Bloggy Buddies: Meet Lindsi!

Introducing Bloggy Buddy where we feature the bloggy friends we love so much!

This weeks bloggy buddy is about Lindsi, I have gotten to talk to Lindsi a little bit and gotten to know how great she is.

I absolutely love her blog and her reviews and I get a lot of ideas for books from her. 

So let's get to know Lindsi.

What name do you like to go by?

L or Lindsi! I don’t know how or why ‘L’ started, but it’s something my parents and friends have called me since I was little. It’s weird because Lindsi isn’t a very long name or hard to pronounce! I just go with it.

How long have you been blogging?
This time? September 2017. I had another book blog in college! It was called Books, Sweets and other Treats (some of you may remember… maybe not, lol), and I did that for a few years until I had kids. I tried to continue blogging after my son, but decided I just didn’t want to devote any time to it. I had fallen out of love with blogging and reading for fun, so I just quit. I put all of my time and energy into my son, and then the twins came along! I had even less time after that.

I’ve slowly started allowing time for myself to blog and books are fun again! My break has really changed how I look at blogging now. I don’t take on more than I need to, or put myself in situations where I feel overwhelmed. I also used to finish every book I started, and now I DNF them if they’re not enjoyable. It’s really helped! I want this to be something fun I can do in my spare time, not a hobby-job.

What inspired you to start blogging?

I was the only one in my family that really enjoyed reading. I could lock myself away in my room for hours with a book, and my parents just didn’t understand that about me. They wanted to know why I wasn’t going outside and playing with friends, but my friends didn’t like to read either. Books were something I was extremely passionate about, but had no one to share them with. I stumbled across book blogs through Goodreads (found that on accident when I was looking for a way to keep up with what I’ve read and want to read), and fell in love with the community. I wanted to be involved in that world and connect with other like-minded people.

The book blogging community really is a world of its own. For the most part, everyone looks out for each other and tries to help however they can. It’s a massive group of people that just love to read and want to share it with the world. Being able to discuss books with bookish people is a wonderful thing. I feel so lucky to have this community in my life, and I’ve made so many incredible friends over the years. I text and visit a lot of them!

What was your first blog post?

An introduction post! My first actual review was for The Winter King by C.L. Wilson! It was really good by the way, and you should totally read it. The Sea King was released this year and I haven’t gotten to it yet (shame on me), but I will soon! Swear! I actually found out about this series through the Vaginal Fantasy book club on Goodreads. If you like steamy romance books with strong female leads, check out their group! They also do podcasts every month which can be pretty hilarious. Oh! And you can find people in your area to connect with and meet physically for a Book Club. San Antonio doesn’t have too many people, but other cities have a ton! I keep in touch with those in my area, and even do kickboxing classes with one.

What are some unique features you do on your blog?

At the end of every month I do DNF&Y. It’s used to explain why I gave up on certain books, and what about them just didn't work for me. What I didn't like about something, might be what you love, so it helps to share your thoughts even when they're negative!

In the past I would just remove them from Goodreads completely and just pretend like they didn’t happen, but then I felt like I was being dishonest. As a reviewer, I’ve promised to always give my honest opinion about the books I read, and I feel like that should also apply to the ones I’m unable to finish. I just give a brief explanation about why it wasn’t working and they always get a two-star rating.

I also do My Weekly Pull. It’s just a post to show which comics I’m having my LCS (local comic shop) pull for me that week! They hold them until I’m able to stop by and pick them up. I know a lot of people don’t read comics, but graphic novels seem to be a big hit! I also love showing off all the amazing covers that are brilliantly designed for comics. The inner artwork is exceptional, too. (Oh, and a lot of authors write comics! Did you know that?)

Every once in a while I’ll do Mini Reviews! It usually consists of books I was meh about and don’t really have a lot of words for, or a small group of children’s books I’ve read with my kids! I love reviewing children’s books because some of them have really wonderful messages. They’re also adorable and so fun!

What was your inspiration behind your blog design and name?

I’ve always loved lavender and purple is my favorite color, so when I saw this on Etsy I couldn’t resist. It’s also incredibly simple! The name took a little longer to come up with, because we all want our name to mean something and also be unique to the blogosphere. Do You Dog-ear? It’s a question I’ve been asked, and one I’ve asked myself, so I decided to just go with it. It’s really grown on me over time, and I’m very happy with my decision!

Back before when I blogged, I never would have altered my books in any way. They were treated like precious artifacts that shouldn’t be allowed outdoors or near potential threats. Now I highlight, write, and bend pages like crazy! I feel like my books look more loved and enjoyed. I like going back and finding passages or quotes that were meaningful and grabbed my attention. Plus, I don’t have to worry about bookmarks!

I know many of you are cringing and shuddering where you sit, but it’ll be okay! I only do this to my books and would never think of doing anything to yours. I also don’t do it with library books! I don’t know… now my books feel like old friends instead of one-night stands.

What genres do you like to read and feature?

YA, NA and Romance! I’ve recently gotten more into MG and Children’s, but it’s not as frequent.

What were some of your favorite reads from last year? 

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson, Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett (!!!), Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Lick, Play & Lead by Kylie Scott, Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (!!!), Hunter by Mercedes Lackey, The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Three blogs you really love? (Click header to follow)

And lastly, tell us a bit about yourself and your blog.

Firstly, I am the mother of three beautiful kids! They make me absolutely insane most days, but I love every moment. I have a 4yo and twins that are 16-months. Secondly, I love being a wife. I have the sweetest and most supportive red-headed husband in the world. He’s my everything and I cannot wait to grow old and wrinkled with him. I will most definitely still be pinching that toosh of his when I’m in my 80’s. (He has a great toosh!)

I’ve recently started kickboxing after reading Stacy Wise’s Maybe Someone Like You. She made it sound so elegant and fierce! I immediately wanted to try it, so I looked around in my area and found an awesome place that provides group classes. Now I am addicted to kickboxing! It’s really fun, I exercise (soooo much), and I have an outlet for my stress (which I tend to hold on to forever and ever). I highly recommend this activity!

We also have a few dogs, cats and rodents. We go hiking as often as we can (less since the twins), and try to stay outdoors as much as possible. My husband and I decided to go vegan about six years ago, and our kids have never known anything else. I feel so much healthier and like I’m doing some small part to help the world. I’m also an aspiring minimalist, which is harder than you might think. We want to live in one of those tiny houses one day, so we’re practicing now!

My bog is an extension of myself. It’s a place where I can share my thoughts and feelings, and also have discussions about books I’ve read or want to read. Sometimes we don’t even talk about books on book blogs, and that’s fine! It’s whatever we want it to be with books in the middle. I used to be obsessed with followers and trying to build that group, but now it’s not as important. Yes, numbers are relevant if I want to request a certain book from a publisher, but I’m not going to stress over it. I want people to follow my blog because they enjoy the content and conversation. I want to connect with like-minded people that love to read!