Tips

Reading Helps // Coping With Mental Health

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
I have stated before, or at least I believe have, that I suffer from mental health disorders. Well, lately, my mental health hasn’t been the best. I have my highs and lows, and this has definitely been a low month. However, reading has always been a solid coping mechanism for me. So, I wanted to share some ways that reading helps me, and might help you, cope with mental health struggles.

#1. Clears Your Mind
Honestly, reading completely takes your mind off your problems. When you are reading a high fantasy, you aren’t thinking about your everyday struggles. When you are falling in love with the boy next door, you aren’t worrying about the days to come. A good story captivates you, and everything else falls away.

#2. Problem Solving
Reading could possibly solve your problems. You may actually read a book about a character dealing with similar issues, or pick up a self-help book. Advice type books might not be your thing, but they can be useful when dealing with mental health. Books can give you clarity, or a new way to look at something, which is important.

#3. You’re Not Alone
Books featuring characters with mental illnesses are very beneficial, especially if the characters are facing the same diagnosis as you. Simply reading about somebody that is struggling with a disorder can be comforting. You don’t feel so alone, because you can relate to the character in one way or another.

#4. There’s No Competition
This might seem like a weird reason, but pretty much everything we do, or I do, feels like a competition. We see people online, or friends and family, doing these things that make us feel like we aren’t doing enough. Essentially, people are always competing against each other. But you aren’t going to compete with a book character. You can feel at ease and pressure-free.

#5. Happiness
The number one reason that books can help you with your mental health is because they make you happy. If you don’t enjoy reading, then none of the other tips are going to work. You have to read because it brings you joy, if everything else is to fall into place. Honestly, how could reading not ignite happiness?

I must admit that when my mental health is bad, reading doesn’t always do it for me. But, I try to remember these tips during the low periods, and keep reading. Please leave me a comment to brighten my day. And, like always, I ask that you follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

A Beginners Guide To Thrillers & Horrors

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
This year, I have gotten into reading thriller books. I don’t know why I have never been interested in them before, since I am a fan of horror movies. It could be the fact that the horror/thriller genre is mainly geared more towards adult books.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, than you know I generally only read young adult and some middle-grade books. This isn’t to say I won’t pick up an adult horror, but they aren’t my first reading choice. Still, I thought I’d share my tips for getting into this widely popular book genre. Keep in mind this is from a newbie’s perspective.

It might be tempting to read something along the lines of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ by Alvin Schwartz, but that book might freaky you out enough to not give the genre a chance. I would suggest reading an easier thriller, since you are simply dipping your toes in this genre pool. I recommend starting with something like Fear Street: The Beginning by R.L. Stine or They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman.

‘It’ by Stephen King maybe the ultimate scary book, I mean what Stephen King novel isn’t creepy. However, many of King’s novels are huge commitments. Give yourself sometime to work up to the longer books and keep your first couple of reads short. A lot of Neil Gaiman and Gillian Flynn books are under 400 pages. Also, they aren’t going to keep you awake all night.

This tip doesn’t only apply to thriller/horror newbies in my opinion, but to all readers. Don’t just read one genre. Once you get the urge to read thrillers, you may not want to take a break from them. However, that could lead to a reading burnout. Try spacing out your thriller reads, and including other genres, too. Perhaps only reading one thriller a month might be a good idea. It is always nice to have a contemporary and fantasy book on your TBR. If you still want something in the paranormal realm (with, of course, a romance element) you could always go for the ‘Twilight’ books. Yep, I did just recommend them.

So those are my tips for a getting into this ever-growing genre. I know there aren’t a lot of tips, but I think the are main ones that are important to keep in mind. Leave any tips you might have in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and share this post! Finally, if you’d be so kind as to follow my blog as well, it really does help!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Blogger Myths & Blogging Tips

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
Today, I am going to be shattering those myths of being a book blogger. I think these are Booktube myths as well, but I could be wrong. I am including a few blogger tips for all you new bloggers, or those of you thinking of starting a blog.

No Books Necessary
A lot of people think that book blogging is all about having a huge personal library. We see bloggers posting their rainbow bookshelves on Bookstagram, and we think the first step to being a book blogger is to buy books. This is completely untrue. Many book bloggers use the library and borrow books from friends. You can even use apps such as Libby and Overdrive to get audiobook and ebook copies of books from your local library. You can still share your love of books without owning a single book.

Book Hauls Aren’t A Requirement
This is piggybacking off the last myth, but book hauls don’t matter. Yes, it is cool to see the book people buy or receive, still, there are tons of minimalist book bloggers out there. Also, a lot of book bloggers go on book buying bans until the clear their tbrs. I don’t typically buy books, so most of my collection is books I’ve received as gifts. Library hauls are a great option, or buying discounted books from a local thrift shop is an inexpensive way to grow your collection as well.

Reading, Reading, Reading
I used to think that I couldn’t be part of the book community because I was an extremely slow reader. Luckily, that isn’t a problem anymore, but truthfully, it doesn’t matter how many books you read a month. There are tons of people in the book community that only manage to read one or two books a month. You are not alone in your struggles to read, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hit your GoodReads goal. As long as you have a passion for books, and you engage in the community, you are golden.

What Everyone Else Is Reading
This might shock you, but you’d have to read the same books as all the other book bloggers. It is a common mistake that all book bloggers have to read the same books and genres. At times, I am guilty of trying to read what’s popular. I’m not saying it isn’t nice to read multiple opinions on the same story, but people, including myself, read book blogs to discover new, underrated books. Don’t be scared to read for yourself, and not what people except you to read.

Want An ARC
I am sorry to break this to you, but if you want to become a book blogger just to get arcs, you’re wasting your time. Yes, sometimes book bloggers are fortunate enough to receive ACRS of books. But this rarely happens, especially for physical copies. Publishing companions are very selective about sending out review copies. Most of authors and publishers are turning to Netgalley for ARC releases. I have been using the platform for a while, and I can say that getting approved for some ACRS aren’t easy. Don’t start a book blog for money or gifts.

Tech Savvy
The last myth I want to shatter is that you have to be some web design wizard to start a blog. True, there is a learning curve when starting any kind of blog. But a lot of sites, such as Squarespace or WordPress, are pretty straight forward. Also, there are tons of articles and YouTube videos on how to navigate just about any platform.

As for my tips, I only have a few, so don’t stop reading yet.
1) Write Before Publishing: This is something I wish I had done before publishing my blog. I think you should write at least 10 to 20 blog posts before launching your blog. This way, you have a lot of posts that will go up so that you don’t have to worry about writing a new post every week. You can focus on reading and writing as you go.

2) Set Schedule: Some people might say this is due to my need to plan everything, but I think having a posting schedule is important. Whether you post once a week, month or even once a year, you should pick one day for your post to go up. This way, your readers know which day to visit your site for a new post. I don’t think a set time is as necessary as a regular day, but having both couldn’t hurt.

3) Always Edit: I didn’t do this with my earlier posts, but I found that editing and proof reading is a must. You should read over your post at least twice before publishing it. Also, if you suck at grammar like myself, it couldn’t hurt to use an editing software or subscription. I hear that Grammarly is a great resource for bloggers. But keep in mind their subscription is quite expensive.

I hope that you liked this original post. It was fun exposing book blogger myths and sharing some of my blogger tips. Please support my little book blog by liking and sharing this post. If you want to join my mailing list, you can subscribe via email.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny