Thursday, March 18, 2010

New blog name, new layout, new vision...

Hello, out there! I know I'm very much under the radar since I decided to quit blogging, so I don't even know if this will get read.

Quitting was a really smart thing for me to do, because after my time off, I think I now believe that I can keep up my blog in a super laid back way and be okay with it. I tend to be a little compulsive about "completeness" and feel the need to review every single book I read or life as I know it will end. But not anymore! I am reinventing myself!

In honor of the "new me, " I thought it would be a good idea to abandon the connotation of addiction that the name "ChainReading" suggests. Book clutter is what I happily see when I look around my house (and car). I usually have 4-6 books I'm reading at once, all not-so strategically placed so I can at least find one of them at any given time. (I did a Google search and did not see any other blogs with this name. If anyone knows differently, let me know.) Posting will be very clutterish as well--randomly posting when I have something to say and/or time to say it!

I also have a new layout, which only came about as a result of my daughter taking her first driving lesson. I don't know if I was more scared of her getting into an accident, or concerned that she was going to be in a car with a strange man for two hours. Needless to say, I needed a distraction, and playing around with my completely inactive blog seemed to do the trick.

I should mention reading challenges. I have still been reading many blogs, and I see the oh-so-tantalizing challenges that are introduced out there. I will not be joining most of them. I do think I will have more luck with this than with giving up junk food. I hope . . .

A lot of course will be the same as before. A low level of technology. General ignorance of stats. Appreciation for comments.

And a passion for reading.

Wow, it feels good to write this! Hopefully I'll do it again soon.

17 comments:

  1. I'm still here!! Honestly Shelley I've missed you so much. Your blog was one of my favorites and even though you quit blogging I have kept you in my google reader with the hopes that maybe one day I'd get to hear from you again. It doesn't matter how often you post, I'll still be here. :)

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  2. Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing future posts!

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  3. Yay!! You just popped up on my Google reader. Sooo excited that you're back. I'll definitely be popping in for all the randomness you care to post!

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  4. Welcome back - and I LOVE the new name! I totally understand the need to scale back and even step away from blogging. My postings have become rather erratic, too. Hope you find a "recipe" that works for you!

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  5. So glad to see you back! I really like your new look.

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  6. Welcome Back! We all need to reassess.

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  7. Welcome back! I like the new name and design. Can't wait to see what you post next!

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  8. Good plan! We're doing this for...what? Money? No. Power? No. Fame? Unlikely.

    Answer: Fun. If you ain't having fun, don't do it. Simple.

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  9. Thank you for all of your "welcome back" comments. It's good to hear from y'all!

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  10. Welcome back to blogging! And thanks for visiting me.

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  11. I'm late to the party, as usual. I'm really glad you're back. And, can I just say, you're a genius. I've been trying to think of a new title for my blog for months and you have come up with, not one, but now two amazing titles. Genius.

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  12. Thanks, Kim! You're too nice! Clutter was really just the best way to describe my bookish habits.

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  13. Welcome back - and I LOVE the new name! I totally understand the need to scale back and even step away from blogging. My postings have become rather erratic, too. Hope you find a "recipe" that works for you!

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