Welcome to another TTT! This week I thought it would be so much fun to get to know each other on a more personal level. We’re all faces in books behind computer screens, but there’s more to all of us than books, right? I’m excited to learn more about you this week. :)

1. Puzzles
I love building puzzles and collecting the prettiest ones. They’re so relaxing and really make me happy!

2. Binging TV Shows
I love marathoning my favorite shows like Friends, MASH, Wings, JAG, etc. Right now I’m working my way through I Love Lucy for the umpteenth time.

3. Christmas
It’s a hobby, ok? I shop for decorations all year long and listen to Christmas music or watch a Christmas movie when I need a pick-me-up. It makes me happy!

4. Graphic Design
Did you know this is where the “artsy” in my blog title comes from? I’m a graphic designer! I love designing things for friends, family, and myself.

5. Animal Crossing
I got a Switch over the summer and I’m super addicted to Animal Crossing. I’m having so much fun decorating my island for the holidays, too. It looked positively adorable for Halloween and now I’m preparing for Christmas!

6. Shopping
I really, really love shopping. If I’m bored, I go browse online for things to add to my wish list!

7. Alternative Medicine
I find natural healing fascinating, and love researching and looking for new ways to feel better. I’ve got a lot of chronic health and pain conditions that have not responded at all to pharmaceuticals, so this takes up a huge chunk of my free time.

8. Baking
I especially like baking Christmas cookies, but I like making regular cookies and muffins all year! I need to star dabbling in bread. I’d love to bake bread!

9. Exploring/Traveling
I love visiting new places or exploring where I live! I love traveling, and I especially love going on cruises. COVID cancelled our two-week cruise this past May, which sucked. My mom, sister, and I just went on a drive looking for fall leaves a few weeks ago and I love doing things like that.

10. Decorating/Organizing/Home Projects
I love interior design, organizing and going through stuff to get rid of, and painting/remodeling the house! My family and I just re-did the family room and office during pandemic, and we’ve been going through everything and reorganizing and getting rid of stuff. It’s been fun!

What are some of your non-bookish hobbies? Do we have any in common?

Welcome to another TTT! How are you doing? I don’t even know how long I’ve been self-quarantining and staying home at this point, but it’s been at least 7 months by now right? I hope you’re healthy, and if you’re unable to stay home I hope you’re staying safe. This week’s topic is a fun change of pace. I’m keeping it bookish, but book-free. What bookish qualities do you possess that make it obvious to everyone who knows you that you’re a book lover? I got a little help from my family on this one, and we had a lot of fun!

1. If I’m not reading books, I’m talking about them. My mom told me I spend at least 50% of our time together talking about a book I’m reading or pushing her to read books I love.

2. I spend an insane amount of time researching books. I will admit that I can very easily fall down the rabbit hole and into the land of books. I’ve spent hours searching online for books that have certain tropes, settings, or elements that I’m in the mood for. Recently, I wanted to find books set in creepy buildings and I researched this for hours. I posted to Twitter asking for recs, I googled the topic in the hopes of finding lists or reviews of books like this, and I studied and read about each recommendation that was given to me. HOURS. I’ve done this with Gothic novels, romances set in Italy, romances set on ships, non-erotic romantic suspense, etc.

3. I’ve been known to spend entire DAYS organizing my Goodreads shelves. I’m not kidding, and it seems like such a waste of time when I look at myself through the eyes of people who don’t understand. But it’s necessary to my sanity and my happiness!

4. I’m obsessed with bookish merchandise. I’m not a collector of merchandise related to specific books here. I’m talking about merch related to books and reading in general. Anything with a book on it, and I’m a goner. I’ve got a bookish Christmas ornament collection, for example. If you know me at all, I’m sure this will come as no surprise to you.

5. When I travel, I scope out which bookstores I have to visit. I can’t tell you how many BAMs I went to on my family’s road trip down south a few years ago (Books-A-Million does not exist where I live).

6. Book mail is the best mail. It’s so exciting!

7. I spend way too much time curating themed book lists for trips and holidays.

8. My physical therapist asks me what I’ve been reading lately. Actually, everyone I know does.

9. I have a lot of book hangovers. I get super attached to characters, and when the book ends it feels like a real loss.

10. I go to bookstores to look at the books I’ve only read digitally because I never got to hold them in my hands. I like seeing the covers and if they’re textured or shiny. I like seeing how thick they are and what the layout looks like inside.

Are you like me at all? lol. Do we have any of these in common?
What makes you an obvious book lover to your friends and family?

Welcome to another TTT! I started blogging in 2010 as a co-owner of The Broke & the Bookish, before starting That Artsy Reader Girl about a year and a half later. I have gone through a LOT of life changes, so it only makes sense that my reading life changed as well. I thought it’d be fun to share how my reading (and blogging) life has changed since I was a baby blogger 10 years ago.

1. The Broke & the Bookish shut down last year, so now I only blog here.
2. I took over hosting Top Ten Tuesday last year and Broke & Bookish Secret Santa this year!
3. I’ve actually fallen out of love with YA lit, which has me floored and kind of sad. lol.
4. So that means I’m an adult book blogger instead of a YA book blogger! Never thought I’d say that. I’ve had to kind of start over and build relationships with new publishers, but it’s been awesome.
5. I read on my Kindle WAY more often now because I’ve run out of room and the shift from physical ARCs has really shifted to digital.
6. I used to read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, but now I gravitate towards adult contemporary romance and historical mysteries.
7. I read less than I used to.
8. It’s harder for me to fall in love with a book than it used to be, which is not a good thing at all. lol
9. I no longer feel this compulsion to get/request/accept ALL the ARCs like I used to. I just grab my most anticipated ones and don’t hoard like a did as a new blogger. I also am pickier with the books I accept for review, and have learned to not feel so guilty when I decline a review request.

So… maybe this wasn’t the most exciting topic, but I loved the idea of
having a reflection post reminiscent of a journal entry or something.
How has your reading life change recently or over time?