This past week I started watching Merlin! I know, I know, I am way behind the times. Why I never really thought to watch it before eludes me. But all thanks to Chiara I took the plunge and I am hooked! Six days in and I’m on my twelfth episode. It is that good. If like me, you’ve been living under a humungous rock, here’s the season one trailer.
Now go on, hop on over to Netflix, Hulu or find the DVDs. Watch Merlin stat! You know you want to. Or maybe you don’t know it yet. But you will once you’re into the series.
REVIEWS
- [11 Feb] Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole ★★★
- [15 Feb] Altered by Gennifer Albin ★½
BLOG POSTS
- [10 Feb] Epic Recs: February 2014
- [11 Feb] Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole ★★★
- [13 Feb] How to Properly Spoil a Book (Part 1)
- [15 Feb] Altered by Gennifer Albin ★½
- [16 Feb] Retrospect #7: February 16th
PLAGIARISM
Blogging is tough. No ifs and buts about it. Unless it’s a personal diary-type blog someone’s running, they will constantly be trying to think of ways to keep their blog fresh and interesting. For the most time, this hard work does pay off because it maintains readership and encourages interaction with others who share the same interest. However, when it comes to plagiarism, there is no excuse for it. Plagiarism means stealing someone else’s content and passing it off as one’s own. Sadly, Kelly @ Effortlessly Reading has become a victim of plagiarism. Someone stole her words and her ideas. Still, Kelly chose to be gracious and is giving this person a second chance. She posted a warning without calling the person out by name.
If you’re not sure if your own blog posts constitute plagiarism, please do more research about what plagiarism entails. Also, if you come across any ideas out there you would like to use on your own blog, in the very least, be sure to credit that person. For instance, in every of my Retrospect posts, I include my credits to Asti in the description because she inspired me to do my own weekly recap posts. Technically, I don’t copy my content from her but the format is a little like hers, so I only thought it right to credit her, even though there are many bloggers who do weekly recaps. Alternatively, contact the originator of the idea and ask if you may use them. They will tell you if they want to be credited or are alright with it if you don’t. Whatever you do, be sure not to steal content from others.
AUDIOBOOKS
- Miranda @ Tempest Books used to hate audiobooks but six months ago she gave them another try and has now declared audiobooks her “new best friends”.
BLOGGING & BLOGGERS
- Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat wonders if book blogging has made her too critical a reader for her to be able to enjoy books more.
- Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf discusses the the pros and cons of affiliate links on book blogs.
BOOKS
- Kristen @ My Friends Are Fiction asks if you mind the wait between books.
- Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity suggests how to escape the instalove tag.
- Shanelle @ The Art of Escapism makes a very compelling connection between instalove and crushes.
COMMENTING
- Erika @ The Red Bookmark breaks down how to leave comments that are welcome. Very straightforward and simple rules to follow. Basically, don’t be all about self-promotion. Nobody likes that.
LITERALLY APP
In case you aren’t aware yet, there’s this new bookish site that sprung up over the past couple of weeks, Literally. Currently they are still in beta and are open to users by invitation only. The developer’s are putting in as many hours as they can to improve the site and are very open to suggestions. Before you dismiss it for yet another social networking site to share book reviews, it is not. There is no option to post book reviews. Instead, there is greater focus on discovering your next read, badges and reading stats. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks very promising.
- Mel @ The Daily Prophecy shares her first impression of the site.
- Hafsah @ Icey Books considers the ways in which Literally is different from Goodreads.
RATING & REVIEWING
- Ana @ Read Me Away talks about the difficulty of reviewing certain kinds of books.
- Kelsey @ Verbosity Books thinks that book ratings aren’t accurate.
READING
- Annie @ The Runaway Reader is looking for advice on how to overcome reading slumps. Book recommendations that might help are welcome too.
- Renae @ Respiring Thoughts reminds us that to read many books, we actually need to open books and read them.
Why couldn’t Mother have named me Josephine?
Obviously I couldn’t pass up on a quote that shows just how lovely my name is. Next time someone tells me my name is outmoded, I’ll tell them that even books show how lovely it is.
How was your week? Do you get as excited as me when you find your name in a book you’re reading?
Thanks for including my link :) Going to check some of the other ones out.
You’re welcome :) Hope you found something of interest to you!
Ah, it’s horrible to see when other bloggers are affected by plagiarism, even those blogs that I was previously unaware of. The book blogging community is full of kindness and communication, at least in my experience, but then there are the few that have to ruin an enjoyable past time for others. It’s just not fair. They may think they’re doing no harm but they are. Someone else worked really hard on that content for other like minded people to read and discuss etc and then someone goes and rips them off. It’s pure meanness really.
On a more positive note… Here’s to another great reading week!
:-)
Yes, you’re right. That is something to be very thankful for! And to maintain that, it’s important to make sure everyone continues to treat the community with respect.
I love your retrospect posts. I always find a ton of stuff to read! I’ve thought of doing my own “rewind” kind of post, but I just never get around to it!
I’m glad you do! :) I toyed with the idea for a couple of months myself because I wasn’t sure at first what I wanted to include.