Sixth Annual Blogo-Birthday Blast

On April 4, 2011, Reading Reality, as “Escape Reality, Read Fiction”, posted its first post. 2011 seems like the proverbial long time ago in the galaxy far, far away. Although it wasn’t THAT far away. At the time, we were living in Gainesville, Florida, and planning a move to Atlanta. Our first move to Atlanta.

Between 2011 and now, we moved to Seattle for a couple of years, and then right back here to the Atlanta suburbs. We even live in the same burb we lived in back then, just at a different address. It’s still near Galen’s work, and now mine as well. And we’re both immensely glad not to need to take the Atlanta not-so-Expressways to work every day, especially after that disastrous fire and collapse on I-85 last week. It’s going to take a long time to clean up that gigantic mess.

As much as we like living here, one of the big things I miss about both Chicago and Seattle is their efficient public transit systems. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for the Atlanta region, but I doubt it. We’ll see.

But this isn’t a traffic blog, or an Atlanta living blog. It’s a book blog. Six years and counting.

In those six years there have been over 2,500 posts, most of them reviews. And over 17,000 comments. I know I need to do way better at responding to comments. Ironically, I usually know just what to say when I’m reviewing a book, but still come over self-conscious when responding to an individual. We all have our quirks.

But speaking of reviews, this week I decided as a present to myself (my birthday is tomorrow) that  I would only review books I really, really wanted to read. So it’s all science fiction and fantasy this week, because those are still my go-to genres. Both The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek have a lot to answer for when it comes to my reading preference.

And, in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings, this is a hobbit birthday. Meaning that instead of getting presents, I will be giving out presents this week to you, my readers, followers and friends. I hope that you enjoy the books and gift cards every bit as much as I have enjoyed writing this blog.

Live long, and prosper! And read LOTS of books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

63 thoughts on “Sixth Annual Blogo-Birthday Blast

  1. Happy blogiversary! The biggest thing I look for in a book blog is relable reviews and consistant posting. Also, a nice design really helps 🙂

  2. Happy Blogiversary! I like when the review isn’t too long, and doesn’t give too much away.

  3. On book blogs I always read the excerpt and most of the time I will read the book if I’ve enjoyed the excerpt. Book reviews have sometimes ruined a book for me so I don’t read them always.

  4. Oh I have to say….honest reviews, but I do realize that everyone has different likes. So..someone may love it and some may not. But…I do love a variety of authors and genres….so fun to find new favorites!

  5. I look for reviews on literary novels and some YA novels since those are my favorite types of books.

  6. Congratulations!

    I followed you here from the much-lamented Book Lovers Inc.–I can’t remember how long that’s been, but it’s been awhile. And I plan to stick around.

    I like how you lay out what worked and didn’t work for you in your reviews. People have different tastes, so I can say, “Oh, that’s a dealbreaker for me” or “Meh, that wouldn’t particularly bother me” when I’m making a decision.

    I’m a big SFF fan, but also like the mix of other genres you review. You even got me back into reading cosy mysteries.

    Thanks for all the hard work you put in to making a great blog.

  7. Happy Blogoversary! When I visit a book blog, I am there for well written and thoughtful reviews. I am not into romance, so I hate when book reviews go on and on about the relationship when it isn’t even the point of the story.

  8. The #1 thing for me in a book review is honesty that isn’t cruel. I hate the ones that I think are just trying to help out book sales!

  9. I look for reviews that are honest about their feelings on the story or series.

  10. First, I have to say how much I love that you called this a hobbit birthday!! I call my kids my little hobbits! What I look for in book blogs/reviews are comparisons to other books or authors. I know I will probably enjoy a book if I enjoyed something similar or I already enjoy the author.

  11. I like star ratings for books, so I can start with the very best, and then read others if I have time.

  12. Another blogversary! That’s quite an accomplishment. Congrats!

    The main thing I’m looking for in a review is honesty. I’m always suspicious of blogs where every single review is nothing but gushing praise. No one likes every book they read LOL. I also appreciate it when the review tells me what they liked and didn’t like in the book. I love your reviews because they are so articulate about why you liked or didn’t like a book.

  13. I look for a clear and honest review! When the reviewer can make me feel like i must read a book thats a great review!

  14. Happy Blogo-Birthday!!! I look for a compelling plot. I will read something if the plot resonates with me.

  15. The number one thing I like in a review blog is honesty in the review. Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win.

  16. Like everyone else mentioned, I like when reviews are honest and to the point.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  17. I look for an interesting review. I like to know something that I couldn’t have figured out by myself.

  18. how many stars and honesty review. I can’t stand when blogs only give 4-5 stars for the sake of the author when even though they may not have liked it

  19. i like a short review that will tell something intriguing about the story that makes me want to read it

  20. I look for reviews on a wide range of genres as well as giveaways on book review sites.

  21. I look to see that the blogger reviews books I will actually want to read. I prefer sci fi, YA, thriller, etc. If I see book covers for romance novels I know to click away very quickly 🙂

  22. Happy blogoversary! I look for reviews that aren’t just empty words, but a quality review of the book the person read. A good review makes all the difference in trying to decide between a couple of books!

  23. I look for an honest review that is not too revealing. If I see a spoiler happening, I shut my eyes off and douse the web review.

  24. I always look for honest reviews meaning there is the negative in there too. I also, look for if the writer was given the book for free. If I see that then I will not take the review for heart. Mainly because they write to please the author. I need the review to be real!

Comments are closed.