#BookBlogWriMo - Day 1 - What has changed in the past year

It's November, which means that everyone in the book world is talking about or taking part in NaNoWriMo. You may remember that last year some of us bloggers took part in our own version called BookBlogWriMo, organized by Brittany at Book Bumblings. This year, we're at it again; Samantha from Livre it to Me is leading the charge for us this year. Due to some arrangement issues, we're getting a late start, so bear with me while I get caught up :)

Since I participated in BookBlogWriMo last year, my task for day 1 is just to enlighten you all on what has changed around here since last year. The biggest change, is that I'm basically on my own now. Life has happened for Courtney and Kara, and they no longer have the time to devote to the blog at this point, so I'm holding down the fort alone until they return. This means fewer reviews are being posted as I am only one person and my family expects me to do things like feed them and wash laundry on a regular basis (totally unreasonably, I know.)

Another change you may have noticed is that I have started working as a freelance proofreader. I do post reviews for those books here on the blog, but I will always inform you at the beginning of the review that it is a book I was hired to proofread. I am still fully honest in my reviews, but I do understand if you take those reviews with an extra grain of salt.

The final change in my basic operating status, is that I no longer accept ARC copies of books for review (unless I requested the book through Netgalley or Penguin's First to Read program). This means that when I get review requests (which I refer to as auditions), I purchase the book to read. If you're interested in the various reasons for this chance, feel free to check out my review policy page, which you can access through the tab at the top of this page.

There have been some other small changes. I've started participating in a review round-up to share reviews from other bloggers on a regular basis, I'm sure you've seen those posts. I've also started posting an almost weekly Mail Call post, because I really just wanted a place to brag about all the awesome books that I get in the mail each week because I'm addicted to Goodreads First Reads giveaways. I'd actually really love it if y'all would participate/comment on those posts because it would help me decide what order to read those books in.

And I think that's just about it as far as changes to the blog go for now. Are there any changes you would like to see me make to the way I operate? Feel free to leave suggestions below. - Katie