Top Ten Tuesday: Being a Blogger/Bookworm

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is all about reasons why I love being a blogger/bookworm.  I split the top ten in half, so you're going to get the five reasons I love being a blogger and the five reasons I love being a bookworm.  So, without further ado...

Reasons I Love Being a Blogger

1. The community: Ever since I started book blogging, I've made so many acquaintances and friends.  There are so many wonderful people who are book bloggers and I don't think they get enough recognition.

2. The opportunities: I've started reviewing ARCs for my local indie bookseller.  I got to meet Ally Carter and Joelle Charbonneau.  I get to participate in fun events like Top Ten Tuesdays, Reader/Blogger Wish List, Secret Santa, and more.  I've also started receiving ARCs from publishers (whether on NetGalley or in the form of physical copies).

3. The books I've been exposed to: My TBR tripled this year.  My read list tripled, too.  I was very limited in what I read before I started blogging.  Sure, I was a bookworm, but I reread a lot because I was scared to try new books.  Now, because of recommendations and TTT lists, I've found tons of new favorites.

4. The experience I've gained: My blogging has definitely improved since last May.  I've also started reviewing ARCs for the bookstore, as I said above, and I even got to work for said bookstore during the holiday season.  Blogging is also something I was able to put on my college applications and job resume.  Most importantly, I've mastered (or at least, I've hopefully mastered) reviewing books.

5. Sharing: I get to share the books I love with all y'all!  I can fangirl about a certain novel or series, and no one will even bat an eye here.  If I did that in a physical conversation, I'd probably get some strange looks.  Actually, I do get strange looks from most of my friends.  Book blogging is also a place where we can all share our love of reading, and that's very special.

Reasons I Love Being a Bookworm

1. The worlds/characters: There are so many magnificent authors who have created beautiful worlds and strong characters.

2. The skills I've gained: As a writer, it's important for me to always be reading and develop my craft.  I'd like to think my writing has improved particularly in the last year since I started reading a more diverse variety of books, not to mention I'm not sure I would ever have started writing had I not been a bookworm since I was little.

3. The descriptive prose: This may go hand-in-hand with the reasons above, but I love reading beautiful and creative prose, such as in Just One Day, The Naturals, and Princess Academy (those are just a few examples!).

4. The time it fills: Gaby over at Ella Bee Reads actually had a post about this last month.  I couldn't imagine filling free time with anything but reading. (To me, writing, blogging, and baking are not free time activities.  They are just things I do.) I read EVERYWHERE: in the car, at church while waiting for the service to start, at meals (when my parents let me get away with it), before bed, etc.  I almost always carry a book with me.  I'd be so bored if I weren't a bookworm.

5. The escape: Sometimes, our world is no fun.  Sometimes, I feel lonely, forgotten, or hurt by others so I turn to books.  The characters' lives aren't always great.  But for just a little while, their problems seem bigger and realer than mine.  The world could be imploding around me, and I wouldn't care or notice.