Cover2CoverMom Celebrates 3 Years Blogging + Q&A Session

Hello bookworms!

Today I am celebrating 3 years blogging here on Cover2CoverMom!

Guys.  I’ve been blogging for THREE years!!!  How did this happen?!  I cannot believe how quickly the past 3 years have flown by.  I remember when I first made the decision to start a book blog.  It was right after I attended my first ever author event.  I attended solo and had NO ONE to talk about the event with.  The next day after that event I signed up for a WordPress blog & started drafting my first post.  I posted my first blog post on February 26, 2016.  If you want to cringe a little, you can read that post here ⇒ Orphan Train Meet the Author Event – Christina Baker Kline.

Most viewed blog posts:

Book Blogger Recs: Bloggers to Follow for Thriller/Suspense/Crime Readers

Things That Made Me Cringe While Reading Anne of Green Gables #AnneReadAlong2017

*This one surprised me a bit.  People were probably up in arms thinking that I disliked Anne of Green Gables, when the opposite was true.

Book Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

*I was also surprised to see a book review made my top viewed posts list, but not that it was Station Eleven.  It is such a beloved book by so many.

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Blog posts with the most comments:

Book Blogging Babble: What Makes You Click (or NOT Click) That Follow Button?

Blogging Babble: Blogger/Follower Expectations

Bookish Babble: Bookworm Stereotypes

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Shout out to the top commenters on Cover2CoverMom:

» Jackie @Death by Tsundoku

» Melanie @Grab the Lapels

» Yvo @It’s All About Books

I want to say a HUGE thank you to Jackie, Melanie, and Yvo for being so active on my blog.  If you don’t already, I highly recommend you head over to their blogs & follow them!

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Funniest search terms that brought people to my blog:

» “male cat pics”

* How is this the top search phrase that drive people to my blog?!

» “I didn’t get tickets to see Stephen King”

* lol when they searched this they probably came to my post about how I scored tickets to SK and they probably hated me for it.

» “I hate Mare Borrow”

* I didn’t even remember who this was at first.  It’s a character from Red Queen, which was not a book I enjoyed.

» “how to dress for Bread Bash”

* I don’t even know what a Bread Bash is… Anyone have any insight into this one?

» “Narnia for those too lazy to read”

* I’m assuming a teacher assigned The Chronicles of Narnia for required reading… I wonder how they did on the exam?  Probably not good if they are too lazy to read it.

» “food captions for Instagram”

* No idea how this one directed to my blog… I do NOT cook or post foodie pictures on my Instagram.

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@The Orangutan Librarian asks…

“What bookish object would you most like to have in real life? (ie an invisibility cloak, wand, etc)”

I’ve thought long and hard about this one.  Hands down I’d go with the time-turner from Harry Potter.  I feel like this is the only way I am going to be able to read all the books on my TBR.

“What’s your favorite chocolate?”

Oh man.  I am currently on the KETO diet, and I miss chocolate so much!  I am a chocolate fiend.  I pretty much love it in all forms.  My favorite candy bar is an Almond Joy – I also love coconut & almonds.  My favorite chocolate in a “box of chocolates” is the milk chocolate cherry cordial.

Jackie @Death by Tsundoku asks…

“What inspired you to start blogging in the first place?”

Basically I needed a place to talk about books!  At the time I didn’t have any friends that really read, therefore no one to discuss books with.  Also, as a stay-at-home mom, I needed some type of creative outlet – a project that was all my own.  I think many stay-at-home parents struggle with a sense of feeling productive.  Sure, we have things to do, but typically those tasks are mundane & isolating.  I needed something that was going to stimulate my mind & give me a sense of community.  I am so happy that book blogging has filled those needs for me.

“What are your top 3 go-to books you recommend to others? Why those books?”

Tough question!  I typically recommend books to people when I know what types of readers they are and what I think they’ll enjoy based off what they’ve read & loved in the past.  I also will recommend different books to non-readers than I would to avid readers…  I am going to go with an adult book, a young adult book, and a middle grade book that I think *most* readers would enjoy.

» The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I feel like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is always a safe bet to recommend.  My book club read it last year, and every single member loved it!  That has never happened before.

» The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is a widely beloved book and for good reason!  I really haven’t met many people that didn’t enjoy this book.

» Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend

Want Harry Potter feels?  Pick up Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow!

“If you could have dinner with any living author, who would it be?”

This one is so hard!  Why do you do this to me Jackie?  I am going to go with Neil Gaiman for this one.  Why?  Well for one he is one of my favorite authors/storytellers – in case you are wondering Neverwhere is my favorite book of his.  Secondly, I’d just want to sit there and listen to his voice.  His voice & narration is absolute perfection.  If you pick up any of his books, I cannot recommend the audiobooks enough!  This is the way to enjoy his books.  I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak in person, which you can read more about here ⇒ Author Event: An Evening with Neil Gaiman.  If you ever get the chance to attend one of his events, I highly encourage it.  He is an absolutely fascinating man.

Marie @Drizzle & Hurricane Books asks…

“Can you share one book that the book blogging community recommended to you and that you loved?”

One of the things I love the most about the book blogging community is all the books I’ve been introduced to that I would never have read otherwise!  There are so many that I’ve tried and loved.  I am going to go with A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

» A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

I am so thankful that I picked this book up from the recommendation of the book blogging community.  It introduced me to V.E. Schwab & one of my favorite series of all times, the Shades of Magic trilogy.

“What is your favorite thing about book blogging? and your least favorite thing?”

I absolutely love the sense of accomplishment & joy I get every time I hit the publish button.  There is something special about having a platform that is all my own, my own little space in the vast interweb.  Having my own blog makes me feel like I have a voice.

I do not always enjoy the time commitment that is required from managing your own blog.  If you don’t have a blog, you’d probably be surprised at all the time & effort that goes into every post.

“Non-bookish question, but what is one place you’d dream of visiting?”

I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland, England, and Scotland… If I had to chose between them, I guess I’d pick Ireland.  I’m trying to convince my husband that we need to hit all 3 countries for our 10 year wedding anniversary…. which is still 3.5 years away 🙂

Lynn @Lynn’s Book Blog asks…

“What has been the biggest surprise to you in your 3 years of blogging?”

I would have to say the biggest surprise is the friendships I’ve made over these past 3 years.  Never in a million years did I think I’d make good friends over the internet, nor did I ever think I would eventually meet a few of them in real life!  The bookish community means so much to me, much more than I ever imagined it would.

Laila @Big Reading Life asks…

“What’s the most difficult thing for you about blogging?”

The most difficult thing for me is finding a balance between my personal life, reading, and blogging when things get hectic in my personal life.  When my personal life gets crazy, my motivation for blogging takes a hit.  During these times I find that all I want to do is bury my nose in a book, and I don’t really feel like blogging.

I’d also say I have a hard time blog hopping at times.  I am pretty good about visiting blogs I’ve been following for a while, BUT I really need to make a better effort of browsing for new blogs & spreading the love.

If you are a blogger, how many years have you been blogging?

How would you have responded to any of the questions asked of me above?

Comment below & let me know 🙂