I know I'm a little late getting this up, but today has been one of those days. And, I've never been very good about getting things planned far in advance... So — I'm posting this now.
The theme of Book Blogger Appreciation Week this year is treasure, and (of course) blogs are definitely the treasure. So, for Monday, they are asking us about our First Treasure, or the first blog we found or that influenced us to become bloggers. (Or at least, that's the way I'm choosing to interpret the question!)
So, this answer for me has two parts. The first blogs that I remember reading are written by Misty, at The Book Rat and April at Good Books & Good Wine. I knew them both from Goodreads and I always liked reading their comments and thoughts on books. I definitely think you should take a look at their blogs. I find that I generally agree with one or both of their attitudes about a book. So, while it's not a guarantee, I will usually add a book to my TBR if they really liked it.:) Their blogs were also the first time that I think I noticed that some people blogged specifically about books. I never thought I'd have a blog, so I didn't pay much attention to them, besides reading my sister's family blog so that I could look at the cute pictures she posted of my nephews.
Then, earlier this year, I discovered Lori's blog, The Next Best Book Blog. I also knew Lori from Goodreads, where she moderates a group I'm a member of — (can you guess what it's called?) Yup. The Next Best Book Club. She seemed to have a lot of fun writing for the blog, and I enjoyed visiting it. She asked me for the URL to my blog, and I decided to make one. My sister had been pushing me to create a book blog for a long time, and I was starting to give in. So, my sister was the driving force, but Lori was the catalyst. So thanks Lori! And if anyone else hasn't read her blog, I recommend doing so. She focuses a lot on fairly unknown writers, but she has a lot of author spotlights, a lot of giveaways, and some really interesting insights into books.
My Blogfest Update — The winner will come sometime tomorrow, hopefully in the morning. I had way more responses than I anticipated (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!) and it's taking me longer than I thought to sort through all the entries. (366 people for one, and 169 people for the other, without including the extra entries)
So, please bear with me, and I promise I'll update soon! Thanks again!!