How My Literary Life Has Changed...

So I stumbled across this post, The Effects of Becoming a BookPerson, and seriously, friends. Go read it! Parts are true for me and parts aren't, which got me to thinking about what has changed about my reading experience since I began blogging....

How my literary life has changed...

1. Bookstore trips

Before Blogging {then}: Big adventure because I never, ever knew what I would find on the shelves! And I wandered the entire store and looked at everything.

After Blogging {now}: I search the titles and covers to find the ones I want to skim through so I can find out whether I want to actually read it or not. (Sometimes my kindle sample is not enough to help me with this.) Most titles are familiar, but not all. I still find surprises on the shelves though, and still like to wander the whole store occasionally. Yet more often than not, I mainly visit the Christian Fiction and Young Adult sections. Also I usually know before going what book(s) I'm interested in actually purchasing.

2. Book release dates

Then: I might know when a book was coming out thanks to it being a part of a series and the general date given in the back of the previous book.  Emphasis on general because usually they say Spring 2017 or Fall 2016, which is NOT specific enough for me.

Now: I know a lot of publishing dates way ahead of time. Especially if it's a book I am HIGHLY anticipating! I'm not so great at remembering them, so if you'd ask me right now, I may not be able to answer. But I check goodreads fairly often to keep up. Plus I know specific dates, not just generalized times! Which is much nicer. :)

3. Amount of books I own

Then: LOTS

Now: LOTS MORE

4. Bookish Merchandise

Then: A few things, but very few. I had some bookstore bookmarks, I would sometimes write out a favorite quote and stick it somewhere I would read it often, and I did buy my Persuasion scarf before I started blogging.

Now: I still don't own a lot of bookish things, but I drool over a LOT of them online! I dream of owning them, does that count? :)

5. Book Besties

Then: Mom and I would read the same books and chat about what we liked about them. The ladies who worked at the library knew my name as I was in there every single week.

Now: I FOUND MY PEOPLE. I never knew there were so many others who loved to read as much as I and loved to talk about it! Twitter convos, blog comments, even occasionally on facebook. I love it! Also the idea that someone I've never met in person could actually become one of my dearest friends is still amazing to me.

6. TBR pile

Then: What's TBR stand for?

Now: It towers over me and I keep adding to it! And so many of the ones I add aren't even published yet! Which makes the waiting horrible.

7. Ebooks/Ereaders

Then: No! No, no, no. Absolutely not.

Now: I love my kindle! It goes with me everywhere and it's just so handy to have several hundred books at my disposal at any time.

8. Reading book reviews

Then: For only two or so years prior to starting my own blog did I even know book reviews existed. I didn't even realize that professional ones were published in newspapers and magazines, that's how out of the know I was! But once I discovered book bloggers, I began to pay a lot more attention.

Now: If a synopsis interests me, I will stand in a bookstore and read reviews right then to try to figure out if I would like it. I rarely buy a book that I haven't read at least one review for it.

9. Library visits

Then: I wandered the shelves, waiting for titles to jump out at me.

Now: I still wander the shelves a lot, but I also check my library's website for availability and put loads of books on hold. Plus I will check on availability of new books coming out!

10. Authors

Then: I had favorites, but never dreamed I'd actually get to meet any of them in person. And only rarely did I know about a new book of theirs yet to be published.

Now: I still have favorites naturally! :) But now I've actually met a few in person (and fangirled the entire time!) and almost always know when they have new books to be published and when that'll happen.


So! If you're a blogger, or you read a lot of book blogs, has anything changed in your literary life since you started?