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| St. Jerome, patron saint of librarians |
As someone who's all of those things, I was excited last year to hear about The Crown Publishing Group's Blogging for Books program. Essentially, the kind people at Blogging for Books will send you a new, free book if you're willing to tell them (and the world) what you think of it. I encourage you to check out the official program description, but I also want to share a few highlights:
Free books that you get to keep
I love libraries, but sooner (or later, depending on how much of a fine I'm willing to pay) I have to give the books back. Not so with this program. I get to keep the book for as long as I want, reading and rereading it at leisure (although good etiquette suggests posting a review within a few months of receiving each book). And, if I want to pass it on to a friend after I'm finished, I can do that, too.
Writing practice with incentive
Maybe you don't struggle with self-motivation--but I do. It's one thing to inform myself that writing skills shrivel and die without practice, and that I ought to brave the blank page and blinking cursor and just get something on the page. It's another thing to actually sit down and write. The prospect of getting a new book if I write a short review can tip the scale in favor of writing, rather than laundry or emails or yet another cup of tea.
Opportunities to branch out
This one is actually a blessing in disguise. When you join Blogging for Books, the selection of books available to you depends on factors like how many readers your blog has, how strong your social media presence is, and what's being published at the time (winter, for instance, tends to be a slower season). You may find multiple titles you can't wait to read--or you may have to settle for the one book that looks sort of interesting. I've found, though, that the books I figure I might as well review are often as fun as the ones I waited for eagerly. How else would I have learned that that the Basque region exists (and has really good food), or that you can paint clouds by visualizing them as a loaf of bread, or that the sound of a Stradivarius violin can easily fill a vast modern concert hall?
My Blogging for Books reviews
Now that you've got an explanation for the growing collection of random book reviews, please feel free to browse through the posts and find yourself a new read!