Top 5 Moments in Year 5 (And some stats)

I didn’t plan to do a separate post, but I wanted the last post to be focused on thanking the people who comment most and my five-year blogoversery giveaway. So I pulled this half and threw it into a separate post. Plus I got to make a few more graphics 😀

The top portion is the top five things from June 2014 to June 2015 that I felt were highlights of my blogging journey. I tried not to go into too much detail, but I wanted to include enough so that if you’re visiting for the first time you’ve got an idea of what my entire blog is about.

Top 5 Moments in Year 5 (Not ranked)

1. Launching and Continuing Come Read with Me
   • I have successfully completed a year of my new podcast! It may not seem like a lot, but convincing friends to read a book and sit down and talk to you about it is NOT easy. I’ve loved the six episodes I’ve recorded and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future!
2. Completing my 30 x 30
   • Sure I might’ve fudged a little on a couple of them (I’m looking at you 10k and half-marathon), but some of the best times of the last year were a direct result of that list: Acadia, live-band karaoke and getting out of non-student loan debt to name a few.
3. Paulo Coelho sharing my responses to his novels Witch of Portobello and Veronika Decides to Die
   • This was overwhelming. While on vacation I kept getting notifications that my site was receiving a lot more visitors than usual. I didn’t find out what it was until the next morning and was floored. Coelho shared the first on both Facebook and Twitter and that post exploded. I got more views on that one post in two days than I usually receive on the entire blog in a month. It by far surpassed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, posted in 2012, to take on the most visited post by over 1,000 views in less than a month.
4. Going on a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection
   • I spent a lot of time this past year reflecting on my relationships with others, on my relationship with myself and how my actions can and do affect those around me. I read a lot about willpower (not technically this year but here and here) and on efficiency and self-improvement. I also delved into my anxiety issues with The Anxiety Toolkit which I have passed on and recommended to numerous friends.
5. Expanding my Wuthering Heights collection AND holding the American first edition
   • This might sound small and unimportant, but it was seriously one of the highlights of the year. I held a copy of the American First Edition when we were down in DC for my birthday. I asked what version it was and the guy told me and was like “Oh, you want to look at it.” And I just said sure. Swoon. This year I added five copies of Wuthering Heights to my collection including the Spanish edition, the original edition I had in school and a random cover, a “boxed” edition and a critical edition:

The Numbers
I’m not going to go as in-depth as I did last year with numbers, but I’m going to provide a few highlights.

July 2014 – July 2015

• Views
  • 30,733
• Top 5 Book Posts viewed in 2014-15, posted this blog year
  1. Book 356: The Witch of Portobello – Paulo Coelho, June 12, 2015
  2. Book 342: The Anxiety Toolkit – Alice Boyes, April 1, 2015
  3. Book 299: The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck, August 29, 2014
  4. Book 345: How to Be Happy (Or at Least Less Sad) – Lee Crutchley, May 4, 2015
  5. Book 330: Waiting for the Flood – Alexis Hall, January 16, 2015
• Top 5 Book Posts viewed in 2014-15, posted any time
  1. Book 356: The Witch of Portobello – Paulo Coelho, June 12, 2015
  2. Book 122: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot, July 5, 2012
  3. Book 183: 50 Shades of Gay – Jeffery Self, March 14, 2013
  4. Book 272: The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood, April 18, 2014
  5. Book 288: Veronika Decides to Die (And On the Seventh Day #2) – Paulo Coelho, June 30, 2014

July 2010 – July 2015

• Views
  • 85,832 (as of July 1)
• Best Day Ever: Saturday, June 13, 2015 (thanks Mr.Coelho!)
  • Views: 2,736 (2,548 on The Witch of Portobello alone!)
  • Visitors: 2,417
• Comments
  • 4,625
• Top 5 Posts (non quote), and date posted
  1. Book 356: The Witch of Portobello – Paulo Coelho, June 12, 2015
  2. Book 122: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot, July 5, 2012
  3. Book 91: A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin, February 1, 2012
  4. Book 121: The Absolutist – John Boyne, July 3, 2012
  5. Book 50: Bastard Out of Carolina – Dorothy Allison, July 11, 2011

Thanks again to everyone who reads and comments. It’s been a great year and I can’t wait to see where this year takes me!