Happy New Year! 2022 is a special milestone for me because it marks 10 years of blogging. It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since I published my very first post. Back then I was in the midst of my undergraduate studies, struggling to balance my scholarly reading with reading for pleasure. So much has changed in the years that have followed, but A Book A Week has been a constant. As I've grown and evolved in my personal and professional life, so has this blog. As I embark on this new year of maintaining my book a week challenge, I thought it would be fun to recall how this crazy adventure all began.
I grew up as a fairly avid reader, but balancing being a full-time student and teaching band and private lessons were really stretching my time thin. I vividly remember taking a full 3 months to read Chris Bohjalian's The Night Strangers. It was one of only 5 or 6 books that I read that year. Near the latter half of 2011, I was bound and determined to do better. I began researching ways to track my reading and hold myself accountable. I stumbled across Goodreads and was instantly hooked! On the site, I was able to connect with other readers, discover new books, and most importantly set a reading goal. In Goodreads, I had found a group of like-minded bibliophiles, a community that would become a much larger part of my life in the years to come.
As I grew more and more serious about reading and tracking my progress, I began to toy with the idea of beginning a blog. I was still struggling to hold myself accountable for reading more books. Try as I might, I kept getting distracted from reading. As the new year approached, I decided to make a bold resolution. I planned to read one book each week. In sticking with this goal I would end the year having read a staggering 52 books. A Book A Week was born on January 1, 2012, as a personal means of marking my progress with that reading goal. I posited that in writing a review of each book and posting it I would not only keep myself accountable for my reading but maybe inspire one or two people to pick up a book too. I couldn't have imagined just how many people would read and interact with my silly goal over the next decade.
Today, A Book A Week continues to prosper. I've read hundreds of books over the years and shared my thoughts on each of them. More importantly, I've gotten to interact with so many other readers, authors, and publishers. The relationships that blogging about books has afforded me are something I truly value. The blog looks a bit different from those early days, especially as I've grown more confident in managing and designing it, but the original concept remains the same. In this celebratory 10th year of A Book A Week, I have once again resolved to maintain my original goal of reading 52 books. I also plan to post more retrospective content, share many more giveaways, and continue to feature author interviews and new works. I can't thank you enough for continuing to support me, this site, and the reading community at large. Let's make 2022 the best reading year yet!
Congrats on reaching 10 years! That's so awesome. And I love your story. Books and reading are such an important part of my life. I love knowing other people who feel the same way, even if it's only through their blogs. Happy New Year, Ethan! And here's to many more years of reading good books and blogging about them. :D
ReplyDeleteThank you! I feel extremely fortunate to consider you a book blogging friend!
DeleteWhat a fantastic accomplishment, ten years! I will be at seven years in February. I am so thankful that we found one another, I've read so many amazing books because of you - and I can't wait to hear what you think of Reckless Girls. Happy New year!!
ReplyDeleteLikewise! I truly mean it when I say the best part of blogging is all of the like-minded people you meet. I should have my review of Reckless Girls up in the next couple of days!
DeleteHere's to ten years! I love that you shared you origin story with us. It's great that you never really stopped reading too. I stopped for many years, not able to balance college, work, single motherhood with having any personal interests. Congratulations on your milestone, and here's to the years to come!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Reading has always been an important part of my life, but that hasn't come without the occasional obstacles. Kudos to you too for finding a way to make it a priority amongst everything else!
DeleteHappy 10 Years of blogging! Books really enrich a life! I have my 10 year coming up in June. Finding Goodreads was a revelation for me, too!
ReplyDeleteSame here! I can't wait to celebrate your 10 years in June!
DeleteWow, 10 years is amazing. I'm glad I found your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to have found yours too!
DeleteCongrats on ten years of blogging! That's an awesome milestone. I've really enjoyed reading your blog over the years and look forward to many more to come.
ReplyDeleteThanks you, Susan!
DeleteCongrats on 10 years, Ethan! Like you, I've always been an avid reader and never stopped, even though there were periods when reading time was lessened.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've appreciated your support and friendship over these years!
DeleteI think you were so smart setting this goal right from the start. So many of us fell down the READ ALL THE BOOKS rabbit hole and burned out. Your way is so much more attainable and if you do happen to read more then yay!
ReplyDeleteHere's to 10 more!
Karen @For What It's Worth
Thank you! I've always toyed with the idea of setting a larger goal, but one a week is just the right pace for me. Plus, anything extra is just bonus!
DeleteCongratulations on 10 years!! That's a big achievement, and so many books! I enjoy your reviews.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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