I changed this up a little still the same idea but a little different. I thought it would be fun to share some fun facts about me. Each week will be a theme of fun facts. Some will be lists and others will be a paragraph or two and some might be just pictures. Thought this would be something fun to share so you can find out a little more about the person behind the blog.
How it all started..
I am sure you have heard this story before and if not well I hope you enjoy it. How it all started isn’t about how I was born because just thinking about how that happened totally grosses me out and now I want to wash my brain with bleach….
Anyway 😉 I have always been a reader, when I was younger I used to read the Point Horror books and my mom would take me to the bookstore and told me to get one book, three books later, I was set for the week. I loved to read them and they were so scary. As I got older I started to move away from reading because of BOYS!! When I turned 18 I found a Virginia Henley book in my moms draw and asked if it would be ok to read it. This was my first Historical Romance and good lord I wasn’t expecting SEX! I found myself completely addicted to reading them and would spend hours in the book store reading back covers and always coming home with 2 new books to devour before coming back the next weekend. My friends father worked for a bindery company that trimmed books, sometimes when the books where being cut one or two of them would have an off cut or something would be wrong with them and they couldn’t be sent to stores so her father would bring them home for me. I would go every weekend to her house and rummage through the boxes and sometimes just take the entire box. I honestly wish I could remember half the books I read, they were all types of Historical Romance. I then found the Wheel of Time series and was now completely hooked on Fantasy books. At some point in my life I stopped read, I don’t know why or would read a book and it would take me months to finish, if at all. Then Harry Potter happened and I was completely hooked again, reading all the books and waiting for the last two to come out. It really gave me a new look at reading, it was like a refresh to my younger self. At some point as the years went on I found Goodreads but never really did anything with it until 2012 when I really started reading again. I found out that I really enjoyed Middle Grade and Young Adult books more than the adult book. I was over the moon that I finally found something I can enjoy and started to devour books again. I made a Pinterest Board called ’cause reading is better than real life but a friend was so against the cause that I changed it to Because, just for her, lol. I wasn’t really writing reviews just rating books and reading other peoples reviews thinking, I wish I was a good writer, this looks like something I would like to do.
Then on January 2nd 2013 I got a message from an Author asking if I would read and review her book, she would give me the book for free. WHAT, FREE!!!! I couldn’t say no and prayed I liked the book. I actually really enjoyed it and wrote a somewhat, ok sounding review. I was totally hooked, stepping outside my comfort zone I was ready to write even if it wasn’t good. I loved writing reviews, since I was reading the book anyway why not. A friend of mine, a teacher, introduced me to Netgalley but I realized you need a blog to get books (at least that was what I thought, thank goodness, I thought that) So without any research, I just jumped in, I always wanted a blog and I had tried another time for the kids but it never really worked out for me. So here I had a format already done and I just need to set it up. So at the end of Jan and beginning of Feb 2013, Because Reading is better than real life was born. (now you know where the name came from). This has been one hell of a journey and as for my writing, you can tell it’s still not that great but trust me, it’s a lot better. February 1st will be 3 years for Because Reading and I couldn’t be more proud of what I created. It has introduced me to a wonderful community, awesome friends and a world of books. I am so happy that I took that step and I am forever grateful for the books I have read and the authors who have created these amazing stories. So this is how is all started.
Tell me how did this all start for you?
Stop by and find out how Because Reading started... Share on X
I hadn’t heard this story before but I love it. And I love the blog name as it’s so true, lol. I’ve been blogging for about 6 years but didn’t start doing books until a little over 5 years ago. It’s been fantastic! I’m glad you started blogging too. 🙂
Interesting story!! And it’s one I’d not heard. 🙂 I can’t remember when I created my blog or even why. I think it was…maybe 2006? But then it sat there and I completely forgot about it. lol It wasn’t until Oct 2011 and I became a reviewer for Kensington that I decided to take it out, dust it off and give it a bit of a spit shine, so I would have somewhere other than Goodreads to post my reviews. What a journey it’s been. 😀
Well it is nice and shiny now! With a lot more shiny things coming to you 😉
I always wanted to start a blog but just was never a good writer, still suck at it but now I sort of don’t care really and I have gotten a lot better…maybe. LOL It’s have been an amazing journey!
Love this post! I remember, before I could really read, marveling over my mother’s copy of Flowers in the Attic. The cutout cover was amazing.
Thank you! Oh I remember reading Flowers in the Attic and a few of her other books and thinking WTH!
I did enjoy the entire Flowers series but they were just totally crazy.
Historical Romance for the win! Hahaha! I love this story about how you started! Mine is not nearly as interesting: bored college student ends up on Goodreads. The end. 😛
LOL if I think about it now, I am not sure I could read one again but I do wish I kept the books. I like your story and I am glad you started blogging otherwise I would never meet you. (virtually) 😉
I didn’t realize you used to read so many historical romances. When I was younger I loved horror books and contemporary romance and then moved away from both of those genres and started reaing high fantasy and eventually I ended up where I am now.
I read the first 10 Wheel of Time books in dutch during my high fantasy years and loved them. And Harry Potter ofcourse, my mom bought the first book for herself and then I had nothing to read started it and got addicted, the same week my mom got me the next book and I remember my grandma and grandpa bringing the next book while we were on vacation.
I never stopped reading altogether, but I did have times where I read less and towards the end of my high fantasy years I really struggled finding the type of books I wanted to read, I knew I wanted something different as well. Then I picked up twillight and I found YA books, urban fantasy and paranormal romances. And slowly found out about all the other awesoem genres out there and also found my way back to contemporary romances eventually.
It’s great to read how you got around to making your blog! Once I found goodreads it still took me year till I made my own blog. First I started reviewing some books, then someone asked if I wanted to guest review on her blog, which then turned into me becomign her co-blogger. I was a co-blogger for about half a year and then eventually started my own blog. My blog turned 3 in December, I never realized we started blogging so close together.
Yes and I read a TON of them. I am not sure if I could read one now only because I really enjoyed the older ones and I wish I could remember the names of them and the authors would have been fun to revisit those.
I can’t remember what number I got up to on the Wheel of Time but I read a lot of them. Always wanted to try them in Audio but the guy who does the voice over isn’t my favorite. I also read Twilight which got me into YA Books, I forgot to mention that. Might have to make a Fun Facts post about all the Genres I have read from start to now.
I just love how I found my name, it was like always there and when I started this blog I just knew that was what I wanted to call it. Even if it’s a bit long I still love it so much. I didn’t realize how close we blogged either. Mine turns 3 on Feb 1st, it might have been in Jan but I usually do my official date as Feb 1st.
Ooh, I love seeing your reading progression, Michelle. Horror to historical romance…*ha* It’s really neat that you could get ‘oops’ from your friend’s dad! And from pinterest board to a blog. That’s pretty neat! I’m glad you found a book that served as a ‘gateway’ back into reading and I’m so happy you accepted a review book and found Netgalley – because I’m really happy you’re HERE! I started blogging in January 2011 after reading The Happiness Project. I blogged off and on until late fall of 2012 when I got really serious about it. 🙂 I’ve always been a reader too. I slowed down some in college – at least pleasure reading – because I was an Eng Lit major and already *had* to read so much else. And now I have so many books I’ll have to live to be 100 and I still may not get to them all. What a great problem to have, yeah?
I have jumped around a lot when it comes to my reading l0l
Those were some great books and now I realize a lot of them I probably read before they even made it to the shelves. Wish I would have kept a lot of them but most I donated to hospitals and the Library.
I am so glad we all got so serious about it, I can’t wait to see you in Chicago!
I got stated back in 2007 but it wasn’t till a few years later that I really got into blogging. The concept of free books was awesome as I started out with just books I had that were my own. Now I have gotten so many free books that I have forgotten my own books so I am hoping this year to read more of my own. Get rid of those I don’t want and slim down my bookshelves. 🙂
I wish I would have saved all the books I got from my friends dad. Might have tried some of them again and would have at least been able to put them on my goodreads and remember the names lol