The time just flies. Before I know it, it is the end of the week and BBAW is complete, and how did I take part, what did I get out of it? Nothing but a big fat Zero.

The past two weeks have been action packed on the personal side. First my mother-in-law fell ill. I count on her help a lot around the house and with babysitting, so her falling sick means a lot of juggling of chores. Then it was my husband who needed a minor surgery for his broken arm, and had his hand in a sling. And then, it was the turn of the piglet to develop a bad case of the sniffles. It was understandable that BBAW slipped into the background.

But then, I went back to previous year’s BBAW posts and realized that it is a common thread. I have participated very arbitrarily, without a full heart.

And then I realized why…

September in Bangalore always brings very mixed weather. Still boiling hot during the days, but colder in the nights, and with rains off and on. That means it is also the season where the kids develop their first bouts of viral infections before they settle down comfortably with the change of season.

Obviously, my participation in BBAW is a bit limited, and I should not chide myself for it.

Maybe now that I am more aware of this pattern, I can plan and schedule my posts in advance next year leaving me free to browse other book blogs and really have more interaction. Hah! High hopes considering I almost always tend to do things on the fly. I am not at all a planning person.

One good thing that I realized looking back through my BBAW and other posts is the timing of the snubnose’s illnesses. It almost always follows the same pattern every year. How come I never saw this before? See, the advantages of blogging

For this year though, my personal BBAW is probably going to be next week or even end of the month where hopefully I have the time to browse through posts from my favorite book bloggers, and even discover a few new favorites.

It’s time for BBAW again. Where does the time go? It feels like the last BBAW just got over.

Anyways, I spaced out on signing up for BBAW interview swap and other fun BBAW stuff, but I never want to go without appreciating some of the great book blogs that I discovered this year.

Without much ado, here are my favorites:

• Always Cooking up Something – a beautiful looking blog with some great content. I love her eclectic choices in books and in-depth thought out reviews.
• A Room of One’s Own – this year I have been focusing a lot on classics, and Jillian’s reviews and discussions on the books she reads are wonderful reads in themselves. I don’t always like the books she reads and reviews, but I love the different perspective she provides that makes me appreciate the finer points that I might have missed in the book.

BBAW 2011

I’ve long been a silent reader (email subscriber) on Laura’s blog – I’m Booking It. BBAW presents a lovely opportunity for me and others to get to know Laura a bit more…

Here’s our interview:

1. How, when, and what prompted you to get into book blogging?

   About 3 years ago, I decided to see what I was missing in the world of modern technology, and I got involved with Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. I decided I wanted to start a blog, just as soon as I figured out what I had to talk about. I already ran two book clubs, so I figured that books were a likely subject. I just plunged in and started typing!

2. Do you have other blogs apart from I’m Booking It?
   Nope. I occasionally wish I had a place to vent about personal stuff, but if I ever did that, it would have to be anonymous.
3. What’s your favorite genre of books?
   That varies from day-to-day– I am a truly eclectic reader, and I try to keep a balance. I probably have the strongest pull towards mysteries, though.
4. When did you first get into reading? And how has your reading evolved over the years?
   I’ve been a bookworm as long as I can remember! My parents were both readers, so my house was full of books. I made the transition to adult books in 7th grade (around age 12), there wasn’t as rich of a world of YA fiction then (although I continued to read and reread certain authors, such as Madeleine L’Engle and Susan Cooper for many, many years).

   I’ve always gone through phases, where I’d read a lot of a certain kind of book until I didn’t want to touch that genre again for years– Classics, cozy mysteries, romances, high fantasy, hard-boiled women detectives, and more. Now I try to spread out my reading so I don’t get tired of any kind of book in particular.

   I started reading more literary fiction once I became involved with my first book club over 11 years ago– I’d never had anyone to introduce me into that world before that. I started listening to audiobooks about 4 years ago, and those now make up about half of the books I read– I can listen to a book while doing many other things!

5. How has book blogging changed the way you read books?

   I do think more critically about books that I read, and I’ve decided there are books that I don’t want to review– I just want to read them and enjoy them as is. I pay more attention to the different kind of books I read, and try to keep a balance of fluff and substance. Most of all, book blogging has introduced me to many, many new books that I never would have glanced at in the book store. Even if I stop blogging, I’ll still know where to go to find out about new books and books that are new to me!

Do visit her blog – I’m Booking It. There is a little something there for a variety of reading tastes. And once you are done, hop over to the BBAW site to read more book blogger interviews.

Day 5 of BBAW

For today’s meme, the folks at BBAW want to know our blogging goals.

We want to hear all about your FUTURE treasures. We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year!

The favorite part of BBAW has to be Day 1 when people blogged about their favorite blogs discovered this year. Just browsing through so many great, new blogs was awesome. I also enjoyed the posts on BBAW. A favorite was the classics debate.

Regarding my blogging goals…I thought in earnest (I swear!) for a while, but I have to shamefacedly admit that I could not come up with much. I have never blogged with a goal in mind. Apart from a few vague thoughts that I should read more, comment on other people’s blogs more, and proof-read my posts more, I really can’t come up with anything much.

Instead, I shall be very smart/clever/cunning and post this question to you readers. How would you like to see this blog grow? What do you think my blogging goals should be? Honest responses are very welcome