Welcome to the third post in our series for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Today, we’ll talk a bit about how bloggers have shaped our reading habits and maybe helped us discover unexpected treasures.

Blogging has made me a more outgoing person. Perhaps outgoing isn’t the right word — maybe what I want to say is that it has made me more able to engage with people and books. I talk with people every day I don’t know in person about books and reading; when I get the chance to meet them in person, I am not quiet or reserved. Instead, I feel comfortable, knowing we have some common ground.

But that’s kind of off topic from where this post was going.

Blogging and the blogging world has turned me on to reading in ways I never read before. All throughout my school years, including college and graduate school, I read primarily classic literature and non-fiction. But when I began blogging (and working as a librarian), I read much more widely. I read more genre fiction now and more popular fiction. While I still love a good classic or non-fiction, I’m more apt to pick up teen fiction now. And let me tell you: a good pitch from a blogger will sell me on reading a book when I otherwise may not have given the book a second thought.

And thanks to some of my favorite bloggers, I’ve also become more aware of aesthetics of books. While we know not to judge a book on its cover, sometimes we can judge a cover for itself. Readers all do it, and when thinking about how I sell books at the library, the cover is one of the biggest elements I think of when it comes to displays.

Blogging has helped me to read more widely.  I still tend to stick mostly to my favorite genres – fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction – but since I’ve started writing for STACKED, I’ve picked up more than a few contemporaries and enjoyed them a lot.  I’ve also started to read a lot more nonfiction, something I never even contemplated in years past.  But when I read a review that makes the book sounds so interesting, then I’ve got to pick it up to see what all the fuss is about, even if nonfiction tends to make me snore.  And, surprise, nonfiction doesn’t make me snore anymore (at least not all of it).

There are even books within my preferred genres that I never would have picked up if a blogger hadn’t recommended them.  For example, Kelly raved about the audio version of Feed, by M.T. Anderson, a book I wasn’t terribly interested in to begin with.  But on her recommendation, I checked it out of the library and gave it a listen.  Sure enough, it was a terrific audio.

I also know what books to avoid thanks to blogs.  I’m so worn out on paranormal romances, and I’m glad I have bloggers who will tell it to me straight whether a new paranormal book is worth reading, or whether it’s just derivative drivel. 

My “to-read” list has grown astronomically, and I never have the problem of “nothing to read” anymore.  (Yes, I really used to have that problem, even with a library a block or two away.)  If a book I’m currently reading isn’t pulling me in enough, I set it down and move on to the next recommendation.  There’s almost always a book that I’m excited about that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet. 

What treasures have you discovered thanks to fellow bloggers?