I've noticed that a few bloggers have been posting self-introductions in the aftermath of Subscription Frenzy which hit many after Book Blogger Appreciation Week. While I've been blogging for some time, I'm a relatively new book blogger and my foray into this unique world has been slow. For those two reasons, I thought I'd make my own introduction...to new readers and honestly to myself.
Who Am I?
Ah, such a philosophical question with deep and profound implications. Seriously though, my name is Trisha, and I live in Illinois with my wonderful husband Brian. He's a vegetable farmer, which means he brings home yummy deliciousness for dinner. I'm a professor teaching composition, literature, and film to freshman and sophomores at a local college, which means I bring home stacks of papers to grade. Doesn't seem fair does it?
versus 
Why eclectic / eccentric?
When I first started blogging, it was merely a collection of odds and ends: things I was thinking about, saw online, read, whatever struck my fancy at the moment. This, combined with the fact that both eclectic and eccentric are adjectives which have been used to describe me...and insult me for that matter...gave birth to the title of my blog. Once my focus shifted to a more book-centric theme, I just didn't bother changing it. eclectic / eccentric doesn't have the bookish feel other titles have, but I still think it well represents both myself and my reading habits.
Why Books and Blogging?
Put simply: I love books. Reading, reviewing, organizing, tracking, discovering, anything to do with books and I'm there. Originally, I merely tracked the books I read. I was curious to see how many I read in a year and to discover what types of books I was reading. A big part of my brain was yelling at me for my fall into guilty pleasures, which I'm completely blaming on the lack of reader buddies I retained after college. This lack is also a main factor in my jump into book blogging. Once I found out there was an entire community of book-obsessed people sharing their reading experiences, well, I was hooked.
Where do I go from here?
This question has been on my mind quite a bit since BBAW. Seeing all the other book blogs out there - and how much better they are than mine - really made me focus on what exactly I want to do with my blog and what I want from it. I've got a whole list in my head, but here are my top four:
1. Reviews: I'm still not happy with the way I'm setting up my reviews, so I'm working on a new format....more to come
2. Design: I really do love my design itself, but I want to figure out a more aesthetically pleasing way to organize my sidebars. I'm thinking about having a separate Challenges page instead of having the images/links in the sidebar.
3. Content: I've been so focused on book reviews and memes that I've been not posting other pieces of information I find interesting. While I still want to have a bookish focus, I don't think that has to be the only thing on my blog.
4. Discussion: I'm really interested in sparking more active discussion through comments. As part of my new format for book reviewing, I want to add relevant and interesting questions at the end, so that people have something to comment on. I've also started a You Can Quote Me on This posting that asks questions based on quotes from books. Hopefully this will spark some conversation.
So that's Trisha and eclectic/eccentric in a nutshell. If you have any advice, I would LOVE to hear it!
Great post Trisha. Thanks for telling us all about you!
ReplyDeleteI like your blog title, and I do think it has a bookish feel...but that's because it makes me think of eclectic and eccentric taste in books, which is always a good thing. And I don't have a very bookish title, either...so it's all good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight! As a new follower I'm glad I got to know you better.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I love getting to know you better ... and how great you get fresh veggies all the time!!! I kind of fell into blogging in the same way -- I started tracking how many books I read and posted it on Facebook. Then a friend saw it and said I have a book on my blog for you to check out. I saw her blog and thought "I have to get me one of these." I started out with one but then broke the book one off as it was going to take over my personal blog. It's fun isn't it!! Good luck and I think your blog is already pretty darn good!
ReplyDeleteLola - No problem. It was kind of fun to write.
ReplyDeletesoftdrink - It's a good thing I am eclectic in my reading; the title certainly wouldn't make sense if I read only SFF or historical fiction :)
Stacy - Thanks for following!
Jenners - Thanks! And btw, you were a huge inspiration to me when I first started! (And you still are) Thank you.
Nice to meet you, Trisha! As for those fresh veggies your husband brings home ... does he prepare them, too?! Heaven!
ReplyDeleteDawn - Don't I wish?!?! Alas it falls to me to prepare all food items. Mr. T can barely use the microwave effectively.
ReplyDeleteGreat to know more about you Trisha!
ReplyDeleteI think eclectic/eccentric is a great name for a blog--bookish even. I've noticed in your reviews that you do read a great variety of books, so eclectic definitely fits. Eccentric? Yet to be determined. :P Ha!
I find posing questions at the end of reviews/posts to be very helpful. Sometimes it means that people will just answer the question and not comment on the post at all, but whatever. At least it's giving them a chance to say "great review! I really need to read this!"
Trish - I love the way you include questions at the end of your posts, and I've been half-way stealing that idea. I just have to remember to post the questions. I seem to forget by the time I'm done babbling about the book.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! And sometimes I can't even think of a question for the life of me. Sometimes it works out sometimes not. :)
ReplyDelete