3 Year Blogoversary

December 31, 2018

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Death by Tsundoku! It’s hard to believe we’re about to jump into 2019. Where did this year go?! It’s been a challenging year on many levels. I’m thankful that I’m still here, engaged with this community, and writing blog posts. After what I’ve overcome this year, I feel like I’m Over the Hill in blog years. Thank goodness the momentum isn’t slowing down yet.


 

2018 was a challenging year here at Death by Tsundoku. Let me tell you, I’ve learned a lot of new lessons thanks to those difficulties!

Blogging is better with friends. I did a few buddy reads, write and hosted a few guest posts, and I participated in a few read alongs this year. These moments are by far the most memorable and rewarding of the year. Melanie @ Grab the Lapels and I are hosting #ReadingValdemar for the ENTIRETY of 2019! This will be a blast! Plus, I am actively seeking to write guest posts for other blogs, and host guest posts on my blog! Let me know if you’re interested! I cannot wait to continue more blogging with friends.

Be Queen over your whole dominion. This was a difficult year from a technical perspective. I ran into technical problems which shut my blog down for weeks at a time TWICE. I had to manually re-create all my posts between these two events, and I lost a ton of amazing comments and conversation from amazing people. This happened because I wasn’t willing to own my blog 100% myself. It’s difficult, technically challenging, and time-consuming. If I have learned anything this year, it’s that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. 

The book blogging community is incredible. Related to these technical issues and some personal things going on, my presence in the community has been limited compared to previous years. Even when I vanished for *weeks* the community stayed strong and supported me. Yes, my blog had fewer views during these times. But never did my blogger friends forget me. Never. Thank you. You are the best.

Make the tools work for you. I think, finally, after all these years, I have finally found some tools which will help me maintain my blogging as I want to. I know that I need structure, discipline, and rigor to make my blog what I want it to be. But this year I finally found some tools which help me manage this work. These tools will be tweaked and my toolkit will grow over the years, but where I am now is *actually* working!

Book Reviews are hard. This year I’ve only written reviews for ~10% of the books I’ve read. I actually spent some of my vacation time last week writing short, bullet list reviews for my Goodreads account to catch up on my read books there. I finally am recognizing that writing book reviews are difficult and time consuming for me. Perhaps, with this in mind, I can set better goals for my future.

Interested in checking out what my previous lessons were? Pop in on my 1-year and 2-year blogoversary posts!


 

Hopes and goals are different. Hope are my ambition, but they aren’t necessarily measurable. These are the principles by which I hope to live my blogging life for 2019. Goals to come soon — but these should guide my work this coming year:

Be present. If you know me at all, I have a unique way of blog hopping. I tend to stop by your blog every 1-3 weeks and binge read/comment on all your posts I haven’t read yet. While I love doing this to catch up on what I’ve missed, it means that it’s perpetuating this cycle. If I spend an hour or two on your blog commenting, then I’ll need to wait even longer to comment on someone else’s blog. I hope to visit more frequently, but perhaps not catch all the posts I missed. I also hope to stay on top of the comments left on my blog a bit better. Be here. Be aware. Be present.

Co-blog and connect as much as possible with other bloggers. I already have a few of these things on my list for 2019, but I’ve discovered a passion for these sorts of interactions I didn’t know existed. I want to write guest posts. I want to host guests. I want to use my blog as a platform to connect with and promote others.

Break up with NetGalley. I raised my Feedback ratio from 54% to 68% this year. I still have three books I’ve read and haven’t reviewed, which will push me to 74%. But, I’ve learned this year that NetGalley doesn’t bring me any joy. Therefore, I hope to fulfill my commitment to many of the books I’ve requested this year and break up entirely with NetGalley by the end of the year. I don’t need your baggage!

Not let my blog get in my head. With all the technical drama I had this year, there were times I let my blog (or lack thereof) get in my head. Should I give up? Is the universe telling me to stop? Not this year, blog! You and me? We’re in it for the long haul.


 

Finally– thank you SO MUCH for being here. It means the world to me that there are people who listen, respond and push me to be more than I thought I could be. Thank you for being a part of my journey. Thank you for participating in everything I do. Thank you for sticking around through my rough spots and my amazing moments.

This community is the reason I continue to blog. The reason I spend hours reading and blogging when I should be sleeping. You make every moment worth it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!

There are more people to thank here than I could possibly consider. But those who are extraordinarily meaningful to me should be called out directly:

To anyone I didn’t mention directly– you are amazing and wonderful and meaningful to me as well. I don’t know what I’d do without you all! I hope that we all continue to grow together. Here’s to another amazing year of reading, blogging, blog hopping, and discovering who we are.

Happy reading,

Jackie B.

Jackie B Forman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


What do you think?

  • What do you think of Death by Tsundoku? What are your loves, likes, and dislikes? What do you want to see more of in the future?
  • Would you be interested in writing a guest post, co-blogging, or having me write a guest post for your blog? Help me achieve my hopes for 2019!
  • What lessons did you learn from blogging this year?
  • What are your hopes for 2019?

45 Comments

  • Kim @ Traveling in Books December 31, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Congrats on three years! I am looking forward to the Valdemar readalong. You can bet I will be taking part in it!

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 10:29 am

      Yes!!! I am super excited you are joining us, Kim!! Melanie and I will be posting a schedule and some alternative post ideas soon. We honestly didn’t expect so much interest. 🙂 I cannot wait to discuss these books with you!!!

      • Kim @ Traveling in Books January 4, 2019 at 10:53 am

        I’m looking forward to it! I’m waiting for the books to come in at the library for me, and I don’t know when that will be. Hopefully not too late!

        • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 1:54 pm

          We definitely want this to be a low-stress read along, Kim. Join us when you can, and share your thoughts when you are ready.

          I just shared our posting schedule here on the blog. Our first post will be January 14th, but no pressure to post then. I cannot wait to hear your thoughts!! <3

  • Ichabod Temperance December 31, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    Congratulations on the blogaversary and Congrats on getting married this year! Your pictures from the wedding were awesome!

    Happy Reading in 2019!
    ~Icky. 🙂

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 10:35 am

      Thank you so much, Icky! I really appreciate it. 🙂 We had a fun time at the wedding, that’s for sure.

      To you: Happy reading *and* writing in 2019! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting. <3

  • LizScanlon December 31, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    Happy blogoversyary! 🙂 3 years… gosh, it feel slike such a long time but not at all a long time! and despite the challenges 2018 brought, I am glad you’re still here and going strong! 🙂

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 10:36 am

      Thank you so much, Liis! Yeah, 2018 was a rough year in many ways, but I’m still here. 🙂 I hope that 2019 is a much stronger year.

      And yeah! 3 years feels like *forever*. XD It’s not all that long, but it’s only a baby step in the grand destiny of the internet.

  • Jorie December 31, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    Congratulations on your 3rd Year! I passed my first milestone year (5th) in 2018 (March & August) — I know how important it is to recognise the years we’ve blogged and the personal growth that comes along with the journey. This year, I am thankful my path re-crossed with yours during the #ThanksgivingReadathon!! So much so, you’ll find it on my Reading Challenges, Readathons & RALs for 2019!

    Jackie,

    I agree with you about owning this journey of ours, being aware in the moment and finding the little joys in the bookish communities we’re engaging with as social readers. For me, that means the book blogosphere (first and foremost), the bookish Twitter community & book world in general and new for me, as we shift forward into 2019 – I’ve joined a few groups on LibraryThing and am finding a geeky niche amongst the rest of the 2019 Category Challenge participants! I also started to firmly try to visit the book bloggers I love reading as I wanted to resume being that chatty reader who lifts up other bloggers & let them know how much I am loving their content. I even joined two more comment engaging challenges for 2019 to remain accountable but also, re-inspire me to reach out to new bloggers I might not know of it. That’s the beauty of spending New Year’s Eve finding new bloggers & just leaving lots of lovely notes for everyone!

    You’re NOT the only person breaking up with NG! I am finding loads of bloggers doing the same – either now or by the end of 2019 as they want to work on their backlogue of reviews. For me, I found a reading challenge celebrating our earnest attempts to erase our #BacklogueReviews which I’m using as a guide to erase mine. I’ve mentioned this in other places but it was 2016 when I first tried to erase it, but 2017 was the year of recovery for my Dad and 2018 was the 10 mos of chaos for my health – so, yeah, it snowballed. I am getting more comfortable ‘letting go of the guilt’ – for starters, we do the best we can and we all have lives outside our ‘blogs’ — so if 2019 is the better year for me to focus on those older reviews, than that was the best I could have done all along.

    I try to develop a cycle rotation of the bloggers I regularly visit – I know I have nearly 415 book bloggers, booktubers or bookstagram tweeters on my Twitter List but I typically try to visit half of that amount yearly; though, again, I haven’t really been mindful of being present on other blogs as I had too much *life!* distracting me for awhile!! I’ll have to see how it goes this New Year as I want to develop a blog series talking about what I’m finding and how everyone whose blogging is leaving a positive imprint on my life.

    Here’s to our resolutions and to the unexpected joys that will alight in our bookish lives! I hope to engage more with you, Jackie and perhaps see you on my blog as well. If not, that is okay too – I am sure there will be other events & moments we can interact with together during the year!

  • Dani @ Perspective of a Writer December 31, 2018 at 8:35 pm

    YAY! It’s amazing to hang onto a blog for 3 YEARS Jackie!! So Congratulations… its a grand feat and with all the problems you had you deserve all the praise for sticking it out. I would have probably collapsed loosing my content… I say breakup with Netgalley if it isn’t giving you more joy than heartache! And reviews are hard, lol, but also rewarding. I admit having been around myself for a second full year that commenting is probably what suffers the most. I feel like there is no catching up. >.< But here's to you being around for many more years. ❤️

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 5:00 pm

      D’aw. Thank you, Dani! Your kind words mean a lot to me. I survived losing my content only because Google’s cacheing system meant I recovered ~2/3 of it. Not everything, but enough that I felt confident I could move forward, at least. 🙂 You write SO MANY posts I cannot imagine the chaos you’d have if you lost that many of them. O_o You’re so prolific, Dani! <3 #Goals

      Here's not only to me being around, but to *us* being around. While both of us have our times when we are present and when we aren't, I love connecting with you. I cannot wait to continue this relationship into 2019! P.S. Buddy read!!! <3 <3 <3

      • Dani @ Perspective of a Writer January 4, 2019 at 9:12 pm

        YAY! I’m excited for the buddy read! Hahahah I agree totally Jackie. I sent you a follow up email when you have time. ❤

  • Laila@BigReadingLife December 31, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    Awww, thanks for the shout-out! I love stopping by your blog because you read such interesting books and have such great discussion posts. And yeah, how cool is it that we share a blogiversary! (Is it blogiversary or blogoversary? I’ve seen it both ways, ha ha!)

    By the way, reviews can be hard for me too. I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself and compare myself to other bloggers. Over the course of the year I’ve realized that I have to be true to MYSELF only, and focus on having FUN with my blog. If that means more lists than reviews, or if that means mini-reviews or five-sentence reviews, that’s fine! No one is grading my blog!

    A very Happy New Year to you Jackie!

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      <3 Thank you, Laila! It's great to hear positive feedback about my blog. The best part about having my blogoversary (Which is how I choose to spell it... because? There seems to no consensus. And it seems like blogiverary would be right, because that's more-or-less how I pronounce it, but it looks weirder to my eyeballs. *shrug*) so close to the New Year is that it's the perfect time for reflection.

      I think we all put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves. You nailed it that we need to have fun with our blogs! These are hobbies. I just don't know what that looks like from a review perspective for me yet. Hm. I'll need to ponder. Thank you for giving me some food for thought!

  • Grab the Lapels December 31, 2018 at 10:18 pm

    It cracks me up that you spent a New Year’s Eve creating a blog. Things I’ve learned about blogging in 5.5 years: it’s better to be organized and set personal deadlines for each book so you prioritize reading over TV or flipping through Reddit all night. Stop following bloggers who leave passsive aggressive comments on your blog or who claim they don’t have time to appreciate the work you do on your blog. Consider updating the look of your blog or what you use it for every so often to keep things fresh. Get rid of the like button. Use social media to talk with other bloggers instead of only promoting your own posts. I’ll let you know if I think of anything else 😉

    Here’s to 2019! Cheers!

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 9:39 pm

      I mean. Can you think of a better way to spend New Years? Reading. That’s about it. 😉 But seriously, I technically *created* my blog earlier in December, but I didn’t publish my first post until 12/31. Therefore, this is what I consider my blogoversary. WordPress can deal. 😉 New Years Resolutions in action, baby!

      These are some awesome lessons. I’m with you on be organized and setting personal deadlines. I’ve gotten away from that lately and I need to harness it again. (Thank you for taking point on that for #ReadingValdemar!) I am 100% about not following passive aggressive bloggers. In fact, I’ve started clearing our my “Followed” feed quarterly. Mwahaha.

      I want to get better at graphics, understanding WordPress, and making my blog feel more… cohesive. That might be a good goal for 2019. Only I don’t want to put a ton of time into them, you know? I like my theme, so images and cohesion come next. I also really like the Like button. It’s just.. .gratifying.

      Social Media. I honestly don’t know why I bother. I don’t get it. I cannot figure out how to make meaningful connections via these platforms. Am I doing something wrong? XD

      • Grab the Lapels January 5, 2019 at 10:02 pm

        I once read that if you are going to have multiple social media platforms, they all need to have different content. Basically, you shouldn’t create a post a then publish a link to it on all the different social media. It’s about knowing your audience. Now, that means we’re getting into marketing territory, and most of us aren’t interested in marketing our blogs like a business because it’s time consuming and yield unpredictable results. I share my posts on Facebook and Twitter, but mainly I use those accounts for other things. Facebook is mostly work people — it used to be just family, but I don’t see them on there much. Twitter often amuses me, and I’ve cultivated who I follow such that I get Tweets about books, writers, bookstores, etc. If you’re not sure what you want social media for, you’ll likely not use it correctly because you’re not as invested as the market wants you to be.

        • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 12:57 pm

          That last sentence nails my experiences. Facebook I use almost exclusively for sharing my blog and discussing book-related things. Twitter is for the occasional book chat. Instagram is something I want to get more into, but I’m struggling to make it work for me. I take tons of photos, but not curated ones. I like to take more candid photos with my phone in the moment. I don’t feel like people care about those photos as much. But I will try this year!

          Honestly, I’d remove my Twitter account if it wasn’t such an important way to connect with other bloggers.

  • anhdara13 January 1, 2019 at 6:06 am

    Congratulations on 3 years!!! I’m so glad to have found your blog this year, and I cannot wait for more from you, and I hope to connect with you more over the course of the next year. <3

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 2:12 pm

      Thank you so much, Ara! It’s been great ot get to know you, too, this year. While I’m not doing a great job connecting with bloggers right now (O_o), I really do hope we have the opportunity to interact more this year. <3 Here's to a stronger 2019!!

  • Paula Bardell-Hedley January 1, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    Congratulations and a very Happy New Year to you, Jackie!

    • Jackie B January 1, 2019 at 11:17 pm

      Thank you so much, Paula! Happy New Year to you, as well. I hope 2019 is an amazing year for us both! 🙂

  • Annemieke January 2, 2019 at 1:48 am

    Happy 3 years Jackie! I hope that this year will be better blog wise (with the technical bits and al). I think you’ve had enough for a whole blogging lifetime. 😉
    Thanks for the shout-out love <3

    I think no matter what I need blogging to be a consistent in my life. It is weird how it has become such a meaninful part of my life. With not having a job it means even more for me as I can get out some creative bits and have interactions with adults (instead of my toddler haha).
    And yes, reviews are so hard. ._.

    • Jackie B January 4, 2019 at 5:38 pm

      And thank *you* for the love. I am also hoping this year will be better technically. I’m soooo over cleaning up a digital mess. O_o

      Right! And blogging connects us with like-minded people, too. Not just any old adults. Cool ones. 🙂 I cannot imagine losing blogging for good. At least, not at this point in my life. These are important, meaningful connections which get my creativity flowing and challenges my mind at the same time.

      Ugh. Writing reviews! I desperately need to work on that. XD

  • whatthelog January 2, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    Love these Jackie! (Though I personally love it when you go on a commenting spree – I get the first email through and know that I’m in for a bunch of lovely comments!) I’d like to connect more with other bloggers too 🙂

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 12:41 pm

      That’s lovely to know, actually. I was worried I was annoying people with a bunch of spam-like emails and work. XD But I guess I want all the comments, no matter in what format. So, while I’ll try to break away from binge commenting, I might not lose it all together. 🙂

      <3

  • Nicole Evans January 2, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    Happy Anniversary! I hope 2019 proves to be the best year yet (and definitely without the technical difficulties).

    • Jackie B January 5, 2019 at 10:22 pm

      Thank you so much, Nicole! I want to second that — no more technical concerns. XD

      I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. It means so much on this anniversary. 🙂

  • Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote January 2, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    Congratulations on the blogaversary and on having went through one the biggest achievements in life (marriage)! 😀 I love the lessons you point you out there, especially in regards to the community! Definitely one of the best parts of it all. I do find it funny how reviews are what you find the hardest. I absolutely love writing them and I think it’s because of that “challenge” of writing them that makes it so fun. 😛 At least your content doesn’t drop in quality, ever, whether you do a review or not. 😉 Here’s to many more years of blogging and hopefully more interactions with you this year, Jackie!

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 1:12 pm

      Lashaan! That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my blog. Thank you!

      Yeah, reviews challenge me because I feel like I can never do the books I love justice, and the books I don’t like that much I am less inspired to write about. I am going to try some changes this year in my review writing to see if I can make this less difficult for me. Here’s hoping I don’t drop my quality. 😉 I can do it!

      Definitely. MANY more years of blogging, discussing, and sharing. After all, who else will keep me in touch with all the terrible new DC comics which I need to avoid?! XD

      • Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote January 6, 2019 at 2:07 pm

        Hahahaahahahahaah how sad is that. 😛 While that unfortunate run throughout 2018 thanks to the whole New Age of Heroes thing have made me go through some pretty lame comics, I’ll definitely be sharing some fantastic ones so that you’ll be saying something along the lines of “who else will keep me in touch with all the fantastic new DC comics which I need to pick up?!” next year! 😉

  • PerfectlyTolerable January 3, 2019 at 10:55 am

    Happy Blogoversary!!! Congrats 😀 that is awesome!!

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 1:31 pm

      Thank you, Brittany! This is a big milestone for me. I find that many bloggers vanish between years 2 and 3, so I feel like I’m over a hump. XD

      Happy New Year!

  • Krysta January 3, 2019 at 11:28 pm

    Commenting around has definitely been a struggle for me the past few months. I try to find the time, but I don’t seem to have enough of it! I wish I could connect with people more, though. :/

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 1:47 pm

      I completely understand — I have found that I prioritize my blog in this order: 1) Write Posts. 2) Respond to post comments. 3) Blog Hop. Being on the end of the list, I don’t always make it there. Particularly with some of the difficulties in my family and work life over the last 2 months.

      The best part of this community is how forgiving they are. If you don’t comment for a while, people warmly welcome you back when you do. 🙂 This is why I love them.

      Speaking of : I appreciate you taking the time to reach out. <3 It means a lot to me that you stopped by, Krysta!

  • Poulami @ Daydreaming Books January 5, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    Haaaaaaaaaaaaappy blogiversary!!! <3 And a happy new year!

    • Jackie B January 5, 2019 at 10:26 pm

      Thank you so much Poulami! I really appreciate the well wishes. 🙂 Happy new year!

  • Anna @MyBookishDream January 5, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    Congrats on 3 years! That’s such a great achievement! 😀 Also, Happy New Year! I hope that 2019 will be a wonderful year for you. <3

    • Jackie B January 5, 2019 at 10:25 pm

      Thank you so much, Anna! It feels wonderful to have made it this far. 🙂 Happy New Year to you as well. Here’s hoping 2019 is amazing for us both! 🙂

  • Gayathri Lakshminarayanan January 6, 2019 at 5:46 am

    Happy blogoversary and I agree with all your points. Life has been so much easier since I moved to self hosted WP last year. I am focusing on being more organized and automate smaller stuff this year, both on my blog and otherwise.

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 12:44 pm

      I love being on self-hosted WP, but it definitely has a learning curve! It’s nice to have full control of my own space. What sorts of things are you hoping to automate on your blog? I’ve never considered this!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Gayathri!

  • Amanda @Cover2CoverMom January 12, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    Wow! 3 years blogging! Congratulations on this huge achievement. The book blogging community is a far better place with you in it.

    I am so proud of everything you’ve overcome this year. It had to have been so devastating to lose all your blog content… I really need to start backing up my blog posts. I think I am going to make that a goal this year!

    Book reviews are sooooo hard! They take me FOREVER to write and they never get much traffic.
    It’s hard to put so much effort into something that not many people will actually read. One of my goals this year is to write full reviews for review books, and start writing mini reviews for more of the books I read this year.

    I’d love to host you for a guest post on my blog! Let me know what ideas you have, and we can work something out 🙂

    Thank you for the shout out. I love how much closer we’ve become these past few months. I will forever be thankful that you reached out to me about meeting in real life. I cannot wait until you come to Ohio again!

    • Jackie B January 16, 2019 at 8:07 am

      D’aw. You’re making me blush, Amanda! 🙂

      I now have my posts automatically packed up by my host into a ZIP file weekly. While I wouldn’t know what to do with this file if I lost content agian, my host should be able to help me out. Baby steps. I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about losing all that content again.

      I will admit, I’ve never looked at how much traffic a book review vs. other posts generate. I really just care about the traffic. That said, I know that my discussion questions for middle grade books gain the most hits on my blog! I assume that’s because there are kids looking for help with their homework. XD

      I read about your goal to write mini reviews! I love it. Do you have a format in mind, or will they be just like the mini-reviews you’ve been putting in your weekly wrap-ups? I’m so curious to learn more! I have some new review formats in mind, but thus far each time I go to write something in a new format it turns back into the original. Oops!

      Yes! I’ll reach out to you about guest post ideas. Thank you!

      Pft, of course you get a shout out. You are so brave! And I’ll be back in Ohio in March. When I reach out about guest posts, we can get our details solid for our next buddy read!

      • Amanda @Cover2CoverMom January 19, 2019 at 3:46 pm

        I think that’s awesome that your middle grad book discussion questions receive the most traffic! Either kids or possibly teachers??? Either way I think it’s awesome!

        I don’t really have a particular format for my mini reviews. I drafted the first batch and will most likely post next week. Basically they are very informal reviews and not as long (well some of them lol) as my typical reviews – the ones I write for a review copy book. So basically same format, just shorter and not as formal.

        • Jackie B January 21, 2019 at 1:00 pm

          Yup! It definitely has inspired me to write some more discussion questions for MG reading level books. XD

          I put together a format for graphic novel/comic/manga reviews recently. I hope that this will inspire me to write more about these. I read a ton of them, but I never write anything about them. O_o I’m excited to try this format out and see what people think!

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