Before I start this post, please donate to BLM organisations, sign petitions, email your MP, boost Black voices, and search for books and media by Black authors to educate yourself. This tweet links to a super useful document full ways people in the UK can support the movement in the US and call for change here.
In writing this post, trawling through reviews, I noticed just how few books by Black authors I’d reviewed in the almost two years since starting this blog. It’s something I’m trying to change, compiling a TBR from Black bloggers and reviewers that are out in great volume – just a google search away!
I can’t believe I’ve written 500 posts on my blog in under two years! As such, and possibly in place of a 2 year blogiversary post in late July, I want to look back on my posts and select my favourite ones!
The dive back into the archive of posts has shown me just how much I’ve grown as a blogger in these 500 posts. The writing of some of those early posts is *cringes*, and my confidence in posting certainly has.
I’ve had some ups and down in my time. I started off only posting when I had read a book, so it was sporadic and inconsistent. Then I started posting every day, before having to stop for the stress. Now I’m back to posting every day – over 200 days straight now, thanks to a lot of reading this year. I’ve certainly learnt that scheduling content is less stressful overall!
Of course, being me, I took a look at the different types of posts published! I won’t go into all of them (phew, you’re thinking!) but there are some interesting facts that come out of it.
Reviews take up the majority of my posts, naturally. 75%, in fact. As of today, there are 374 reviews live! About 20% of these are ARC reviews and blog tours, and that staggers me! After reviews, then “round-up” posts are the next most common – with 60 posts. December and January churn a lot of these out.
Favourite Review
With so many reviews to chose from, this was a really hard post to pick. However, I am so proud of this joint-written review with my friend Beth. We buddy read HEART OF IRON, screaming at each other in DMs, and then attempted to format that into a coherent review. For all our screaming, it also feels like a very balanced review.
It’s not my usual review format, but that was so useful at the time because I was really struggling with reading and blogging last summer. The fact that I wrote something I’m this proud of then gives me encouragement about my ability to create in tough times.
I’m also really proud of this banner for the post. It was one of the earlier ones I made, but I love the framing of the star and the colours!
Favourite Tag or Meme
I had an absolute blast with the JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER tag, created by BooksNest. Friends send me book covers for books I’d never heard of before, and then I let my judgemental side free. It was so much fun being able to just judge for once. Sure, never judge a book by its cover is good advice, but covers are made to be judged…
Favourite Blog Tour
RELIC AS MUSIC is a post I had to throw together at the last minute, thanks to a reading slump. I was suppose to be posting a review, and ended up with less than two days to find a substitute post. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I sat down to write it. And I’d never made a post based off a book before.
I had to talk to people who’d read the book, scour reviews to work out the general vibe of the book, and read as much as I could manage, before working what music evoked the book. Having finally read the book after this post went live, I think it actually holds up pretty well.
It was a steep learning curve, but it gave me the tools to write bookish inspired posts. I haven’t used it much, but I’m hoping to use it more soon!
Favourite Non-Review Post
In the winter/early spring, I posted analyses of three films and TV shows I’d been watching – The Witcher, The King, and the White Queen. They are far from my usual sort of post, but I loved analysing what I liked – or didn’t – about these stories told in another format. I’m hoping to do more soon, next time I watch something that gets me really thinking about story telling.
Of the three, I’m probably most proud of my post on Netflix’s The King. I was really looking forwards to this film, as it’s about one of my favourite periods in English history, and a historical figure who’s fascinating. However, the way the characters were handled made it hard for me to engage.
What achievements are you proud of?
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 