BBAW: Community.

Today, BBAW has asked us to write about the community of book bloggers and those who have impacted our own blogs in some way. I think that this is a difficult task to write about, simply because there are so many wonderful blogs to read in our community. But, I have tried to think of the bloggers who have had the biggest impact on what I do here. It was hard to decide, and to keep the list within a reasonable length. If given the time, I would talk about all of you because I love book blogging and this community.

Anyway, here are the 4 bloggers who have shaped me the most.

Steph from StephTheBookworm

Steph was one of the first book bloggers I "met." We both starting blogging around the same time (September 2009). I think it took us a month or two to find each other, but we did. In the beginnings of my blogging "career," I was unsure of this whole community and the people I would find. In fact, I think I was a little unnerved when I got my first comment from a stranger. But Steph was always there being supportive.

Two years later, I am glad to see that Steph is still blogging. She writes beautifully. I read every post wanting to throw aside my list and read what she recommends. But most of all, I leave and remember that she was one of my first blogging buddies, and for that, I am grateful.

Eva from A Striped Armchair

I think I discovered Eva's blog randomly during my first few months blogging. It was in the midst of her 2009 end of year recap, and I was simply in AWE of how much she read. I soon started waiting anxiously for each post to see what she was reading next.

What I love most about Eva is her desire to read and learn. She reads diversely and finds such wonderful books. Her library loot posts are always inspiring and make me add too many books to a long TBR list. She also writes about the things she reads so eloquently that I too want to dive in and read as much as she does. In the years that I have been reading her blog, I have always found her to be a great resource for finding the perfect book for any topic.

Jillian from A Room of One's Own

I think it would be impossible for me to talk about community without talking about Jillian. We began reading each other's blogs over a year ago. Jillian was just starting to get into book blogging and I was passing my one year mark. And we just clicked. Jillian was also working on a book list at the time, and we both seemed to find inspiration in what the other was doing.

That hasn't changed in the year or so since. I still leave Jillian's blog feeling completely inspired and craving to read the books she discusses. She has probably influenced more of my recent reads than she even realizes. She always manages to talk about what she is reading so eloquently. Her posts are insightful, well-written, and beautiful. She manages to to do all this on top of being a full-time college student and working. She is truly inspiring and I am so glad that one of us (I can't remember which), decided to take the first step towards creating this friendship I now cherish.

Amanda from Ramblings (formally The Zen Leaf)

I don't know how Amanda is going to feel about being included here, since she has stopped being a full-time book blogger, but this list didn't feel right without including her.

Amanda is more than a blogger to me. I consider her a friend. She started reading my blog when I was about 6 months in and is the most consistent reader I have. At the time she started reading, I was trying to decide if I was going to stick with my project or not. Her comments and insight kept me going.

To this day, I still find myself being constantly inspired by what she has to say. When she was book blogging full-time, I was always curious to see what she thought of a book I had loved (I think it might be safe to say that we like different things). I always wanted to know more, and she was/is great about expressing why things do/don't work. Since she has moved to just blogging, a move that seems to be working well for her, I still find myself constantly inspired. As someone who struggles with weight issues, her success gives me hope and inspires me.

But most of all, I love the friendship we have formed online-the tweets, the e-mails, and the comments. She continually lends support and I can always count on a comment from her. :) Thank you for always supporting me!


I hope that you will also be taking advantage of this opportunity to talk about the wonderful people who have shaped your blogging life. I know that my life is much richer being a blogger. Be sure to come back tomorrow to read about person #5 on my list, who I was lucky enough to be paired with for a full interview!