I want to thank Angela for tagging me! She is super awesome and incredibly supportive, so please go check out her epic blog at HidingBehindBooksBlog

This is my first time doing this tag, so here we go!

The Rules:

Thank the blogger that nominated you
Write a post to show your award
Give a brief story of how your blog started
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
Select 15 (ish) other bloggers you want to give this award to – I’ve only chosen four today!
comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them, and provide the link to the post you’ve created.

Blogging: the Origins

I’ve always been a reader. I think most moments in my life can be categorised by the book that I was reading at that particular time – particular scents, scenarios, etc. And, I would also have to say the same about writing. I love living in my mind, in the sense that I enjoy creating and imagining worlds and situations that are mundane or spectacular. But I never really considered a blog until around 2014 when I realised that there was a space online where I could belong. For me, I actually originally started my blog for writing, as in creative writing where I could purge all the emotions and ideas clogging my mind. 2014-2016 were tumultuous years in terms of my mental health as a result of my anxiety. So, having that space where I could write what I was feeling felt freeing, in theory. However, that plan slightly changed when I read Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas and I had a tonne of feelings after I completed that book that I needed to release it. That’s when ‘allieereads’ was born. My blog went from ‘writerpending’ to ‘allieereads’ and I haven’t looked back since! Especially considering the amount of love and support and overall, fun, I have had with the book blogging community – that I honestly think I will never leave. And also – why ‘allieereads’? well, my name is Alexandra and Allie is a nickname of mine, so I added another ‘e’ and added ‘reads’ at the end – straight to the point, I think?

Advice for new Bloggers

♥ engage with the community. I don’t think I can emphasise how important it is to engage with your blogging community online. Honestly, the best thing I ever did was get out of my comfort zone and interact with other book bloggers on Twitter and Instagram. It opened up a new world for me, and it really emphasised how supportive the blogging community can be. So, send that DM or tweet at your fave book blogger or blogger, and start a little conversation. Trust me!

♥ mental health. It may sound amazing for you to be able to post every day on your blog, but sometimes reality means that this isn’t possible. If you have a schedule, for instance, and you miss a day or two – don’t stress. I had a schedule at the start of this year and it worked, albeit caused me some stress, until I began a new semester at university and I felt overwhelmed by everything. It’s okay to say that you’ll only post on your blog once a week, or once a month – your blog is your blog! Remember, it’s your mental and physical health that is most important. Don’t worry if you feel as though your numbers need to be higher – it’ll get there. Just trust in yourself and breathe. There is no need to be sorry, just make sure you’re okay and having fun.

I will award this to the amazing bloggers down below:

♦ Wordsaboutwords

♦ Booknerdtan

♦ Blogaboutalatte

♦ Hookedonbookz

♦ Bookgraphy

Make sure to tag me on twitter if you participate!!!!!

Lots and lots of love!

Allie