I spent a long time online looking up words relating to ten because aside from decahedron and decade I couldn’t think of anything fancy. A decade sounds like a lot but I do like the idea of celebrating a decennium. Rolls off the tongue better than tenth anniversary. If only I’d thought of it earlier I could have cooler sounding titles for each anniversary.
The “official” tenth anniversary present is tin. Not very exciting. But branching out the anniversary colour is silver and the anniversary flower is the daffodil. So that’s nice. I might gift myself something encompassing all three and see what I find. Very much like the Peter, Paul and Mary song about the thing that went zip when it moved and bop when it stopped. No one will know what it is but it will be The Most Suitable Present of the occasion.
I bring you all these facts because once again I am astounded, astounded by the passing of lineal time and each year January arrives and I’m left to face the fact another year has passed. I had a skim through previous blogiversary posts and there’s been a few years where I’ve been caught unaware of time. My fifth anniversary was mind boggling, I started to have a crisis for my seventh and eighth about this one and it wasn’t even time yet.
This might be the longest thing I’ve ever done, especially online. The time, effort, commitment, the fact I am still happily doing it is baffling to say the least. I can’t explain it but I’ve chosen not to look at it too closely. It was even a fluke that it happened in January, I’d been thinking about it on and off for months and I finally bit the bullet and it happened to be the start of a new year. So little of everything this past decade has been planned.
I’d like to say a lot has changed in the past ten years, and it has of course, generally speaking. The internet has stayed relatively the same in my little corner though. No major developments or losses on the blogging front after the first move back in the early days. No new social media, no losses of social media. Goodreads stuck around through all of it (though I have made the move to The Storygraph and giving that a whirl). No, looking back its all changes in my writing, my reading a little bit, but I’m fascinated by the sameness. It’s reliable. Having said that who knows what things I’ve put in motion writing that down and next year I’ll be eating my words.
I am going big for this decennium occasion. I am going to have more giveaways through the year, I am mixing up my blogiversary one, partly to share some of my all-time favourite reads and partly because my Top Five is a hard one to work with this time around, and I feel like this needs to be An Event. I want to thank people who have been following my blog from day one as well as those who have only joined the club recently. I have all year to think of new fun things to do and even if they aren’t huge things, a little gift here and there is always fun.
I was initially going to pick one from each year but of course trying to pick one from every past Top Five was hard enough and too much choice is a bad thing. Instead I’ve chosen some books that really spoke to me over the years. That have stayed with me and I still think about. There is a mix of YA, adult and a bit of everything for everyone across genres.
You know the rules but I’m adding generosity this year. I am giving away THREE books to THREE lucky people. I am opening it internationally on the basis of The Book Depository shipping to your country, and there will be multiple ways to enter as per usual.
The Selection
Boys R’ Us by Scott Monk
The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Once and Future (#1) by A. R Capetta
Loveless by Alice Oseman
Looking For Alaska by John Green
The Martian by Andy Weir
Northern Lights (#1) by Phillip Pullman
There were so many I wanted to add but I couldn’t find a place where they could be bought which is a shame. So many of the self-published or small publisher books I’ve loved over the years have disappeared. Thankfully I snagged a copy when I could because it’s incredibly depressing they’re now impossible to track down. having said that this is by no means my reject list. But I really wanted to highlight some amazing books and having to choose between amazing books and fantastic books was incredibly hard. I had to pick books that are my go to faves when I think about. That live in my mind and I think about often. But please have a look through past Top Fives and blogiversary posts and even random posts to find some gems and see if you can track them down. It will be worth it.
To enter: For a chance to win one of the listed books simply enter here and complete the Rafflecopter form.
Please note: This giveaway is international on the basis the Book Depository ships to your country. To see if you are eligible you can check their website.
Thank you for helping me celebrate and if you entered the draw I wish you the best of luck!
‘Wait! Just wait!’ You find yourself saying this all the time, right?
I did not realise until writing this I had so many rereads in my five star category. I thought there’d be more but clearly I was not that generous last year. I thought about adding some four stars but that is not the rules here. I had 25 to choose from and most of them were in a series or rereads. On the flipside, if I had read the pile of picture books I had gotten from work last year when I borrowed them instead of early in the new year I would have a few more options for that category, but those will have to wait for next time. Like last year where I only had four main reads, this time I only have four in my picture books. I will definitely have to up my reading game this year and try and find some magnificent reads that are stand alone books.
The highlight of the whole entire year was finally reading the masterpiece that is Animorphs. As a whole I have to give the entire series five stars. A lot of the individual books rated five stars, but I have to acknowledge the absolute way this series took over my life for two months and continues to live in my head as one of the most impactful things I’ve ever read.
This was a reread but it was amazing once again. I love the humour and the amazing science behind it. Mark is a great narrator and Weir tells the story in creative ways that are impactful and clever. There are enough little surprises that each time I am amazed by a plot twist because there’s tiny details I forget while other favouritess stick firmly in my mind.
This is number two in the series but it was an amazing read. Wayward Children is a brilliant series and tells the story of children who have found other worlds and then returned to their original world often against their wishes. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is the backstory of two characters we met in book one and is an incredible insight into their characters and the imagination of McGuire. It’s a tad morbid and maybe lightly gruesome in context with mad scientists and paranormal figures but highly enjoyable with a fabulous narrative voice and dry humour.
Another reread but the entire series holds up really well. My favourite book is still number five Burning for Revenge but going on the whole journey with Ellie, Homer and everyone else after so many years was so much fun and it’s truly a classic Aussie YA series everyone should read. It goes through the realities of war, of growing up, of being teenagers, and enduring the unexpected and unfathomable.
Even though I gave this five stars when I read it, it feels weird adding to my Top Five. It feels too obvious. Too…I dunno, weird. But it certainly a five star read. Douglas Adams is a genius with his words, his ideas, his ability to loop everything back together and weave the strings together where what seems nonsensical suddenly had greater meaning. And then of course at the same time make you realise nothing has meaning. It’s a fantastic book and a great introduction to the five book trilogy and even though it seems a clear choice, you can’t ignore it is still all these years later an amazing read.
Jon Klassen is one of my all-time favourite picture book authors and this is a new addition to his spectacular catalogue. The humour found in all his books is there, there’s drama and beauty, suspense and jealousy. The use of the page in terms of illustrations and text narration is amazing and I love the unexpectedness of the story.
I was crying with laughter by the end of this book which is a solid review in itself. The illustrations are also fantastically cute, filled with colour and great character designs. The humour is great, it’s engaging for kids and adults, and the absurdity adds a whole other level of enjoyment.
Once again drawn in by a cute cover and rewarded with a great story. The illustrations aren’t only adorable but there is a great story about wanting to big and grown up only to realise there is something wonderfully special about being yourself and not rushing to change who you are.
I was surprised how much I adored this book. Mini Rabbit is adorable and her desire to help and her curiosity and enthusiasm for everything is lovely. The illustrations are charming and really pull you into the story and make you invested in the story.
Much-loved characters Bear and Squirrel are back! And they’ve found the perfect rhythm for their friendship. Until, that is, Chicken turns up… She wants in! But how will Bear and Squirrel feel about accepting a new friend? Will they come to see that some things work out when we do them together. That two can be good…but three can be BETTER?
This year I’ve compiled a document filled with previous book bingo categories and found it’s a thousand times easier to pick 24 from the list than it is to try and remember or think up ones every new year. One of those things that would have been handy years ago but at least I have it now. I found some on there I’d used years ago and totally forgot about, as well as scouted some new ones for something different.
