It all began in 2006.
Never in a million years would I have guessed I would still be blogging TWENTY years after I first pressed Publish on my review for Barbara Kingsolver's Small Wonder. I'd been keeping a book journal since 1996, and after seeing a few friends create their reading blogs, I decided to give it a try. There have been a few years in which I took a break, but for the most part, blogging has been a part of my routine for two decades.
We lived in Lincoln, Nebraska when I started blogging. I was working at my dream job at Barnes & Noble. Now we live on the Oregon coast, happily retired and enjoying life (and not setting an alarm clock for 5 a.m., or anytime, for that matter!).
I'm so grateful to all of you, some of whom I've known since those early days, and some who are new this past year. I've also met a few of you in person, and am happy to call you dear friends. I love following your blogs, getting ideas on what to read (or watch), and sharing your joys and sorrows.
I miss all those friends who have either stopped blogging for one reason or another, or who have passed away. Every now and then, when I look at a book review from years past, I enjoy reading the comments, remembering those who used to be a part of this special group of friends.
I've posted various blogiversary thoughts over the years. Here are links to some, if you're interested:
Seven Year Blogiversary (kind comments when I announced I was quitting)
Eighth Year Blogiversary (50 favorite books)
Tenth Year Blogiversary (history and some stats)
Thirteenth Blogiversary (retired life!)
Twenty years is so impressive! Congratulations. I'm at 17 this year and, like you, am amazed I am still doing it and enjoying the process and the people.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen. It is pretty amazing we've been doing this for so many years! I'm still enjoying it, especially now that I'm retired and have more time. I so love the community of friends that has grown over the years. Thank you for being a part of this special group!
DeleteHas it really been 20 years?? Wow! And we've known each other for a really long time. Don't think you had the blog when we first ran across each other, but maybe? I know that you and Nan were encouraging to me when I thought about writing mine. Sigh. I think about how many readers I have run across over all these years, how many books I might not have discovered without them, how many dear friends (yourself included, of course) without sharing our reading lives. Congrats! Have always loved your blog. Have loved meeting you in person even more. Big hugs and Happy Valentine's Day as well!
ReplyDeleteI know, can you believe it, Kay?? And we knew each other (online groups) even before I started blogging. We met in '96-'98 (we can never remember, can we?) and it was a full decade before I started the blog. But our online groups were pretty chatty. Yes, there are so many books that I never would have read had it not been for recommendations by fellow bloggers. But not just books, but emotional support through those rough years right after R's death, and other stressful times over the two decades. I know you may never get back out to OR, but if you do, I hope we can meet up again. Salishan might be easier to get into than Bandon. Just saying! ;) xoxo
DeleteGreat post and happy blogiversary! I started my first blog as a genealogy project so two cousins could join in as we lived in different states. The I started interjecting recipes and books I read, etc so that moved me to start Squirrel Head Manor. Now I only have a book blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Tina! Funny how our blogs evolve over the years. I have a cooking blog that I haven't posted on in many, many years. The photos are an embarrassment, and I really should just delete the whole thing.
DeleteHappy 20 years blogging! I see that Kay has mentioned Nan above and I may I say also that both of you were very encouraging to me in my early days of blogging. Why, I even remember that your own mother liked my blog! I am telling you, support from blogging friends is the BEST. Keep up the great writing! x
ReplyDeleteKay G! I'm so happy to see your comment here! Thank you for stopping by. Yes, I remember that Nan was very encouraging to others about blogging. (I do so miss her. She would have turned 78 this month...) I also remember your enthusiasm for my husband's book, although now I can't remember which one! Maybe one of the early annotations? Sailing Alone Around the World? Two Years Before the Mast? He now has two new books (Sailing by Starlight and Ship of Lost Souls) and is working on another. Anyhow, I'm so pleased you commented. Take good care!
DeleteKay, I just found your post about Rod's book here! It was Sailing Alone Around the World.
DeleteYes! It was indeed "Sailing Alone Around The World"! You so kindly sent his book to me. Thanks for telling me about his new books. xx
DeleteKay, I would love to send you another one of his books. Can you send me your address? My email is les13scher at gmail dot com
DeleteHappy blogiversary! Twenty years is quite an accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joy! It's been a lot of fun and very rewarding.
DeleteTwenty years is such a milestone - congratulations!! I'll celebrate 18 years of blogging this year and got started back in 2008 so I could join in the bookish conversation I'd discovered through your blog, Nan's blog, and several others. It was Lakeside Musing back in those days, and I even briefly had a cooking blog with my daughter called Lakeside Kitchen. I became Gulfside Musing when we moved to FL. Now we spend just as much time in CT, but I won't put you all through another name change! Cheers to twenty years of chatting about books and life...I look forward to the next twenty!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I remember when I first discovered your blog, too. Mine has gone through a couple of name changes, as well. It was originally Lesley's Book Nook. Then I switched it up to Prairie Horizons. After the move to Oregon, it became Coastal Horizons! Ha! We'll see if I'm still doing this when I'm 84. ;)
DeleteCongratulations. 20 years does seem like an impossibility in these days of fast and furious, few people stick with things for long. Great job.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anne! Glad to have discovered your blog and to have you visiting here, too.
DeleteLove this! 20 years Wow & Yay! It's funny how these things start. I think mine was in 2009 and I was in a transition moving & leaving the paper. hmm. I am surprised it's still going. I guess blogging is for people who like to write things down or make lists. I wanted to remember what I had read. But it's become a bit more over time. Yours hold much info of your decades & trips. It's like an important scrapbook!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan! I remember when Rod & I started grief blogs after the loss of our daughter, wondering who in the world reads blogs. We wrote those mainly for friends and family, but they were also helpful for us to put our thoughts to the "page." This book blog has evolved into more than just book reviews, as you noted. Lots of travel posts, and lots of memories over the years. I'm so happy our paths crossed in Alberta, and I hope we get to have another meet-up in Canada again someday!
DeleteCongratulations on twenty years as a blogger, Leslie! That is fantastic! I'm so glad that you continue to share books and life with us all!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Deb. It's been a great journey with lots of good memories stored here. Glad you're a part of it!
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