Good Bye for Now

I have put off writing this blog post for at least a week, and have been thinking about it for much longer than that.

In 2008 I was in my fourth year as a stay-at-home mom and was really starting to go a little crazy.  I wanted to find a book club, but couldn't find anything locally that met at a time that worked for me - so I went online to try to find an online club and discovered book challenges!  I was hooked and started this blog in August of 2008 so I would have someplace to post my challenges.  Well, this quickly led into reviewing ARC's and as much as I have tried every year to do some book challenges, by August they are long forgotten in the overwhelming pile of ARC's that I have to review.

In 2011 I went back to work part time at my son's school library.  This got me out of the house and back into the "semi" adult world - as I was working at a K-2 school.  Then in August of this year, I started working a second part time job at our local library.  I love both of these positions for different reasons and hope that I can stay at both for many years to come.  Unfortunately that second job has taken a lot more time than I realized it would and blogging has suffered because of it.   I also volunteer a few hours every week at the school my son is at now - either in the library, for the hot lunch meals, or for their "Pride Store" where they can purchase small prizes for tickets they have earned.

I have been left feeling totally overwhelmed and burnt out. Oh, and  probably the most important thing that I hope will be happening in January is that I was accepted into UIS's online liberal arts/English program and hope to FINALLY finish my bachelor's degree.  So something's gotta give - and for now, that something is blogging.  This has been such a part of my life for the last five years that it is hard to say goodbye - even if it may only be for a little while.

I must say though, that finding new books to read actually sounds exciting to me again. The thought that I can read ANYTHING and it can take AS LONG AS I WANT and I DON'T HAVE TO REVIEW IT if I don't want to is very appealing!  My TBR list is longer than I ever thought it could possibly get!

I appreciate so much all the publishers, tour hosts, and authors who have offered me books over the years and hope to be in touch again in the future as my youngest grows up and my oldest ones move on. I also want to say thank you to all the readers and followers who have read my blog over the years and shared their blogs with me - maybe now I will be able to visit your blogs more!

So this is goodbye for now. Who knows - maybe after a little time off I will feel like doing some promoting and start doing cover reveals and book blitzes again - or maybe if I fall in love with a book in my TBR pile I will give it a review and a shout out.  The thing that got me blogging in the first place will probably pull me back in next year as all the new challenges come out!  Who knows?  The reading world is my oyster!