BBAW 2011 (Friday) - My Blogging Advice

My key to a successful blogging career?  You've got to know when to hold them, and when to fold them...

BBAW 2011 (Thursday) - Blogging and Reading

Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Tony who enjoyed reading very much.  He used to go to the library, situated just a hundred metres from his house, on a regular basis and occasionally went back the same day after devouring all of his books in just a few hours (not literally, of course - that would be most unfortunate...).  When Tony grew up, he continued to read a lot, and he eventually moved into the world of book blogging...

So far, so good :)  Obviously, I started writing a book blog because I wanted to think about the books I was reading in more detail, and putting my thoughts down on paper (or pixels) forces me to consider the books I read in a lot greater depth.  However, as I started to hone my writing style (a process, as you will notice, which is far from complete), I began to experience something unusual and, to be perfectly honest, quite disturbing.  You see, the more I blogged, the more I realised that my blogging was eating me alive subtly influencing what I read (less interesting but slightly more factual than the crossed-out answer).

How (you may, or may not, ask)?  Well, back in 2009, the first year of Tony's Reading List, I actually reviewed each book I read individually, usually within twelve hours of completing it, and sometimes at great (some might say excruciating) length.  As a result, I found myself choosing hefty tomes such as Ulysses and A Suitable Boy, which would give me a little breathing space between reviews, over slim novellas and quickly-skimmed lad-lit fare.  Even if I wanted to read something shorter, I had to carefully consider the likelihood of finishing the book early and have something meatier in store for after the slighter repast.

In 2010, I decided that this was all a bit too difficult, so I opted to make my reviews a little shorter and try to write more multiple reviews, with most posts presenting two or three books.  Although this did initially give me a little more freedom, what seemed a good idea in theory turned out to have a few snags in practice.  What actually happened was that instead of writing three long posts, I usually ended up publishing one super-long post instead...

This year, after the return of my extremely unpleasant RSI issues, I finally came to the hard, heart-breaking, but inescapable conclusion that I simply wasn't able to review everything to the extent I wanted to.  Some books, especially those from my favourite areas, would be reviewed; others, lamentably, would not.  This worked alright until about the middle of the year - then I noticed that I had started reviewing everything again because I was only reading books from my favourite eras and genres :(

So much for my own internal problems.  When to these you add the wealth of information and advice I receive on a daily basis from those bloggers I interact with, either in the blogosphere or on Twitter (@tony_malone, nice to meet you), it's plain to see that I have absolutely no free will when it comes to reading - or blogging -, and that I am driven by random, constantly-changing rules of engagement.  Challenges, recommendations, the odd, rare advance copy, library acquisitions which can't be renewed... it's all getting a bit much for me in my old age.

My name's Tony, and I am a bookaholic.  Please pity me.

BBAW 2011 (Tuesday) - Interview Swap

Today's topic is the interview, and to that end, I recently fired off some questions to Cecelia from The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia.  Enough from me, here is what she had to say :)

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Tell me your life story (in about three sentences!).

I'm from a large family in the Seattle area, and I grew up swimming and camping and reading (it was pretty freaking idyllic, if you must know).  I went East for college, and after many moves and travels abroad, I've grown up a tad and now make my home in Washington, DC.  I still read, camp, and swim, and travel slightly less - but I try to make up for it on the internets.

Why did you start your blog?

I started my blog to keep up with my sister, and to journal my daily adventures.  Then I realized I was talking a lot about books.  So... it kind of morphed into a book blog.  My first blog post was about coffee.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading and why?

I enjoy reading (and do read) almost everything.  Ketchup bottles, the Sports section of the newspaper, medical brochures - you name it.  On the blog, though, I mostly stick to young adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and science fiction/fantasy.  Why?  Long-standing addiction.  Also: the YA blog world is very welcoming and comment-happy, so I feel validated.  True story.

What do you really hate about blogging?

Hate is a strong word.  What I dislike about blogging is that if I hit a reading slump, I'm out of luck.  The blogging world doesn't stop for anyone.  When I return, I inevitably feel like I've missed out.  Thankfully, there are some really lovely people who welcome you back each time.  That's the thing I love about blogging.

Should blog giveaways require people to follow to enter (or to get bonus chances)?

I do not have firm thoughts either way.  I personally no longer require a 'follow' to enter giveaways, nor offer bonus entries.  But in the past I've done this, and still do enter an occasional contest that requires me to follow the blog.

The bricks-and-mortar bookshop - at death's door or alive and kicking?

Physical bookshops are a little bit closer to alive and kicking than dead.  While people are still reading and still excited to meet the authors of the books they're reading, I think there'll be space for bookstores.

Do you read a lot of books from outside your home country?  Why (not)?

A majority of the books I read are from American authors, simply because they dominate the shelf space and internet space here.  BUT.  I am quite, quite fond of several British and Commonwealth authors, and of my absolute favorite authors (who I'll pick up anything by), the breakdown is as follows: 3 Brits, 1 Australian, 1 Kiwi, 4 Americans.  I'm equal opportunity country-wise as long as the writing is fabulous.

Do you see yourself blogging in ten years' time?  If so, how different do you think your blog will be from now?

I'm not sure I'll be blogging in ten years' time - in fact, I'm inclined to say I won't be.  I WILL still be writing, though.  It's become a sort of therapy, and I'd eventually like to make it profitable therapy.  How that will work, I'm not sure.  Whatever happens, though, I think I've got writing pretty fairly worked into my soul.

Thank you for the great questions, Tony!

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Always happy to meet new people :)  A big thank you to Cecelia for answering my rather tetchy questions, and if you want to see what she asked me (and what I answered...), why not visit the other half of the conversation on Cecelia's blog?

BBAW 2011 (Monday) - These Are A Few Of My Favourite Blogs

Welcome, one and all, to another round of BBAW themed posts.  If you've dropped by this way before, nice to see you again - if you're a newcomer around these parts, thanks for stopping by!  Today, it's our chance to spread the love and tell the world (or, at least, the blogosphere) all about those bloggers who make our online existence just that little bit sweeter :)

My blog is not one of the most popular blogs out there, and the type of books I prefer to blather on about are not everyone's cup of tea.  It's no surprise then that the bloggers I want to talk about today might also be described in this way - which is not to say that they're not popular (they are), or that they're not excellent (because they definitely are).  It's just that they're, well, a little different.  In a good way.  So, without further ado, let's go and meet my wonderful choices...

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The first person I'd like to introduce you to is Violet from Still Life With Books.  Violet is a Kiwi living in Australia, and her blog, as well as presenting occasional reviews of literary fiction, is focused heavily on non-fiction.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading about things that have actually happened, preferring instead to immerse myself in someone else's imagination, but Violet does a wonderful job of making her choices (often biographies of writers, painters and other notables of times past) sound enticing, even to someone like me.  One particular area of interest is the Bloomsbury group of writers, so if you have a hankering for knowing more about the lives and loves of Woolf and her contemporaries, this is a great blog to peruse at your leisure :)

Next, we'll move on from a diet of biographies and memoirs to one of (mostly) fictional delights - but mainly from the nineteenth century.  The enigmatically named Amateur Reader, from the aptly-named Wuthering Expectations, is one of my favourite sources for new avenues to explore when it comes to all things classical.  In addition to the obvious wealth of knowledge concentrated in one person, the other feature of this blog is the intense focus on literary works which is displayed.  Where the majority of blogs will devour, digest, review and move on in a very short time-frame, Wuthering Expectations is a forum for a prolonged, detailed discussion of aspects of a particular work of fiction.  Now if five consecutive posts on dialogue in one of Trollope's Barchester Chronicles doesn't appeal, I will understand.  If, however, that sounds perfect for you, well, you know where to go...

My third choice today tends towards the (slightly) more contemporary, but still opts for more than his fair share of left-of-centre choices.  Gary, from The Parrish Lantern, produces an eclectic range of reviews on all manner of literary delights, with a growing preference for translated fiction and (especially) poetry.  He has been very active with the Japanese Literature Challenge and has tempted me into thinking about giving certain writers (e.g. Bolano, Borges) a go - writers I really should have looked at by now :(  It's always good to have people like Gary to give you a bit of a shove when you need it...

...and when it comes to people giving you a friendly tap on the shoulder, reminding you to take a peek outside your own little corner of the world, there are none better than the incomparable, and inimitable, Stu Allen - or, as he is otherwise known, Winston's Dad.  The owner of the most famous bulldog in the blogosphere is a fierce champion of translated fiction, devouring dozens of novels, novellas and short-story collections originally written in a language other than English, whilst also promoting the publishers who are game enough to venture into this area.  With his idiosyncratic style, his frequent posting and his unwavering resolve to get good foreign writing out there (to the extent that he recently apologised for posting about too many books from the U.K and U.S.!), Stu is a vital part of the blogging world, and one whom many would miss were he to decide to spend more time with his family - or his dog :)

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I wish I had the time, the space and the energy to go on and mention several more special bloggers, but (bluntly speaking) I don't.  There are many other bloggers I could have mentioned here (Eva of A Striped Armchair and Iris of Iris on Books are two I may have chosen were they less popular!), but these are the ones I thought perhaps don't get a lot of press.  These four people produce wonderful work in niche areas and don't get the praise, and attention, they deserve.  Let's hope that changes today :)

The Shortest Longlist Ever?

We interrupt the plethora of German Literature Month review posts to announce something slightly different...

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As it's now official, I can share the news with all and sundry - my little blog has been longlisted for the Classics category of the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards for 2011 :)  Longlist is a little bit of a misnomer though, as there only five blogs vying for this award (which perhaps reflects the amount of interest in classics in the blogosphere...).  Be that as it may, the nominees, three of whom will go forward to the shortlist, are:

Tony's Reading List (that's me!)

Rebecca Reads

Wuthering Expectations

A Literary Odyssey

Dead White Guys

I am very happy to be in such company - great blogs all.  Please take the time to have a look at what they're offering to lovers of classic literature :)

I believe that we will now all be judged on the five posts we submitted for perusal, mine being:

Natsume Soseki's Kusamakura

Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right

Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks

A comparison of Great Expectations and Emma

Shusaku Endo's Silence

A big thank you to all who nominated me for this award, and a big hug to all those who actually bother to read (and comment on) my rambling posts on a semi-regular basis.  A little appreciation goes a long way, and I can assure you that I feel extremely appreciated!  To show this appreciation, I'm posting a photo for you all; here I am, relaxing after a hard day's blogging with a glass of red and a special friend.

I do smile sometimes - honest...

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Normal service will be resumed in a couple of days...

BBAW is Here Again!

 It's that time of year again - the Book Blogger Appreciation Week is here!  It's a week of getting to know new (and old!) friends, and there are also prizes and awards galore.  You should register to take part, and this also allows you to nominate people for various awards...

...which is where this post is going ;)

I have decided that it would be quite nice to have a go again, so I am planning to try to be nominated in two categories - Best Written Book Blog and Best Classics Book Blog.  However, I can't nominate myself - only a registered BBAW participant can nominate me (I think - I'm still a little confused!).  Anyway, below I have left a few links to some of my favourite posts over the past year.  Feel free to browse through my work, and nominate me if you see fit.  Thanks in advance, and I hope you have fun anyway!!!
 
Kusamakura by Natsume Soseki

He Knew he Was Right by Anthony Trollope

Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann

Great Expectations & Emma

Trollope's Autobiography

The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe

Silence by Shusaku Endo

Portrait of the Mother as Young Woman by F.C. Delius

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall & North and South