I am so thrilled to be celebrating two years in the book blogging community today! My life has undergone so many changes over the past two years, but I was determined to keep blogging a part of it no matter what. With two years of blogging under my belt now, I can’t imagine my life WITHOUT this hobby, this community, and this incredible journey. My blog is one of the things in life I am most proud of, and the support I’ve received has truly been so meaningful and rewarding.
While some may grow their followings tall, I’ve chosen to focus on growing mine wide. I may not have tens of thousands of followers, but the engagement I receive on every one of my posts, especially my discussions, is so deeply rewarding for me. The community has been so supportive, so active, and so encouraging of my endeavor here at Girl in the Pages that I truly, truly have stayed for the friends I’ve made. So if you’ve ever followed me, tweeted at me, commented on a blog post, or even just said hi, please know how deeply and positively you’ve impacted me, and I cannot thank you enough.
A Bit About My Blogging Journey: I started my WordPress account in the fall of 2012. I initially used it as a lifestyle blog to chronicle being an undergrad, my love for fashion, decorating my first apartment, and, of course, the life of my cats. I posted a little here and there, and the next summer I decided to start posting the occasional book review as well. It wasn’t until I started reading my favorite childhood series (Harry Potter) through a critical and academic lens for my study abroad course that I realized there was SO MUCH I had to say about all of my beloved YA books and that SO MANY of them had such strong themes for analysis. Two weeks after I returned home to the states I posted pictures of my trip and officially re-branded myself as a book blog on February 6, 2014. Girl in the Pages was born!
Now, a few lists to commemorate my blogging journey so far (because we all know book bloggers love their lists)…
Top 5 Bookish/Blogging Moments:
- Bookchella (also known as YALLWEST)
- ALA 2015 in San Francisco
- Moving to Self Hosted
- Meeting Morgan Matson at the Bay Area Bookfest (and having her compliment my necklace!)
- Meeting Susan Dennard and Alex Bracken at the PassTruth tour
Top 5 Ways Book Blogging Has Changed Me:
- Through reviewing I have found a way to keep my love for critical thinking and scholarship alive, using the skills I learned in college to analyze books and facilitate discussions
- It’s made me appreciate the power of social media infinitely more (for better and for worse).
- It’s made me feel validated in my choice of YA literature as my passion, when so many of my peers looked down on it in my college English program. I even wrote my senior thesis on Harry Potter…and received 100% on it!
- It’s made me demand better content from what I read. Yes that may seem high maintenance, but I am glad that I expect more progressive themes, captivating writing, well rounded plots and multi-faceted characters from authors.
- Blogging has helped me develop an important new skill set. From learning about maintaining my own website, dabbling in graphic design, and engaging professionally with publishers, blogging has helped cultivate a skill set within me that has helped me in my professional life as well.
Top 5 Favorite Posts from the Past Year:
- Don’t Be Author Shy: 5 Tips for Talking to Authors At Events
- Relationship Role Models: Jace and Sam from My Life Next Door
- Considering My Culture When Reading
- Are We Too Hard on Our Heroines?
- Why I Still Read and Write Reviews
Giveaway Time!
To celebrate all of my loyal followers and commemorate all of the time I’ve spent blogging, I am hosting a blogiversary giveaway! The winner will win a copy from the Book Depository (up to a $15 value) of any book that I’ve reviewed on my blog. You can see a list of all eligible titles in my review index. The giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you free. I do check EVERY entry, so no cheating please!
Happy Blogaversary!! Two years is such a big deal!
Thank you so much, Grace! I’m so happy I’ve been able to stick with it for this long!
Happy Blogiversary!
Thank you! 🙂
Congrats, Cristina! I really can’t believe you’ve only been blogging for two years, your so good at it. Yours is one of my favourite blogs to check in with regularly and I always enjoy your posts. I’m glad we could strike up a friendship through blogging. 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words, Becky! It seems like just yesterday you were stopping by my blog for the first time and leaving such friendly comments! Hopefully there are many more years to come for blogging for both of us!
Happy blogoversary, Cristina! I have to say, I love your blog design and the way you structure all of your posts!
Laura @BlueEyeBooks
Thank you so much, Laura! It’s been a challenge slowly learning how to do all of the graphic work myself, but a fun experience learning!
Congratulations on 2 years! I’m hitting mine soon too, where does time go?! R x
Happy Blogiversary, Cristina! I’m so glad that you are a part of this community. Here’s to many more blogging years!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Alicia! I’m so glad we’ve been able to meet and cultivate a friendship through blogging 🙂
Happy blogoversary, Cristina~! 🙂 Two years is a huge achievement!! ^_^ Although I’ve only recently started blogging again, I hope you keep blogging for many more years~! 🙂
Aw, thank you so much Geraldine! It’s been great getting to start to know you recently, I hope I continue to see you around the blogging community for a long time to come!
Woah, happy blogoversary!(Blogiversary? I can’ remember how to spell this. Oh well.) Two years of fabulous blogging. 🙂
Aw, thank you so much, Appletaile!
Happy blog birthday! Mine turned 2 this year too. Any changes or expansions you plan to make in your 3rd year?
Happy anniversary to you too! (When did yours turn 2?) I actually haven’t thought of any changes I want to make immediately since I made so many last year, but it’s a great question and something I will have to think about!
Early January. The 4th, I think? I actually forgot to mention it in my Changes and Goals post for 2016. Oops! 🙂
Happy two years of blogging! That’s an incredible achievement, and I’m so thrilled that you continue to feel enthusiastic and excited to produce more content with the world. I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts, and look forward to more!
Thank you, Alexa! It means so much to me that you go out of your way to stop by my blog, as I’ve always admired yours so much! I hope to continue making more connections and participating in more blogging events in the upcoming year!
Congrats! 😀 I am excited for year 3!
Thank you Kay! 🙂
Congrats on two years of blogging, Cristina! I’m glad you still love blogging so much and you can definitely be proud of what you achieved! 🙂
Thank you so much, Karin! I appreciate the kind words 🙂 I hope there is much blogging ahead for the both of us!
Happy Blogoversary Cristina! <33 Two years are such a long time, so it's a great achievement! It's also great to know that you've attend some awesome book events (and made me wish I could too xD). Anyway, looking forward to read your posts in the future.
Thank you for the warm wishes, Tiffany! I was definitely VERY lucky to be able to attend so many major bookish events this year, I will have to cross my fingers and hope for similar opportunities this year as well!
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY! I can’t believe you’ve only been blogging for 2 years, your blog looks so professional 🙂
Thank you so much, Michelle! It means a lot to hear such a sweat comment, as I’ve worked really hard on developing my brand. Thanks for being a follower from the beginning! <3
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Well, I have just found your blog today but will definitely be subscribing and coming back. I agree that blogging is a great way to keep up on academic thinking after ending one’s formal education, and to improve all sorts of skills that are transferable into other areas. Congratulations on your anniversary.
Thank you so much, Wendy! I really found the motivation to start my blog as I neared the end of my undergraduate education, and wanted to continue to have a place to discuss YA literature critically (and sometimes just for fun too!) Glad to hear others like to utilize their blogs for similar dialogues. Thank you so much for the follow!
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