Many book bloggers write anonymously and don’t necessarily reveal a lot about themselves. I certainly belong to that category, Nevertheless, I do feel you get a sense of the person behind the blog. A blogger’s choice of books certainly says something about their taste, interests and personal preferences. Likes and dislikes may be discussed in their posts. Via the writing style, a blogger reveals aspects of their personality, including sense of humour, directness and generosity. Typically, it also comes across, which topics the blogger is passionate about. And occasionally, you may get an idea of the political views of the blogger via their opinions on certain books and authors.
Despite my attempts to remain private, I am sure people who regularly read my posts, have an idea of at least some of my interests and viewpoints.
Below, I have added ten posts, which in my opinion represent me as a person. Many of the posts focus on my interests and hobbies, but a few also include more personal background and opinions. Finally, I have added a couple of examples of my feeble attempts of creative writing.
Interest and Hobbies
1. Wildlife in Costa Rica
Travel is one of my big passions and you’ll find many blog posts on this topic. My Literary Location series includes some of my own favourite posts.
2. QED – The Strange Theory of Light and Matter, Richard Feynman
My interest in science also comes across in various posts. When first starting my blog, I intended to review popular science books, but realised, that is probably too niche.
3. Book Review: Love and Other Thought Experiments
I am utterly fascinated by philosophy and books including metaphysical aspects always get bonus points from me. Love and Other Thought Experiments combines three of my interests: literature, philosophy and AI. No wonder, I love this book.
4. A day with Artificial Intelligence
AI is another topic which pops up regularly on my blog, both in reviews and discussion posts. Seeing the way things are going, this topic is relevant for all of us.
5. A Bookish Ode to London
One thing I do reveal about myself is that I am based in London. And it’s no secret, I am a city girl through and through. Art, music, theatre, good food and the diversity in a metropole like London are all essentials in my life.
Personal Posts
6. Judging a book by its cover, judging a blogger by their avatar
In my 2-year anniversary post, I gave a bit of background for my blogging name stargazer and explained why I found that name particularly suitable.
7. Hopes for 2021, a.k.a. the post where stargazer has an opinion
In real life, I have strong views on many topics, but I try to keep these at a minimum on my blog. However, in this Top Ten post, it just spilled out of me, so this is one of the few posts, where you see my true opinionated self.
8. Audiobook Review: Quiet by Susan Cain
I wonder how many book bloggers are introverts? In my review of Quiet, I talk a little bit about being an introvert and what it has meant for me.
My Writing
9. Circe: Interview with a fallen goddess
This might be a slightly odd post, but I enjoyed writing it and I still smile, when I revisit it.
10. Mrs Dalloway and Me
Like Circe, Mrs Dalloway inspired me to write an alternative review, tapping into the vibe of the story. It is still one of my favourite classics.
There you have it, ten posts which may give you an idea of the person behind the blog. Do you have any posts, which give a good impression of who you are?
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by ThatArtsyReaderGirl.
What a clever and thoughtful post. Our interests are very different – I am the least sciency person you could meet. But your posts are always interesting and thought-provoking and I’m glad you’re part of the blogosphere, if not as frequent a contributor as some (not a bad thing, by the way – some bloggers tend to overwhelm with the number of posts they offer).
I love your Ode to London post! Here’s mine for this week.
https://portobellobookblog.com/2024/08/27/top-ten-tuesday-27th-august-posts-ive-written-that-give-you-the-best-glimpse-of-me-toptentuesday-amreading-bookrecommendations-tuesdaybookblog/
Fab post. I couldn’t think of anything to do for this topic, so I’ve given it a miss for another time.
Love your post, Stargazer💜 Over time, I do feel like I have a sense of the bloggers I interact with regularly. I’m sure they have a sense of me, too😏
London seems like such a cool place to live.
“Art, music, theatre, good food and the diversity in a metropole like London are all essentials in my life..” — I’m completely with you on this. A high-quality urban environment is the greatest.
I’ve never really written super personal posts nor did I intend to. But of course, I suppose that does translate now and then in a book review or certainly in a cultural post, too. Thanks so much for visiting my website today.
This topic raises an interesting question for book bloggers — do people read our content expecting to see something personal; some info that gives a sense of who we are? I’ve very rarely done that because I didn’t think people would be that interested but maybe I’m wrong and the personal info helps them to feel more engaged??
I clearly need to read more of your posts and appreciate this list of ones which will help me get to know you better. I don’t try to keep my life too private though I should be more cautious. I think if we read posts consistently over a year or so we can really get to know quite a bit about each other. I hope so.
Posts for a Glimpse of Me Anne@Head Full of Books
Great post and I enjoyed visiting various posts of yours that came before I knew about your blog, particularly the opinionated post. It’s nice finding out about you & the person behind the blog. I know you’re Danish … and enjoy science, London, travel and other things. You seem open, generous, smart, and for democracy, yay. And I like what you have to say in your book reviews. I hope you keep it going.
Great list! I always love when people share posts that give a glimpse into who they are, because it gives us a new way to connect over shared interests or ideas. In this case, it would have to be travel to Costa Rica! I went in the early 2000s with a college Ecology and Tropical Conservation class, and spent two weeks there, and it was an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world! I saw a lot of the same animals, birds, and plants that you did, although it looks like we visited some different areas because I’m so sad that I didn’t get to see the Quetzal or the Scarlet Macaw or a toucan! But we visited quite a few ecosystems around the country, and while it was humid, at least that wet and mildewed smell didn’t follow me home. Nice to get to know you a little better.
A great selection, stargazer! I do agree that the posts we put up, the thoughts we write down, they clue us in on the kind of person behind them. 😛
Loved this post, Stargazer, and revisiting some of those old posts 😊 Sadly, some things don’t seem to have changed much since 2021 – or at least don’t seem to have changed for the better. But let’s keep looking at the stars. And please, don’t change your avatar! 🔭✨
I went down a rabbit whole of your old posts.
I think we do get a sense of who someone is through their writing and the topics they chose to write about. I believe we can even get a sense of who a person is by the passages they highlight in a book.
Think about Elena Ferrante – while no one can truly identify her, we all get a sense of who she is though her work. =)