I've been a bit reflective and contemplative about the past four years as a book blogger lately, and it's brought a few things to mind. The book blogosphere is an incredible unique little niche of the blogosphere as a whole, and it encompasses so many things. In the past four years, I believe that the vast nature of it has spread, as well, making it so that it embraces new genres, new authors and new mediums - all of which contribute to this ever-changing literary climate in which we find ourselves.

Whereas other blog niches seem to revolve around the same things more or less, the book blogosphere is one that seems to continue to morph with the changes and evolution of literature, as well. For example, as e-books and e-publishing have become more prevalent, I see more bloggers focus primarily on those niche markets. With the introduction of the newly-coined "new adult" genre, there are now niche blogs that focus primarily on that genre. It's pretty fascinating to watch.

However, it's brought new things to mind, as well, which I've shared with some other bloggers, as well. It seems that as the industry changes, blogs need to change with the times, as well, or they become stagnant. I've found that since my last hiatus, the book blogging world definitely changed, and I felt as though my blog lost a little traction then. I came back to a newly diverse and growing field of amazing book blogs that understood the new trends in the market, whereas I seemed to stay true to my roots. At times, it's great, but I also wonder about the overall longevity of my blog in this climate.

I know that sounds so doom-and-gloom, but it's really more of a reflection than anything else…one that's amazing and excited by all the changes I've been able to see come about in the past four years. For example:

• The rise of Netgalley and subsequent rise of Edelweiss revolutionized the way that publishers could market their books to the book blogosphere who can, in turn, market the books to the public. 
• The general acceptance and newfound prevalence of self-publishing has been refreshing to see and support, especially because it's been a hard-fought battle for many authors to prove their merit to the general public.
• The rise of genres within certain markets (ex: dystopian in YA) has led to a growth-spurt in book bloggers and book lovers looking for a new sort of book to crave. It's exciting to have watched the boom of these little genres really take off.
• The acceptance of book bloggers as grassroots marketers is an ongoing thing, but I've seen more and more authors and publishers really support and appreciate what book bloggers do, making it all the more worthwhile.

There a million other things I could probably list here, but it's fascinating to me that that list could change on any given day, week, month or year, as well. Book blogging has taught me that I need to roll with the changes, and it's something I'll be striving to do in the coming months. So long as I feel I can contribute even a little something to the book blogosphere, I intend to stick around.

Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!

Question: Do you prefer real books or those on your e-reader, and why?

This is a debate that I have in my head quite often, and I'll be the first person to say that I'm not really sure there is a real answer because there are two vastly different sides here. I own a Barnes & Noble Nook. His name is Dexter. He has an orange case and way too many books loaded within his little memory chip...or whatever it is that makes him tick. I don't know technology. So, sue me.

Dexter (my Nook, in case you aren't following) is great. He's convenient, portable and I never really have to worry if I'm forgetting a book I need to review, so long as my Nook is in my purse. That, in and of itself, is a huge pro. There's also the convenience of Netgalley, which is absolutely awesome. ARCs cost a lot of money, so having the opportunity to read a lot of titles I might otherwise have to wait until their release is another massive pro. Most of all though, it's nice to be able to carry my Nook to the pool, to the beach or anywhere else I might need to go and not have to worry about ruining the pretty cover. Unless I'm a clumsy fool and drop it, that is.

On the other hand, there's a beautiful familiarity in real, tangible books. I'll fight anyone who tells me there is something more wonderful than walking into a beautiful old library with hundreds of titles and that rich old-book smell. I know. I'm a geek. I also love walking into my house and knowing I can go to any shelf, pick up a book and get lost in the pages. I don't have quite the same affinity with books on my e-reader.

So, frankly, I don't know if one is really better than the other, per se, but I certainly have a favourite. If I could only read real books or those on my e-reader for the rest of my life, I would choose the real books. Hands-down.