Thursday Thoughts: A Confession

Happy Thursday! So in a bit of a continuation of last Thursday's post, I have a confession to make... It's been six books since my last review (LOL).

Yes, I have read six books and not written a review for one here. I did write a review and post it on Goodreads for a New Adult book that was so explicit I'd never review it here, so I guess in some ways I don't count that one. But I've read five other books that I would normally post a review for here on the blog and I can't seem to find the inclination to get a single one written. I've got one that I started days ago and it's still sitting in draft. And most of the reviews would actually be pretty positive with at least one being a resounding five stars! If I don't hurry up and write them, I'll likely forget about anything I wanted to say, sigh... (I've never been a note-taker while reading -- I'm always amazed at those of you who keep extensive notes for your reviews. I tend to write my reviews off the emotions I feel after reading a book.)

These days it seems like so many book blogs have become more about posting memes than reviews. Oh, I don't mean EVERY book blog, and I still see quite a few reviews out there, but as I was going through Feedly the other day, it seemed like the overwhelming majority of posts were cover reveals, books people were waiting on, teasers, etc. And I'll admit, I generally only go read reviews of books I might already be interested in reading. I find it so difficult to keep up with all of the blogs out there. I have a small handful that I visit regularly and the rest I tend to visit haphazardly at best.

Does anyone else out there find that keeping up with blogs is, well, time-consuming? I want to be friendly and social and have others read my own blog, but frankly, with a full-time job (even if it is from home) and a little one running around, it's a challenge to devote much time to blog hopping and commenting (and sometimes the blog itself). One of my blogging buddies has been gravitating towards Goodreads for more of the social aspect of book reviewing, but so far I haven't felt that calling. (Hmmm, maybe I'm actually just anti-social? Haha...) When it comes to Goodreads, I've actually felt more of a calling to just post reviews there. But then where does that leave the blog?

As many times as I run into these reviewing/blogging burnouts, I am still unwilling to give up this blog. I think part of me likes the idea of having my own little piece of web property out here, while the other half just feels like I've already invested so much time and effort here, it would be a shame to give it all up.

Yes, I think we all write our blogs in part for ourselves -- certainly that is the case initially since most of us start out with no following. But as time goes on, I think most of us are posting in the hopes that we are attracting readers and growing our blogs. And while it's fun, at times it does feel like a job... And I guess I just haven't figured out what I need to do differently so it doesn't feel so much like a job sometimes, haha.

So really, I'm not sure where I'm going with this rambling post. I guess I just want to reassure those of you who do keep up with me that I'm doing my best not to disappear again, despite the slacking off of posting going on here... (I mean, this week I didn't even participate in Teaser Tuesdays, sheesh!) I'm hoping to re-energize myself and come up with some new ideas, whether it's types of posts or the way I write my reviews. In the meantime, I'll try to be good about participating in the memes I love and maybe just musing here on Thursdays while I work on getting my blogging mojo back.

If you made it through all of that, here's a virtual cookie and a thank you! :-) Hope everyone (well, those of you who are in the U.S.) enjoys the upcoming holiday weekend!

Saturday Snapshot: Mother's Day 2013

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog, At Home With Books.

On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day at my parents' house with my mother. We got our obligatory three-generation picture to remember the occasion, too. :-)

Of course, we just barely managed to get this one before Laura took off again. That girl won't sit still for pictures anymore, haha!

Off to look at your snapshot posts... Happy Saturday!

Thursday Thoughts: Reviews, This Blog, & More...

Happy Thursday! Just one day away from that magical day of the week, FRIDAY! Actually, for me today is like Friday because I am taking tomorrow off to spend it with my hubby -- it's our 5th anniversary! My, how these first five years of marriage have flown by! We are celebrating by going to see Iron Man 3 (I know, romantic, right?) and then we're having dinner at a great little restaurant in downtown Canton. My parents are gracious enough to watch our little Sweet Pea so we can go do these things and have some time to ourselves. In honor of May 17, 2008, here is one of the pictures taken at our wedding:

(photo credit: Carol Cole Photography)

Anyway, my intent with this post was actually to discuss this blog a bit. You may have noticed I've been a little quiet this month. In part, I haven't been plowing through the books as quickly as I was for awhile. However, even for those I've read, I admit that I haven't been feeling too inspired to write any reviews. I even recently read a wonderful book that totally surprised me in terms of how much I liked it, but I just haven't mustered up the desire to actually write and post the review. I started to set up the post in my usual review format, but it's still sitting in draft, waiting for me to write the actual review. A little voice in my head keeps hinting that maybe I'm getting burned out on blogging again, but gosh darn it, I hate to think that is what is happening! I want this blog to thrive and be a resource/hangout for those who love to read.

That said, perhaps it's time for me to step back a little bit and perhaps recharge my blogging batteries. I enjoy participating in Teaser Tuesdays and Saturday Snapshot, so I will probably continue to try to write posts for those memes. And of course, I will still try to post reviews regularly, as well, though I may take a break from posting reviews for every single book I read. (I had told myself and even mentioned it here that I was not going to pressure myself to write reviews, but I guess old habits are hard to break!) And frankly, I feel like reviews can get stale. I feel like I'm always using the same talking points, just applying them to different books. I'd like to do something to freshen up the content of this blog, but I'm just not sure yet what that would be.

So that leads me to ask you, dear readers, is there anything new and different you'd like to see here at Melissa's Bookshelf? I may try to work in some general ramblings and musing posts like today's, which I'm tentatively labeling as Thursday Thoughts. (This is mainly due to my OCD side -- I like having my posts on a bit of a schedule, I guess!) But I see other bloggers doing some interesting posts out there -- cover reveals, new release posts, among other ideas, and it makes me wonder if I should branch out more. Then again, if other bloggers are already doing these things, I'm not sure how much I would add to the "discussion." But all thoughts, advice, and suggestions are most welcome and will be taken into consideration.

Thanks for following along with my ramblings today! :-)

Teaser Tuesdays: The Apothecary's Daughter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! (If you're on Goodreads, I've included a button to add the book to your list just below the teaser!)

In true TT fashion I am sharing just two sentences -- the opening lines -- of the book I am just getting ready to start reading...

I remember it clearly, although it was years ago now. For I remember everything.

~ prologue from The Apothecary's Daughter
by Julie Klassen

Saturday Snapshot: Clematis (and a Pedicure)

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog, At Home With Books.

With all the rain we have had lately here in Georgia, our clematis vine has just exploded with blooms and new growth, in general. I actually plan to go out and purchase a second structure for it to wrap around and attach to, as the privacy fence behind it isn't really meant for that function. ;-)

This first picture is the very first bloom that opened up a couple of weeks ago. Initially they are a deep, vibrant purple...

After they open up (and I suppose due to sitting in the sunlight), they fade to a pretty periwinkle color...

And here you can see how many blooms we have now!

And last but not least, a week ago I finally got around to going for my first (and MUCH-needed) pedicure of the season. I no longer have to be embarrassed by my feet!

Happy Saturday! Enjoy the weekend!