Today marks two years of Word Revel and I couldn’t be any more delighted! Two years isn’t that long compared to so many other seasoned bloggers but it’s definitely a milestone that establishes blogging as part of my life.
As far as celebrating this day goes, I had a whole load of ideas brewing in my head and lots of things I wanted to say and reflect on. Thing is, while Word Revel has taken great root over the past year, my life has become more transient as of late. That means I don’t have as much time to write soliloquies at the moment but that’s okay. Quiet appreciation can go a long way too.
Still, I am a strong believer in reflecting on how far we’ve come and where we hope to go, especially when we reach important markers. My second blogoversary definitely is such a marker.
Changes in Reading Preferences
Looking at the featured book stack, you’ll notice that contemporary books are remarkably absent. It’s not that I’ve abandoned contemporary books but my high priority TBR pile has never seen this much fantasy on it before. I’m super excited about it because this proves to me that there will always be new things to discover for the rest of my reading life.
Stronger Blogging Vision
Integrating Photography
I can’t say that after two years of blogging I finally know what I’m doing. What I can say is that I’ve developed a stronger vision of what I want Word Revel to be. A year ago I was rather uncertain. I knew I wanted to increase the overall quality of my content but I didn’t know how.
Since then I’ve found my voice in the combination of words and photographs. I use both to express myself, which has added a lot more joy for me than my first year of book blogging did. It helps a lot that I took the leap into bookstagram with @wordrevel because I didn’t want to associate my personal Instagram account with my blog.
More Thoughtful Posts
Besides integrating photography into this blog, I also spent more time writing posts on topics that matter to me, and posts that I’m truly proud of. Some of the posts that most mattered to me or that I’m particularly proud of are:
- Books are Objects of Cultural Consumption
- Book Blogging is a Community
- Cleanliness of Library Books
- Not so Solitary: Reading is Social
- Does Pre-Publication Hype Cause Weariness?
Collaboration
Mise-en-scène is another thing that helps me keep up with book photography and also encourages me to experiment. It truly is a great honour to collaborate with Georgie in running this feature/meme. When she first approached me, I was excited but also very nervous about co-hositng with her because her photography is simply stunning! Her wedding photography sweeps me off my feet whenever I peruse her photos.
Amazing People
The greatest change over the past year is that I’ve become more involved in the blogosphere. I used to hold back a lot on interactions and still do but despite that, I’ve forged friendships with people who have become very dear to me.
Before this I highly doubted I’d reach this stage. In my final semester at uni almost two years ago I took a course on subcultural theory. There we also discussed online communities. Some students vehemently opposed the notion of true friendship between people who solely meet online. Others thought it was perfectly fine. I was on the fence. I thought, yeah, it’s possible but I can’t see myself getting involved in an online community that way.
Despite my misgivings, here I am sending my gratitude to my lovely friends. You know who you are.
Also Significant Today
Today marks the 117th Philippine Independence Day. To commemorate this day, Alexa from Alexa Loves Books organised Mabuhay! A Blogger Roundtable for the second year running. She asked five Filipino bloggers, “What would you like to see more of in literature as a Filipino blogger?” I had the privilege of being part of this year’s roundtable, even though I’m of mixed ethnic descent. Or maybe even because of it, so I could contribute a different perspective.
Also, I’m not the only one celebrating two years of book blogging. Hazel from Stay Bookish launched on the same day as me, so be sure to congratulate her too!
Happy two years, Jo! I am late to your post, and for that I apologise >.<
We're practically the same age in blogging years, but I am just a tad older than you ;D
I'm glad you're making your way to finding the niche in which you feel most comfortable and proud when it comes to blogging. I think you've come an awesomely long way, and Word Revel is freaking fantastic.
I am going to be egotistical and assume I am one of the amazing people you mentioned ;) I am so glad to have met you, because our chats keep me sane, and I love our friendship.
Here's so heaps more years of Word Revel, growing as bloggers and people, and staying friends <3
I’m late, but happy blogoversary, Josephine! I’ve said it before, but I think you’re such an absolute professional, and I love you! *hugs* You’re amazing, and here’s for more awesomeness to come from you. Have you seriously been blogging for just two years? *bows down*
Happy (Belated) Blogversary!
Happy blogoversary :D I’m so glad I found your blog and that you post so regularly. I always recognize your photos when they pop up in my feed reader and look forward to reading your posts. Please keep blogging for at least another 2 years :)
I honestly feel like you’ve been blogging for longer than two years! Your content is always so professional and well put together, and I LOVE your photographs. I aspire to be as well-organized and thoughtful one day with what I post, particularly when it comes to discussions. Love your blog! Happy 2 years of blogging! And thanks for being part of the round table – it’s always interesting to see another perspective <3
I think I stumbled across your blog via one of Asti’s blog post back when it was called Dudette Reads (which I thought was such a cool name, heh). And wow, now it’s two years old. How time passes!
I’m glad I got to know you and your blog (though, I do need to visit more often!). It took me a lot of time to just interact with people on Twitter so I completely get you there. And now I know all these amazing people online including you, of course and I’m just so grateful for that.
And oh, I’ll admit I’m so happy that you’re planning to read more fantasy than ever before! I’m still new to the genre myself and it’s just so enchanting and vast.
Happy blogoversary, Jo! Here’s to many more. <3
Happy blogiversary! I’ve only been following your blog for a few months, so I can’t comment on how your blog has already changed (aside from the design, which I love), but I’ve enjoyed it so far. Although I do read and appreciate book reviews (particularly from bloggers I know and trust), I’m more likely to skim them. On the other hand, I love discussion posts, especially when they lead to continued conversation in the comments. That’s my favorite part about the book blogging world – connecting with the community. So I guess my only advice is to continue posting such interesting discussion as well as your wonderful photography. :)
Speaking of discussion posts, I just read the ones you linked above, and I feel a little less crazy after reading the one about library books. It’s nice to know I’m not alone. I love the library, and I use it frequently (I’ve already saved over $1500 this year), but I get skeeved out really easily, so it’s also a challenge for me. Not only does the idea of unclean books make me uncomfortable (much of my reading is done in bed), but I’m also very sensitive to smells. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve had to return because they’re saturated in either cigarette smoke or perfume. I went through four or five copies of Scarlet before I finally found one I could read. To deal with my squeamishness, I check every couple of weeks to see if any of the books on my to-read shelf have been pre-ordered, and I try to be first on the hold list. I heavily utilize my library’s OverDrive site for e-books and audiobooks as well. If none of those options work, I find the best physical copy I can, often ordering books through inter-library loan until I find one that’s acceptable. Also, this is kind of embarrassing, but if the librarian coughs all over my books while checking them out, I will wipe the covers down with hand sanitizer when I get home. It just grosses me out too much otherwise.
Congrats on two years Josephine! And while I’ve only just discovered your blog I’m looking forward to reading more of it, and I love the photography challenge idea! I’ll have to try to participate in at least one of the themes this summer since I love taking photos so much ^-^
Two years is an amazing achievement and look how far you’ve come in those years :D Integrating your photography into your blog has to be one of your best decisions. I love looking at your photos.
HAPPY BLOGVERSARY JOSEPHINE! :D You’re such an inspiration as a person and a blogger; I love reading your posts, they’re all so wonderfully insightful and your personality shines through! AND CAN WE MENTION YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY IS EPIC. I think what you’re doing now is absolutely perfect; just stay the way you are :) CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN AND HERE’S TO MANY MORE YEARS OF BLOGGING!!
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY JOSEPHINE!!! I have so enjoyed reading your blog for these past two years. You bring such a wonderful and insightful voice to the blogosphere and I am so excited for what’s to come!
Happy Blogoversary! Congrats on 2 years!
To answer your question, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! You’re blog is awesome (so are you) already. Just keep doing what you’re doing. I especially love the photography posts.
CONGRATS on your 2 years!!! It’s quite an accomplishment. :) I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!