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| My very first post, on July 24th, 2010! |
It's almost hard to quantify... this blog has been one of the greatest long-term pursuits of my life, and something I've contributed to more regularly than almost anything else (besides my extensive journal collection, of course). This blog can be measured as longer than the time I spent in both high school and university level classes. It's one of the most valuable resources I have in my continued personal growth as a writer, and it's something I've made almost completely on my own. The skills I've gained throughout the publication of it has taken me places I had never thought before.
Like in the past year, for example. Taking a leaf from the books of a few of my friends - as well as the greater bookish community - I started social media account linked to this blog, for the first time. My Instagram handle - @playinginthepages - might be the same, but the content is different in a way that frees me up to engage with other book fans in new and meaningful ways that don't always come across when you write pretty strictly in short-form reviews and essays. #Bookstagram is a wild, weird, and welcoming place, and I've already made new friends that I would never have been able to reach out to otherwise, including some who, surprisingly enough, live barely a stone's throw away from me.
Another change, for me, has been giving myself room when it comes to writing about my other passions alongside reading. There's so much more I care about in life, and I've finally started to make more room in my blog to reflect that. The rise of the "Tastee-Reads" series was a welcome surprise to myself, that allowed for the integration of my passion for cookbooks as a favored reading material into my regular posting schedule. I love cooking, and I love the aesthetic value that comes with doing so (you eat with your eyes first, after all). Turns out, there's a way to talk about all of that, and books, too!
I've also tried to stop being so embarrassed about the ways I read. In high school - and college, come to think of it - I was constantly on the alert about protecting this narrow image of myself that I had only just learned to adopt: if I was going to be known as a reader and writer as primary personality traits, then I needed to reinforce those with as rigid and easily defensible material as possible. While I still wish I read more of the classics, I've stopped shying away from the kinds of books that turned me so far away before, leading to rereads of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, as well as this summer's "Reading Romance" challenge.
Those things have resulted in some of the great blogging highs of the past year, because not only am I reading material that is fun and unique, but I'm still managing to do so in a way that is rigorous and academically curious. I love picking up books that have been tossed by the wayside, and finding a new favorite, or embracing the "New" shelf in the YA section of our local library with disregard to the fact that I'll be turning 25 this Fall. Readers are happiest when they are reading, full stop. Picking books that are fun for you will better ensure that you stay that way, more than slogging your way through a tome with someone else's stamp of approval on the front cover.
I'm so thankful for this blog o' mine, as well as the fan base that peruses it from time to time. My Dad hasn't ever missed a post, and reads them the day they go up, and my younger siblings can sometimes be trusted to look at the pictures and skim over the bolded parts. The people and friends who leave comments never fail to make my day, especially when it's on a "Top Ten Tuesday" post. Thank you so much for this platform, as well, for giving me a safe sandbox to play in, and a soapbox to stand on.
I greatly look forward to continuing to grow here.
(And, naturally, I didn't just celebrate my bloggoversary with a sappy blog post. Stay tuned soon for all the other shenanigans I got up to on this milestone, including a very large book haul, and a recap of a special charitable bookish adventure!).
Like in the past year, for example. Taking a leaf from the books of a few of my friends - as well as the greater bookish community - I started social media account linked to this blog, for the first time. My Instagram handle - @playinginthepages - might be the same, but the content is different in a way that frees me up to engage with other book fans in new and meaningful ways that don't always come across when you write pretty strictly in short-form reviews and essays. #Bookstagram is a wild, weird, and welcoming place, and I've already made new friends that I would never have been able to reach out to otherwise, including some who, surprisingly enough, live barely a stone's throw away from me.
Another change, for me, has been giving myself room when it comes to writing about my other passions alongside reading. There's so much more I care about in life, and I've finally started to make more room in my blog to reflect that. The rise of the "Tastee-Reads" series was a welcome surprise to myself, that allowed for the integration of my passion for cookbooks as a favored reading material into my regular posting schedule. I love cooking, and I love the aesthetic value that comes with doing so (you eat with your eyes first, after all). Turns out, there's a way to talk about all of that, and books, too!
I've also tried to stop being so embarrassed about the ways I read. In high school - and college, come to think of it - I was constantly on the alert about protecting this narrow image of myself that I had only just learned to adopt: if I was going to be known as a reader and writer as primary personality traits, then I needed to reinforce those with as rigid and easily defensible material as possible. While I still wish I read more of the classics, I've stopped shying away from the kinds of books that turned me so far away before, leading to rereads of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, as well as this summer's "Reading Romance" challenge.
Those things have resulted in some of the great blogging highs of the past year, because not only am I reading material that is fun and unique, but I'm still managing to do so in a way that is rigorous and academically curious. I love picking up books that have been tossed by the wayside, and finding a new favorite, or embracing the "New" shelf in the YA section of our local library with disregard to the fact that I'll be turning 25 this Fall. Readers are happiest when they are reading, full stop. Picking books that are fun for you will better ensure that you stay that way, more than slogging your way through a tome with someone else's stamp of approval on the front cover.
I'm so thankful for this blog o' mine, as well as the fan base that peruses it from time to time. My Dad hasn't ever missed a post, and reads them the day they go up, and my younger siblings can sometimes be trusted to look at the pictures and skim over the bolded parts. The people and friends who leave comments never fail to make my day, especially when it's on a "Top Ten Tuesday" post. Thank you so much for this platform, as well, for giving me a safe sandbox to play in, and a soapbox to stand on.I greatly look forward to continuing to grow here.
(And, naturally, I didn't just celebrate my bloggoversary with a sappy blog post. Stay tuned soon for all the other shenanigans I got up to on this milestone, including a very large book haul, and a recap of a special charitable bookish adventure!).
Wow, I can't believe it's been EIGHT YEARS. Thank you for reading with me!
I'm a few days late but... Happy Blogoversary! Wishing you another fantastic 8 years (and then some!) :)
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