Greetings from the Den of Germs, aka My Bed Where I’ve Been Suffering From the Flu All Week! Today I started feeling a little human and decided to fire up my laptop and discovered that today is my two year blogiversary! 🎉🎉🎉
💬 Related Post: One Year Blogiversary
Many thanks to my dear friend Destiny for tagging me back in May 2019 for the Secret Life of a Book Blogger tag! I felt like the two year blogiversary was a good opportunity to bring this one out of the hoard. Please be sure to check out Destiny’s blog & booktube channel after reading!
Note: I did my best to try and find the originator of this tag but wasn’t able to as my trail led me to a different tag(?). I’d love to be able to credit & link back, so let me know in the comments if you have any leads!
1. How long have you been blogging?
Two years if we are strictly talking about this blog, but the answer is a little more complicated than that! I started passively reviewing books on Goodreads in 2016, and joined Netgalley in 2017. For the first year or so, I strictly reviewed on GR and retail websites but decided to create Reader Voracious on New Years Day in 2018 – the first couple of months was spent on Blogger before opening up the blog as it is known today!
Before books, I actually had a very active fitblr account for several years, and am eternally thankful that Xanga is no longer around so people can’t drag up my emo writing from 2002-2005.
2. At what point do you think you’ll stop blogging?
When it stops being fun? I don’t really know as it isn’t something that I can really predict, but for me blogging is something that brings me a lot of joy. I know it stresses me out thanks to my Type A personality, but I love having an outlet to talk about books!
One thing that I hope to get more into at some point is analysis and discussion of fiction. Back when I first started reviewing, it was to satisfy my “I Miss University” itches. So expect some of this kind of content eventually…
3. What is the best thing about blogging?
I love the book blogging community so much and feel so blessed to have been welcomed with open arms. I’ve made some amazing friends who have brightened my life through blogging, and I am eternally grateful.
4. What is the worst thing? What do you do to make it okay?
The stress and pressure that my stupid brain puts on myself, hands down. I don’t have the words to describe how awful it is to have my brain sometimes, because the Inner Kal is pretty mean. I think the blog is helping me to learn balance and be okay with failing to meet the “deadlines” I set for myself.
I try to never lose sight of the reason I started and run this blog. If it ever feels like a chore or something I need to do, I have been working really hard to give myself permission to let go of the guilt and do something else. I try to write and schedule posts when I’m in the mood, which usually works pretty well!
5. How long does it take you to make/find pictures to use?
I take all of my photos, and for the artwork that I’ve commissioned from friends I have detailed credits listed here. I made my post header template over a year ago using a free-use NASA photo.
6. Who is your book crush?
This is a super awkward question considering the large amount of YA that I read and the fact that I am in my 30s… 🤣🤣🤣
But me and the girls did the math to ensure that our love for Simon in Claire Legrand’s Furyborn isn’t gross.
7. What author would you like to have on your blog?
I’ve had the opportunity to have a few authors on my blog over the last year through my Novel19 Class project, and this year I’m bringing author guest posts! Some authors that I’d love to host, but haven’t had the courage to ask yet? Erin Bowman, Claire LeGrand, Victoria Lee, and Sangu Mandanna to name a few!
8. What do you wear when you write your blog posts?
Uhhh…. clothes? What a strange question lmao
9. How long does it take you to prepare?
Anywhere from an hour to six hours, on average. Reviews take a minimum of 1.5 hours for me to write. Everything takes so long because I am an overly verbose perfectionist.
10. How do you feel about the blogging community?
I love it! There definitely are some toxic corners of the book blogging community, but I’ve done a very good job of cultivating my feeds so it rarely bleeds into my life.
11. What do you think one should do to create a successful blog?
I think that successful means different things depending on the person, so individual results may vary here. But for me, “success” is measured by the pride that I feel from the posts that I write and the friendships that I cultivate.
Write about whatever brings you joy – your passions will come through in your writing and be something people will want to engage with. Blog hop when you have the time to engage with content that you enjoy. And if the pressure is on, remind yourself that this is a hobby!
Tagging:
Jess | Siobhan | Loretta | Erin | Dev | Clo | Haley | Sam | Michelle
Thank you, everyone, so much for becoming a part of my bookish adventures over the last two years! I’m looking forward to many more conversations, buddy reads, and fangirling moments in the years to come.
Let’s go on another /adventure together!
Congrats on 2 years Kal! I hope you will be around for many more years because your posts are really interesting to read and really helpful.
*around
Thank you so much, Laurie, and I hope to be around for awhile too!
happy blogoversary kalkal! <3 Thank you so much for the tag love, and I hope blogging always remains fun for you because I'd hate to see you leave 🙁
awww even if I stop blogging one day, I won’t ever leave you cloclo
Congrats on two years Kal! I bet they’ve just flown by!
I hope you start feeling well soon, flu sucks and really takes it out of you. I think your answer to ‘when would you ever stop blogging’ is on point. ‘When it stops being fun’ I think is the answer I would give us well because I always say, when something stops being fun *especially* if it’s supposed to be a hobby than possibly a reassessment and break is needed. I have an Inner Gerry that is also uber critical so I know how easily ‘fun’ can turn into ‘control the heck out of everything!’
Thank you so much, Gerry! They have flown by… especially since March 2020 lasted a year long on its own!
I am the same way, my Inner Kal makes it difficult to just have fun because I am so critical of myself. It’s honestly tiring, and so much of the last year is me trying to be kind to myself and shut that perfectionist up. Because this is a hobby not my job!
Congratulations, Kal! I laughed at the “what do you wear while blogging” question too hahah! I’m looking forward to reading many more posts from you in the future! <3
Thank you so much Darina, and I swear that question is incredibly weird lolol
Congrats on two years of blogging! Seeing this post made me realise that I also just passed my one year blogiversary in Feb and totally didn’t realise it until now 🤣 Love seeing your answers and the question about what you wear while blogging really cracked me up! Such a rando q!
Thank you so much, and congrats to you for your one year!!! ~what do you wear when blogging?~ lolol
Congrats on two years of blogging!! I understand that complete blogging backgrounds can be tricky I only recently switched from Blogger to WordPress but am loving it so far!! Great answers!!
Thank you so much, Jamie!! Congrats on the move from Blogger — I definitely prefer WP but it sucks that you don’t have as much freedom to tinker on free as you do with Blogger
I love posts like this! If I could have any author on my blog, it would be Ilona Andrews! Congratulations on two years! 🙂
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Thank you, and one of my IRL friends has been trying to get me to read Ilona Andrews!
i’m a day late but HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY KAL!! i’m so glad to have met you this past year, and i appreciate you and your content so so much 💖 it’s absolutely inspiring to me to see you fight depression and do so many amazing things with your blog, and it makes me feel like i can do both of those things too. (also it’s minor but THANK YOU for not being creepy like some other white 30yo women i see in this community with their “book boyfriends” lmao)
What is a day late when I am A MONTH LATE IN THANKING YOU for your congrats?!?!?! You are the absolute sweetest, and /I/ am truly blessed to have you make a presence in my life over the last year! you are an amazing voice in this community and I appreciate the work that you do so much. (I just laughed out loud but it’s creepy to fawn over a teenaged character and on this hill i will die)
HAPPY TWO YEARS MY WONDERFUL, FRIEND!!! <3 <3 <3
I loved reading your answers and learning more about what you enjoy about blogging! You're such an inspiration to me, and I'm so happy to have found you within this community.
Thank you so much, Tiffany!!! I am truly the lucky one and am ever so thankful for your friendship and voice within the community! xoxo
Happy Bloggiversary!! <3 That is awesome and your blog is wonderful so big congratulations on all you have achieved!! I think you saying that you will stop blogging when it stops being fun is great as it is important to make sure you enjoy it and don't pressure yourself into it, fun is the main priority!!
The book community is amazing!! I love it so much!!
I agree the stress of blogging can be a lot as well and you have to learn to let it go a bit and focus on why you started like you said!!
It does take me a while to write posts as well haha!! Like a good 6 hours per post probably!! Haha!!
Great post and congratulations again!! <3
Thank you so much for the congrats and kind words, Sophie!
I know I take everything way too seriously, and I run the risk of sucking the fun out of everything. Keeping things in perspective is so important!
My brain also puts tons of pressure on myself when it comes to blogging. I daily have to remind myself that this is supposed to be fun and reprioritize. 🙂 Happy blogiversary, Kal!
It is so tiring to have Pressure Brain, but I am kind of glad to not be the only one who suffers from it. Thanks so much for the congrats!
Happy anniversary Kal!
I understand the pressure you have on yourself terms of blogging so very well. How much ever I try to take it slow, it never is enough. But I am so glad you are doing so good!
Thank you so much, Gayathri! And yea, letting go of internal pressure & perfectionism is a lifelong struggle for me. Practice kindness is so important!
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY KAL and congratulations on two years of blogging, wow, I feel like you’ve been blogging for so, so much longer, you’re such a pillar in the community. <3 I so understand that pressure you're talking about and wish I had some advice to get rid of it. Reminding yourself of why you started out always matters. You're doing amazing and I admire you so, so much. I can't wait to see what you'll do next, here's to many many more years of blogging! 🙂
Thank you so much, Marie!!! *sobs at being called a pillar in the community* That’s you, my friend!
C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S! I have a bit of a perfectionist problem, too, but my main issue with blogging is how I always end up writing a whole lot when I started out meaning to keep it short >_<
I think the clothes question meant what KIND of clothes you wear while writing up a post 😛 Me, it's pajamas
Thank you so much, and perfectionism is such a common struggle among my blogging friends! And girl… I canNOT write a short post to save my life, overly verbose is my brand.
Oh… that would make a little more sense… but it is still kind of weird? I always wear yoga pants, so
I’m catching up on blog hopping, so here’s a belated congratulations on your two year anniversary!
Thank you so much, Jenna! I hope you are doing well!
Congratulations on two years of blogging! Here’s to many more. I love the blogging community as well. I know that letting go of the stress we put on ourselves is hard but over time I managed to do it. I hope you can too, and then just enjoy blogging to the fullest!
Thank you so much, Olivia! It’s really great that you’ve been able to let go of your stress, that definitely gives me hope.
Kal, congrats on two years!! I didn’t realize our blogiversaries are almost back to back (H&WR is in its terrible twos now too!), and I’m so happy for you. Every year is a big milestone, and you’ve done such an incredible job with your blog! Reader Voracious is easily one of my top favorites, and I appreciate the hell out of your overly verbose reviews. And your bird stories. And the sheer amount of work you do to promote debuts and spread the bookish love. 💛
I hope you’re doing okay lately, and that you’ve got some good reads ahead of you! And many more years of enjoyment blogging, of course. 😊
Ahhh, our blogs are so cute together in our toddler-stage! Kate’s (Your Tita Kate) also turned two at the end of March, so a good number of us burst into the scene at the right time. Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot to me (I’ve been feeling pretty down lately about my blog & everything). OMG speaking of bird stories, I had a dream last night that I was on a pier looking out at the water with a camera and saw an eagle flying. Just as I was focusing to take the photo, it started to fly towards me and slammed into my face, shat in my hair, and attacked me. I CAN’T EVER ESCAPE.
I adore you so much and am blessed to have you in my life!
Happy belated blogiversary, my love! I’m sorry I’m so late in seeing this (and crappy at blog hopping/being around in general lately), but I loved reading your answers and am just eternally so damn proud of you. <3
Thank you so much for the anniversary wishes, and no worries I was 40 days behind on replying to comments so I have no room to talk lmao. I love you so much and hope you and your family are doing okay! miss you!
Congrats on two years! I hope you’re feeling better now.
Thank you so much, Kristi!