The Hardcover Lover: The Class of July 2014 Book Bloggers' Anniversary Bash + GIVEAWAY

Something very special happened last July in the book blogging community! Quite a few, then new, book bloggers all decided to start up blogs way back in July 2014. Little did we know that one year later, a lot of us would bond and create friendships, but we have! It's all very exciting! So today, and through the rest of July, we're celebrating together as the Class of July 2014 Book Bloggers!

Welcome to the Class of July 2014 Book Bloggers' Anniversary Bash

My Reflection on Book Blogging

When I first started book blogging, it was because I had been posting reviews on Amazon and Goodreads for a while, and I really enjoyed it. I felt like I was getting my thoughts across, but to not nearly as many people. Another reason was because I was bored. It was summer. I was working part-time, and I had already read over fifty books at that point in the year. I knew I wanted to create a book blog, but I was afraid. I never really thought anything of it until I realized that I had a lot to say about YA books, especially from the perspective of an English teacher. So I thought, "What the heck," and I made the jump into the Book Blogging Community, and to be honest, I've never been happier.

The Hardcover Lover was created on July 23, 2014. (I know this post is technically a little early, but I wanted everyone to have time to celebrate with all of us July 2014 bloggers!) If you look back at my older posts, you'll notice that I flooded my blog with old reviews during those first few weeks. I cringe a little because I realize that I could have saved a lot of those older reviews and spread them out, but I was just so excited about finally having a book blog of my own. Oops!

My Reflection On Connections

In the past year, I've made a lot of bookish friends, and many of them are even participating in this event! I don't know where I'd be without a lot of them. They are always so kind and supportive, and I know that a lot of them would go out of their way just to help me if I needed it. (Some of them even have!) I've even talked to a few of the established book bloggers, and they are some of the kindest people. They are so willing to give advice, and it's such a wonderful community to be a part of.

I've also connected with many authors. I haven't been lucky enough to travel to meet any of my favorites yet, but I'm extremely grateful to the many authors who offer their thoughts with my on Twitter and Goodreads. It's a thrill to be able to say that I've chatted with some of my favorites, and it's even greater to say that I consider a few authors my friends. I know that I wouldn't have this chance if I weren't blogging about books, and I realize how lucky I am to be able to chat with a lot of my favorite authors.

During my short life as a book blogger, I've realized that connections with publicists are important too, but I try not to stress over them too much. I have a few who I work with, but I know that I won't ever be approved for every YA ARC out there, and that's okay. I'm grateful for the publicists who have reached out to me, and have allowed me to read a lot of great books. I have found some great ones that I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own, and I've discovered plenty of new-to-me authors that I'm sure will remain on my TBR for as long as they are writing books.

My Reflection on Me

I've also learned a lot about who I am as a person, as a blogger, and as a reader, and it's definitely opened up my eyes to new experiences and people. I know sometimes I get frustrated with creating posts or keeping up on reading a mix of older and newer titles (don't we all?), but honestly, I love blogging about books. This is where I feel comfortable. This is where I belong. I wouldn't trade this for anything right now, even with everything that I've been through.

I've started to come out of my shell, and I've really started embracing who I am. I've taken risks, and I've definitely proven myself to be worthy of my astrological sign (Leo) and my Gryffindor status. I've even started reading a few different genres that I never would have if it weren't for the recommendations of others in this community. I've added a lot more fantasy books and middle grade books to my shelves, and I've even contemplated reading New Adult, although I haven't made a solid decision on that one! I'll let you know how that goes when I update you again for my second blogiversary!