Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This is one meme I can get on board with - I LOVE lists! I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being a Blogger/Reader

1. Being a Blogger is Cathartic - How many times have we read a book, and just HAD to get our thoughts out in some way? But, no one in your sphere of real life has read the book, so they won't really understand your passionate reaction toward it. THIS was the main reason I started my blog.

2. Being a Reader is Escapism at its Finest - My life is pretty... normal. I have a husband, 2 kids, a real job, a mortgage. TV doesn't really do it for me. I've always had a good imagination, so books are the best way for me to escape the stress of my daily life for awhile.

3. Being a Blogger is Educational - As a teenager, I worked for a summer at a book manufacturing plant, and it was one of the best summer jobs I ever had. As a blogger, I get a different glimpse inside the book industry. I've learned a lot about the writing, publishing and promotion of books. It's a hard job, and I have a new appreciation for those that do it every day.

4. Being a Reader is Educational - I've read a lot of fluff over the years. But, even in the fluffy books, there's always something that can be learned. Many times, events or plot devices cause me to Google them to learn more. I read words I don't know, and I look them up. Reading books makes you smarter.

5. Being a Blogger Puts Me in Touch With Cool People - As a blogger, I've met lots of other bloggers, readers and authors. They come from all walks of life, and yet we all have this thing in common. And, that's pretty neat. I've met some of them in person and made some amazing friends. Being a blogger literally has changed my life.

6. Being a Reader Turned Me on to Signings - I LOVE going to book signings. Sure, it's cool to come away with signed books, but for me, the real draw is the face time with a real, honest-to-goodness author. I love picking their brains and learning the inside scoop on how the cover images were picked, how the research was done, what their inspiration was... it's fascinating!

7. Being a Blogger is Mutually Beneficial - Let's face it - one of the perks of being a blogger is gaining access to ARCs of books I just can't wait to read. And, for the publishers, they get their books in the hands of avid readers who are willing to post reviews early to create buzz. It's a win-win.

8. Being a Reader Inspires Me - I've always been interested in both reading and writing. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at both. But, it's only since I started gobbling up 200+ books per year that I've started giving serious thought to writing something for real. It's good to have goals.

9. Being a Blogger Honed My Tech Skills -  Before I had a blog, I didn't have a Twitter handle. I knew almost nothing about HTML. Once I decided to start a blog, I had to learn these things fast. Now, I have to say, I'm a little bit addicted to Twitter. And, I still hate HTML, but I don't feel completely out of my element anymore. Knowledge is power.

10. Being a Reader Sets a Good Example - I have a 7-year-old and a 6-year-old. They see me reading all the time. I tell them about the books I read (well, some of them). I read to them. My older child is already a huge bookworm, just like me, and I'd like to think that's not just genetics.