A Whole Year – My 1-Year Blogiversary

It’s my 1st blogiversary! I simultaneously feel like it’s gone really fast and that I’ve been doing this for a long time. My blog still isn’t pretty but feel like I somewhat know what I’m doing and writing blogs has become a normal part of my week. Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, liked, or subscribed. I never would have thought I’d have any followers and somehow I have over 100 of you lovely people. I love writing posts and getting the notifications that people are enjoying it. It means a lot to me and blogging has been a great way for me to get my fix of talking about books.

I struggled with how to write this post and then I stumbled across an anniversary book tag which I thought would be perfect to give me prompts and be a fun thing to do each year. I’m not sure of the original creator but I found it on Read with Amie.

What anniversary are you celebrating?

This is my 1 year blog anniversary!

What genre and genres do you usually focus on?

I am mostly a fantasy reader. When I started, I was reading almost exclusively YA fantasy but I’m starting to get brave and get into adult fantasy. I’ve also started reading more and more sci-fi. I pick up a good amount of contemporary and romance too, usually to break things up. I’ll read pretty much anything with an interesting premise as long as it isn’t in any way scary, I’m a big scaredy cat.

What are you most proud of on your blog this year?

Honestly, I’m proud that I’m still blogging. I sort of did this on a whim so it was definitely possible that I wouldn’t last long at all. I’ve gone through a few periods where I wasn’t as active but I’ve been fairly consistent and I’m still going.

Do you receive ARCs to review?

I receive eARCs through NetGalley and a good chunk of my reading is those ARCs. I have slowed my pace of requesting ARCs through NetGalley, really just being pickier. I make it a priority to read ARCs by the publication date and it has gotten overwhelming a few times so I don’t want anything on that list that I don’t want to definitely read. I’m also signed up on BookSirens but really did it to get the stats and I haven’t actually read an ARC through that platform yet. I’m still a baby blogger and I don’t own a lot of books (I love my library) so I haven’t even tried to get any physical ARCs.

What types of posts do you most like to do?

I like doing the post that are different, something I thought of randomly and decided to do. These are fun since it’s my idea, beginning to end. I don’t do a lot of these and want to do more, I have a few ideas in the works. A few of the weekly memes I’ve also enjoyed twisting especially far when a topic wasn’t to my liking. Some that I especially had fun with were:

• Series I Started in 2021
• Reasons I Love My Library which was actually a Top Ten Tuesday about recent hauls
• 10 Books/Series That No One is Talking About that I Love
• My First Two Months on NetGalley which I have turned into a monthly post

What types of posts do you read on other people’s blogs?

I always jump around on Tuesdays for Top Ten Tuesday and on Wednesday for WWW Wednesday but my favorite posts to read from others is wrap-ups. I love to see what people are reading and what they think. I do read some reviews if I’m interested in the book but wrap-ups let me get a little info on a lot of books so they’re definitely my preferred posts to read. I also tend to read posts that are different, something still bookish but that I haven’t seen before.

Was there anything you tried on your blog in the last year that didn’t work?

Not really, except for trying to make it pretty. I’ve just decided to face the fact that web design is not my thing. It is what it is.

Is there anything you tried that you won’t try again?

Again, not really. I write what I want and hope you like it but I don’t let the stats determine what I do next.

Is there anything you plan to do more of this year?

I’d like to do my book tags and original posts. I’ve got some ideas in the works and will soon be doing some mid-year posts as well.

Is there anything you plan to add to your blog?

I’d like to write more about knitting. I have added knitting projects to my monthly wrap ups and mention it sometimes elsewhere but I’d like to do more. I love taking pictures of my knitting and doing custom patterns, it would be fun to share more.

What are some of the challenges you find on your blog?

When I’m in the mood to read a lot, I have the most to say on my blog but I’m too busy reading to write. I ran into this in April when I have my best reading and worst blogging month, it’s hard to find the balance sometimes. Another thing that sometimes trips me up is when I need to write a review (so really for NetGalley ARCs only) and don’t have strong feelings on the book. A middle-of-the-road book is way harder to review than a book I love or hate.

What is the best advice you have for fellow bloggers?

After one year, I don’t think I’m really in a place to give advice but if someone was thinking about it, my advice would be to just do it. It’s seriously not that hard and it’s fun to have an outlet.

What is the best part of having a book blog?

When I’m done with a book and either love it or hate it, I have a place to rave or rant accordingly! I love talking about books and having a place to do it that isn’t just a Goodreads review is awesome. I also love every like and comment I receive, they mean a lot.

Thank you again to everyone who was come to my little blog over the last year! Happy Reading!