Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings

I understand. I feel the same way about missing my books. The thing to do -- is moderation. So you don't blog every day and maybe you just blog once a week. I know I'll be retooling the Daily Dose in January for the same reasons. I for one would miss reading your blogs, but I would still get to talk to you and that rocks too. So hang in there doll.

I totally see where you are coming from. While I see my blogging completely as fun, there are times where I have so many books I HAVE to read to get the reviews out on time. I recently learned to schedule myself better.

Your blog shouldn't put that much stress in your life!! Maybe you need to just read books you choose, instead of accepting them for review? I don't know. Plus, I wouldn't feel obligated to visit every blog and comment every time. That is just not possible.

It sounds like you are feeling pressured...no one says your blog has to flow a certain way. If you just post once in awhile - if that is how you want it to be, then that is the way it should be...that is if you want to keep it:)

You sound burned out...I hope you find a happy medium!

I so know what you mean. I feel so bad sometimes when I don't have the time to go bloghopping and leave as much comments as I would like to. And my reading is decreasing too. Today I said it's blogging day and wanted to review books and I realized I don't have a huge pile like it was in the past. I decided to take it slow. I will blog and comment when I have the time. Sounds selfish but I still have a real life and bf already things I've got an affair with my laptop. There will possibly be bigger spans between blogposts but I decided for myself that doesn't have to be a bad thing. I need more time for the real life. As you said the house should be clean and going out from time to time is great too. I hope you find a good solution for yourself. I would prefer you keep your blog and just make less posts or something like that. But that my opinion cuz I love your reviews.*hugs*
Hope you have a nice weekend.

Donna,

I noticed the same thing with me...my reading slowed down a lot once I started blogging. :) I still average 2 books a week - but it used to be 4 or 5. Granted I am a stay at home Mom, so I have a lot more time on my hands - but I am spending more of that time on the puter.

And also, like you, I have enjoyed making new friends who love to read as much as I do and visiting everyone's blogs. It is so much fun. :)

I decided to cut back on the number of days I blog. In the beginning I would post every day. Now I post Monday - Friday with Monday dedicated to Mailbox Monday and Friday dedicated to what books I purchased that week. That leaves me with 3 days in the week to either post reviews or new book covers or anything else book related.

I have found that this has cut down on the amount of time I spend planning my blog posts. LOL

You put a lot of work into your blog and I appreciate the hard work. :) But family comes first - you have to do what is best for you. :)

M

Thanks Heather. Moderation is something I've never really learned the fine art of. So I feel guilty when I think of cutting back. I'm such a worry-wart dork sometimes. :)

A happy medium is possible. Perhaps it's less posts on the blog, or some sort of system to buying books...for everyone it's different.

What I know is that I went through this same thing. My solution is: try not to buy books on the spur of the moment, cut down on posts during busy weeks, and read between my classes at school (so I always have some reading done).

Not saying that this is what will work for you, I'm just saying: experiment! And mostly, reduce your work load. You don't have to have a new blog post every day.

I asked myself the same question. I have the same problem on a smaller scale, because i don't post much on my blog, but i do try to read and comment on the blogs i follow, and i already fail.
I only started blogging a few months ago but i don't regret it, even if it eats some of my reading time. I found people who share the same passion i have and it's a great community.
Your blog is one of my favorite. Don't feel guilty if you don't have time to be everywhere.Blogging should stay a pleasure. I know i'm not answering your dilemma i think only you can answer that. Just don't stress yourself out over this. If it means going back to reading only for a few weeks maybe that could help you. =)

Mandi, it's not a total burn-out but some days I do feel that way and I just want to sink into a book of my choice. If I could get to where I could read read more than I have been, I think I could be happy with that.

Susie, I've started doing that. I use to try and comment on all my blogging buddies posts but I don't have that much time to read all those posts and comment. So, I've back off of commenting on all posts recently. And I've started marking "Like" in my reader, so hopefully they will see that I did stop by.

Michelle, I've thought of blogging Monday through Friday too or just post several times through out the week. I've also thought about just doing the Tuesday New Release posts but not be so hung up trying to track the book news. Trying to track the books news has become very time consuming. I love doing the Tuesday New Release post and linking all of the reviews on it from the blogosphere.

TJ, I know there has to be a medium out there. I just need to find one and not feel guilty about it.

Great post! You've explained perfectly what I'm going through right now, so thank you!

Finding that I'm spending so much time on different blogs that I hardly ever read anymore. Still trying to find that balance between reading, reviewing, and blogging.

Wishing you luck in finding something that works for you!

Thanks Pattepoilue for your kind words, they mean a lot to me. Actually, you are helping me, I'm seeing a lot folks feel the pressure of commenting. I don't feel so alone in my guilt. I've enjoyed your posts, they always have so much heart in them. :)

Alexia, I was hesitant about writing up this post but now I actually feel good and glad I did. Just writing about it made me feel like some weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Good luck to you also!

I think this is a dilemna most of us bloggers have. I've had my blog for about 3 years now and I can see when I've grown tired of it. When I started blogging it sucked up all my time. I spent so much time reading and commenting on blogs I wasn't doing much else. But I can tell you, you will find your own balance. I have gone months without blogging. And then the bug hits and I will be blogging several times a week. I don't go to too many blogs these days, just my standbys that I enjoy reading or bloggers who have become my online friends.

Honestly, don't sweat it too much, you will find your way.

Renee, Wow - three years! And here I am moaning, I've only been blogging about 10 months. LOL! I hope I find my way soon. Maybe I'll hang a "Gone Fishin'" sign for about a week or two, and come back refreshed. :)

Oh, and that should of been Rene not Renee. That's my other bad habit, bad spelling. ;)

Donna I am right where you are right now, but as others have said recognizing it is the start to finding a balance and a solution. My reviews have suffered because of over-blogging. I've actually read quite a few books, just not had the time to write the reviews. I love doing it too much to let it get to me so I will persevere until I get it right. I'm sure you will find your way too.

Donna, I understand where you're coming from too! And I'm not even a reviewer... ;) But seriously, the balance between all the things we need to do - and how caught up in the online world we often NEED to be... Yeah, that's so hard.

I have yet to find MY balance as a writer, someone who loves to blog and make friends online; networking (ugh.. hate that word) for my 'career'); twitter, goodreads... etc. etc. Real Life, Day Job, friends and family. Honestly, it makes my head spin.

You will find the balance that works for YOU, but of course it might mean that you need to take a step back, or do things differently. Don't leave blogging entirely, though! You have a wonderful blog. Maybe you could change the focus. Narrow the focus? Do more news and announcements and interviews, and less actual reviews. Then you won't feel pressure. Make it a news-focused blog? Try a weekly newsletter published on the blog, rather than daily posts - then you might be able to fit more reviews in, if that's what you want to focus on...

Um... I'll shut up now! Heh.

Cheers,
Kaz

I know exactly how you feel. Fortunately and unfortunately, I don't think there's a right answer.

I go through periods when I'm able to read and blog quite a lot, but lately work has kept me busy, so although I've been reading at a good pace, by the time Im done working my brain isn't functional enough to put together a blog post.

I think there's a whole spectrum ranging from hobbyist blogging to professional blogging, the latter being blogs that can support the blogger, at least partially, through ad revenue and other means. While the tech industry is able to support a lot of professional bloggers, sadly I don't really know of any book bloggers who are able to make anything substantial off their blogs. This means that when other priorities come up--work, education, family--we really have to attend to those first.

I hate sounding so mercenary in what should be a purely creative and artistic area, but the bottom line is that if we can't keep ourselves fed, clothed, and emotionally stable, we wouldn't have blogs at all.

All this by way of saying you shouldn't feel guilty for neglecting your blog, although readers appreciate the sentiment I'm sure.Life happens.

Ah-ha, a strategy. You find as many people who are in the same boat as you, and you co-opt them. Each person (assuming you come up with at least seven) takes a day of the week. You write the Collective Blog (assimilation sold separately).

I honestly don't know how you do as much as you do. I'm not even two months into my blog and I'm already feeling the pinch. I also used to read voraciously, but time management has recently become a huge issue. In the same month that I started ATUF I also started a new job that is very demanding. Perhaps not great planning on my part.

But every time I start feeling overwhelmed, I am struck anew with what I get to do as a blogger. I get to actually talk with the authors I love (not to mention the occasional ARC). I still can't believe that.

And while I know that realistically, I can't do everything I would love to do on my blog (or comment on every great post from other blogs I love), I can prioritize and focus on my favorite features.
Maybe that would help you too. Trim down to your favorite things, and let go (maybe temporarily) of others. I do hope you find a happy medium as I really love your blog.

Doug, I was surprised to see your comment. Truly, because your blog is my standard. We live in age of information overload, it's kinda hard to focus sometimes and keep yourself from getting caught up in the whirlwind of it. And yes, like you, I really do love blogging and I don't want to give it up but I don't want a ton stress either. I'm sure I'll find my groove. At least I hope I do.

This post has actually relieved some of my stress.

Karen, I work in the online industry and I see the value of getting your name out in online world and I know that is what authors are encouraged to do. But I can also see how it can be very overwhelming for you and it's something you must do. I bet your stress level is way higher than mine.

You have a good idea of trying to a specific focus but as I was thinking about it I kept thinking: But I don't want to give that up either. LOL! I'm a basket case. Your right though, I need to narrow in my focus. Mainly for my sanity. :)

Seth! You hit one of my problems right on the head. I've been feeling so tired lately because of work, I've had a hard time bring in enough focus and clear thinking to writing my reviews.

It certainly would be nice if blogging about books could pay enough to support yourself and the family.

PeterWilliam, I have actually thought about that - getting together with other bloggers and starting a collaborative blog. I'm still pondering it.

Abigail, One of the best rewards about blogging about books is actually getting to chat with authors, I'm in total agreement there. It still amazes me and puts me on cloud 9. Thank you for the kudos! I've enjoyed reading your reviews, we like a lot of the same books.

I am so not the right person to give advice, but I know what you mean. I took about a whole day and made up posts for a whole entire week. Then, I limit my time, and try to prepare posts. So I am still posting,but less it seems.

Elie (Ellz Readz)

I am totally with you on this. I love blogging, but it cuts into my writing time, and then there's my day job, my husband, the house.

And like you, I find it hard to visit everybody I want to keep up with.

Honestly, I love your blog a lot, and I'd hate to see you quit but you are cranking out a lot of high quality content and I can see how you'd feel burnout if you stuck to your schedule, seeing as how busy you are. Why not look at this as a phase 2, where you have established a readership and a tone, and then you cut down on the posts. There are a lot of blogs out there that really do only do 2-3 posts a week. Or, like others have said, take a partner. Though that's chancy! But good for you for opening up this discussion. Time scarcity is so huge with so many of us!!

Hey Donna,

I enjoy reading your posts and I'd be sorry to see you go.

I understand where you're coming from re: finding the time to read, blog and blog hop. I'm pretty organized and I try to get at least 3 blog posts prepared at the weekend. I generally have a new post Monday-Friday, plus one with links on a Saturday. I try to include at least two reviews in the mix. I can usually stick to this schedule but sometimes it's simply not possible.

One thing I learned about my blogging personality fairly early on is that I kill my reading mojo if I feel pressured to read and review new books as soon as they're released. I read according to my mood and I go through phases of reading a few books from one genre in a row. If I feel obliged to read a book, I won't be able to settle to it.

As much as blog visitors are an important part of blogging, you're under no obligation to any of us. If you feel more comfortable blogging once or twice a week, I'll still pop by and see what you've got to say.

It's really hard to find a balance. I still struggle with this one, too. It's just so easy to find yourself reading more blogs all the time, isn't it?

For myself, I've been restricting the new blogs I subscribe to. I'm also commenting less these days. And given myself the ok to just skim, or mark a few blogs as read if I simply don't have time.

I hope you don't quit blogging entirely - as Carolyn noted, you're putting out high quality content! Would blogging less often and maybe doing your amazing summary posts less frequently help? (Really, I was just talking Carolyn a few hours ago, and I was wondering how the heck you managed to do those every week!)

You are part of my blog neighborhood and I would definitely miss you. *hug*

Donna, if you left I would be so disappointed. I love reading your blog. I am having the same issue as you and I don't comment on blogs as much as you do. I have switched to only posting when I have something to review,or a new contest to talk about. Its so hard to fit everything in such little time when you work, go to school and have a family like I do. I am sure we all will find a happy medium. I also like your idea about a collaborative blog.

Hey Donna,

I'm sorry you're having difficulty finding a blog-groove. This seems to be a common difficulty for many right now. A Blogger friend of mine recenty stopped accepting ARC's because they were preventing her from what she really wanted to read. And that in and of itself was making her not enjoy what she used to.

I post when I want to and a comment when I want to. I think you have to be a bit selfish when it comes to your blogging. Besides, its YOUR blog. You can do whatever you want. Make up your own rules.

I know that if you left Blogger, I'd miss you. I love your posts but I'd follow you on goodreads too if that becomes your choice.

Good luck!

Hugs, VFG

Elnice, anyone who blogs can give me advice, sweetie. :) Looks like you have a pretty good system going. I do try to prepare in advance when I can but I swear something always comes up.

Carolyn, thank you! I don't plan on running off into the night or anything but lately I've felt a lot pressure from different sources and I felt I need to say something.

Finding someone to blog with may be tough since I know a lot people like their own niche they can call their own. It's a very attractive idea.

Sarah, we are very similar in blogging personalities. I'm a rebel when it comes to what I'm reading, especially since I don't have a lot time for my reading - usually at bedtime when everyone else has gone to sleep.

Chris, you amaze me. I see your comments all over and I've wondered how do you did it? I also like your style of posting through the week. Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate the hug too. :)

Thank you Breia! I do know how you feel but it looks like you have the added responsibility of going to school which means studying. I feel for you, makes my woes seem not as bad. :)

Donna, I'm sorry to see you're feeling conflicted. It's hard to balance everything, eventually something's gotta give.

Like VampFanGirl, I post and comment when I feel like it. Sometimes it goes a few days between posts, and sometimes it's more than one in a day. It's whatever I have time for.

I definitely don't blog about every book I read - I like blogging because I get such great recommendations, and dont' really have anyone in RL to talk to about romance reads, but I like to read at night after the kids go to bed and won't give up those precious moments of "me time".

I guess, short story long - do what feels right for you.

VFG, from all of the comments today, I agree. Looks like a lot of us are having the same problem keep up with things. I'm going to try a few things see how they go. Thank you so much for your supportive comment. :)

I've been there. And once a week I think about shutting my blog down.

But the truth is, if you enjoy blogging, don't stop. Read what you can and at the pace you can and I don't think anyone would hold it against you.

If you are getting review copies from publishers, makes sure they know that you are not reading as much and ask them to send you fewer books. (Be sure to give them a pace you expect)

Otherwise, remember that blogging is for you. Sure, you have some responsibility to your readers, but ultimately your pace is your own.

And don't compare yourself to others, they have different life situations (for instance, I'm unemployed so I have tons of time).

Patti, your point about not having anyone around in RL to talk to about books is one of the main reasons why I blog plus I like to pimp the books I really enjoyed. I'm sure I'll get some kind of groove going, first I need to grow thicker skin so I'm not so worried all the time about posting or commenting. Thank you!

John, Thanks for the advice on review copies. I've actually been turning them down because my reading time was starting to fill up with ARC reviews and I wasn't able to fit in books I want to read now. It was starting to depress me in a way.

I didn't realize that you were still out of work. I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope you find something soon. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

I have a lot of time at work where I wait for things to happen. And I'm a single cat-parent. My life is simpler! I can't imagine trying to post every day. Oy. At times, I contemplate going to MWF instead of M-F, but I think the daily commitment is good for me personally at this point.

Donna,
I saw our post title and immediately had to stop by even though it's a Saturday night...I'm right there with you hon. I can't tell you how much time I've spent with blogger vs. reading. I got into blogging b/c I like to read, but this whole blogging business is hard work & time consuming! Not to mention I've gained about 5 pounds b/c now I seem to go less and less to the gym *sigh* If you have a "another" day time job like me that is also demanding, well I started to get well overwhelmed. I won't even get into the mantrums hubs throws with how much time I spend blogging and reading. My advice, maybe add a partner or a family member to help out with book reviews and reading. I use my sisters - I'm even thinking of having my Dad guest blog. This kind of takes a little of the pressure off of you to do all the work. Or you could post less (we would miss you though) - I also don't post on the weekends.

I could have so wrote your post! My husband complains how I am tied to my laptop because I'm reading blogs, writing posts, on Twitter with book bloggers, etc. Yes, my working out has gone done the tubes because I can't figure out how to work out and be online at the same time!

I've tried setting days for reading and days for blog stuff and it was working well for awhile. I'm falling a little behind. As my review pile grows working out has fallen by the way side again. Sigh.

Sorry no solution but hope you get it balanced out!

I definitely understand where you are coming from. Blogging can be a bit stressful at times, especially if you have deadlines.

Usually I read two books a week sometimes three, depending on different factors. But there have been times when blogging has cut into my reading time. Although it doesn't look it from my post I just have to step away and get that reading in.

I would hate to see you stop blogging, I love you blog. But maybe only blogging on certain days will give you the balance you need. :)

((Hugs))

Donna, you are not whiny or selfish. You're blogging this for fun, for a hobby. You'd give up any less social hobby if you didn't enjoy it without thinking twice about it, I'm sure. So don't let this be too different.

That's not to say "Yes, stop blogging!", but just "Do what you gotta do and don't feel guilty about it!" Everyone has something they're not entirely happy with and can't change, I guarantee it. For me, it's knowing that I need a small environment to function in. Big, social blogging events are out. (The Read-a-Thon I'm doing now works because most of that time is dedicated to reading and commenting on my blog.) Long feed reader lists of blogs to watch are out. I just can't handle that.

And that's something I've had to learn to accept and deal with. Am still learning actually. It can take a long time to find your groove. I don't have as many real life obligations as you do, so I can't help much with your dilemma/question, but I'm hoping there's something useful in my words all the same.

Would it help if you did something like set a specific afternoon aside for blogging or something like that? Not having everything done in a single Sunday afternoon or such, but... Uff, I hope the idea is clear...

Aack!! Don't give up the blog! Seriously.

I just have a little ol' blog but I am going through the same thing that I used to read 3 to 5 novels a week and now I'm down to reading 1 to 2.

I used to blog everyday as well. If I didn't have a review (which I usually did) then I made sure I had something else to post that day. I've given myself permission now to *not* post everyday. It has at least taken the pressure of blogging off.

I'd rather read a couple of blog posts from you a week (or even one)than none!

Hi Donna,

I so know where you coming from, blogging takes up a lot of time, time you could also be spending reading your books. Kids, work, family they all want a piece of you too! As many others I have the same problem, my tbr pile is way too high, I only read one book a week, when I am lucky two. But that is it, I don't have time for more, I try to blog every now and then, but not does not happen as often as I want too. So this summer was a low point for me, I was ready to throw in the towel, reading and blogging is supposed to be fun! So I stopped pressuring myself to do it all... and now I have fun reading again, so what if I can't keep up with everything, I let that go. It is my own blog, and I blog the way I want. I enjoy your blog and so what if you post a little less often, as long as you have fun with what you'r doing! I hope you find a good balance and enjoy blogging and reading again!

I feel the same way sometimes. I see people who blog so much and I know they have full time jobs and families and I have no idea how they do it! My blogging is maybe twice a week and even that has cut down my reading by at least a book. I used to read 2 to 3 books a week and now its usually 1. 2 if I'm not busy.

What I find helps a bit is blogging when I have time. Like I'll start a post and save it and work on it when I have a few minutes. I save it as a draft. I feel less stressed knowing hey I got a post HALF done, I'll finish it when I have time. And with visiting blogs, I started categorizing them in my reader into genre. And I'll focus on my "favorites" folder and favorite genres, and if I have no time, just skip the genres I am not so interested in (I'll just say mark as read, especially for the blogs that aren't book blogs, like I follow a lot of design and art blogs too).

Ultimately it's YOUR blog and YOUR time. You shouldn't feel guilty that you're not blogging if you focus on what is higher priority to you.

Donna,

I now what you are talking about. And after reading all these comments I know you are not alone.

My situation is a bit different. In 2008 I started as a reader. Visited blogs and left comments. Since May 2009 I'm a contributor to a blog. That changed a lot. I started with one weekly post. That doesn't sound much but I don't need to explain to you how much time you need to prepare a proper post. The next step was to write and post reviews. And finally the third step: more posts per week. I started to sleep less. I made the experience that four hours per night are not enough for me.I'm happy when I read five books per month. Be sure I would like to read ten or more. Beside this I have a job which takes my full attention. And my family started to complain about my time in front of a screen. And of course I still buy books.

A few days ago I decided to reduce the number of my posts. I will do my weekly posts plus two reviews per month. It is also necessary to reduce the number of blogs I follow.

I think when you don't have enough time for reading it is high time to draw the ripcord.

Anyway I think it is a good idea to look for contributors. That means you still have your blog but you don't have to write all posts own your own.

I spoke with the guy behind the blog I contribute and he understands very well.
Did I mention that I contribute Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy?

To run a blog should be fun. Reading shed be fun. You should have enough time for your family and your job.
To keep the balance is the challenge.

Thank you for your post which is very good to reflect the own situation.

Wow, this has generated a lot of comments (I read about half of them). And, of course, I'm totally with you. I started Fantasy Literature as a review site 2 years ago and tried at first to do it myself. I realized I couldn't.

Now we have a staff of 19 reviewers and bloggers, some of whom got burned out at their own blogs. So, we work together and we've got dozens of ARCs between us at all times. We all also have jobs that we do for the site: I do the actual construction (and read less than anyone else, unfortunately, but I also have 5 kids and a more-than-full-time job), one person runs the blog with contributions from some of the rest of us, 4 people do the editing of our reviews, a couple compile the upcoming book lists so we can know what's coming out and get it on the site and plan to review it, etc, and we all contribute reviews of the books we decide to read.

It works well and it's fun to work as a team. I couldn't have done it by myself. And when it feels like an obligation, it's time to take a little break.

Hi Everyone!

I'm floored by all of the comments on this post. I see a lot you have experienced or are experiencing the same anxieties that I have on blogging. Well, I'm going to hang in here. I'm going to try a few suggestions made here. Maybe I can streamline some of my posts.

Thank you everyone for dropping by and making me feel not silly about my worries. Every one of you are wonderful and the reason why I don't want to give up blogging. :)

Ha! This is every day of my life right now. I don't work full time, but I'm a full-time mom and I'm trying to run a freelance writing business from home in all of my glorious spare time. I still read at night, but I've had to hang up the guilt I felt by not posting as much and not visiting other people's blogs as much. I know that it separates me from all of the fabulous friends I've made in this community, but my sleep and sanity come first.

And they should definitely come first for you too. No matter what you decide, I doubt you'll lose any friends here, even if you blog once a week or as little as twice a month. :)

I think you slipped into my head and wrote this post for me. I thank you for that. I a still in the stewing stage.

I know how you feel EXACTLY.

I'm not a big blogger like you. I started my blog to help myself out with my books. I tend to forget what some of the books are about after I've read them so I wanted to have a place where I have little summaries (in my own words) what they were about. That way I could keep up with all the newest releases and not have to back track unless I wanted to.

I too used to read books as soon as they were published, especially by my favorite authors. I find myself drifting away from all of my favorite series and just so far behind with newer books and newer authors.

It's definitely a torn feeling I'm having. I'm not a great reviewer. I sometimes find it hard to put into words why I like something or don't like something. So blogging has both helped me and taken away from my passion. I will continue on though because it has definitely opened up so many different avenues for me.

But ranting aside, I know how you feel again Donna. If things get too overwhelming or depressing or whatever adjective you want to put in I suggest taking a break. It can be short or long but it will let you breathe and relax and get back to what you're truly passionate about.

Either way the blogging world will still be here for you, including me of course! =)

After reading through some of other's comments I feel like a retard. I just complained to you instead of trying to help. There were a lot of great suggestions and I hope they help, because I know I didn't haha.

Donna -
It looks like you have a lot of support here. :)
I will be here as a reader even if you only do one post a month.
I will miss your frequent posts but will connect with you where ever - twitter, goodreads....
Hang in there perhaps take a few weeks off take care of yourself and your family relax and read....and see how you feel? or do one post a week for awhile?
Maybe just do only reviews of the books your read for awhile - I would love that!
Take care.

Keri - I read your post this morning and I understand completely why you made the decision you made.

HODGEPODGESPV - *grins* I hope you find your groove also. I've decided to not let myself worry so much and so it will be fun again.

Mishel - LOL! You are so NOT a retard! I understand, really I do and I don't mind reading about what you are also going through. It let's me see that I'm not alone. :) I'll lend an ear to you anytime.

Shellie - Thank you! I think my posts might slow done a bit or at the very least I'm going to try and be better organized.

Hi Donna!

I sure would hate to lose you in the blogging community. I've been having the same thoughts, I used to read 3 or 4 books per week, now I read 1 or 2 books per week, if I'm lucky. It's very overwhelming as your blog grows and becomes more time consuming and demanding. I'm trying to find that just right balance, but as yet, I've had no luck.