Confetti!!!! Balloons!!!! My blog turns one year old today!!!
Hard to believe that’s it’s only a been a year since I started blogging. With all of the amazing people I’ve met, authors I’ve been honored to work with, big steps I’ve taken, and things I’ve learned, it feels like I’ve been blogging for at least a couple years!
Along with some fun giveaways (YES, those are coming), I’ve organized some fun facts for all of you who have helped make my blog such a success!
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FIRST NAME: The first name for my blog was REVIEW, RELECT, RETROSPECT. I was almost a completely different name and I TOTALLY forgot about it until I was cleaning out old pictures the other day and found my original banner that I had made. Very strange.
- FIRST FOCUS: When I first started my blog, I was obsessed with mysteries. I was going to be reviewing mysteries & chick lit… But when I started peeking around the book review blog community and saw all the YA out there, fresh after reading books like Delirium, Matched, and the Hunger Games, I was like, “Whaaaat? There are more awesome books like this out there?!” Slowly, I adapted my blog to include YA as a main focus until I gave in and (happily) let YA take over.
- FIRST REVIEW: After an embarrassing welcome post that kicked off my blog on 4/10/12, I posted a review for A STUDY IN SCARLET by Arthur Conan Doyle. I kicked off my blog with a five star review! How about that…
- FIRST HOST: I actually started my blog over on Blogger and quickly switched to WordPress. Nothing personal, but I just found WP much easier to work with!
- FIRST COMMENT: The first person to comment on my blog chose to do so when they read my review for B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton on 4/26. I probably lost some comments due to the switch to WP, but then again… Maybe not haha. A big thanks to Elisa from Lost Inside the Covers for being the first person to comment who’s stuck with me through today!!! Your support of my blog is much appreciated! (Her comment was on my review for First to Die by James Patterson on 5/14/12.)
Here are few of my favorite events that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of over the past year!
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Wild Worlds: Wild Worlds was an event that I came up with for my blog to feature primarily debut authors as a week-long feature of interviews, giveaways, and guest posts. I was SO surprised how many authors were willing to participate in Wild Worlds considering my blog was only a few months old at the time!! I definitely want to do Wild Worlds again this year so I guess I need to start looking for any authors who would like to participate!
- Events at Anderson’s Bookshop: Fierce Reads, Five Good Reasons to Read, Ally Condie, Claudia Gray, Robin LaFevers – Anderson’s bookshop in Naperville, IL hosts SO many amazing authors and I’m so glad I live so close that I can go to so many events!!
- A Fortnight of Fright was a feature that Alyssa from Books Take You Places and I put together for a fun Halloween event. It was two weeks of everything Halloween, from books to movies/TV shows, and even recipes!
- Series Catch-Up: I implemented the Series Catch-Up challenge in October 2012 running through the end of the year to try to catch up on all those series I had started but never finished. I wanted to have this be a recurring challenge, but I realized someone else had a challenge similar to this that started after mine and someone else created a challenge for the full year of 2013. I decided not to risk the accusations of copying and plagiarism and all that junk so Series Catch-Up was a one-time only deal!
- The Selective Collective: The Selective Collective evolved from our Casting Call feature. Along with four other blogs (The Grown-Up YA, Teen Lit Rocks, YA Crush, Gone Pecan), we feature an author and their new or upcoming release, highlighting it in various ways. It’s been such a blast working with these ladies as well as all those amazing authors & publishers out there!
Okay, okay, I know you guys are anxious for the giveaways — YES, giveaways PLURAL. I’ve put together TWO prize packs for two lucky people to win. These prize packs are books that I’ve collected for the giveaway in the forms of hardcovers, paperbacks, and ARCs (some are new, some have already been published) and split them into two different categories since there are just SO MANY BOOOOOKS.
You can win the CONTEMPORARY PRIZE PACK or the PARANOMAL/DYSTOPIAN PRIZE PACK. Please check them out carefully before you enter so you know exactly what format each of these books in the prize packs are! You MAY enter both but there will be two different winners for the two prizes.
THIS IS A US AND CANADA ONLY GIVEAWAY. Sorry to all international– you know I love you — but I’m sending out two big old boxes of books! It just gets too expensive 🙁
Check out the pictures and titles below and enter to win!!!
CONTEMPORARY PRIZE PACK INCLUDES (11 books):
Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph (ARC)
The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise (ARC)
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Paperback)
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (ARC)
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (ARC)
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (ARC)
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (Paperback)
The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik (ARC)
Blaze (Or Love in the Time of Supervillains) by Laurie Boyle Crompton (ARC)
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (Hardcover)
Starstuck by Rachel Shukert (Hardcover)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
THE PARANORMAL/DYSTOPIAN PRIZE PACK INCLUDES (11 books):
Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans (Hardcover)
What the Spell? By Brittany Geragotelis (Hardcover)
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse (Hardcover)
When She Woke by Hilary Jordan (ARC)
Everbound (Everneath #2) by Brodi Ashton (ARC)
Dualed by Elsie Chapman (ARC)
The Murmurings by Carly Anne West (ARC)
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (ARC)
Mind Games by Kiersten White (ARC)
The Fox Inheritance (Fox Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson (Hardcover)
Fox Forever (Fox Chronicles #3) by Mary E. Pearson (Hardcover)
Good luck on the giveaway and thanks so much for making this past year incredible! I look forward to many, many more!
49 thoughts on “The Book Addict’s Guide One Year Blogoversary!!!”
You’ve only been blogging for a year?? Really??? You do it so well that I thought you atleast had 3 years of experience with this. Turns out you’re just ridiculously talented at it! 🙂
Oh, I’ve been blogging for two and a half years! 🙂 I have a plug-in that tweets old posts and this was one of the ones it selected haha! 🙂
I feel tricked! 😛 Serves me right for not looking at the dates.
Wow, how did I miss this post?? I have been horrible lately! I had a that unexpected almost 2 month break because of crazy stuff at home and then all of April work switched me to 3rd shift and it has really messed up my schedule. It is amazing how much changes from when you first start out. I’m glad you are still loving it so much and your blog had become very beautiful and definitely one of my favorites. I’m so impressed with how much you get done and still work so much. Happy belated blogoversary!
I know that it’s taking me a bazillion years to catch up on commenting, so it is so late but HAPPY BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY! I’m so glad that you decided to become a part of the blogging world. It’s been a joy getting to know you, and I look forward to more years of blogging and bloggy friendship!
Congrats on 1 year! Such an awesome community! 😀
*throws all the confetti* *pops all the corks* *ducks, cause I’m not a good shot*
CONGRATULATIONS!! Now, gimme those contemporary books! *grabby hands*
Happy Blogaversary! What a milestone, and may there be many more to come 🙂
Thank you very much for the giveaway!
Happy Blog Birthday! That is so exciting – I can’t believe it has only been ONE YEAR, doesn’t it feel like forever? (In a good way) I also can’t believe I was your first comment – ah, the good ole days, when I followed 4 blogs and kept up with EVERY post. lol
Congratulations, I am looking forward to many more years of enjoying your blog!!
Happy blogoversary!!! 😀 It’s so awesome that ours are so close together! It feels good to hit the one year mark – doesn’t it? 🙂
Happy Blogoversery! And thanks so much for this awesome giveaway, both have such great books to win!
Congrats on reaching one year!! And thanks for the awesome giveaway 😀
Hi! just wanted to say that you’ve got great pile for your giveaway. and eventhough I can’t join I’d be happy to spread the news!:)) I just hope you have another one for your international followers hehe. oh and can I get Eleanor&Park? just this one pleaaaaase?;)
Happy Blogoversary Brittany! 🙂
Lily
Happy Blog Birthday! It’s so cool to find out all of those awesome facts about you and the blog as well! And these giveaways are crazy amazing!!!
Happy blogoversary! I thought you had been around SO much longer than I had! You’ve done so much with your blog over the last year. 🙂 I’m proud of you! I totally forgot my blogoversary back in November. Haha. Maybe I should have a belated party? 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
Happy blogoversary! Here’s to many more years in the book blogging world 🙂
Happy blogoversary, Brittany! Congratulations on surviving out year 1. I love reading about your firsts and how your blog has changed in the last year–it’s so funny to me how much we’re all influenced by this reading community we’ve become a part of. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂
happy blog birthday! so much fun getting to know you!
Awww, congrats! I couldn’t believe when I realized I’d been blogging for a year last month. Time flies 🙂
Congradulations on your one year blogoversary! What an awesome feeling. I’m totally up for your dystopian/paranormal prize back. Amazing giveaway!
Happy blogoversary to one fabulous blog and blogger!!! 🙂 I enjoyed hearing about what your blog was first going to be name, but now I’m curious about how you came up with the name The Book Addict’s Guide! 🙂
Alice @ Alice in Readerland
Happy Anniversary! I’m so glad to be part of this community with you! Congratulations 🙂
Yay for blogoversaries! Congrats to you Brittany and I hope you always have this passion and enthusiasm for books. You’ve accomplished so much in just one year- way to go!
Thanks so much, Lucy! I really appreciate all the comments and book discussions we’ve been able to have over the past year! Looking forward to many more!
Congratulations! I love seeing recaps of bloggers’ first years … it’s always so exciting to look back!
Here’s to many more years. 🙂
Thanks so much!! The recap was so fun to do. I had forgotten about so much from the very beginning! It was nice to look back.
Congrats!
It’s so much fun to read all of your firsts & such. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love blogoversary giveaways, but I also just really love reading to see what people have done with their blogs. I love reading blogoversary posts and seeing just how much blogging can mean/do.
Thank you so much! It was actually really fun putting together all the firsts. Some of them were surprising to look back and see!
Happy Blog Birthday, Brittany! You know I love your blog, I love your writing and I love your taste in books. More than anything, I love that your blog has made us buddies! 🙂
Thanks so much, Tee! I feel like we’ve become such good blogging buddies this past year! Thanks for all the support and comments and reading suggestions! <33
Yay! Congratulations! Being a recent follower it was fun to walk down memory lane with you : )
Thank you so much! 🙂 I had a lot of fun going back to see what even happened this past year! I feel like there was so much! 🙂
Yay Yay Yay!!!!! So glad that you made it a year and are still chugging on (that’s the correct phrase, right?)! You’ve become such a great blogging friend AND real friend over this past year! Very happy we found each others’ blogs and have gotten to know each other! Congrats on the one year and here’s to many many more! 🙂
Thanks, Candice! I’m so glad we met through the blogging world! You were one of the first people I stole my YA recommendations from so I have you to thank for a lot of it!! Looking forward to many more blogging endeavors!
Happy Blogoversary, Brittany! 😀
Thanks so much Alison!!!
Happy Blogoversary! I always thought you were one of the bigger, longer blogs. I’m surprised it’s only been a year. You’ve accomplished so much. Too bad about the Series Catch-Up; I thought it was a great idea!
Thanks so much! I know, I would have really liked to continue with Series Catch-Up but there were just too many others out there and the last thing I want to do is create drama in the blogging world by doing the same feature/challenge! Oh well. I’ll just have to come up with something new in the future 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much for following my blog and all the comments! Always appreciated!
Yayyy congrats on your one year blogoversary!!! :))
Happy Blogoversary to one of my favorites to follow! Thank you so much for the giveaway!!
xo
jaime
Thank you so much!!!! 😀
Happy blogoversary =D
I need to change my blog name as well, but then I’d have to get more graphics done, lol.
Congrats! It was cute seeing all your Firsts! Here’s hoping that you have another great year 🙂
Only 1 year? I’ve been book blogging since 2010 and I still haven’t even got 100 followers. I only read YA books. I don’t do giveaways since I can’t afford to pay the shipping. You actually pay for you domain name. I rather buy books for myself that pay for my blog. You’ve done a good job in just 1 year. 🙂
Congratulations on your one year blogoversary! Fabulous! I was most intrigued to learn you switched over to YA during the course of your blogging. HOORAY! 🙂 You have great taste! Hope you continue blogging indefinitely! Love reading your posts!
Thank you so much!! And thanks for keeping the comments coming this past year! Always appreciated!
Congratulations! I’d never have guessed you were only 1 year old. It is amazing how blogging has changed our starter genre love and basically thrown back the flood gates. YA is great!
Thanks so much! I know, I’ve been an overachiever in one year hahaha. What can I say? I just fell in love with blogging and wanted to dive head first into everything! Thanks for sticking with me this past year! 🙂