Top Ten Tuesday: FIRST BLOGIVERSARY & Top Ten Posts!

    

    Today marks a VERY IMPORTANT day in my life and on this blog (which, if you've hung around here already, I'm sure you already know about). 

    One year ago, I sat down at my desk, typed up a couple paragraphs from a sheet of paper, and posted my first entry on this site.

    This was my first time blogging ANYTHING, as well as my first time reviewing a book in public, and I honestly wasn't sure where I wanted to go down the road. All I knew was that I'd held on to this dream of providing quality, content-assessing reviews of mainstream books, and that I wanted to be a resource for parents, teachers, librarians, and anyone looking for a worthwhile read.

    A year later it's honestly shocking to see how far this blog has come. I've not only gotten to reach more people than I thought would read, but I've also been able to step out of my comfort zone by asking authors for interviews, participating in more public bookish topics, and even starting to follow other book blogs and find recommendations from them too. Throughout everything that this blog has been through in the past year, the bookish community has continued to be nothing but welcoming, generous, and wonderful. 

    Today, I wanted to highlight ten of my favorite posts, with a small explanation and link. This Tuesday's list, though, is focused on book quotes. So to meld the two, I'm taking a little liberty and quoting a segment from the posts themselves. Interview posts will quote directly from the authors featured while the rest will focus on my opinion on certain subjects. 

    Check out my picks below!

    (To see all the TTT lists I've done in the past, click HERE.)

Top Ten Favorite Posts On This Blog

(in no particular order)

1. The Great Historic Mystery (Book Review/Author Interview)

Quote: "Don’t write something just because it’s 'popular,' because forcing yourself to write something that doesn’t excite you will take the joy out of writing."

Why I Chose This Post: Not only was the book itself an amazing read, but the fact that I knew (and still know!) the author herself gave me more of an excuse to rave about it! On a *more* serious note, this was my first official author interview, and I could not have chosen a better person to do it with. Jordyn's answers were sweet and thought-provoking, and I loved reading her reactions to having her work featured on the blog. Win-win if you ask me!

2. Books That Make Me Smile (Top Ten Tuesday List)

Quote: "I could not have posted a "books that make me smile" list without adding one of Mangum's titles." (This is still true!)

Why I Chose This Post: Thanks to an internet search and stumbling on a masterlist of Bookish Memes, I found out about Top Ten Tuesday, and have never looked back! This was the very first Top Ten Tuesday I'd tried, as well as the first time I'd blogged about something unrelated to reviews. I'd also say this was my first time getting to interact with the larger book blog community. Overall, I had a fun time creating my list and am so glad I took that chance to try something new!

3. Lost in Averell (Book Review/Author Interview)

Quote: "What would it be like to split your time between a fairy tale kingdom and our world? How would you balance those responsibilities?"

Why I Chose This Post: This was the first time I'd reached out to an author I didn't know personally for a possible interview, and the fact that she replied meant so much to me! Her story sparked my imagination and I was honored to have the chance to spotlight her and her book on it. In fact, I should probably find time to dive into it again!

4. The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found (Book Review)

Quote: "Through everything that went on in this book, she [the author] painted a stunning word picture of what it means to love someone else, even in the hard and rough places."

Why I Chose This Post: This was another first for me in that I was able to review a book during the exact month that it came out. I'd enjoyed the rest of Karina Yan Glaser's Vanderbeekers books beforehand, and had a couple of high hopes by the time I came around to reading the latest installment. I was so happy to blog that it did not disappoint! I'll probably be reviewing the next announced story in the series when it comes out this fall. 

5. Disabilities/Medical Conditions in Literature (Bookish Opinion)

Quote: "It's time for more stories to be created, both about living with medical conditions and people who don't let it define them."

Why I Chose This Post: This post actually came out last week, but I loved tackling this subject so much I just had to include it on here! The subject of equal representation in literature, especially when it comes to chronic pain, is a very personal one for me and I loved that I got the chance to offer my thoughts on it here. I was also moved by the various responses that I received from others who read the post. The fact that my article prompted others to share their experiences with the same thing was very humbling. 

6. Misfits (Book Review/Author Interview)

Quote: "That's what I love about a good book—it takes you away to a different time and place and you can get lost."

Why I Chose This Post: This was a huge "first" for me, as 1) this was posted around my six month blogiversary, and 2) I got to interview a traditionally published, NYT bestselling author whose work I enjoyed. Jen Calonita herself was super sweet and it was an honor to host her and her work here. I was so glad I had the opportunity both to message her and to be encouraged to continue chasing my own dreams of being an author. 

7. Reflections (Blog Tag)

Quote: "[T]here were so many memories that I wouldn't have experienced, so many blessings I would've walked past if 2020 hadn't happened the way it did."

Why I Chose This Post: The lovely Issabelle from Teen Writers' Nook was kind enough to tag me with this list of questions, prompting me to think about the ways God blessed me in 2020 (and beyond). I'd gone into some detail on my thoughts before, but having a whole post dedicated to it made me think even more on the subject and collect my thoughts. Honestly, the tag itself was a blessing in disguise!

8. Christopher Healy (Author Interview)

Quote: "Reading about characters from cultures, geographical areas, and walks of life that are different from your own can be so rewarding, energizing, eye-opening, and inspiring."

Why I Chose This Post: I have been a fan of Christopher Healy's work for years, including his NYT bestselling Hero's Guide trilogy. Like with all my author interviews, it was incredibly exciting to find a positive response from him, and be able to learn more about the person himself. I'm still honored that he took the time to send me his answers and support this site!

9. Non-Romantic Relationships (Top Ten Tuesday List)

Quote: "One thing I appreciated about this book [Kaley Rhea's Off-Script and Over-Caffeinated] was that despite being marketed as a romance novel, it wasn't focused on just romantic love."

Why I Chose This Post: In honor of Valentine's Day, I posted this Top Ten Tuesday list as a way to break the norm of listed fictional ships and romantic quotes. The idea was a bit tricky to pull off, but so worth it. Choosing a unique take on the love-focused topic helped me to appreciate the other various relationships in fiction (and in life) even more. If given a choice, I'd do it all over again!

10. The Liebster Award (Blog Tag)

Quote: "There are a million books that I could name that have impacted me in unforgettable ways, but right now I'm going to name Gene Edwards' The Silas Diary. The storytelling was vivid and the story themes were powerful, but what really got to me was how human all the characters in it seemed."

Why I Chose This Post: Laurel Luehmann's nomination marked not only the first actual award this blog received, but the first time I felt comfortable enough to post more about myself outside of being a bookworm. All the questions she asked were so much fun to answer, and I'm so glad I had the chance to think about my responses to each of them.

    Thanks for checking out this special post! I'm so thrilled you joined me, and hope you enjoyed reading it.

    What about you? What are some of your favorite book quotes (or quotes from your own blog)? If you've also participated in Top Ten Tuesday, please link to your post in the comments so I can read it.

    To celebrate this blog's first birthday, I'm hosting my first giveaway via Goodreads, offering FREE, SIGNED COPIES of Kara Swanson's Dust and Kaley Rhea's Off-Script and Over-Caffeinated! I have a grand total of one person that has entered so far, so please join if you're interested! Scroll below to find the details.

1. Sign up for a Goodreads account (if you don't have one already!)
2. Follow me (JadeSky: Stepping Stones Book Reviews), Kaley Rhea, AND Kara Swanson on Goodreads.
3. Post a comment below this blog post telling me you entered.
4. Wait for the winner! (Announced June 4, 2021) 

    Before I close off, I'd like to highlight a question Issabelle asked me last week: What has been the biggest accomplishment you've had since starting this blog, and what has been the biggest challenge? It's a great question, and honestly it's something I think every blogger should ask themselves.

    As for my answer, I'd say the biggest accomplishment is stepping out of my comfort zone. Before starting this blog I would've balked at the idea of walking up to people (whether in person or online) and asking them for an interview, especially if they were worldwide, bestselling authors! I have been surprised and pleased to learn that many of these authors are kind, wise, and are thrilled to have people read and share about their books, no matter how big or small of a platform they have. At the same time I think I've gained more confidence in recommending the books I love, even if my book blog "norm" is different from everyone else's.

    The biggest challenge for me, honestly, is wanting to get obsessive over viewers. I have always been a people-pleaser and often it's a struggle for me not to focus on the number (or lack) of comments and followers, among other things. I've gotten a bit better at this as I've found my audience, but all the same it can be difficult to remember that it's the impact of a post that counts, not the amount of people who see it.

    That's all for today! Tomorrow, join me to see what I'm waiting for this Wednesday...