Elevenses

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find something that rhymes with eleven that’s not seven or heaven? Seriously, these suggestions (rhymezone.com) were laughable and so we ended up with second breakfast which I am here for.

As I surpass my eleventh year of blogging, I’m glad to say I’ve returned back to a more balanced schedule and cadence; and that my stats are reflecting this after a couple of down years where I wasn’t able to blog (or shock/horror, read) as frequently. My stats are up across the board and I’m sure would be even higher if I got back to interacting with other book bloggers, but that’s always a work in progress.

Since last July 20, I’ve read 107 books  which is 14 more than last year with a HUGE chunk of those being MM romance novels. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them and will probably continue to enjoy for the foreseeable future.

I wasn’t surprised at all with any of the rankings below, except for Go for It, Nakamura which has been climbing all the stats lists since I published it. And On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Boyfriend Material picking up steam not far behind, so it’ll be even more interesting next year.

Top Book Posts from All Time Viewed July 2020 – July 2021

1. [New Entry] Book 672: Go for It, Nakamura! – Syundei (Feb 12, 2020)
2. [New Entry] Book 741: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (Aug 14, 2020)
3. [▼2] Book 272: The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood (Apr 18, 2014)
4. [New Entry] Book 724: Boyfriend Material (London Calling #1) – Alexis Hall (Jul 8, 2020)
5. [New Entry] Book 593: Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3) – Kevin Kwan (Feb 7, 2019)

I’m not at all surprised to see The Handmaid’s Tale still on this list. It won’t fall off again until after Hulu ends the miniseries. And fun fact, only one view separates four and five on this list which is interesting as Rich People Problems has a full year on Boyfriend Material.

Top Book Posts Published July 2020– July 2021

1. Book 741: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (Aug 14)
2. Book 724: Boyfriend Material (London Calling #1) – Alexis Hall (Jul 8)
3. Book 750: Darius the Great is Not Okay (Darius the Great #1) – Adib Khorram (Oct 14)
4. Book 730: Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1) – Annabeth Albert (July 27)
5. Book 761: Mediocre – Ijeoma Oluo (Dec 15)

Almost like a what did Geoff enjoy most this year, with the exception of Darius the Great is Not Okay—it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as the other four on this list.

Top Non-Book Posts Published July 2020 – July 2021

1. August Recap 2020
2. July Recap 2020
3. April Recap 2021
4. May Recap 2020
5. November Recap 2020

I never know what’s going to show up in this one, but I usually expect my year end recaps or blogiversary posts to appear and they usually do, but this past year if anything was unpredictable.

Top 10 Book Posts of All Time

1. Book 272: The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood (Apr 18, 2014)
2. Book 356: The Witch of Portobello – Paulo Coelho (Jun 12, 2015)
3. Book 122: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot (Jul 5, 2012)
4. Book 102: Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie (Mar 28, 2012)
5. [▲1] Book 345: How to Be Happy (Or at Least Less Sad) – Lee Crutchley (May 4, 2015)
6. [▼1] Book 91: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) – George R.R. Martin (Feb 1, 2012)
7. [New Entry] Book 672: Go for It, Nakamura! – Syundei (Feb 12, 2020)
8. [▲2] Book 110: The Color Purple – Alice Walker (May 14, 2012)
9. [Return Entry] Book 45: The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (Jun 27, 2011)
10. [▼1] Book 115: Farm City – Novella Carpenter (May 31, 2012)

Not surprised the first four have steadied out over the past few years. They will probably be shaken up next year if Go for It, Nakamura! continues to climb as fast as it is currently. Glad to see two Coelho novels on here and really should read the few I still have on my shelf.

And for making it all the way to the end, here is something beautiful:

It’s a photo from our sunset cruise in Aruba earlier this month. I was annoyed at first when that boat cut in front of us but realized the awesome picture opportunity. Not going to lie though, I miss spending 6-8 hours a day in the pool reading nonstop, especially as the weather has been gross her in Boston since we got back.