Behind the Blog #4 Snail Mail

Hello fellow readers! It's time for this week's Behind The Blog

Behind The Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts Faye Kathe and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or media they find interesting!

Our theme this week is Snail Mail.  In the  age of instant gratification, technology is everywhere.Twitter, Facebook, email, we're always connected. As an unfortunate result, letter writing seems to have become a dying art. Even so, the thrill of getting a letter or card in the mail from a dear friend never seems to diminish. Do you like to write letters, or do you prefer email or social media sites? Have you ever been part of a pen pal program? Book related questions: What are some books you've read and enjoyed that have letter writing as a key component? What about some films? Do you ever take part in bookswaps? (They're like a pen pal program but with books!)

I absolutely LOVE to write letters. I love the act of writing them just as much as I love getting them. It's probably a strange passion in this day and age of technology and instant communication, but I don't think I'll ever stop.

 Don't get me wrong, I participate in plenty of different forms of instant communication too. Facebook, Twitter, email, you can find me using all of those on any given day. But there's just something so much more personal about getting a letter. Someone took time out of their busy day to sit down, write out their thoughts, and take it to the post office or their mailbox to get it on it's way. And I get so excited when I get a letter in the mail!

  I don't know quite how to explain the thrill I get from sending/getting letters though. A letter is just so much more personal than a text or a tweet can be (sometimes). My thrill at getting letters has even increased lately with all the books I've been winning. I love winning books, and what's even better is that sometimes they even have letters/notes with them! Two awesome things in one.

 Some of my friends might think I'm a bit strange when it comes to letter writing though. I like to find any excuse to write someone a note or letter, so I'll get cards for holidays that most people don't send cards for. Like last year I sent friends cards for Halloween and Saint Patrick's Day. And of course, I have a Christmas card list.

 Knowing my patterns, I'll probably end up writing a post here on the blog around the holidays asking if anyone wants a holiday card from me. (You've been warned!) If you want one, great. You'll be helping me get to do something I love. If you don't that's okay too. And I give you permission to think that I'm a total weirdo for asking. LOL

 As for penpal programs, they're awesome. I had two penpals out of a program run by a teen magazine when I was 10 or 11. One lived in the midwest somewhere, and one in Alaska, Sadly I lost touch with both of them though. More recently, Jessica over at Peace Love Books  set up a penpal program for bloggers. She connected me with a pen pal which is great. I've only written one letter so far, but I loved writing it. I asked my family to keep track of my mail while I'm gone and they told me that I have a letter from my penpal waiting for me when I get home, so I will respond to that ASAP.

I've also been hearing a lot about PostCrossing lately. From my basic understanding it's a free service that matches you up with people and you send and receive postcards to people all over the world. I'm seriously thinking about signing up for this because it seems like it would be a lot of fun. Have any of you used it? What are your thoughts on it?

Writing is a passion for me in any form, and letter writing is a more personal form of  that. Letters hold a lot of value for me. I have a few boxes of just about all of the letters I've received over the years, and I'm hoping to make some scrapbooks with them some day.

Books and Films:

Now I'd like to share with you some books I've read where letters play a key role: 

13 Little Blue Envelopes

This is a great coming of age book where a girl goes on an adventure all over the world following the instructions contained in letters that her aunt wrote her. This is a great read.

Letters in Cardboard Boxes

I read this earlier this year and really enjoyed it. The main characters are a grandmother and granddaughter. We get to see them in the present, as they go through some tough life experiences. We also get to see the evolution of their relationship through a series of letters. You can check out my review by clicking here

What books have you read where characters enjoy writing letters?

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