When I joined the book blogging community almost three years ago, I thought I had found my new home. I had been blogging previously at a separate URL about the adoption of my youngest daughter from China for a while before switching over to a book blog. I love to read and write, so hey, this was the perfect forum for me. I decided to leave the adoption blogging community for two reasons – first, my adoption process was almost finished and I felt like there wasn’t all that much more to say on the topic and second, there were so many hurt feelings and controversies floating around that I knew it wasn’t the place for me. Take men and women (the majority who cannot conceive on their own) and tell them to wait three plus years to see their babies faces and you’ll know what kind of hurt feelings and bickering can go on. I no longer wanted any part of that.      

If you’ve read my blog with any regularity, you’ll know that I’m not the type of blogger to write about controversial topics. This may stem from the fact that I am not one who likes confrontation and would rather let someone else hash it out. This isn’t to say I don’t have an opinion and now feel the need, as a panelist at BEA, to share it with you. I’ve commented over the last two days on various blogs with regards the the whole BEA panel controversy. To imagine that there would be a BEA panel controversy shocks me. Shouldn’t we as part of the blogging social media world want to work with each other to continue to grow our community?  

There are people who didn’t feel the panel was a fair representation of the whole book blogging world. It wasn’t my intention to represent each and every one of us, because frankly that would be impossible. I went there to discuss the topic, which was strengthening relationships between bloggers and people in the publishing industry. I also felt it would be a good opportunity to connect with a lot of the bloggers who have been following me since my blog inception in 2006. Because book blogging is not only writing about books, but also developing relationships with my readers. 

Let’s all be honest with ourselves. No matter which five people would have been picked to be on the panel at BEA, there would always have been someone who wasn’t happy.

I do receive review copies from authors and publishers alike and was asked to speak at BEA on ways in which we can make these relationships stronger. I do not receive unsolicited books and only take the books I intend on reading. In fact, of the books I’ve read this year, more than 70% half came from my own personal library. I make it clear to the publishers, book tour companies and authors I work with that I will give a fair review of the books I read. I write from the heart.

I guess this is what happens when you take a step out of your comfort zone and try something new. I’m not a public speaker or have an advanced degree in English Literature, but I am a book blogger and proud of it. I’ve seen my fellow book blogger feel the need to defend herself on her blog and am saddened over this whole situation.

I’m proud to have been asked to speak on the panel and for the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you. I will keep blogging about books for as long as it interests me and hope that you will continue to follow along.