The Weekly Update: 5/29/16

 
 

This is going to be a sad commentary on my dependency on technology, but my internet and cable went down for a few hours the other night, and I had nothing to do because even the book I was reading was borrowed online, and all I could think about was how I couldn’t even post a status update to tell everyone that my internet was down. And then I thought about how I was going to have to start a different book in the meantime but I wouldn’t be able to post that on Goodreads either. Lol.

But that’s also kind of nice to me because I’ve seen a couple people mention how blogging makes reading, a normally solitary activity, into a social one (I’m sorry, I can’t remember who said this!), and now that it’s become social to me and I’ve come to know all of you, I don’t want to go back to it being solitary.

Anyway, I mentioned last week that I was having a problem with a refund, but that’s been sorted out, so yay, I can stop panicking. And I think that’s all my real life news for this week πŸ™‚


Blog/Bookish Updates:

I have a question for you all, have any of you put your blog into any book blog listings anywhere? Do you think they help at all? It’s so weird for me looking at listings though because there are all these book blogs out that I’ve never seen or heard of in this community, and it seemed like all the ones I clicked on were so lonesome :-/ Like, why haven’t they joined us?

In other news (I use that term very lightly on my blog, don’t I?), I may still have a backlog in my schedule, but I’m super ahead on actually making my review posts! See all those little book covers in my brand new “Upcoming Reviews” sidebar section? Those are all typed and ready πŸ™‚

And speaking of sidebar sections, I decided to get rid of the free ebook one since it just took too much effort to update and added “Currently Reading” (inspired by Lola who also just added a similar section) and the “Upcoming Reviews” one I just mentioned. But it was a major pain getting that review one to look how I wanted. I still don’t even know what I did. There’s some weird css in there lol, but I only had two divs to work with in the Goodreads widget, and making images be all the same width and height yet still adjust to the width properly on different sized screens with only two divs is not easy. I could’ve used the same code I use for the rows of books in this post, but then I’d have to update manually whereas with the GR widget it updates whenever I add to the specified shelf. (And I have no clue how to make my own GR widget, so those were my only options.) Nobody probably cared about any of that. Just tell me it’s pretty and you’ll be forgiven for not caring πŸ˜‰

Lastly, I’m still looking for sci-fi and fantasy books about characters with disabilities, chronic illness, etc. But a real disability/illness, not something that turns out to be a paranormal thing. I know many of you gave me fantastic recommendations already, but I’m posting my request again for anyone who didn’t see it.

Books I Received for Review:

The Fray Theory: Resonance by Nelou Keramati | reading, books
Chasing Rabbits by Erin Bedford | reading, books
The Vengeful Half by Jaclyn Dolamore | reading, books
 

Is that cover for The Fray Theory: Resonance not gorgeous?!?!

Books I Finished:

Whereafter by Terri Bruce | reading, books
Roadside Magic by Lilith Saintcrow | reading, books
The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright | reading, books
 

Whereafter was a third-in-series, and i liked it even better than the first two. Roadside Magic was also good. The Deep Beneath was kind of so-so for me. It was a good story, but there were a bunch of smaller things that bothered me, and one or two I can let slide, but eventually they build up too much.

Song of the Week:

Didn’t have a chance to find a song this week.

In Case You Missed It:

– I shared book covers with only the backs of people on them.
– I reviewed Braineater Jones by Stephen Koneniewski, a fun, funny, twisted read about a zombie detective in the 1930s.
– I discussed why I think it’d be good for books to include other types of feelings instead of always earth-shattering love.
– I reviewed Triad Blood by ‘Nathan Burgoine, a fun m/m/m book about a vampire, an incubus, and a wizard.
– I reviewed Three by ‘Nathan Burgoine, an erotic short story prequel to Triad Blood.
– I reviewed Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond, a wonderfully circus-filled book about circus, love, and magic. And circus. Did I mention circus?

The Sunday Post Link-Up:

Once again, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer πŸ™‚

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Did you find any good books or songs last week?

 
 
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  1. Daniela Ark

    I know EXACTLY what you mean K about how wonderful it is to blog in a community. I missed you guys terribly these last two weeks I was MIA πŸ™
    I have realized though that in the big universe call blogosphere there are mini universes of communities that sometimes exist in isolation πŸ™‚
    I’m in awe (and jealous of course) of how organized and productive you are! LOOK AT THAT WONDERFUL WIDGET and all those reviews are ready to go!! WTG girl!
    I had to smile at your “vicissitudes” with the widgets. I also hated hoe the GR widgets looked so that’s why.. SLIDERS! They show as many books as I want and take no space. AND THEY MOVE which you know I love πŸ™‚
    Ok I ALREADY TOLD YOU ABOUT CINDER K!!! but I’ll give you another one.. Young Elites πŸ™‚

    1. Kristen Burns

      YOU’RE BACK!!! It was so lonely blogging without you!

      Thank you πŸ˜€ I’ve been on a roll with blog posts. I’m very proud of myself lol. Ah but see, the sliders don’t update automatically, do they? I don’t want to do any more work that I have to, so I like the automatic thing. And I do like my rows πŸ˜›

      By the way, you missed my review of Withered + Sere and I totally think you should check it out because idk if it’s your type of book or not but it’s dark and I loved it!

  2. Greg

    Yeah it’s weird when we’re cut off! I think I did list with a few different blog listings back when I started but I honestly don’t remember which ones- it’s been so long. It seemed useful at the time but now I don’t pay any attention lol. And it does amaze me too how many little sub communities there are (kinda like Daniela said)- there are memes and readathons and stuff that have their own circles of regulars. I there are a lot of blogs out there just doing their own thing…

    Like the new Upcoming Reviews section but yeah I have no idea how you did it lol. And Roadside Magic is might be my favorite Dos Santo cover…

    1. Kristen Burns

      I don’t know, most of the blogs I looked at were just post after post with no comments, no interaction, because I guess no one knows about their blogs, yet they just keep chuggin’ along. And I just don’t see how that’s fun? But it seems like every time I try to interact with a blog that’s not part of this general community, I feel unwelcome, don’t even get a response on their blog, etc… so I’m just happy to have found our community, but it would be nice to find more bloggers with more similar taste to mine.

      Anyway, thanks πŸ™‚ I have no idea how I did it either πŸ˜› I’m still partial to the Trailer Park Fae cover though!

      1. Greg

        I’ve seen a lot of those too actually, and I know what you mean- with no interaction are they having any fun?? I don’t know… that’s why i like it when new people join the SP. It’s great for people to get to know a bunch of other bloggers. And agree about taste- there’s the YA people and the UF people and the mystery people lol, and lots of overlap to be sure… but it is nice to find people who are reading the same stuff.

        I notice a huge difference when I do a TTT or teaser tuesday just for an example. Different comments, different bloggers… it’s kind of interesting really. πŸ™‚

        1. Kristen Burns

          Yeah, when I started doing the Sunday Post, I found a whole bunch of bloggers I hadn’t interacted with on any other meme, so I know what you mean. But to me the fun of blogging is that I get to constantly interact and be social. So when I find these blogs that have no interaction, or ones that never reply to comments or never visit other blogs, it just kind of confuses me.

  3. Annemieke

    The social aspect that we as readers can find online is a great one. Too bad people in real life don’t always understand that. πŸ™ But then again, that is their loss, right?
    I can’t say I’ve ever looked at blog listings. I am however glad that I started doing top ten tuesday and link up with the sunday post. That way it has been easier getting to know other bloggers. I do think some find it hard to reach out to other bloggers. Or maybe they don’t have the time to make the comment rounds. That is always an option.

    1. Kristen Burns

      It does seem like people who don’t blog or do anything social online just don’t get it. But as long as we’re happy, it doesn’t matter what they think about it πŸ™‚

      I used to do TTT but it just wasn’t turning out to be very social for me since I didn’t read the same books as most other people participating. But I do like this Sunday Post one! I know some people might find it hard to reach out, but I know that it wouldn’t be fun for me to keep posting if no one ever read it and I never got to even be social with anyone :-/

  4. Christy LoveOfBooks

    Bwahahahaha! I’ve done that when the electricity went out one night. Kept trying to do something only to be denied because it required internet. It’s so sad. Glad you got your refund. It bugging me so bad … I know I’ve read books with disabilities or ailments, but they’re just not coming to me. Oh! Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone. She has OCD and it’s really good. I love how well the therapist was incorporated into the story. But I know there’s more …

      1. Kristen Burns

        Haha yes! That’s exactly what it was like. I’ll just read! No, wait, can’t do that. I’ll share my misery with my bloggy friends! No, can’t do that either. I’ll just watch TV. Wait… dammit! I ended up putting on a DVD of Singin’ in the Rain lol. And thanks, I’m really relieved about the refund. Thanks for the rec! And thanks for pointing out the free audiobook, but I don’t do audiobooks, so I’ll find it another way πŸ™‚

  5. Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    Oh yes! I know what you mean about being kind of lost without our fabulous community now, Kristen! I didn’t think about it before, but now, I kind of feel sad if I can’t interact with my bookish friends every day – it’s like something is missing in my life πŸ™‚
    The Fray Theory looks great! And you’re right, that cover is awesome πŸ™‚ I hope you’ll enjoy the story inside of it, too.
    Have a wonderful week ahead and happy reading.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Exactly! I would be sad to go even a day without at least check GR or something. And thanks! That’s always the thing about pretty covers, isn’t it—will the stories inside them match?! You have a wonderful week too πŸ™‚

  6. Deborah

    Kristen I only add my reviews into Goodreads and Amazon and I don’t spend much time on GR at all though I know others do.

    And yes, I know what you mean about technology! We are so reliant on it but I guess that’s okay as I’m sure once people grumbled about being reliant on electricity as well!

    1. Kristen Burns

      That’s true. If we have it, why shouldn’t we use it? It enhances our lives, and one day everyone will view the internet the way we all view electricity.

  7. Samantha

    I know when I started blogging, I had no idea where to even begin to get involved. There are so many things going on in the blogging world that its impossible to find them all!
    Our power went out for a day last summer and it was torture slowly watching my cell phone die. It was my only source of internet. Thankfully I had books downloaded on my kindle and that battery lasts forever but once my husband was at work, I was crazy lonely. Like, telling my dogs about this book because I need to talk about it lonely. πŸ™‚

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, that’s true. I don’t even remember how I started getting involved? I think just commenting on book blogs I found and joining some memes.

      That’d be even worse if it was the whole power that went out. Hahaha I love that you were telling your dogs about the book. Before I had this community, I used to talk this one person’s ear off about all the books I read even though I know he didn’t actually care about them lol.

  8. Lola

    I am sorry to hear you lost internet for a few hours. I am also very dependent on my internet connection and almost everything I do is online, it sure is nasty when you can’t do that when your internet is down for a bit. It is nice how the internet turns reading in a more social experience and you can share your reading experience with others now.

    I am glad that thing with the refund got sorted out!

    I listed my blog in a few places when I just started blogging, but besides that don’t do a lot of that anymore. The only one I do every year is listing myself in the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages every year when they bring out a new edition. I had some authors mention they found me through that, so it seems that one actually helped bring people to my blog and I like the way they format and ask some good questions so your listing is pretty thorough. I also listed Lola’s Blog Tours this year (they also allow tour company listings), so I am curious to see if that will help.

    I like your currently reading widget, I actually saw it on another blog a while ago and then decided to add it myself. I don’t sue goodreads so I have to manually update it, but I don’t mind. I didn’t want to mess around with the CSS of the goodreads widget to get it to look how I wanted it to.
    I also like the idea of an upcoming reviews section, so people can see which reviews will be next. I have 7 reviews written and scheduled at the moment, so you’re actually more ahead on review posts than I am.

    I still haven’t come up with any recommendations for your for the disabilities thing you’re looking for. I just can’t seem to remember any fantasy/ sci-fi books with disabilities and things like that. I hope you’ll have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, I feel like everything I do is on the internet, and I’m so lost without it.

      Thanks! I’m glad about the refund too πŸ™‚

      That’s what I was wondering, even if it doesn’t get me followers, maybe it would help authors find me since you know I also like indie/sef-pub books, and those authors don’t always post on sites like Netgalley. Do you get a lot of spam from there though? Someone else mentioned spam from a listing. I think I’ll try it and see if it seems to help.

      Thanks! I think a lot of blogs have a currently reading widget, but idk, I never really felt like adding one until I saw yours? Lol. And like I said, I figured it’d be less work than the one I had and this way anyone who doesn’t follow me on GR can see. I do have to manual update the currently reading one, but I did it that way because the widgets don’t use a big enough image. But that’s an easy thing to update, you know? The upcoming reviews one would be a lot more work to constantly update each time I write a new review, each time I post one, etc. And yay! I’m actually ahead of you on something πŸ˜› Though you still have me beat for overall posts.

      Don’t worry about the disability thing, it’s just an ongoing request. You have a great week too!

      1. Lola

        I get some spam, but not sure if it’s thanks to that. I’ve had some authors specifically mention they found my blog through the Book Reviewer Yellow pages which is why I know I got some traffic from that, but usually authors don’t really mention it. I have tried a few lists when I just started blogging, but not sure which ones or if my blog is still there.

        I agree it’s an easy thing to update the current reading widget. Now when I add a new book to my currently reading list on Goodreads I also add it on my blog. And indeed it’s neat for those who don’t follow you on Goodreads or visit your blog more often. I know I have sometimes commented on someone’s blog about a book they were currently reading and then I thought it would be fun to add one to my own blog.
        The upcoming reviews does sound like more effort as you need to adjust it every time a review gets published or you write one.

        Yes for total posts I probably have more of them, but you did beat me with reviews ;). For reviews I am usually lucky to be ahead a week or two, so now I am 2.5 weeks ahead which is big for me. I usually read two or slightly more books each week and schedule 2-3 reviews on my blog each week, so it’s hard to really get ahead for those.

        1. Kristen Burns

          I think I’ll try the yellow pages one then πŸ™‚

          What I was saying about the upcoming review widget though is that I went through all the work of editing the GR widget so that now I *don’t* have to manually update it πŸ™‚ Once I finish a book, I just shelve if on GR, and it shows up automatically.

          I think I’m so ahead of reviews because I’ve been getting a lot of reading done lately. And in the past I didn’t have review copies and therefore didn’t review every book whereas now that’s almost all I’ve been reading.

          1. Lola

            Ah sorry, guess I misunderstood that part. That one would be a lot of effort to update manually, so it’s neat you made that one automatically.

            It’s nice you got a lot of reading done and get ahead on reviews due to that. I sometimes read a lot of shorter books when I want to get a bit more ahead, as I can read more books in a week then.
            I review every book I read now, I can’t imagine not reviewing every book I read.

            1. Kristen Burns

              No worries πŸ™‚ I think I confused a few people about that lol.

              It was just never my intention to review every book I read. So if I read a book that’s not a review copy and I don’t like it or have something I really feel compelled to say about it, I just don’t review it.

  9. sjhigbee

    I know what you mean about being cut off from the internet. A couple of years ago my husband and I went away – we were in a ‘black spot’. We didn’t mind the hinky TV set that only displayed a storm snowstorm, we could even cope with a fading Radio 4 – but we both agreed that not being able to be connected to the internet was the dealbreaker! We use Google to settle our arguments (we are both opinionated and CONVINCED we’re right, so it always helps to find out who is right). It’s been a great week for you, again, Kristen. Hope this one proves to be as successful:)

    1. Kristen Burns

      You know, it’s funny because your story is reminding me of when I went on a vacation and stayed in a cabin for a couple days 9 or 10 years ago, and I’m realizing back then I didn’t feel this way. Literally I had some DVDs, the paperback I was reading, and someone’s radio playing through the window, and I was perfectly happy. Crazy how much can change through time. Because now not having internet would definitely be a dealbreaker for me too! But I love your reason lol, that you need to be able to check Google. You have a great week too!

  10. Kei @ The Lovely Pages Reviews

    Yup, I totally get it. I lost power a few weeks ago and I felt so cut off it was insane, and I had just finished a book I couldn’t tell anyone about it!
    GR has a currently reading widget that updates itself, you should check it out!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha I love that all my bloggy friends understand the horror of not being able to post about our books on the internet.

      The “upcoming reviews” widget in my sidebar IS the Goodreads one lol. I just edited the css to make it look how I wanted. But I update my “currently reading” one manually since that’s just one image every couple days, and the widget doesn’t use a big enough image.

  11. Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem

    I love blogging in a community and when I found Goodreads and like minded readers, I’ve never looked at reading the same. I love talking and fangirling and venting about books with other people. Reading was a solitary existence and (for once) I’m glad that social media has socialized reading πŸ˜€

    When i first started blogging, I knew nothing about blogging. So I joined this list of book bloggers that’s for authors looking for reviewers. It got me a lot of great recommendations, but I pulled my site off this year because I was also getting a lot of spam. I think I’ve enjoyed joining different reading challenges and memes more than anything else that’s out there. It’s allowed me to meet and connect with some great bloggers!

    Hope you have a great week (your new book haul looks so pretty all lined up together. It’s almost as if the covers were made for each other!) πŸ˜€

    1. Kristen Burns

      I actually didn’t really understand the point of Goodreads when I first found out about it. But once I started blogging and actually using Goodreads… I don’t want to live without it now!

      I was thinking that maybe a listing could help authors find my books since I actually love indie/self-pub books, and those authors don’t always post on sites like Netgalley, but I didn’t think about spam :-/ I haven’t really had good luck with memes though, except for this Sunday Post one.

      And thank for you telling me my book section is pretty πŸ˜€ You have a great week too!

  12. Stacy Renee

    My internet was down for 2 days a week or so ago and it definitely took its toll. I can totally agree on how reading went from being this solitary thing I did on my own and told no one about to not being able to pass up the chance to let people know what page I’m on and what I thought about a book.
    I’m curious about the blog listings now. I personally find new book blogs through other blogs, weekly meme links, and other social media and I follow a lot of blogs so I wonder if anyone even uses those. That being said, I still have a hard time finding blogs that generally focus on fantasy so maybe listings help narrow down the search? I haven’t tried any so I don’t know if it works that way.
    I honestly can’t say whether I’ve visited your blog before but I’ve been seeing your comments on other blogs a lot recently and see that you enjoy fantasy and sci/fi so I am following and will make a note to return. πŸ™‚

    Stacy Renee @ Lazy Day Literature

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, I used to just read books and never even tell anyone or talk about them because I just had no one who cared about them. Now I can’t stand to *not* tell people lol.

      As soon as you said “focus on fantasy,” I was like, “That’s me! I focus on fantasy!” Lol but I read mostly urban, and I don’t know what subgenres you like? (I’m going to check out your blog once I finish this comment.) I agree though, I’d like to find more blogs that focus more on the genres I like most since a lot of the blogs I follow now are YA or just have different taste, and I follow them mostly because I like the bloggers themselves. Thanks for following, I’ll be sure to follow you back πŸ™‚

      1. Stacy Renee

        I almost never read Urban Fantasy (the covers usually turn me off) but I’ve been in the mood for some the past few weeks. I tend to read more traditional, epic, high fantasy and fantasy adventures. I do like to step outside my comfort zone a lot though so I read a little of everything (well, almost). . I also read a ton of children’s, middle-grade, and YA.
        It’s probably wrong of me to say it’s hard to find blogs that focus on my favorites when my own blog is kind of all over the place, Haha! I mostly just enjoy sharing a love for books with everyone, no matter what other people read. I think that’s the great thing about bloggers. πŸ™‚

        1. Kristen Burns

          I’m kind of curious exactly what kinds of covers you’re talking about now because I love a lot of urban fantasy covers lol. But darn, I guess our tastes aren’t that similar since I don’t really read high or epic fantasy :-/

          But nah, it makes sense that you still want to find books that focus on certain things you like, even if yours is broad. And I agree, it’s just nice getting to share a love of books in general!

  13. Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library

    I had the power go out randomly for a couple of hours a little while ago. I just stood in the kitchen for the longest time trying to figure out what to do. It was definitely a little scary to realize how dependent I am on plugged in stuff. I haven’t tried any of the blog listings so I don’t know much about them but it is weird sometimes to think of all the blogs and communities that I know nothing about. I do love the community and I like how you said that blogging makes reading more social. It’s so fun to find people who like to read and see what everyone else is doing though it is so rough on the TBR. I remember being overwhelmed by TBR pre-blogging days. I had no idea! Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Hahaha I love that you just stood there in the kitchen because that’s probably what I would do too. It really is crazy how many other blogs are out there, but I do love this community. I didn’t even have a TBR pre-blogging days though, so I really had no idea lol. You have a great week too!

  14. Emma

    How did we all get so addicted to the Internet. I travel a lot for work and couldn’t bear not to be connected. Glad you’re all connected again.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, I think back to maybe ten years ago, and I definitely wasn’t this dependent. But I suppose it’s not exactly a *bad* thing. The internet is useful! Thanks πŸ™‚

  15. Molly @ Molly's Book Nook

    I haven’t really thought about how reading isn’t a solitary thing anymore for me. But, seriously, I always post updates to GR about what I’m reading. It’d be weird to read ….alone? If that makes sense lol Also, the sidebar looks pretty lol Also, also, you already have all those reviews ready?!!? I’m jealous. I’ve never been that ahead before.

    1. Kristen Burns

      It’s crazy how that changed without us even realizing it, right? I would be so sad and lonely now if I had to go back to reading alone. And thank you! Yes, I really do have ten reviews ready to go right now lol. And I’m totally bragging about it because I’ve never been so ahead before either, haha.

  16. Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings

    Apologies in advance as I am about to spam comment my way through the last month of your posts as I am little behind in commenting!!

    I have the second book in the Natalie Wright series, I enjoyed the first book and hope to read this one soon!

    Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol no problem about the spam comments.

      I read the first H.A.L.F. book because I saw the second on Netgalley and wanted to see if I’d be interested, but I’ve decided not to continue. The little things just bothered me too much.

      You have a great week too!

  17. Stormi

    I think this might be the first time I have visited your blog, I am trying to check out some different ones from The Sunday Post as I seem to just do the same ones over and over. I like the look of your blog. πŸ™‚

    I would go crazy with no internet so I can totally relate and I agree because of book blogging it seems reading has gotten more social now and I like it. πŸ™‚

    Enjoy your new books!
    Stormi

    1. Kristen Burns

      I always say I’m going to do that because I feel like I’m kind of stuck in a rut always visiting the same blogs, but then I either make some excuse or the blogs I visit don’t end up being very friendly :-/ Thank you though for liking my blog!

      I’m so glad my fellow bloggers understand the pain of not having internet and not being able to discuss books lol. Thanks!

  18. Jane @ Rain City Librarian

    I really love finding weekly posts like the Sunday Post (which I’m new to, so, hello, nice to meet everyone!) because for the longest time I just sort of blogged away in isolation, not really sure how to connect with other bloggers and readers, and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. I’m not a professional blogger, I don’t really have a fancy website, and the community can be a bit intimidating when you’re a newbie! I think I did add my blog to some book blog lists, but I don’t think they got me as much interaction as joining weekly link ups did.

    And it’s hilarious, I feel exactly the same way about technology, I remember when my phone died my first thought was that I should text people to let them know….*sigh*… πŸ˜‰

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yay, hi! Welcome to the Sunday Post! I think most of us probably wouldn’t call ourselves professional bloggers. At least I don’t lol. It’s weird though because I don’t actually remember how I started actually connecting with other bloggers. Maybe Top Ten Tuesday? But I’ve found this community to be super friendly and welcoming πŸ˜€

      Hahaha yes! That’s exactly what it was like for me. Apparently that’s how we are nowadays. The first thing we wanna do when we lose technology is use that technology to let everyone else know πŸ˜›

  19. Jordon @ Simply Adrift

    I am sooo dependant on social media as well! I go crazy with boredom if the internet goes down…

    I actually haven’t looked at any blog listings but mainly because I don’t think many people use them? I know I don’t. I remember when I ran my first blog about 5 years ago, I listed with a lot of them and they were more widely used. Now however, I feel like they’re outdated and the listings have a lot of old blogs on them that are no longer active.

    I have so much to learn about HTML and CSS I feel! There are so many things I want to do but have no clue how to do them or even what to google to get the effect.

    I’ve read quite a few fantasy and sci fi books, but I actually can’t think of any with disabilities or chronic illnesses, sorry I’m no help there!

    Jordon @ Simply Adrift

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, almost everything I do requires internet!

      Yeah, it really doesn’t seem like people are using them, so probably not worth it.

      Oh my goodness, there’s always so much to learn with coding! Like, I know a decent amount, but I still marvel at how people can create plugins and things from scratch because that is so beyond my capabilities. And I’d love to learn more because I think it’s fun, but how do people even learn that in the first place?!

      No worries, I’m just continually looking for those types of books so if you happen to stumble upon one in the future you can let me know πŸ™‚

      1. Jordon @ Simply Adrift

        How did you learn about coding? I’ve kind of taught myself here and there, I google everything, and I took Nose graze’s Master Customizer course to learn the basics about CSS (Before the course I knew nothing about CSS, now I know the basics and keep trying to learn). But there’s still sooo much I don’t know about HTML or CSS and I practically know nothing about PHP.

        I’m pretty sure a lot of people study it in college. Otherwise I have no idea how they learnt so much…

        1. Kristen Burns

          I taught myself. I find that it’s really hard for me to understand things when I just read about them, so I’ve literally learned everything I know about css and php by getting an idea, Googling, and using trial-and-error lol. But in the process, I actually end up learning how things work. Like, the trial-and-error and seeing what changes with each thing I try, it helps my brain make connections. But there are some things that are just too complicated to learn that way I think, at least for me, and I don’t know where to look for more information (and info that I can actually understand). I was thinking that too, that maybe the people who know so much studied it in college.

  20. A Voracious Reader

    I go nuts if my internet goes down. How did I live before I had all this info at my fingertips 24/7/365?! lol

    I learned some code as I went along, but most of what I use I learned from Kim. I still go back to read some of her old coding posts when I need a refresher. πŸ™‚

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, I don’t know how I ever lived without internet all the time either.

      I don’t know who Kim is though? Lol I’d love to learn even more, I just don’t even know how to go about it other than my usual method of, “Hey I have an idea! Now I’m going to use Google and trial-and-error until I make it happen!” Lol.

  21. Bookworm Brandee

    You’re tale of woe in not being able to read socially made me giggle, Kristen! πŸ˜‰ I guess I’m not quite as social while reading but losing power or the use of my laptop (for some reason it stopped working but then suddenly did) makes me so anxious. Now, I can leave my cell at home and I’m fine. But no laptop and I’m wigging! *haha* I’ve not listed my blog anywhere and haven’t really considered it. I’ve always found bloggers/blogs through challenges or from other blogs. And I love ‘our’ community. πŸ˜€ Hope you’re having a great week. I’m behind…as usual. But I can’t blame it on band this time. πŸ˜‰

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol it was like every thing I kept getting the idea to do, I would then realize I still needed internet for that. But I’m like you in that I can live without my phone for a while, but I need internet! I mean, if I really needed to reach someone, I could just email them πŸ˜›

      As for the blog listings, I don’t know, I just feel like I’m in a rut in the sense that I keep visiting the same blogs over and over. I’ll have to pay more attention to comments on other blogs. I do love our community too though πŸ™‚

  22. Zeee @ I Heart Romance & YA

    Hi Kristen! I’ve sort starting to be in a book slump because everything I’ve been reading seems to be soo meh to me..

    I’d like to answer your question about blog lists. I think there is some listings out there and I think I signed up for one years ago, but honestly, it just doesn’t drive much traffic. I think no one really looks at those lists anymore, IMO. But I have found that you have to be active in the community to get people to know and visit your blog. This can range from joining Twitter chats, meme, or just being active in commenting and visiting other blogs.

    For your side bar….have you thought about getting Ashley’s Ultimate Book Blog plugin? It automatically shows your upcoming reviews, and current reads (if you set it up on your post) an a slew of other things. If you haven’t already checked it out, you can google Ashley/Nose Graze and UBB plugin.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Aww sorry about the book slump :-/ Crossing my fingers you’ll find something great soon!

      Yeah, it doesn’t seem like people are using listings. I do comment and visit other blogs, but it’s been hard to find people with my taste even though I know they must be out there!

      Thanks for telling me about the plugin, but I’m happy with what I have πŸ™‚ My review posts are already super customized, and my upcoming review widget does update automatically since it’s the Goodreads widget. I do have to manually update the currently reading one, but I don’t mind because it’s simple to do and that’s the only way I can get a big enough image. I’m really picky with my blog lol.