Ever since my return to blogging I have really been enjoying myself. And I guess my “kind of, sort of return” has now pretty much turned into a “I’m not going anywhere any time soon return”. Yeah, I know that’s not even a proper sentence, but hey I guess I’ll take it. Anyway, sometimes I do take a look back at some of the older stuff I’ve written to get ideas for new posts. And then my eyes fell on the Bloggers in the Spotlight feature. The last post I wrote for that category is shockingly now more than a year ago! Yeah I know right, that’s really been quite a while. I guess it’s time to breathe new life into that series, since it’s always fun to shed some light on bloggers who you might not know about yet, but definitely deserve to be followed. So, in other words, welcome to Volume 8 of Bloggers in the Spotlight, where I have collected a number of bloggers to embarass present to you, because well they all deserve it! Each of them is unique in their own way, and well I have really been enjoying their content. So here they are, in no particular order!
Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road
When it comes to following blogs, I have always said at a certain point there is a limit. It’s not that I don’t want to follow more blogs, it’s simply because you can only read so many posts on a day. And just following someone and not being able to read their posts properly is not how I roll so to speak. So it was with Bookstooge, a blogger that I came across quite a while back but just wasn’t able to follow earlier, because I was at my limit. But with some blogs sadly not publishing posts anymore, either because they moved on, or for other reasons, I’ve finally been able to follow him. And it’s a decision I haven’t regretted so far! Bookstooge mainly writes reviews about science fiction, fantasy, and Manga (in short the stuff that I love) and does so with a great sense of humour and skill. You can also see many of his comments appear around the blogging sphere, and I’m always impressed by that! He’s a very friendly guy, and honestly I’m surprised that he hasn’t more followers. Hopefully this will change, because I really urge you to follow his site, and go check out his stuff! You won’t be disappointed!
Film-Authority.com
Hey, here’s a secret hardly anyone knows about me: I love movies! I know right? That’s a total shock to all of you, and well I did say hardly anyone knows this about me. When it comes to movies I like to be surprised as well, and I love finding out about films that aren’t mainstream or simply not very well known. And that’s where the Film-Authority.com comes in. This amazing blog writes reviews for films that may not all be familiar to you, and in a huge variety of different genres. Classics, horror, science fiction, thrillers, pretty much every category of movies is covered there, and written with a great and highly enjoyable style. The only downside? Your “to watch list” will grow every day, but hey I’ll take it! Seriously though with a very friendly (and not to mention funny) host in the form of tensecondsfromnow (I hope I wrote that correctly), this is simply a “must follow blog!”. Also it’s worth mentioning the comedic banter that ensues every day between the Bookstooge and this blogger. Seriously you two should make your own series about that! So if you love films, this is definitely one of the sites you want to add to the ones that you are already following!
The Review Heap
I hope you are in for yet another shock, because next to me loving movies, I also love anime. Yeah, I could hear the sound of all of you dropping to the floor because of this latest revelation. So, as most of you know the anime blogging community is huge with a lot of blogs out there, all of them pretty amazing. Because of it being so huge there are always going to be blogs you missed in some way. So it was for me with The Review Heap hosted by the very kind Ashley Capes. What I really like about this blog, is that it features a lot of the more classic animes, and well I just really happen to like those. The Review Heap is a blog I haven’t been following for a very long time, in fact next to the Bookstooge it’s one of the two blogs that I started following since my return. But I have so far really been enjoying the ride. One of the most fun things about blogging I think has always been the interacting in the comments sections, and you always get a very spirited response from Ashley when you leave a comment on a post. Next to a very cool looking blog, the articles are very well written, and a real pleasure to read. I plan on diving into some earlier posts that I have missed out on soon, but I just need to find some time for that. If it hasn’t already become clear, you simply need to follow this blog asap if you aren’t doing so already.
Book Beach Bunny
I’m a geek, and I’m proud to be a geek. I’m 44 years old now, and by the time I’m 88 I’m still planning on being a geek. So it’s no surprise that I love blogs that deal with all things geek. But to simply dismiss the blog Book Beach Bunny(gotta love a name like that) as just for geeks would be doing it a great disservice. Hosted by the always friendly Gemma, this is another blog that has many, many different topics on it. As the name implies there are definitely book reviews on there, a lot of them in the sci-fi and fantasy genres, but other sorts of books are covered too. Then there are movie and tv shows that get exposed, in the form of trailers, news items and reviews. Gemma also makes fun posts about all sorts of topics such as blogging and things like top 5 lists. She has a great and fun writing style, which makes each post a fun read, and it’s one of those blogs where you never really know what will be coming up next. And well, I have always liked surprises! Anyways, I think I have hopefully made my point, that this is yet another blog that you simply can’t live without. So go ahead and press that link, check out the content, and if you like what you see (which you will) hit that follow button!
M.I.B’S Instant Headache
Yeah, that’s one heck of a cool name for a blog huh? Not to mention the seriously cool avatar as well. So closing the ranks for Volume 8 of Bloggers in the Spotlight, we have another blogger that I have been following with pleasure for quite a while. M.I.B.’s Instant Headache is a blog that also covers movies, and not to forget anime, but again not the mainstream ones, a huge reason why I like this blog so much. The movies that are covered on this blog are from a wide range of countries, and it’s nice to finally see someone covering movies who isn’t afraid of reading subtitles. And I might make a joke out of it now, but honestly it’s a real shame that a lot of people miss out on some truly awesome flicks just because subtitles are involved. I have recently been adding way too many international movies to my already overflowing “to watch list” but hey, there’s never such a thing as too many movies. I’m always in awe of the really amazing amount of movie trivia that Man In Black (yes that’s what M.I.B. stands for) knows about, and I have had some really great discussions with him in the comments section. This blogger seriously needs more people to follow him, because really the posts are a joy to read. Want to find out more? Well, don’t just stand there, hit the link and discover all what this amazing blog has to offer!
That’s all….for now!
So, there you have it: five really amazing bloggers that deserve their place in the spotlight! With the world of blogging expanding every day, I’m sure that this definitely won’t be the final installment of this feature. In fact there are still quite a number of bloggers that I’m following but who haven’t yet had their fifteen minutes of fame here. Rest assured though, in the future I definitely plan on writing more of these posts, so if you haven’t yet been featured here, don’t despair. For now though, I hope that you will enjoy the blogs that I have shown you here today! Thanks for reading, and see you at the next post!
Film-Authority.com top blogger
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Totally agree! Although, all the bloggers here are top bloggers as far as I’m concerned😀😀
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I’m going to check them out today. Thanks for sharing
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Well Thank you Raist! I am humbled and honoured to be featured in your spotlight section. I appreciate the kind words. Appreciate it, good sir! 🙂
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You are very welcome! And you totally deserve it in my opinion! It’s about time more people discover your blog!😃😃
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Much obliged to once again! 🙂
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I already follow film-authority but will check out the others.
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Thanks Fraggle, I’m pretty sure they will appreciate it!😃😃
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Totally agree with the first two choices, will check out the rest. Think you were the first comment I ever got, back when I had four readers a day. Part of blogging is about reading and enjoying other people’s posts, and you set a great example; thanks so much!
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Always nice to take a trip down memory lane isn’t it? 😊 Next year I will hit the five year mark for my blog, (well I guess not a full five years with all the unfortunate hiatusses😔), but it’s always been a very enjoyable ride! The best thing about blogging, and that’s what I have pretty much always said: is the wonderful interactions in the comment sections and meeting new people, that become good friends😊 (yourself included of course!😃) I love doing posts like these to really help others discover what makes other blogs so awesome! So I can only hope that you will get some more readers, because your blog really is very cool!😃
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There’s amazing blog on here with a handful of folowers. Friendships are different in the digital age, but you’re never alone with some of these blogs, funny, insightful, and often showing up print journalism as stuck-in-the-mud. Your own blog is also a must read, not only because of your excellent taste but the generous writing style. Here’s to you!
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Aww, thanks that’s really kind of you to say!😊 I definitely had my ups and downs over the years, but I have truly enjoyed my time as a blogger, and I hope to keep doing it for a very long time to come!😊
Could not agree with you more about there being some amazing blogs here: it’s nuts some of these don’t have so many followers, so I hope that a post like this helps!😊😊 And you are right about friendships being different in this digital age, but luckily doesn’t mean they aren’t any less powerful😊 Have a good day, and thanks for the kind words, appreciate it!
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Thanks for the shoutout Raist!
You know the weird thing? I wasn’t notified by your link nor does it show up as a pingback on my First Lord’s Fury post. And you did everything right as far as I can tell. Sometimes I despair of WordPress working the way it is supposed to.
And thanks for noticing the banter between 10Seconds and me. I tend to just play along but my goodness, that man can start a comment string like nobody’s business!
As for why I’m not bigger? There are 2 simple reasons for that. First and foremost, being a committed Christian I tend to call out things in my reviews that a lot of people consider to be the normal. Second, I trim the dead wood followers on a monthly basis. If someone hasn’t interacted with me for 6 months since they’ve followed me, or their blog has been dead for a year, I cull them. That does wonders for keeping my numbers pretty low. On the plus side, it means that my interaction statistics are pretty high. I have something like a 10% interaction rate on my blog. The normal is 1-5% 😀
And one final note. If you do continue this series, I’d highly recommending putting links to your previous posts. People like to check them out. I know, because when OrangutanLibrarian does her version of this, I always get an extra hit or two and she featured me way back in her 3rd one (and she’s up to 7 or 8 just like you).
Finally, way to be so positively positive. Good job!
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Haha, you are very welcome!😊 I’m just glad I’m finally able to follow you! As I said in the post, I hate following people just to follow them and not be able to read posts. I know a lot of folks just leave likes on posts, without even reading them, but that for me isn’t what blogging is about😊 I’m not one to care for statistics anyway!😅
And don’t get me started on WordPress issues! As much as I love being here, the problems that sometimes arise are seriously annoying! But yeah, I did leave a pingback, so it’s strange it didn’t pop up. Oh well, glad you found the post anyway!
As for the interaction between you and tenseconds…yeah, I really meant it: you guys should start doing a collab post, I think that would be a huge succes! 😂
Well..I have always said that everyone has the right to be what they want to be, I never judge😊I’m a catholic myself, but I am always very openminded when it comes to religion or other people’s beliefs!
So, that’s why your follower count is so low huh…the culling process🤔🤔 Interesting tactic indeed. Honestly though, I have been on a couple of hiatusses myself due to some very annoying health issues, but I try to come back every time😊 Over the years though I have seen many good bloggers leave, and that always makes me sad. So yeah understand the culling..and it really does do wonders for that interaction rate though haha!😂
That’s a great suggestion by the way! I will be doing that in the next one (and I might even edit all the posts when I have some time). I do have a seperate section for these postst on my blog, for easy reference! But I will definitely take that suggestion and put it to good use!😊
Haha, thank you…if there is one thing I always try to be it’s positive, especially in this totally weird year! 😊
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Big numbers look impressive BUT if you compare the rates, well, then suddenly those big numbers are meaningless.
What’s the point of having 5K+ followers if only 100 people like your post? I’d much rather have my nice and cozy 300 followers and get 30 likes 😀
Sometimes it seems that blogging attracts people with health issues. Heck, look at me 😀 But the way people just suddenly leave, well, after a couple years of that it got to me and I kind of stopped caring…
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Well, there is one blogger that I really miss here, as she really was a big influence on my blog, and a lot of other ones too. She was always very kind and supportive. When I came back a few weeks ago, I was pretty shocked to hear that she went away for quite a few months now. I really hope she will return at some point, as I know a lot of people in the anime community really miss Karandi quite a lot.
But yeah, I have had my share of bloggers going and leaving too, and it’s I think part of the process as sad as that is😔
You are so right though about those stats lol! It’s the same with people that say: look I have over 1 million friends on facebook: really? How many of those people do you actually know?😂😂😂
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for me, there was a couple, Mr and Mrs NW that just came out of nowhere. Their writing was awesome, their posts insightful and they were gaining a lot of ground. Then they just stopped. Turns out they had kids and a mortgage and life just got in the way of blogging so they paid attention to what was important.
I didn’t blame them, it just saddened me and made me realize anyone can disappear for any reason at any time.
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I remember them! They really did have an amazing job, and they were frequent visitors to my blog as well. I think they must have disappeared at the same time when I went on my first long hiatus. Real life really is more important than blogging is what I always say, but it’s always sad to see good people leave.
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Nice feature and recommendations, Michel. I agree about good film blogs, they just provide even more films I want to watch, and don’t have the time to.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Haha…isn’t that the truth lol😂 Oh how I wish I could take a sabbatical for two years and just try to catch up with everything. But well I already know I would fail anyways😂😂
It’s always nice to do these posts Pete, definitely hope to continue them for quite a while more! 😊😊😊
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Very cool Michel! I’m only familiar with Book Beach Bunny so I’ll be checking the others out.
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Thanks Kim, I’m sure they will appreciate it! 😃
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Another interesting list of blogs I will have to check out 🙂 Thanks!
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You are welcome! Definitely some very good blogs with these five😊 I hope you will enjoy them!😀
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There really isn’t much time to read every movie/book site out there, though I’m always happy to discover new good ones. It’s so cool to see you sharing those that you enjoy! 🙂
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Thank you! Same here, as much as I would love too, there simply is a limit to the sites one can follow. But yeah, I try to shed some light on blogs that not everyone might know about yet. I always enjoy making posts such as these! 😊
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I can relate to the feeling of wanting to check out more blogs, but yet only having so much time to read them! Anyway, always nice to see bloggers highlighted and what makes them special to you.
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Yeah, sometimes I really want to have more hours in a day lol 😂 But that’s why I do have a limit to the number of blogs that I follow. I don’t want to start following people and not be able to read their posts 😊Thank you!😀
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I remember when you did this for me. It’s the thought that’s appreciated and it’s always nice to discover new blogs.
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Thank you very much!😊 I always enjoy making posts such as these and shed some light on blogs that not everyone might know about! Hope there are a couple of good ones for you to discover too!😃
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Well, I was already following 4 of the bloggers you mentioned lol. But I’ll be happy to check out the remaining 1.
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Thanks, Raistlin! Appreciate being featured, awesome. And very happy to receive such compliments too, thanks again 🙂
I hope I can keep the old school posts coming – I still have to write posts on a few of the big ones like FMA, Neon Genesis, Bebop to name a few. (It’s a little daunting, actually, they’re such monstrously huge shows).
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You are very welcome, and well you and your blog totally deserve it! 😊😊
I know what you mean! I wrote a review for Neon Genesis last year, and well it’s almost impossible to capture such a huge show in one post. Almost wish I had done a series on that one😊 Good luck though, you can do it!😃
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Thank you 🙂 Hoping before the end of the year, and cool – I’ll go take a look at your review in a tic
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Awe! What a lovely thing! Made my day honestly 🙂 I’ll make sure to check out these other blogs and thanks, thanks, thanks again!
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Haha, you are very welcome! Your blog is awesome, and well I want more people to find that out! 😊 As for the others, pretty sure they will appreciate you checking them out!😊
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A fantastic collection of bloggers to showcase in this feature, Michel! Totally agree about the first two, and it’s hilarious that you put those two together. What they comment to each other is absolutely hilarious, it cracks me up every time hahaha Thanks for sharing, my man!
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Haha, thanks Lashaan😊 And so true….they crack me up every time. It’s as I said, they really should do their own series of posts together. They would be really succesful if they did! 😂😂
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