January 8, 2016

Of Books and Blooms: Welcome!


So, you might be wondering...why and how did this blog come about? Let me tell you.

I've had a gardening blog for 6 years. It has been a place to make notes about all the flowers I'm planting, which kinds of vegetables I have tried to grow, and of course, a place for posting many pretty pictures of said flowers and vegetables.  As time has gone on, I've discovered a warm and friendly garden blogging community, which I would like to explore further.

On the book side of things, I have always been addicted to reading--ever since I can remember, pretty much. I got a library degree and worked as a children's librarian for 3 years before staying home to raise kids. I have read several different book blogs over the past couple of years, and with my love of books, literacy, and reading, I have wanted to start up a book blog of my own to join that conversation as well.

However, in addition to my garden blog, I also have a family blog that I'm committed to keeping up, both for family history purposes, and for faraway grandparents to keep up with our lives. Adding yet one more blog seemed like too much of a time drain. So I kept reviewing books on Goodreads and figuring that would be my bookish outlet for now, along with a monthly book club with my friends.

The book blog idea has continued to pester me, though. As I've mulled it over and thought about options, I realized that perhaps I could combine my two obsessions--er--passions in a way that would enrich both. Because let's face it: in the middle of January there is not much gardening to be done. Also, in August, when it hits 90 degrees and stays there for several weeks, I would actually prefer to be reading--somewhere cool, if possible.

In fact, the more I've thought about it, the more I see many places where the worlds of gardening and reading overlap, beyond the obvious (reading gardening books). You can bet I will explore those places, along with posts that are all books or all gardening.

And just in case you were wondering, no, I don't usually read IN my garden, for three reasons:

1. Lack of comfortable places to lounge. I'm definitely a lounger when I read. Our deck furniture and lawn do not offer much in the way of real comfort for snuggling up with a book.

2. Bugs, especially spiders. I tend to get lost in the worlds of my books, which does not lend itself well to general awareness of insect activity around me. I do much better with spiders and bugs if I am not surprised by them. Maybe sometime I'll tell you about the time I was reading out on the back porch and looked down to find a large wolf spider on my bare leg. [shudder] Or not.

3. Generally, if it's pleasant enough weather to be out in my garden, there are several chores that need doing. I call it the Perpetual Chore List, and I'm sure it will show up on these pages regularly. Muddy hands and clean pages don't mix very well.

So welcome!  I hope you'll find much to interest you, and also things you want to talk about. Make comments! Lots of comments!

8 comments:

  1. I admire you! I have a black thumb and get a little flack for reading (since my housework suffers terribly when I read). Your writing is great!

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    1. Thank you! I think one of the secrets of gardening is that everybody kills plants on a regular basis. At least I do. And let's not even talk about the houseplant situation. :) At times I feel guilty for reading during the day, but I usually manage to ignore that feeling!

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  2. Linnae- this is a blog that needed to happen, and I'm so glad you decided to do it!!! I definitely think it's okay to combine passions into one blog--YOU are a mix of those passions after all and this blog is written by YOU! I for one am looking forward to the gardening tips intermingled with the book reviews because I need all the help I can get in that area!

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    1. Thanks, Amy! It was becoming friends with you that really gave me that push to finally make it happen. I'm excited to see what comes of it!

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  3. I'm excited to read this blog and the great reviews you do!

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  4. Thanks for inviting me! I look forward to following you here, and learning more about your bookish tastes (and being incredibly jealous of your garden :).

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    1. Oh, I'm so glad you stopped by Suzanne! Yay!

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