One of the things that I love about being in this community is that there are so many great people that are supportive, kind, and fun to be around. Especially since I’m new here, I wanted to showcase some of the bloggers, booktubers, and others in the book lover community that have really made an impact on my life and mental health. I am so happy that I have a lot of people that I can talk with and enjoy their content. It really helps makes the days go by much better.

You know I had to include the first ever girl that supported me in my blogging journey from the beginning. Brittany, you are just so amazing and wonderful and ugh I don’t want to sound like a creepy fangirl but sometimes I totally am. I am so glad that we got to meet each other through Goodreads, WordPress, and thank you for introducing me to the Twitter world. I didn’t realize I would become addicted to it until now, and I’m so glad I am.

So this is my mini love letter to you, because honestly without your support and kind words for many years, I don’t think I would still be blogging and having fun today. You mean so much to me, not just as a book buddy and twin, but as a friend. You have an amazing soul and I just can’t help but wish nothing but happiness and love and success for you forever.

(1) Tell me a little bit about your start in the book community.

I’ve always really loved to read, but I think my first real introduction into the online book community was discovering Goodreads. I don’t really remember how I came across it, but after making an account, I’d left it dormant for a while. I came back to it at the end of the 2017 year and actually took some time to join groups and make friends. I loved getting to talk to other people about books because even though there are some fellow book lovers in my personal life, none of them are quite as obsessed with books as I am. The online book community is packed full of others who love to read just as much as I do, so I really feel like I’ve found a place that feels right for me.

(2) What was the inspiration behind your blog’s aesthetic?

Well, I originally really struggled to find an aesthetic for my blog that I really liked. I’ve changed it several times, but I’m really happy with what I have now. Before hiring @VickyWhoDraws to make my graphics, I had a fairly simple, nature-esque aesthetic, with lots of leaves and pink flowers. Thankfully, Vicky is amazing and was able to use that aesthetic and come up with an idea that expanded on it: a book fairy! It maintains the nature-esque vibe that I love so much but makes it better. I don’t really have much of an inspiration for why I chose the simplicity of my aesthetic. I think it’s just what felt right for me!

(3) How do you keep the motivation to continue blogging?

That’s actually a hard question, because this is something that I struggle with pretty consistently. There are definitely times when I feel like taking a step back from blogging. I could still read without having to blog, ya know? So I could keep the hobby and not have the added stress of maintaining a blog. I think what keeps me coming back & putting out content is the community. Knowing that there are so many supportive and kind people in this community always urges me to keep blogging, because even when I’m feeling a little down, they lift me up with talk of books, and I really love that.

(4) What is your favorite part about the Book Community?

The people! I know that there can be some drama in the community (especially on Book Twitter, it seems) but I’ve personally never had an issue like that. I’ve never even encountered a negative book blogger, personally! Everyone is so sweet and supportive and encouraging of each other. It’s such a welcoming and warm community that I never feel like I’m competing with other book bloggers. Instead, I feel like we are all one big family, supporting and lifting each other up!

(5) What are your thoughts on podcasts surrounding books?

I’m actually not a podcast listener, so I’ve never had to think about this topic! I think they sound cool though. Are they kind of like book reviews but with audio? Because I think I could get into that.

(6) Where is one place you’d love to go that you read about in a book, and why (can be a fictional or real place. Let’s live big!)

I know how cliche of an answer this is but… Hogwarts. For sure!

(1) Books That Made Me Fall in Love With Reading

I loved making this post because it made me so nostalgic for discovering all of my favorite books for the first time. I really liked getting to praise the books that helped me get to this place in my life!

(2) My Favorite Bookish Quotes Collection

Hi, I’m Brittany and I LOVE book quotes! This post was so fun to make because I got to go back to some of my favorite reads and collect some of my all time favorite quotations.

(3) Romance Recs for V-Day (Kind of)

I have made it well known on my blog that I’m not much of a romance lover, so when Valentine’s Day came around this year, I thought it would be fun to recommend books that had romance in them, but also had other, more important plot lines as well.

(4) NetGalley How To: My Guide to Getting ARCs

Honestly, this post was a hassle to make, but the reason I like it so much now is because I had several smaller, newer book bloggers reach out to me to tell me how much the guide helped them in getting their NetGalley up & running. I really love being able to help other bloggers, so this is one of my favorites because of that.

(5) The Pros & Cons of Critical Reading

I liked making this post because of how honest I got to be in it. Sometimes I feel like I’m a reviewer before I’m a reader, and I want it to be the other way around. Getting to talk about how much critical reading has both helped and hindered me was a much needed experience.

** No Specific Order **

You, Leelynn!

You are the first person who ever fully introduced me to blogging. I’m not sure if you remember, but when we started doing buddy reads together, I was only a part of Goodreads! You told me about your blog and even about how to make graphics using Canva. You played a big part in me becoming a book blogger and I’m forever grateful.

Arin @ Tomes of Our Lives

Arin has been a light in the book community for me since I came across her. Not only is she extremely supportive, but in her I have found a friendship that I feel goes beyond books! She was also so sweet as to think of me when she got the idea to host a sapphic readathon, and we are now working on the project together!

Shalini @ Shalini’s Books & Reviews

Shalini was one of the first people to support my book reviews when I came to the blogging community. She made me feel like people cared about my opinion on books and that gave me the encouragement to keep writing the reviews.

Kal @ Reader Voracious

I have turned to Kal & her blog for many things – advice on making sure my site contains things like Privacy Disclaimers, where to find a great artist to hire for my graphics (she pointed me towards @VickyWhoDraws !), spreadsheets to track my blog & reading stats, and even just inspiration. I find her blog & content to be really creative and original. She is such an inclusive and well informed blogger and I really value her & her blog a lot.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books Featuring Mental Health

I liked this post so much because I took the opportunity to talk about some lesser known books & lesser addressed mental illnesses. Most often in books I find that anxiety & depression are featured, and while those are really important all on their own and definitely still need to be addressed and talked about, I really wanted to shine a light on some others as well.

T5W: Favorite LGBTQ+ Books (That Don’t Just Features Cis M/M Relationships)

I liked this post for similar reasons to the mental health one. I’m so glad to be a part of a community that is so inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ+ content, but cis m/m relationships tend to get highlighted more often than others. Like the situation with anxiety and depression, cis m/m relationships are important and wonderful and certainly need their own books, too! But I had a lot of fun getting to bring readers’ attention to some other books that featured pansexual rep, trans rep, lesbian rep, nonbinary rep, etc!

T5W: Independent Ladies

I just love boosting up women and their badass-ness. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Daisy Jones & The Six

This is, to date, my favorite book review to write. The story was so interesting and real to me and I felt like that really showed in my review. If you aren’t into interview-type books, this might not be for you, but if you think you could possibly be into it, definitely check it out. I didn’t expect to like it at all and now it’s one of my favorite reads of the year.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

This read was so personal and deep and raw for me that, much like the Daisy Jones review, I felt like writing the review was nearly effortless. The book is so good and heartbreaking. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s about a girl who loves girls but is sent to a religious conversion camp by her very religious aunt. Cameron’s story is just one that really touched me and I love it so much.

Be yourself! Talk about books and topics and discussions that make you happy! Never force yourself to post or read. Be a reader above a reviewer! I think that when I lose sight of that is when I enjoy being a book blogger the least, so please, never forget how important books are to you seperate from the reviews you write for them!

Ahh yes I do remember our beginnings! I am so glad that I met you through Goodreads, and I’m so glad that I was a part of you starting your blog. Seriously, I am just so proud of our progress in this world, and especially proud of you, lady! You are seriously a pro and I’m just so glad that we are still friends and still talk.

So that’s Brittany for you guys! Seriously, reading all of her answers made me tear up inside because how can you not love her? Be sure to check out all the links she gave, not only to her blog posts but to the other bloggers that have influenced her time in the book community.

Feel free to also leave some nice comments for Brittany in here as well. Let’s spread love and positive vibes throughout the book community. It makes the world go round, for sure.