Monday, June 06, 2016

Malarkey and Promises, Bloggiversary and Blog Break


First things first: It's my 10th bloggiversary. I cannot believe an entire decade has passed since I began blogging, although so much has happened! I've made some incredible friends who share my passion and some who authored favorite books, said goodbye to my mother and two cats, been adopted by two new kitties, become a mother-in-law and a grandmother. I've read hundreds of books and discovered that I really, really do not like reading them in electronic form (good old paper for me, baby). I've watched both children graduate from college and get jobs and traveled to some fabulous places -- some of which would not have happened if not for the blog. It's been a good run . . . so far. On to malarkey before my farewell.

No arrivals, this week.

Books finished since last malarkey:


  • The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
  • The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler


Currently reading:


  • I haven't actually decided what to read, next. Eeks. Will update that on Twitter, when I do. I'm @Bookfoolery


Last week's posts:




And, now, it's time for a break but not for any of the reasons you might expect. At the beginning of 2016, when I lost a friend suddenly to cancer, I made a promise to myself to stick it out till my 10th bloggiversary and then take a significant break. I'm not tired of blogging or frustrated or worried about the fact that not as many people visit my blog as they did in the beginning. While I miss the close relationships I had in the early blogging days, some of those have matured and moved on to Facebook, letter-writing, visits in person. In some ways it's better to have fewer visitors at the blog; it was a little overwhelming when my blog was kind of popular, early on.

Nope, I just made myself a promise to take a big break and I've decided to keep it. It's possible that I'll reevaluate whether or not I want to continue blogging while I'm away. But at this point I fully intend to come back. And, I still plan on writing the monthly review posts because I'm not going to quit recording my reads, here. I have an end-of-year-post that I update every time I finish a book. However, this is going to be a long break, anywhere from 2 to 6 months. I won't know till I get there. If I'm not back by the end of the year, apart from the monthly posts, I'll return at the beginning of 2017 with an update.

In the meantime, I'll continue reading, of course, and writing brief reviews at Goodreads. I'll update my personal Facebook timeline. I'll tweet about my reads on Twitter. I sit down at the computer to tweet so I'm just a drop-in tweeter but I'll work harder at updating there, hopefully with photos. If/when I return, I will have a different home email address, but my gmail site will continue to function if anyone wants to get in touch. Have a fabulous summer!


©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

18 comments:

  1. Ten years is a long while! I was just noticing yesterday (updating some old links on my blog) how many of those who were around when I started, aren't blogging anymore. I'll miss you while you're on break, but enjoy it and re-evaluate and hope you come back to us all.

    I glance at reviews on goodreads sometimes, so maybe I'll see you there.

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    1. Yes, we've been around a long time and many people have set blogging aside, along the way. I'm N. Horner at Goodreads if you want to friend me there, Jeane. I would love that!

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  2. {{{hugs}}} I will write you a letter. It's probably my turn.

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    1. Actually, I owe you. Maybe I'll finally find the time to write, now, although I have a lot planned for my blogging break!!! :) Hugs back at ya!

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  3. Happy Blogiversary! I have other ways to track you down, so I am not too worried about your blogging break. I think it is sad that many of my older blogging friends are either not blogging or blogging a lot less than they used to. But, I can't really say much because most of the time my blog is dead. lol

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    1. Thanks! Yep, you know where to find me. I know what you mean. I've gotten terrible about visiting other blogs and I think that's part of it. So many have shut down or the bloggers just show up on rare occasions that sometimes I don't bother looking. I really need change that but . . . later. I'm looking forward to the time away. :)

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  4. Happy Bloggiversary, and happy blogging break as well. I started my Bonnie's Books blog on January 30, 2007, so it's going on ten years for me, too. Currently, I haven't posted anything since May 13th. Part of my feeling overwhelmed is that on May 16th I learned that my sister is now on Hospice for lung cancer. Three days later, I learned that one of my daughters has breast cancer; she started chemo on June 1st, will have surgery after three months of chemo, and will be evaluated for whether to have radiation after that. The blog hasn't been quite the priority it was before.

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    1. Oh, Bonnie, I'm sorry you're having to deal with cancer in not one but two of your family members. Prayers for healing to both of them. It's understandable that the blog is falling by the wayside. I've been there with my mom. Much love to you and thanks for the bloggiversary wishes!

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  5. Happy 10th! May you have ten more! (that is, if you want them LOL)

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    1. Thanks, Jill! I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the time away and not think about when or whether I'm returning. :)

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  6. I'm going to miss you! Keep posting kitty pics on Facebook at least! Enjoy your break and summer. See you on the other side!

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    1. Thanks! I'm sure you'll see plenty of kitty pics on FB (and books, too). Happy Summer to you, too!

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  7. I'm going to miss your posts, but know how to stay in touch, whether on FB or email. Enjoy your break and congrats on your blogiversary! Quite a milestone!

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    1. Thanks, Les! Yep, you know where to find me. I can't believe it's been 10 years, already. Where does the time go?

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  8. Happy Bloggoversary! And I get the break. I needed mine for my own personal reasons. It's good to step back, and take a breather.

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    1. Thanks, Ryan!

      I knew you would understand. I thought about your lengthy break when I was waffling about whether or not to go ahead and take time off. I agree, sometimes it's good to just walk away for a little while. Hopefully, I'll come back refreshed.

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  9. I know I'm totally behind but Happy Bloggiversary! Definitely a milestone to be celebrated. I hope you've been enjoying your break too.

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    1. Thanks, Iliana! Yep, I've been enjoying my break. We just returned from vacation and had a terrific time. :)

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