Let's Talk: Has Blogging Changed Who I Am As A Reader?

I been thinking about this a lot lately. My boyfriend and I where talking and I mentioned how it is so easy for me to pick out plot holes, character flaws and inconsistencies in writing. But thinking back to the time before I reviewed books consistently I never really picked up on those things. My five star reads before I began blogging are my two or three star reads now. 

I know as you get older you do evolve as a reader and you do notice things differently. I have a different understanding of things now that I am 21 then when I first started blogging at 15. Over the years I pick apart characters and see if I can get the center of who they are, I try to look for plot holes or something that makes the plot of a fantasy novel inconsistent. I look for flaws and errors in books where I previously didn't. I use to impulsively add books to my TBR or buy books where now I question: Was that a five star read? Should I have given that book low as a rating? Is it worth the money to buy?

As I am reading I am thinking about the review that I am going to write after I finish. I think about characters, dialogue, setting, plot and all the aspects that make a story a story. Before blogging I read through books at a speed where I probably wasn't absorbing as much as much as I do now. I went from reading three to four books a week to reading between one and two because I began reading closer and more critically then I was previously. 

I also stress over writing reviews. There is a fine line between a negative review and a book bashing review and earlier on in my blogging career I crossed that line frequently without realizing it. I'll comb through my reviews to find ways to soften the negative things I have to say, or clarify a point that I think is going to anger people. I constantly talk about how what I think about the content of a book doesn't necessarily reflect on who I am as a person. 

I use to read as I pleased. I didn't have a set TBR, I visited the library quite regularly and I wasn't swamped with ARCs to review before publication date and the pressure to make sure there are blog posts set up so we are posting consistently. I also never suffered a reading slump before I began to blog. I found my reading slumps come from reading too many books too fast or reading a super heavy fantasy/sci-fi and then trying to dive into another heavy read. 

Ultimately, blogging has changed who I am as a reader. I think every blogger will go through this evolution at some point or another. It's just become more and more apparent as I've gotten older. 

What do you all think, has blogging change who you are as a reader? I would love to hear about it in the comments!