Sunday, September 4, 2016

I'm BACK!!! (P.S. It's my Birthday too!) + Giveaway

I'm Back!!!



  I have written this post so many times.  It has been on write, erase, repeat for almost a week now.  If I'm being honest it is now Sunday (and my birthday) and I am writing this post because I NEED to get this up because I wanted it up Thursday.  THURSDAY people, and I'm doing this now. I feel that it's falling flat of everything I want and NEED to say.  Oh, how I have missed blogging but I suffered from something...  Something terrible... Blogger burnout.

Blogger Burnout 


  I left here because I was burning out...  I felt that I wasn't doing the best I could by this blog, I wasn't doing the best I could for all of you, for the books I was reading.  So, I thought with college and home life crushing in on me I would be better off somewhere where there was less pressure. Though moving gave a temporary relief, I began to feel like I was lagging, like I just didn't fit into the blogging community anymore.  Though my new blogging family did everything in their power to make me feel  right, I slipped further into burnout.



 
  The struggle was seriously real and the harder I fought, the more it pulled me under.  I was drowning in the books that I was so excited to buy, the ones I was once happy dancing to receive.  Books were staring at me from my shelves accusing me of neglect, and the longer this happened the worse it got. 

  My solution...  I stopped forcing myself to read.  I bought the books and I appreciated them but I just didn't try.  I was sad and I missed reading but it had to be done.  Miraculously one day I realized that there was no longer a guilt, no longer a pressure.  So, I tried to pick up a book.  I was cautious but I wanted it so bad and to my delight I loved it.  So, I picked up another and another and another. 

 Then my real test came... Writing a review.  I struggled.  I struggled with what to say and if the review was good enough and if anyone would like it.  Then I remembered that pressure that I felt and started to panic. How could anyone ever want to read my reviews when I had been gone?  When they aren't as good as so many reviewers, reviews are?  After a bit of a meltdown I remembered...  THIS IS FOR ME.

  Yes, I want people to enjoy my reviews and my blog.  Yes, I want authors and publishers to want me to post about them on the blog but it's okay if they don't.  I may never be hugely popular but I will have people, authors, bloggers and others that support me and I will do the same.  I hope that many of you will find my return happy.  That you will share your blogs with me so I can visit and start being an active part of blogging.  I want to support others and I WANT to be a part of the community.

So for all of you reading this:



Giveaway


  So because I'm back and super excited about it, and because today is my birthday I want to give one of my readers something!!  You will have a choice of a Book from the Book Depository up to $20 or something from Evie's Society 6 store up to $20 (this is not from Evie it's just I love her store and I REALLY know many of you will love her awesome designs).  The only catch is you have to be in a country in which the BD ships free and if you pick the Society 6 route I will ship when the shipping is World Wide free.


Here's the link to her store if you want to scope out what you could pick:
Evie Seo's Society 6


13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the giveaway and welcome back; I have always loved your blog because I am a mermaid lover. ;) I will be looking forward to more book reviews. :)

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  2. Welcome back! I'm a big audiobook fan. Have you given them a try lately? I'd like to see what you think about them with burn out.

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  3. Welcome back!!! with the sate my life is at the moment i understand you all to well
    i will just be looking forward you as you are doing wonderfully

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  4. Welcome back! I'd love to see some book hauls <3

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  5. Welcome back and happy belated birthday! I would love to see the books that pushed you to read again.

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  6. Welcome back!! :) Always interested in reading more reviews, book recommendations, author's posts/interviews, book hauls..
    Thanks for a generous giveaway! :)

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  7. Welcome back! I always love seeing good, thoughtful discussions. :)

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  8. Welcome back! I am excited to see more book recs! I love seeing what books the blogs I follow recommend!

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  9. Would love to see tips on book blogging and book hauls.

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  10. I'm so very happy that you are back doing what you love.
    Tammy

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  11. Hope you had a lovely birthday!! ♥ And thank you for celebrating it with this giveaway!
    I'm new here, but I do enjoy reading posts with TAGS ^^ It's always interesting and fun to read other people's answers and choices, so if you could have some of that, it'd be awesome!!

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  12. Welcome back and Happy birthday!!! Love seeing book hauls and author interviews

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  13. Welcome back!! And happy b-day :) (better late than never!)
    I love book hauls and tags, so I'll like to see that on the blog!!

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