Book Escapade turns ONE!!!

Time flies so fast, I cannot believe that it has been a year since I started blogging.  Thanks to my 200 + followers who gave me the courage and conviction to put my thoughts out there to be read by anyone with just the click of a button. It was you who gave me the motivation to continue blogging through busy schedules and other personal commitments. I dedicate my one year of blogging to all my followers.

The idea of starting a book blog had taken seed in my mind for some time, to be specific, 3 years ago. I used to toy with this idea during my idle time which resulted in a heated argument within myself exploring all the pros and cons.  I had plenty of reasons not to start a blog – the main argument was what do I have to say that is worth writing as a blog for the thousands of people out there to read? To add on to that, I was unsure whether I would be able to continue blogging at regular intervals due to my work demands. Still, after toying with it for two years, I finally decided to buckle up and start a blog.

The turning point in my evergreen dilemma of whether to start or not was when I accidentally read an article in Facebook. The author of this particular article had just put the same old wine in a new bottle – the article had no new ideas or perspectives. At this point it hit me that you always don’t have to say something novel or innovative for people to listen to you; you just have to put it from your perspective. So, I started exploring what I was good at and what I could help my readers with. (I know this thought was pretty far-fetched as I was already assuming that I would have readers! Anyway that was my optimistic side at work). Since I used to help out my friends and acquaintances with reading suggestions, I thought to do that in my blog. So I wrote my first blog (Reading 101) keeping this in mind. Writing the blog was the easiest part but setting up a blog page involved a lot of research from my side. Thanks to a lot of materials on the internet listing out the comparisons between Blogger and WordPress and helping out with the other nuances eased this difficult task.

Looking back, I feel that my decision to start blogging was one of the best decisions that I have made both in terms of my reviewing and reading skills. I was a closet writer jotting down my ideas and thoughts in books or documents that lie forgotten all over the house. I never valued what I wrote. Moreover, I was unsure of my opinions and conclusions to say it out loud. However, putting my reviews online and it being read and appreciated by my followers instilled in me self-belief and courage. The quality of my reading has also improved immensely after I started blogging. I started paying more attention to the prose and analyzed the writing more. I also started experimenting with a lot of genres and authors which helped me find some hidden gems. If I had stuck only to my preferred authors and genres, this would not have happened.

Additionally, what I enjoy the most about blogging is reaching out to the authors and speaking to them regarding their work and other passions. I have been most fortunate in this regard. Two of the writers who I discovered during my reading escapades were Beck Medina and Claire Fuller. The books of these two authors, though varied in genre, had a great impact on me. As luck would have it, I was given the opportunity to host their interviews through which I was able to discuss their writing, their future work and their passions beyond books.  

Finally, I would like to thank the man behind this blog who is my driving force – my husband. He has held my hand every time I faltered, trusted me when I doubted myself and gave me the courage to put my thoughts out there. If not for his patience and belief in me, this blog would never have happened. Without his drive for perfection in regard to each and every aspect of this blog, this would not be what it is today. He painstakingly listens to all my ideas regarding new posts, reviews every post to the T, accompanies me in all my book shopping sprees (carries them too!) and what not! Thank you for supporting me.

Thanks to all my readers for making this blog what it is today. Your comments and feedback has given me the drive to outdo myself in each and every post. Please continue your kind words whether it be a reading suggestion, an improvement in the blog or just a plain old comment.

Thanks,

Book Escapade