Word Wilderness turns 5 this year!
I created Word Wilderness in April of 2020, and every year since I like to look at my blog overall and reflect on things I like or want to change. This year, I was surprised to see it would be Word Wilderness’s 5th Anniversary!
Thank you to all of the people that have taken the time to read, like, and comment on my blog. I have invested lots of time and learned so much since first launching my site. I really appreciate the people who have taken the time to check out my blog. Since it is Word Wilderness’s 5th anniversary, I wanted to talk about 5 book highlights and 5 things I’ve learned since starting book blogging.
Top 5 Book Highlights Through the Years
1. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
I remember stumbling across Travis Baldree’s application for an ARC of his debute, Legends & Lattes, and thinking I had to get myself a copy. Fortunately, I was able to get an ARC and the opportunity to interview Baldree at the same time. I knew Legends & Lattes was special, and it was so exciting to see its popularity grow exponentially after it was published until Baldree earned his offer from Tor. Legends & Lattes was the first book that I got to see take off from publication to on-Barnes-&-Noble-tables success. It really made me appreciate my role as a reviewer.
2. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
I knew little about the blogging community when I first started, so I was lucky to find Wyrd & Wonder right away which introduced me to many amazing bloggers and fantasy books I never would have found otherwise. The Goblin Emperor was so different from any other fantasy story I had ever read and made me realize how creative and vast the world of fantasy was.
3. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
If you like fantasy and have not heard of The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, I’m telling you to go get it right now. The last book came out last year, so you’re right on time to get into it. The Jasmine Throne was everything I love in Epic fantasy: immersive worldbuilding, loveable characters with complicated relationships who are forced to make hard choices, high stakes, and empire-wide conflicts. Every time I think of the best books I’ve discovered since I started blogging, The Jasmine Throne is at the top of that list.
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
If you told me at the beginning of my blogging journey that I would love a sci-fi novella about a rogue Security Unit called Murderbot, I would not believe you. And it was with great skepticism that I first picked up All Systems Red based on the recommendation from Imyril at There’s Always Room for One More and Lisa at Dear Geek Place. I never should have doubted. Murderbot charmed me with its sarcastic humor and not-very-well-hidden heart of gold. All Systems Red is one of the books that made me bolder about trying out new genres and story premises.
5. Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Even more than All System Red, Monstress was a story I never would have even looked at before I started blogging. I didn’t think graphic novels were my thing. Now, the series has become a central feature on my shelf. Every fall, I eagerly look for when the next volume hits the shelves. Monstress is a weird and touching dark fantasy story that explores the horrors of war and its aftermath. I never get tired of looking at Sana Takeda’s art, which sets the atmosphere for the narrative.
Top 5 Things I Learned About Blogging
1. I’m doing this for fun, no one else’s opinion matters
When I first started blogging, I fell into the trap of looking too much at what other bloggers were doing and recommending. I started to feel pressure to have a consistent blog schedule, be writing certain types of posts, and participating in every event. I had to remind myself that I started blogging for fun. Whatever time I put into this hobby better be worthwhile and enjoyable. Otherwise, why am I here? Realizing this really helped me stop putting pressure on myself.
2. Simplify, simplify, simplify
I have the type of personality that has lots of ideas with not a lot of time. I work full time, have other time-consuming hobbies, have friends and family that like me to make time for them. Every once in a while I need to curb by ambitious ideas into something more realistic. No, I cannot do everything and start a new project every time I’m bored at 8 PM on a Saturday.
3. Not every book needs a review
This has taken me too long to accept. I hate feeling like reading is an assignment. I’m a hopeless mood reader and I don’t always have something to say about a book. The past year or two, I’ve gotten very good at deciding which books I want to have an opinion about and forgiving myself for not reviewing everything I read. I fell in love with reading by quietly enjoying stories by myself and often that is still how I prefer to enjoy books.
4. Blogging events is where it’s at!
One of the reasons I started blogging was to connect with other readers, and I have found no better place than blogging events. My personal favorite is Wyrd & Wonder and its spinoffs. This year I’m planning to seek out more in-person book events to meet more authors and non-blogging readers.
5. To a certain extent, I need to insulate myself from other people’s opinions
Before I started blogging, I never read book reviews. I had discussed books with others in book club and with friends and family that enjoyed the same books, but I generally didn’t hear what other people thought about most of the books I read. Then I started blogging, and I had so many opinions to see through Goodreads, other blogs, and Twitter where I connected with other book reviewers. There were so many thoughts coming from external sources. At first, this was a great learning experience because there were so many nuances to storytelling that I had never considered. But, over time I found it really difficult to develop my own opinions because I was being influenced by what everyone else was saying.
I have since cut back on the number of sources of information I get about books. I completely got rid of Twitter and other platforms that have a running conveyor belt of information. I also stopped reading reviews of books I plan to read until I finish the book. These changes really helped me go back to relying on my own mind to process stories, and I still use all of the knowledge I gained when I first started blogging to search for new information *when I am ready for it*. I can read reviews after I finish a book, read discussion articles on topics I’m interested without being bombarded with constant new information.
Looking Forward
May 1st is the start of Wyrd and Wonder! Last year I was not able to participate in the event because I was busy applying for school (boo) so I’m excited to be back this year! I have lots of fabulous reviews and lists planned for the event. I also hope to join in on this year’s read along of The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
I will be starting school this fall (YAY!), so my posting schedule will have to change. As of now, my plan is to switch to a monthly posting schedule. That will give me room to make 2-3 posts for events and wrap ups at the end of the year. We will see how busy I am once my schedule switches.
Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, like, or comment on my blog. It is such a joy to see that people find value in something I created. I hope to keep posting on Word Wilderness for many more years!
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