About Me

How I Got Here

 

I was getting annoying. This was something I was well-aware of, but it wasn’t my primary focus. I just knew that if I just kept talking about every single book I read to everyone I knew, they would just stop listening completely, and talking without anybody listening isn’t worth anyone’s time. At some point, I had an idea: What if I made a review site? Blogging wasn’t really an option for me; I didn’t even know what blogging was in the grand scheme. But the thought stuck in the back of my head for a while, and I came up with the name “The Critiquing Critica” during this period.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. So after a while, I consulted my best friend who is now a pop music blogger, Nick at Aural Fixation Reviews, and told him about this idea. He seemed to think it sounded pretty cool and told me the approximate cost of a website. From there, I began searching the internet as I tried to figure out how to make my idea happen. I ended up discovering Blogger and some book blogs, and everything fell into place from there. I designed my blog, wrote my first (very amateur) review, and The Critiquing Critica was born unto the worldwide web.

That was April 6, 2010. While my blog still serves the same purpose, a lot has changed. For one thing, I certainly don’t limit my blog to books; I also talk about music, movies, and occasionally other fangirl-related things. I also don’t limit my blog to just reviews anymore. I have accumulated a number of miscellaneous posts, and really, a lot of general fangirling. This blog has really expanded in terms of content, including the quality of content. I started by giving star-ratings, but that concept has gone out the window for a little while now. So, you may run into those at the end of my older posts... But I may go in and get rid of them all completely because my ratings system didn't make the most sense.

But despite being here for a while and always changing things up, I’m still just here to have fun. I know that there are so many people out there that think of blogging as a job-like activity, but I’ve never been able to see it in that light. The Critiquing Critica hasn’t exactly been the most popular blog on the block, and that really doesn’t matter to me. I just want someone to read this and have fun with me.

So, I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I have. Thanks for reading, and please never be afraid to leave comments for me.

 

 

More About Me

 

Anyone who reads this blog will pick up some things about me: I like to read a multitude of genres, I listen to uncommon music, I don't watch enough movies, and I'm a loyal fangirl. But there's a lot more to the Critica behind the computer screen.

 

First of all, I love to sing. Always have, always will. I'm a mezzo-soprano and I prefer to sing with a classical style instead of a pop style; it's easier for me to do so, and many of my favorite singers do so. My biggest influences have been Amy Lee of Evanescence for low notes and a generally dark tone, Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation for high notes, Simone Simons of Epica for general vocal strength, Tarja Turunen for strengthening low notes sung with the head voice, and most recently Floor Jansen for embracing the more 'metal' side of my voice.

I also used to play the piano regularly, but now I hardly play at all anymore because I keep running into the same problem: My hands are too small. I'm short.

Even outside of blogging, I write a lot. I've experimented with poetry and short stories, and I've attempted novels, but I've proven to be the Queen of Unfinished Projects in that department. I am heavily influenced by Edgar Allen Poe, Annette Curtis Klause, J.K. Rowling, and Charlotte Bronte (but just because I look up to them doesn't mean I'm even half as good as them).

Because of my love for literature and writing, I'm in college and I'm double majoring in AYA education (which is the middle school/high school level) and English (writing). I'm really excited about that! Really, I'm quite enthused about the future in general. I want to expand my creativity and try new things. I've even thought about writing other blogs, but I haven't quite found a perfect fit. Beauty blogging sounds like a ton of fun, but let's face it, I don't wear enough make-up for that, nor do I do anything fancy with my hair. Fashion blogging sounds even more fun, but I'm afraid it'll cause me to shop more and I already shop too much. So, we'll see. For now, I'm happy with my humble little review blog.

 

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