Marg's weblog, Reading Adventures, covers all aspects of her reading tastes - which are wide - as well as other topics she's interested in.
1. How would you describe your weblog to someone who wasn't at all sure what this blogging business is about?
I have described my blog as an online reading journal whenever I am asked by my friends and colleagues what all this blogging business is about! Of course, that is usually when I am waxing lyrically about blogging, and trying to convince them that they need to start their own movie review blog/craft blog/whatever they are interested in blog! Before too long I am convinced that they are going to start listening to me! I also talk about blogging being a way to make online friends all around the world, who share similar interests with you. There are not many people around me who share my love of books, who love to talk about books, let alone blog about books! Reading across a variety of genres (historical fiction, romance, mysteries, and then a smattering other genres) means that I do get to meet a pretty wide cross section of bloggers which is a great bonus for me!
2. Have there been any major changes in your weblog's direction, theme or subject since you started?
When I first started blogging three years ago, I was very much focused on just blogging about the books I read. Every now and again I posted about something that happened in real life, but not very much. My blog has definitely changed over the years though. I think the quality of my posts has definitely improved (I cringe at some of those early posts). My focus is still on reading and books, but I also talk about things that are going on in my life, and just recently I have started talking about my craft a little bit as well. Another thing that has changed since I first started is that I also am part of a group blog which focuses on my first love in terms of genres, and that is Historical Fiction
(http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.com/), which is both enjoyable and rewarding.
3. Do you have more books in your house than you can possibly read? If so, why?
Somewhat surprisingly, I think the answer to this question is No. I do have a lot of books in my house that I have been meaning to read at some point in time, but I think that there are probably only(!) a couple of hundred or so here that I haven't yet read. If I actually sat down and read these books I could probably get through them in a couple of years. My problem is twofold. The first is that there are always more really great sounding books that I keep on adding to my TBR list and the second is that I LOVE my local library. At any one point in time I have somewhere between 40 and 50 books out from the library, and I have a spreadsheet that I use specifically to keep track of what is due next! I can't imagine not visiting the library at least once a week, usually to take books back, but generally to borrow more! It's definitely an addiction for me!
4. If there were three things you'd like to include in your weblog if you had more time/money, what would they be?
What I would really like is for some lovely review writing fairy to come and get me completely caught up on the outstanding reviews that I have. There are some great books that I have read on my list still to review, much to my consternation. Then, I would love to get my hands on a affordable e-book reader that is compatible to Australian conditions! I don't think that will happen any time soon though. It would never replace the enjoyment of having a book in the hands, but given that I do most of the reading on the commute to and from work, it would make it easier than carrying loads of books around the place as well. I also really want to spend more time reading Aussie authors, and helping to support the industry here as well. Reading more Aussie authors was one of my goals for this year, and I think I have met the target I set myself, so next year I will be challenging myself to read even more if I can!
5. How would you eat an elephant?
A little bit at a time? I asked this question to some friends, and we did entertain ourselves for a long time with various scenarios! I think we managed to decided that it would have to be a hangi type arrangement that would involve digging a very large hole and then cooking for a very long time!
