Blogoversary,  Books,  Giveaway Winner

One Year Ago…. (+ winners!)

15 September, 2012

blogoversary

I have been staring at a blank document for a long time, and hell, this is a regular occurrence for me lately, but today it is not because I cannot think of the best way to describe how I feel about a book, it’s finding a way to best describe my very first year blogging.

I could easily start with the basics, how I started my blog to cover both books and films and how, as of late, it has slowly turned into more books than films. I could talk again about why I started the blog in the first place but the problem I have with these things is that I’ve said them all before. I know that finding fresh content for a blog is a continuous battle, but who knew it would be so hard to talk about my own blog in a new way!

I guess, to start this post and to get me typing away – more than I’ already have – I will start by announcing the winners of my giveaway!
I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated. I am sorry that I can’t send everyone a gift – maybe one day? lol. – but I do want you all to know how grateful I am to you.
This was the biggest giveaway – prize wise and entry wise – I have ever held and I just think it was a success. Hopefully the winners agree!

Gaby Paniagua
Lynn Kho
Justine H
Zemira

CONGRATULATIONS!!
You have all won a book of your choice from the list! An e-mail will be/has already arrived. You have 72 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now I am sure you have gotten to here and are just wondering why I haven’t yet mentioned my super, awesome, cool new banner and layout, right?
I’m sure you are!

For the past year I have used the same skin, banner, layout, etc, and I decided that it was finally time to change! I know it’s not a major change and it may have a few bits and bobs changing in the upcoming weeks but aside from that, I’m happy with it all!

It is also only fair that I send out a massive thank you to Daphne from Winged Reviews who created the lovely and wonderful banner I have at the top there! I was so amazed when she showed me it. I love it so much and just couldn’t be more thankful to her!

What do you think about the new layout? Any thoughts? Changes?

In many ways, blogging has changed my life. A year ago, I was oblivious to the power of owning a blog. I was – supposedly happy – living my life and just getting on with my day-to-day life without a ‘care’ in the world. In fact, it would have been four years since I had really read more than one book in three months. And you know, I would never want to go to that oblivious state again.
I love my blog. I love blogging. I love reading.

This blog has taught me so many things. Not just about blogging but about e-mailing people professionally, about law-suits, copyright laws, and really the art of being really, really well organised and scheduled. It hasn’t been easy. There have been a few hiccups and bumps along the way but I still wouldn’t have it any other way. This is my life now and I am certain that it won’t be changing any time soon.

My sister actually said to me the other day, “I swear you’re blog is more of a job to you now, it seems like you don’t get enjoyment from the books you read.”
Maybe she’s right in some ways but she’s also wrong in many others. I would be over the moon if I could blog for a living – my mum actually found a job advert that was for blogging but since there was no detail of what I’d be blogging about, I gave it a miss.
But I still get enjoyment from reading.
Sure, sometimes I get stressed because life gets in the way and I realised I haven’t read X book in time for Y tour and I’ve forgotten to send an e-mail to B author about J idea but this is barely a blip on the radar. A lot of time I get stressed when reading because people are distracting me when I’m reading a great book – that just happens to be, by coincidence, a review book.

So, I guess, what I’m trying to say is that I have truly enjoyed and appreciated this past year and I am certain that I will have many more years of blogging ahead of me!

There are a thousand other things I could write in here. I could tell you all about how well I think Behind the Blog is going, I could point you into the direction of my favourite reviews that I wrote over the year, I could show you my welcome post from when I started but I’m not sure I really want to do any of that. But then, this could be because it’s 11.20pm and I am immensely exhausted and am looking over at my bed with complete and utter desire. But really it’s because it would be too difficult to think about all those things and this post would probably wind up too long for you to read and you’ll groan and moan at me and then I may lose all of my followers. *sadface*

Instead, I’m going to leave you all with a promise to do similar posts at some point in the near future which do these things. And end this post by just saying another thank you for following me and I hope that I manage to bring you content in the next year that will make you want to stick around some more!

If there is anything you wish to see more of on the blog, or anything, let me know! I’m always open to your suggestions, thoughts and opinions! (Unless they’re in anyway derogatory in which case keep them to yourself because I don’t appreciate cyber bullying.)

YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME!

Faye

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