Check those blogs out, because there is another royal giveaway going on! Thank you for making this a successful week for me.

Of course this also brings the end to the annual Book blogger appreciation week (BBAW) & it has been interesting to read along for the Daily blogging topics for which I also added a couple of posts along with the HF Bloggers Events this week. I told you who my blogs-as-bible are that I rely on for reviews, or these listed here that belonged on any shortlist if I was a panelist, I interviewed a new-to-me-blogger, Jessica, from Chick Lit Teens (who also enjoys Historical Fiction), I told you my reading habits, and I told you where I wanted to be this time next year Blog-wise. I really enjoyed reading every one's compliments and comments on my blog, by the way. I hadn't started book blogging until March & I am so honored to be able to say I've made some fantastic friends, particularly with those in my Historical Fiction genre. Arleigh from Historical-Fiction.com, Lucy from Enchanted by Josephine and Amy from Passages to The Past wrote some really nice and complimentary things to me and it is what makes devoting so much free time to blogging a worthwhile past time. These six months have really changed my life.. and I love my fellow bloggers! Yup, it's only been 6 months as a book blogger, but it seems much much much longer.

I also entered some of the contests on the actual BBAW website, some of the giveaways were pretty cool. Bookmarks and gift cards were my favorite giveaways! And I just learned I won The Wet Nurse's Tale, set in Victorian England, from Carrie's site at Books and Movies. Thank you!

I am glad that Amy of My Friend Amy and all of her helpers had a successful event this year, like Sheri from A Novel Menagerie who has redesigned her blog in the midst of helping out for the BBAW and being a single mom. I really love her newest look, it is fresh and easy to navigate. Arleigh at historical-fiction.com has just revamped her site as well, have you seen that yet? It's very classy and neat.

There was a question I saw on the BBAW site about what blog have I been introduced to this week, and I entered My Fluttering Heart, because I found out from Meghan's Medieval Bookworm blog that Aimee is also a Burton. That was a fun bit of news for me, (I'm a Burton, if you hadn't noticed) and Aimee said that we Burton's need to stick together.. Meghan is going to be married soon so she goes from a very unique last name to not quite so diverse with Burton. Meghan is a total sweetheart with a great blog that I've followed for awhile. And Aimee was so kind to participate in our HF Bloggers Round Table Event also.

With all the hubbub of the BBAW and the Round Table, some may have missed the review I posted Sunday on Book Review: "Girl Mary" by Petru Popescu. This week I started reading "The Other Mr. Darcy: Did you know Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?" by Monica Fairview. With all of the HF Blogger festivities and me watching DALLAS, The Eighth Season instead of reading, I am not getting anywhere at all. But the book is great, it really is. Which brings me to another question I saw somewhere on the BBAW: How do you feel about the myriad of Austen Sequels? I was surprised at how many people were turned off of them. Obviously, I am not one of them, unless you are talking about monsters and vampires because that is just not my thing. But when a classic read, like Austen, inspires others so much that authors have decided to spin-off from the classy prose, I am all for it. I enjoy the Regency Era, and the elegant writing it promotes. I grew up reading Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, Margaret Mitchell, Agatha Christie, have recently discovered Georgette Heyer.. and if there are modern writers that aspire to that literary prowess than I am eager to read their works.

What was the effect of the Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table Event statistics wise? I estimate at least 20 new followers to my blog.

I had an average of 220 Page loads each day.
I had an average of 100 FIRST TIME visitors each day!
This may sound like peanuts in other worlds, but in my world, as opposed to the Previous week:


I normally have average of 70 page loads a day, and 50 First Time Visitors.
And here is a fun look at Recent CAME FROM stats: Looks like the Google Reader followers was my friend again, along with the blogger dashboard from followers, and BBAW Giveaways that I hosted for the HF Bloggers Round Table Event. The next highest referring links came from the other members of the Round Table event.



Normally for me, the MOST fun statistical thing is KEYWORD Activity but the last two days have been pretty normal. Lucky googlers have found what they were looking for it seems.

Although the "I love to show off" search term has me thinking what was that person really looking for? And my giveaway for Robert Hicks "A Separate Country" got some attention as well. One would wonder about the search term David Starkey & Creative Writing being used in the same sentence, though. My most popular pages are shown with the # of hits recently:

I used Stat Counter to compile these reports, and I have since deleted the images that were on this post.

Edited to add that WANDA has won a new hardback of "The Day the Falls Stood Still" by Cathy Marie Buchanan from my giveaway here. Congratulations, Wanda!

Final BBAW day means time to show off! Tell us and this is really important, in 50 words or less what you love best about your blog! And then in 50 words or less where you want your blog to be by the next BBAW! Ready? GO!

What I love best about my blog ... easy: my Commenters. YOU!
This week, what I love best about my blog are my commenters AND The Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table. Because I love Historical Fiction Blogs. If you haven't guessed that judging from the posts.. {times up!}

Where I want to be blog-wise by next BBAW:
I would like to be at a point where I have finished reviewing books that I have piled up for too long... I want to be able to participate in Group reads on Goodreads and challenges like the Plaidy Challenge, for HF books that I have a passion for already. {times up!}

Let's talk about that book you know, the one you discovered only because you read about it on a book blog and then you realized you couldn’t live without it! And then you read it and you loved it so hard! Tell us about it and about the blogger (or bloggers!) that introduced the book to you!

I wish I kept track of these things as far as a particular book, but I don't. And honestly, I have been reading books that are ARC's myself, so I haven't gotten around to reading for "fun".. yet..

My historical fiction bloggers that I rely on as a bible for reviews and recommendations all come from the same pot as my favorite bloggers. These bloggers have added to my TBR pile, and I don't have the need to look elsewhere for book recommendations, because they are all right here:

Arleigh from Historical-Fiction.com , and Royal Intrigue

Ms. Lucy from Enchanted by Josephine and Royal Intrigue

Daphne from Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff

Amy from Passages to the Past

Misfit from At home with a good book and the cat...

Meghan from Medieval Bookworm

There are newer blogs though that I also read reviews for and have now added to my toppling TBR pile: (in alpha order)

All Things Royal...

Hist-Fic Chick

Historically Obsessed

The Maiden's Court

I appreciate the time and thought it takes to construct a thorough review, and by these bloggers adhering to their own set standards, I value all of their opinions and my bookshelves have grown due to their reviews.

Don't forget to check out the giveaways listed in left sidebar, and visit these blogs listed for wonderful blogs!!

Today's Daily blogging topic for the BBAW is a Reading meme: