Reading is an activity that stimulates your intellect and gives you a perspective while reviewing is an art that lets you have your own perception of things.
Completing 11 months on #bookstagram today, I found this day appropriate to speak of my journey as a reader and a reviewer. Just today, I finished reviewing a book I received almost 6 months back. I am so grateful to the author for being extremely patient and eventually appreciating my work. This is to thank all the authors who found my work valuable enough, who appreciated my reviews motivating me to surpass my own benchmarks, and be on a path toward improving myself. I love it when authors take time out to let me know that the review helped them, I absolutely adore the authors who accept criticism with a clear head, I owe a big thanks to the authors who entrust me with the fruit of their labor.
I started book blogging around 2.6 years back and I began it with my blog. It was just a year back when I took to the fad of bookstagramming and I really like the atmosphere books and bibliophiles have created. However, a thing pestering me hard is why do we only speak of popular books? Why is it that only books published by big publishing houses, marketed rigorously, and wrapped in glamorous covers garner attention? I have read less popular books, new authors, and trust me, their raw work is amazing. Those books are not part of some race to become a bestseller but their quality speaks for itself. Moreover, people reading popular books consider themselves elite. I really could not find an explanation for this but I believe that readers have no class. You read an extremely glitzy book or you pick a less popular one, you are still a reader. So, pat yourself for that. Not everything that glitters is gold. I have read books which were hyped, put up with a grand show, and they disappointed me. A debut book not produced by biggies too deserves its share of the limelight. And I will always be proud to give my bit in bringing them to the fore. To end it, Regardless of all the noise, read what suits you, what is accessible to you, what hooks you. Don’t chase a fad. Be proud of reading not trending. The choice is that one thing you must proudly own!
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Bookish Fame 
Thank you!! Your post reminds me of a book group that I was in. It meets only three times a year, during the months of January, February, and March, and each year they pick a theme. The last time I joined them the theme was Pulitzer Prize winners. The books were good, but no better than a lot of other books I’ve read by relatively unknown and/or indie authors. Many of the people who were in the group professed their utter disdain for genre fiction, saying they only read literary fiction. We’re all reading, so why criticize and put down books of genre fiction?? Great post.
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Thank you so much. It really annpys me people differentiating books based on the popularity and marketing.
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Your views are agreeable. I too have written one book without caring for how many read it. And I have read thousands due to being a book-lover. Hence I can appreciate your thoughts better.
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Thank you so much. The book must have been really good given that your blogs are fantastic! 🙂
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You started an important discussion. A famous author was unknown one day. Then his first book was liked and he became a best seller. Once you become a best seller, big money comes in and an author does not want to change his style of writing. He remains popular but becomes stale. From this point of view, it is important to review less known authors. They bring in different style and variety. Who knows one day they may be liked and become a best seller.
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That has been my point always. We should value creativity and appreciate everyone regardless of the popularity of their books.
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Excellent advice for us all!
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Thanks 😀
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