Book Blogging - Are you a responsible blogger?

There has been a lot of Twitter debate going on about ARCs, bloggers, and the like. I just thought I'd put up an actual blog post to let you (readers and publishers) know a bit about me as a blogger.

1. I am a reader first, blogger second. I write blog reviews because I love to read and share my thoughts on the books I've read. I'm not writing in this blog to make any money. Yes, I am a member of the NBCC because I do write reviews for other publications from time to time. I will not use Amazon links or any ads on this blog.

2. I buy Kindle or physical copies of all the books I recommend, even though I already have an ARC. I support the authors and the publishing industry. I am also big on buying books as gifts so I may end up purchasing a LOT of copies of books that I love to give to friends who may not be as motivated as me to go their local library or book store.

3. I give almost all of my ARCs (except the most precious, which I treasure) to my friend who is a teen services librarian.

4. OMG yes, I love getting ARCs! Nothing makes me happier than going to the mail box and finding BOOKS. Books are my drug, okay people? I am completely addicted. However, I do NOT feel entitled to free books just because I blog about books. I'm starting a feature on this blog soon for books that have been out for awhile so it's not just about the ARCs I get. I also write about my son's favorite books. I JUST LOVE BOOKS!!!! I feel honored that some publishers have been sharing ARCs with me. As I said above, whatever I don't donate, I treasure.

So, that's me as a blogger. What about me as a person? Well, I guess I might as well cover that here too.

1. I am an actor. I do voice over work to pay the bills... from animation & video games to commercials to radio imaging. Heck, I've even done a book trailer or two. (And publishers, if you want, I'd be happy to do more. Haha!) I play pretend for a living. It's the best.

2. I'm a mom. I have a son who is 18 months old and he is the light of my life. He also loves books. That's why I now do a post once a week with "E's Pick of the Week"!

3. I'm a bit goofy. Okay, I don't think I needed to say that. You probably could have figured that out.

4. And let's see...let's do one random fact - OH! My mother-in-law was my elementary school librarian. Yup, true story. Cute, right?

Okie dokie. That is seriously enough about me. This blog is not about me. It's about BOOKS. So, let's get back to our regular programming. Okay?