Book Blogger Insider Tag | 6 Years Later in 2024

Spring cleaning the blog isn’t fun sometimes, but other times it’s an excellent source of inspiration because I’ll come across a tag or post that I remember sparked joy and then I see when I last did a similar post and it turns out it was 5+ years ago. Or never even.

(I miss the quizzes I did for Bookend Events.)

It’s time for the new and updated answers to the book blogger insider tag!

I think it’s fun to go back and redo blog tags sometimes just to see if the answers have changed over the years. I first did the Book Blogger Insider Tag back in June 2018, which was nearly six years ago when I was just about to enter my third year of college. (A wild thought of how much time has passed.)

Thankfully, Clo from Cuppa Clo (who originally tagged me) is still blogging, though she underwent a rebrand since then. (It also just crossed my mind she’s in her seventh year of blogging later this year.)

Where do you typically write your blog posts?

I still blog on my bed, but I caved and got a standing desk last year after my back started hurting more often rather than waiting until we move (which will not be happening anytime soon when they require like 3x the rent for salary). Nowadays I switch between the two, depending on how comfortable I’m feeling.

For all my complaints that’ll likely come up when (more like if at this point) we move, I have no regrets about this purchase. Other than it’s small, so I can’t put the whiteboard storage combo I got as well (not on the desk at least). But it fits my two Rocketbooks and FriXion pens pretty well, along with a little drawer that I scored at the local dollar store, so I can still have a whiteboard of sorts (just in a mini and executive notebook sized instead).

(Although I suppose I could use the two coffee tables I used during high school to extend it one day… but that’s a Future Soph problem.)

How long does it generally take you to write a book review?

The time it takes for me to write a book review remains the same as it was back in 2018 — the stronger my thoughts are with a book, the quicker I write it. But on average, it usually takes me a few hours to write the first draft, let it sit for a day or two, and then I’ll come back and do edits before creating the featured image/pin and scheduling.

I think I skip writing reviews entirely more often now than I did in the past; sometimes I’m just not feeling it, you know? It’s like deciding on a length of a review — sometimes, it feels right to write a 500-word review, other times it goes up to 900 words.

When did you start your book blog?

The one answer that will never change unless I want to rebrand completely*: November 2, 2012, which is nearly 12 years.

*I’ve thought about this a lot because I hate how long the blog name is (and how some people butcher it), but I also don’t want to go through the hassle either. But I don’t know, sometimes change and starting over is good, so we’ll see. Plus, I keep coming back to this like every few years, so maybe that’s a sign that I should.

What is the worst thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

I don’t think my answer has changed too much since I last did it, because I still think the worst thing about having a book blog is the pressure that comes with it and being overlooked, but I think I’m less bothered by it now than I have in the past. I don’t know if it’s just accepting the fact that the landscape and market changes, so the platforms that were once “big” won’t necessarily be as big now even if they still exist. And of course, that extends to current big platforms like TikTok, too, because social media comes and goes.

Or maybe it’s just age — when I first did the tag, I was just shy of turning 21, and now I’m almost 27.

What is the best thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

I had a lot of trouble with this one back in 2018, so I ended up listing 3 things that I thought were the best thing about having a book blog: the community, skills, and bookish photos.

I don’t really create much bookish photos as much anymore, since I stopped posting on Instagram around 2020 because of the amount of energy that I would need to put in, and I didn’t want to drop the blog just for Bookstagram when I know Meta could take down Instagram at any time. So something had to go, and I decided Bookstagram was it. I miss taking bookish photos though, and the creative fun I had with it within a budget, so I think one day maybe I’ll actually go back to it, but it’ll be more for the blog rather than Bookstagram.

(I still have the budget props in my room.)

With that being said, I’m also less active in the book community now, so it feels a little weird of me to say the community is the best thing about having a book blog when I’m mostly lurking these days. And to be honest, sometimes I feel like the community can be exhausting because the same arguments come up every few months, which is partially why I’m no longer as active unless it’s in a Discord server or someone messages me.

Which leaves us with just one thing: the skills I’ve gained from blogging. But I don’t think that feels right, as much as I’m grateful for what I’ve learned in blogging, because I don’t think I’ll be where or who I am today without blogging.

I think the word I’m really looking for here are the memories I’ve made and will continue to make for as long as I blog. And I think that fits with my original answer in a sense because the bookish photos I made and might make in the future? They’re memories. The community that used to gather for Twitter Chats every week or month or another time frame? They’re memories. The 15-year-old who started a book blog on a whim, who wrote what she felt were the best posts she ever wrote (but really they’re cringe and expected of a literal child)? They’re memories.

And despite the fact I sometimes look back and wish I did things differently, or that Twitter Chats were still a thing, or that sometimes I hate how we squabble over the same things every few months, I still have very fond memories overall. Even if I one day decide it’s time to move on from blogging or have to leave blogging for reasons out of my control, I wouldn’t regret the time I spent, either.

What blog post have you had the most fun writing so far?

Oh, this has definitely changed from Why Do We Create Content? Why Do We Continue Creating Content? and How Book Nerds Procrastinate. I think it was easier to choose back then than it was now, mostly because of the type of posts I’m writing now (and my writing style) has differed a bit. I also write less than I have before, so there’s not as many options compared to the first six years.

(To put it in numbers, I had about well over 1k posts to choose from in 2018, about six years after this blog was born. There’s maybe 150 to choose from 2018 to now in 2024, also about six years after that post. But there were a lot of posts when I first did the tag that were just filler content really, most of which I deleted by now.)

2021 Mid-Year Freakout Tag: K-Pop Edition – I’d say the 2022 version is also one I had fun with, but it’s not the first one. 😂 This tag was inspired by the book version, and I had a lot of fun changing the questions to be more K-Pop oriented. It’s also the first post that I solely talk about K-Pop outside of wrap-ups, so it currently holds a special place in my heart.

Google Translates My Blogging Advice From Last Year – I genuinely forgot this blog post existed until I was doing spring cleaning, but I remember having a fantastic time taking the original post, chucking it into Google Translate into Chinese, and then translating it back to English. I might actually take another post for a whirl through Google Translate one day.

What is your favorite type of blog post to write?

I don’t think my answer has changed too much from 2018 here: my favorite posts are still the ones that I have fun with and the freedom to express myself naturally without having to feel like I’m forcing myself. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.

I think I also enjoy the essay-like posts as well (like the one about pen names and whether book blogging is dying), even though I do them rarely.

When do you typically write?

Back in 2018, I usually write in the daytime, but sometimes I’ll write at night usually on my phone.

I don’t write on my phone as much anymore since I got Internet access at home, but sometimes I’m ready to go to sleep after working on a post and I don’t feel like reading or watching a show. It’s in those times I’ll still blog on my phone (maybe I don’t want to lose that skill if I ever need to go back to that).

Outside of that, I think I only write when inspiration strikes or when I’m in the mood to blog. And sometimes that strikes me on a Sunday afternoon, other times on a Wednesday evening.

Do you review every book you read?

2018 was about 2 years after I started getting pickier about the books I review, and I only wrote a review I had strong feelings about or had an obligation to like a blog tour.

This hasn’t changed since then, and I don’t think it’ll be changing back to reviewing every book (or TV show, movie, drama, etc.) anytime soon. I think the only difference between now and then is now I’m even more selective, though this may partially be due to less reading.

Either way, if I feel I have something to say about something, I’ll say it. But I won’t force myself if I don’t have to, especially since I don’t make a living from blogging (though I think even if I do some day somehow make a living from this, I don’t think I’ll force myself to do something I don’t want to).

How do you write your book reviews? With a cup of coffee or tea? With Netflix? Cuddled with your fur baby?

I no longer write reviews with music in the background as much as I used to, but I do tend to have Cookie Clicker running. I don’t know if it’s because I feel like I focus better in the quiet now, or something else entirely.

I still listen to music when I’m writing other posts, though, like right now I have KARD playing.

When do you write your book reviews? Right after finishing the book? Two weeks after finishing the book?

This hasn’t changed since 2018: I still write reviews for books I intend to write reviews for immediately or a few days after finishing the book. I don’t think it’s a matter of just forgetting what the book is about though, because I can usually gather that from my notes. I think it’s partially forgetting my feelings about the book when it’s not very fresh but most importantly: I start losing the motivation to write the review. If I finish multiple books not long after each other and don’t write a review for the first, I feel like it’s too long even if it was 3 days ago.

Also, I find my reviews tend to flow better and come across more coherent when I don’t wait a week to write them. 😅

How often do you post?

This has always fluctuated a lot during my blogging years, and that hasn’t changed. My goal is still a post a week if I can and have the energy to do so, but I think these days it’s more accurate to say once monthly or bimonthly. I definitely beat myself up less about though, which is nice.

Let’s talk: what are your favorite blog posts to write? What’s the best/worst thing about having a [book] blog in your opinion?