Sunday Spotlight - Reading Through Life

Today we have a great blogger who just recently got her own domain name! Yay! It's also great to see another young teacher blogging about books. Give a warm welcome to Carina and learn more about her and her blog below!


Name: Carina
Nickname and/or blog name: Reading Through Life
Blog URL: http://readingthroughlife.ca/


Tell me a bit about yourself.
I'm a 20-something teacher living and working in downtown Toronto. I have a variety of non-reading interests (part and parcel of being an ADDult), including figure skating, latin dancing, biking, running, sewing, knitting, and cooking.


When and why did you start your blog?
Through my university years, I learned a lot about myself and about books, including that I hated being told what to read. I spent 5 years reading next to nothing that I had chosen myself, and my personal intake of literature fell to a life-long low.

Over the past two years, since leaving university, I've finally returned to reading. I've been going at it rather haphazardly up until recently, something that I really sat down and thought about in December of 2009. At that point, I realized that I generally don't think very deeply about what I read, and that reading has taken a backseat in my life - something which I never could have envisioned in my childhood, or even in university when reading for pleasure stopped altogether.

So ... I decided to start book blogging, so that I would think more deeply about what I'm reading, keep a record of what I thought about things, and challenge myself to a higher level of immersion in the literary world. I also wanted to start writing more often again, now that my livejournal ramblings have come to a screeching, grinding halt.


What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
I post a mix of reviews, weekly memes (certain specific ones that I think are actually relevant), and sometimes general thoughts on reading, literacy, and books in general.


What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
I read pretty much anything, but tend to go through shorter periods of obsession with certain genres. Right now, I'm reading a lot of fiction, but the choices are from all over the board. I'm trying to keep myself to reading more contemporary fiction, but that's not always the case.


How do you find out about the books you read?
A mix of spotting them on book blogs and while wandering aimlessly through bookstores.


Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Don't obsess over whether people read your posts or agree with your opinion. Write first and foremost for yourself, so that you can look back on what you've done and see an honest and thoughtful reflection of your opinions.


Thank you Carina for stopping by today! Her blog looks like a lot of fun and she has a giveaway coming up in June, so make sure to check out the details on her blog!

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