131 thoughts on “5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Blogging”
CongratZ on your anniversary! 5 years, huh? Well done!
I hope you know that my less-than-salivating comments are meant to be constructive or just serve as an outlet and not make you miserable. Right?
Stay golden!
Thank you so much! No worries. Au contraire. 😉 Your comments are always fun to indulge and do help sharpen my mind on top of giving me a good laugh too. 😉 Looking forward to many more years of blogging with you, my friend. Stay awesome! 😀
I was clearing out my inbox and had just finished when your email came in announcing this contest. It seemed like some kind of sign that on a day I am avoiding work by reading email and blogs, I should have this opportunity to enter a contest with books as the prize.
I strive to be content because I find that happiness is elusive. I don’t understand the “pursuit of happiness”. My contentment is right here where I am–my husband pacing around while he conducts business at home on speakerphone; the radio in the background going on about everything I don’t want to know about the future; my daughter upstairs reintroducing herself to the violin; the avoidance of my own work by watching youtube videos on how to deal with toxic people–these are the sounds of my contentment. And now, I’m going to go see what’s leftover in the fridge for lunch. I’m hoping for Thai food.
Hahaahah I am glad that this fell onto your lap at that exact moment! It might indeed be destiny/faith! 😉 This declaration of your state of happiness brings me joy and I want to thank you for taking the time to share it with me! I too believe that the pursuit of happiness is actually a process where you appreciate the actual present moment and accumulate it over time! Thank you for dropping by and I hope you had your Thai food. 😉
Happy blogiversaryyyyy! Your 5 points are all great advice. It’s only in this last year of blogging that I really dealt with time management. I went from blogging three times per week (full of energy like a young puppy) to only one, occasionally two. If that’s what it takes at the moment then so be it right?
Thanks for the chance in your amazing international giveaway!
Thank you so, so much, Inge! I absolutely agree. It’s important to think about ourselves first, to prioritize our well-being and the responsibilities that life hands us before putting time and effort into our blog. The blog is immortal after all. We aren’t! 😉 Here’s to many more years of blogging, Inge! ❤
Happy blogoversary!!! Five years? It’s amazing!! And I love your discussion posts ( alwayd funny) and your reviews ( so deep, insightful and perfectly structured). I also have to thank you for discovering the Forbidden Planet!!!
Thank you so much, Sophie! Toujours un plaisir d’entendre de toi! ❤ Hahahaha hey, we both discovered that one too! 😛 Here's to many more years of blogging. ❤
Happy Blogaversary! I love your blog and I want to fight whoever it was that criticized you. I think you’ve established a distinctive voice over the years in your reviews and other content and you should definitely be proud of that!
Thank you so, so much, Stephanie. I appreciate it a lot and I’d fight off anyone who’d do the same to you and your blog too. I hope you’ll be able to keep on blogging and I really look forward to all the interactions we’ll have in the future! 😀
Well shoot. I feel like I have somehow failed. My goal, my entire raison d’etre, has been to criticize you and make you feel horrible. Let me try once more, I KNOW I can do it this time, Mr Lashaan!
*clears throat*
I don’t like the way you spell “do”. Add some random letter to make it cooler. All the COOL bloggers make up words. Get with the program!!
So, did that crush your spirit? If it didn’t, I’m going to have to seriously think about giving up my title of Mr Meany Mean.
In a serious vein, I’m glad you’ve been around and that you’ve stuck around. There were some times I wasn’t sure about that. It is amazing how the years are starting to run into each other though. I realized I’ve only been following you since late ’16, but it has been some good times. You have no idea (yet) of how satisfying it has been to watch you discover classics (that I love) and to see you loving them just as much. Even if I don’t go into a 3 page comment about Dune,or the Hobbit or some of the other ones, it is great to see others loving the same books.
While the next year is sure to bring changes, for us all, I do hope you can keep on blogging.
Hahahahaha you can only display the full wrath of Mr Meany Mean when you’re up against random strangers who dare say stupid things on your posts though. 😉
I couldn’t emphasize more how you’ve also impacted my reading habits in ways that I never thought possible. Your recommendations and way of approaching books have shaped my own reading self and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. Your own discipline regarding your blog is also inspiring and it has helped me enormously in how to organize myself and keep myself motivated in what I do too. I also love seeing your reactions to those favourites of yours that I finally get around to reading for the first time. It’s like joining some kind of premium club and getting a seal of approval from the king or something hahaha
I do hope the same for you. I’m glad that despite the job change and whatnot you were still able to blog and stick around and I hope the coming years will continue to be as epic as it already has been for the past years, my good friend. Stay awesome!
Warner Brothers Looney toons? Oh, yeah, I’m down. They are classics for a reason.
Congratulations on having such a successful and fulfilling blog! I am so happy to have stumbled upon it and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
I often forward your articles to my Miss Plumtarftt and she likes them too.
Thanks, Icky. You have no idea how happy I am to have also met you and have been able to share so much with you. It means so much to me that you stuck around and even makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside hearing about you sharing my stuff with your significant other! I look forward to our future interactions and I hope you’re taking care of yourself in the meantime! 😉 Stay awesome as always, my good friend! 😀
I’m so bad at time management! I totally get that you need to know your priorities. I personally get too caught up in one thing and it takes up my entire day haha.
Anyways, happy blogoversary and congrats on 5 years!
I know that feeling and I try so much to avoid it since it always makes me feel bad that I didn’t do more of what I planned on doing hahahah Thank you so much and I look forward to our future interactions too! 😀
Happy 5th Blogiversary Lashaan and congratulations on a fantastic blog! Love this post and the GIFs are brilliant, as is the advice. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway! 🤞🤞🤞🤞
Congratulations with 5 years of blogging, that is so amazing! I sometimes wonder if I’ll make it to 5 years, but so far I’m enjoying it. Thanks for the advice, I think JUST DO YOU is very apt. I hope you will continue writing reviews for many years to come and I’m so glad to have discovered your blog!
Thank you so much and yes! I think you’ll learn to understand how blogging will simply become an extension of your life, especially if you love what you do! ❤ I too am super glad to have met and discovered you. Here's to many more years of blogging! ❤
Congratulations!!! 5 years is a terrific milestone and an amazing achievement! I can appreciate what this means in terms of blogging hours, commitment, inspiration, and creativity! Even though our preferred genres are miles apart, I admire your consistency and your “voice.” I love your reflection that you have grown to love your blog with all your heart! It’s also evident in the attention to quality you show in each post! Happy Blogiversary Lashaan! 🎉🎈🎉🎈🎉🎈
Thank you so much, Carol! I appreciate your appreciation and I believe some people don’t realize how much of our time and energy is put into creating what we do; we need to remind each other of it, including you, Carol! 😀 Thank you soooo, so much for your kind words and beautiful support. It means the world to me! ❤
5 years is quite an achievement congrats! One thing that struck me was your comment about people offering negative criticism. Really? I can’t believe anyone could say anything negative about your blog. Hold onto the positives and ditch those negative vibes. Take care!
Thank you so much, Deborah! I’m with you 100% too. I’m always in awe when I receive those rare negative comments filled with hate/jealousy and I wonder what even makes them want to take the time to share it with me. We should always never back down because of them though. Stay awesome! 😀
Hahahah I’m convinced you’re more than just a newbie though. 😉 Thank you so much and I hope you’ll enjoy everything you’ll accomplish on your blog too! 😀
Congrats on your fifth blogging anniversary (I recently celebrated mine as well). I have to agree on all the points you’ve raised here, especially point 4. We should never be weighed down but what others think. Write you. Do you. Blog you. Be you. 🙂
Happy belated bloggiversary in that case! Absolutely right there. It’s easy to put people down, especially if you don’t care for them and that’s why it’s even more important to not budge when they toss rocks at you! Thank you so much and here’s to many more years of blogging for the both of us. 😀
Hahahah thanks, man! I appreciate it a lot! Thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the blogosphere and I look forward to our future interactions! Even those where you don’t agree at all with me on certain classics! 😀 😀 😀
Congratulations. This is huge. Negative comments for you. How is it possible? You are one of the best there is on the blogosphere.
Saying that, just enjoy what you do. Many more blogging years to you.
I don’t want the gift card. I would prefer your friendship ❤️
Thank you so, so much, Shalini! Ahhh, you know how people are, I’m sure you’ve seen the worse of them in those psychological thrillers of yours too. 😉 Thank you for your super kind words and I hope to continue to interact with you over the next years too! ❤ Ohhh no nooo, you already have my friendship! Do participate in my little giveaway, it won't hurt anyone. 😉 ❤
Aw Lashaan, this is such a wonderful post! Blogging makes me realize how much I love writing reviews, or just writing in general. I’m still new to writing fiction (quarantine made me do it lol) but blogging made me realize how much I love writing and reading other people’s arguments and opinions 🙂 I also discover a lot of amazing books through blogging, many became my absolute favorites, and made many friends within the community!
Thank you so much, Tasya! I totally agree. I don’t write fiction, at least not yet hahaha, but I know that blogging and reviewing have made me appreciate the art of writing way more than ever before! I could do this all day every day too! And the best part is that there’s always going to be an audience somewhere out there that will be curious enough to want to read your content too. Y’all are simply that amazing! 😀 ❤
Happy blogiversary! We must have started blogging around the same time as I think my blog will be five next month. 🙂 I still enjoy it as much as ever, it’s so nice to have a place to champion great books and to chat to other book lovers. Here’s to many more years… 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Hayley! Oh man, that’s formidable! Happy early-blogiversary in that case! 😀 And I agree with you on all fronts. Let’s keep it alive as long as we live! 😉
Five years! Well, well, congratulations. It’s certainly one of my favourite corners of the blogosphere, and I’m happy to have you as a frequent visitor on our humble blog 🙂
You’re totally right about the time management problem, I have to speed up my efforts in this field. My blogging suffers seriously, as I try to prioritize reading, but I actually should limit FB and politics, not writing 😉
Thanks for all the post, I’ll stay around for the next five years and beyond 😉
And I too am very happy to have discovered your blog and become a forever-loyal follower. You two have managed to influence me through your writing style and reading selection in ways that not many could ever. I’ll probably end up growing up trying to reach the awesomeness achieved by the both of you hahahah Thanks for everything and stay awesome, Piotrek! 😀
Happy fifth blogversary!!!! 🙂
And I totally agree with you about the amazing sense of community we book-lovers share: this is one happy corner of the ‘net where I know I will always find wonderful people to talk to, intriguing ideas to share and lots of book information to “feed” my TBR – while other areas of social media might offer only a toxic atmosphere, the book blogging community is always a… spa of the mind 😉
PS: I totally love the way you underscored your talking points with Looney Tunes gifs!!!!
Thank you so much, Maddalena! ❤ I absolutely agree with you. I've never seen such a supportive and kind population on any other social media platform and I'm happy to make this my primary home, especially with all the wonderful people like you who make me feel like I'm heard and appreciated! 😛 Stay amazing as always, Maddalena!
P.S. I learned from my girlfriend that your name basically means madeleine and I was surprised that I didn't even make that connection hahahah 😛
Writing reviews is my favorite too. Even though people don’t read them as much they continue to be my primary content. I got into book blogging to write reviews for the books I’m reading anyway. I really enjoy having an outlet for my thoughts about a book, especially since I don’t have a book club or friends who read to talk it over with.
Tell me about it hahahaha Thank you so much! ❤ I'm 200% with you there. Writing reviews is the only way to reach people who could understand what I went through or want to go through the same thanks to those reviews and I'd do them even if no one cared what I had to say (which is somewhat already the case among friends hahaha) 😛
Aah what a lovely blogpost Lashaan 😊 5 years eh?! You’re so devoted and I always enjoy your posts. Here’s to another 5! (years that is, or beers, or both 😂) 🍻 👏🏻
Hahahaah thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and yes to another 5! Hopefully life won’t get in the way too. 😉 Or the number of beers… 😀
Happy 5 years!!! Im with you on all 5 points you’ve made. Time is a bitch and I’m still convinced I need to find out how to create a 25 hour day so I can fit in everything I want and need to do haha. Reviews are my favourite posts to write as well, even if they don’t get as many engagements. You’re a staple in the community and here’s to many more years to come.
Thank you so much, Lois! I’ll pay you to give me the solution to a 25-hour day!!!! Or something to stop time momentarily so I can get more shit done hahaha 😛 I appreciate the kind words so much and I look forward to our interactions in the upcoming years too! Stay awesome. 😀
Hahahaha it does seem like a lot when I think about 5 more years of blogging! 😛 I’m sure it’ll fly by, especially if you love what you’re doing! 😉 Thank you so much, Raven! 😀
Happy 5th Blogiversary! 🎉🎊 I also love writing review and I’m not going to stop reviewing even though they don’t get many clicks. I try writing other things but reviews I enjoy most. Who will write negative things! That’s crazy. Here’s to many more glowing year to come.
Thank you so much, Yesha! I endorse such mentality! Keep it up and don’t stop what you love to share! 😉 Ahhh, I believe the haters/trolls/envious ones are those that would take the time to say negative things and we should just ignore them and know that we’re better than them! 😉
Congratulations on five years of blogging, Lashaan! That’s such a huge accomplishment! I’m also been blogging for 5+ years and still enjoying it immensely. 🙂
Thank you so much, Raven! I’m glad that we both stuck around that long and I hope we’ll continue to do so with any challenges life has to throw at us! 😀
This is such a lovely post – I can really feel the love you have for blogging and the community you’ve created here 🙂. All of the points you brought up are super relatable as well (time is 😤🙅🏻♀️). Thank you for your beautiful reviews and inspiring dedication! Congrats 🥳!
Thank you so much, Belle! I really appreciate the kind words and I look forward to our future interactions through the blog too! 😀 Hopefully, we’ll get to hate on time together too! 😛
Time is a bitch. It’s never around when you need it, smh. Lol!
Congrats on 5 years!! 😀 5 great blogging years, from my POV 🙂
What’s making me happy right now is that I FINALLY got to watch the Boys on Amazon, and I really liked it. (I just need to remember to cancel my free month trial now, lol j/k )
Right? Hahahaha If there’s one scientific discovery that needs to be made it has to be something to extend the number of hours in a day!!!! Thank you so much Zezee, I appreciate it a lot. Really glad that we got to remain in contact and interacted over the past years too. HELL YES TO THE BOYS!!!! Just in time for season 2 that’s coming out in September!!! Although your trial won’t extend till them unless you create another account with your brother’s info or something hahahaha 😛
Same here too man on staying in contact and interacting in the blogosphere. I appreciate it too 🙂
🤣🤣 Oh lawd! Good thing you told me that. I’ll have to hold out until September now… or take your suggestion there, lol!
I need to see what happens. The way this season ended made me a bit pissed at Butcher although I understand why he did what he did, his motivation. And OMG! Homelander is the creepiest Superman I’ve ever seen!
Happy Blogiversary! 🎉🎉🎉
5 years is amazing and I love your blog and interesting posts. Always very thoughtful.
Wishing you a great year six of blogging 🙂
Happy 5th blogiversary my friend! And big congratulations! Pay no heed to those negative comments! You have way too many fans here to be bothered those 😉 Question: have you ever taken a break from blogging?
Thank you so much, Jee! I appreciate the support and your wonderful friendship! Stay awesome as always! And no, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a break! The longest period without posting I might have ever went was maybe 3 days? 4 tops? Hahahaha 😛
Five years! Nicely done, Lashaan. I’ve been onboard for such a small part of that, and yet I’ve very much enjoyed the journey, just the same. Your reviews tend to have a real positive feel to them even when you’ve thoroughly disliked what you’re reviewing. And the way you so often write a review that puts us into the life of the work, that makes it personal, really well done! I hope in another 5 years we’re all still around reminscening about the previous 5 years.
Thank you so much, Todd! I am very happy to have met you through the blog and would’ve loved to have known you even earlier but hey, I’m loving every instant of interaction we’ve had ever since we first crossed paths! Thank you for your amazing support and here’s to, indeed, another 5 years of fanboying, my good friend! 😀
You had 82 likes AND 82 comments and you have NO IDEA how much effort it took to ruin that beauty! 😭😭😭😭😭😭….but wait…this comment will make it even AGAIN! YAYYYY!! *happy dance*
“Time is a b*tch” COULDN’T HAVE PHRASED IT BETTER! 🤣🤣
ALSO..WE LOVE YOU TOOOOOOO!! 😉😇🦋🌻🌸😍 STAY AWESOME, Lashaan! And here’s to soooo many manyyy more followers, friends and BLOGIVERSARIESSS!!! YAYYYYY!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Hahahahaha don’t worry about it. That usually gets destroyed quite quickly when people start replying too. 😛 And hell yes to that fact about time. A piece of wisdom that I’ve acquired since a very young age. 😛 Thank you so much for always being so extra supportive and friendly and overall awesome, Rain! Our interactions are something that I always look forward to, or at least to see what new emojis you plan on using next! 😛 😛
Thank you so, so much! I appreciate it and I hope to continue our interactions throughout the upcoming years. We can work together to beat time too. If it’s even possible! 😛
Congrats on your five years of blogging Lashaan! 😊 Hopefully when my blog will reach five years of age I will still post things regularly 😂 Anyway, you can be proud of how great your blog and its content are! Cheers to many other years of blogging 🥳
Hahaha don’t worry about being consistent! As long as you do it when you can and enjoy doing it, your blog will survive! 😉 Thank you for your kind words. Here’s to many more years of blogging. 😉
I have only recently found your blog Lashaan, but do enjoy your varied posts. Congratulations on your blogoversary. 🎊🎉🥳 Five years is great. I agree with your five things. I could say the same.
Five years! Incredible! Here’s to 5 (10?15?50?) more! 🥂🥳 Definitely agree with all of these. This community is amazing and the main reason why I dedicate so much time to blogging. ❤
Such a lovely post- I’ve followed you for a while and it’s so nice to read the things you’ve learned and enjoyed in that time! I also cherish my blog and the connections it brings me, thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much, Eleanor! It’s amazing all the people you get to meet through your blog and I’m glad that it brought you to me. I look forward to our future interactions and I hope we both keep on blogging forever! 😀
Bookidote 
CongratZ on your anniversary! 5 years, huh? Well done!
I hope you know that my less-than-salivating comments are meant to be constructive or just serve as an outlet and not make you miserable. Right?
Stay golden!
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Thank you so much! No worries. Au contraire. 😉 Your comments are always fun to indulge and do help sharpen my mind on top of giving me a good laugh too. 😉 Looking forward to many more years of blogging with you, my friend. Stay awesome! 😀
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I was clearing out my inbox and had just finished when your email came in announcing this contest. It seemed like some kind of sign that on a day I am avoiding work by reading email and blogs, I should have this opportunity to enter a contest with books as the prize.
I strive to be content because I find that happiness is elusive. I don’t understand the “pursuit of happiness”. My contentment is right here where I am–my husband pacing around while he conducts business at home on speakerphone; the radio in the background going on about everything I don’t want to know about the future; my daughter upstairs reintroducing herself to the violin; the avoidance of my own work by watching youtube videos on how to deal with toxic people–these are the sounds of my contentment. And now, I’m going to go see what’s leftover in the fridge for lunch. I’m hoping for Thai food.
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Hahaahah I am glad that this fell onto your lap at that exact moment! It might indeed be destiny/faith! 😉 This declaration of your state of happiness brings me joy and I want to thank you for taking the time to share it with me! I too believe that the pursuit of happiness is actually a process where you appreciate the actual present moment and accumulate it over time! Thank you for dropping by and I hope you had your Thai food. 😉
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Alas, someone else snagged the Thai. I had to get creative!
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Happy blogiversaryyyyy! Your 5 points are all great advice. It’s only in this last year of blogging that I really dealt with time management. I went from blogging three times per week (full of energy like a young puppy) to only one, occasionally two. If that’s what it takes at the moment then so be it right?
Thanks for the chance in your amazing international giveaway!
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Thank you so, so much, Inge! I absolutely agree. It’s important to think about ourselves first, to prioritize our well-being and the responsibilities that life hands us before putting time and effort into our blog. The blog is immortal after all. We aren’t! 😉 Here’s to many more years of blogging, Inge! ❤
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Happy blogoversary!!! Five years? It’s amazing!! And I love your discussion posts ( alwayd funny) and your reviews ( so deep, insightful and perfectly structured). I also have to thank you for discovering the Forbidden Planet!!!
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Thank you so much, Sophie! Toujours un plaisir d’entendre de toi! ❤ Hahahaha hey, we both discovered that one too! 😛 Here's to many more years of blogging. ❤
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Congrats and great job on 5 years!!! We love you too 😁😁😁
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Hahahah thank you so much! It means a lot to me! ❤
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Congrats on 5 years of blogging! Love the blog and can’t wait to see what else is in store.
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Awwn man, thank you so much for your kind words and I look forward to discovering more from you and your blog too! 😀
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Happy blogoversary and congrats on 5 years!
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Thank you so, so much! I appreciate it a lot! 😀
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Happy Blogaversary! I love your blog and I want to fight whoever it was that criticized you. I think you’ve established a distinctive voice over the years in your reviews and other content and you should definitely be proud of that!
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Thank you so, so much, Stephanie. I appreciate it a lot and I’d fight off anyone who’d do the same to you and your blog too. I hope you’ll be able to keep on blogging and I really look forward to all the interactions we’ll have in the future! 😀
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Me too!
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Well shoot. I feel like I have somehow failed. My goal, my entire raison d’etre, has been to criticize you and make you feel horrible. Let me try once more, I KNOW I can do it this time, Mr Lashaan!
*clears throat*
I don’t like the way you spell “do”. Add some random letter to make it cooler. All the COOL bloggers make up words. Get with the program!!
So, did that crush your spirit? If it didn’t, I’m going to have to seriously think about giving up my title of Mr Meany Mean.
In a serious vein, I’m glad you’ve been around and that you’ve stuck around. There were some times I wasn’t sure about that. It is amazing how the years are starting to run into each other though. I realized I’ve only been following you since late ’16, but it has been some good times. You have no idea (yet) of how satisfying it has been to watch you discover classics (that I love) and to see you loving them just as much. Even if I don’t go into a 3 page comment about Dune,or the Hobbit or some of the other ones, it is great to see others loving the same books.
While the next year is sure to bring changes, for us all, I do hope you can keep on blogging.
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Hahahahaha you can only display the full wrath of Mr Meany Mean when you’re up against random strangers who dare say stupid things on your posts though. 😉
I couldn’t emphasize more how you’ve also impacted my reading habits in ways that I never thought possible. Your recommendations and way of approaching books have shaped my own reading self and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. Your own discipline regarding your blog is also inspiring and it has helped me enormously in how to organize myself and keep myself motivated in what I do too. I also love seeing your reactions to those favourites of yours that I finally get around to reading for the first time. It’s like joining some kind of premium club and getting a seal of approval from the king or something hahaha
I do hope the same for you. I’m glad that despite the job change and whatnot you were still able to blog and stick around and I hope the coming years will continue to be as epic as it already has been for the past years, my good friend. Stay awesome!
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You are one classy dude, fella.
Warner Brothers Looney toons? Oh, yeah, I’m down. They are classics for a reason.
Congratulations on having such a successful and fulfilling blog! I am so happy to have stumbled upon it and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
I often forward your articles to my Miss Plumtarftt and she likes them too.
Happy Trails!
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Thanks, Icky. You have no idea how happy I am to have also met you and have been able to share so much with you. It means so much to me that you stuck around and even makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside hearing about you sharing my stuff with your significant other! I look forward to our future interactions and I hope you’re taking care of yourself in the meantime! 😉 Stay awesome as always, my good friend! 😀
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I’m so bad at time management! I totally get that you need to know your priorities. I personally get too caught up in one thing and it takes up my entire day haha.
Anyways, happy blogoversary and congrats on 5 years!
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I know that feeling and I try so much to avoid it since it always makes me feel bad that I didn’t do more of what I planned on doing hahahah Thank you so much and I look forward to our future interactions too! 😀
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Happy 5th Blogiversary Lashaan and congratulations on a fantastic blog! Love this post and the GIFs are brilliant, as is the advice. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway! 🤞🤞🤞🤞
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Thank you so much, Nicki! Your support is everything and I’m happy that we grew to know each other over the years! Stay awesome as always! ❤
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Congratulations with 5 years of blogging, that is so amazing! I sometimes wonder if I’ll make it to 5 years, but so far I’m enjoying it. Thanks for the advice, I think JUST DO YOU is very apt. I hope you will continue writing reviews for many years to come and I’m so glad to have discovered your blog!
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Thank you so much and yes! I think you’ll learn to understand how blogging will simply become an extension of your life, especially if you love what you do! ❤ I too am super glad to have met and discovered you. Here's to many more years of blogging! ❤
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Congratulations!!! 5 years is a terrific milestone and an amazing achievement! I can appreciate what this means in terms of blogging hours, commitment, inspiration, and creativity! Even though our preferred genres are miles apart, I admire your consistency and your “voice.” I love your reflection that you have grown to love your blog with all your heart! It’s also evident in the attention to quality you show in each post! Happy Blogiversary Lashaan! 🎉🎈🎉🎈🎉🎈
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Thank you so much, Carol! I appreciate your appreciation and I believe some people don’t realize how much of our time and energy is put into creating what we do; we need to remind each other of it, including you, Carol! 😀 Thank you soooo, so much for your kind words and beautiful support. It means the world to me! ❤
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You’re welcome! Cheers 🥂 to the next 5! 🙌
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5 years is quite an achievement congrats! One thing that struck me was your comment about people offering negative criticism. Really? I can’t believe anyone could say anything negative about your blog. Hold onto the positives and ditch those negative vibes. Take care!
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Thank you so much, Deborah! I’m with you 100% too. I’m always in awe when I receive those rare negative comments filled with hate/jealousy and I wonder what even makes them want to take the time to share it with me. We should always never back down because of them though. Stay awesome! 😀
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Congratulations Lashaan! Your perseverance is admirable.
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I appreciate it a lot, Marie! Thank you so much! Stay amazing as always. 😉
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You’re more than welcome, Lashaan. Have a wonderful weekend.😊
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Happy 5 year blogiversary! That is such a huge accomplishment. 🙂 Here’s to many more!!
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Thank you so, so much! I appreciate it a lot. Hoping the same to you too! ❤
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Congrats on your 5-year blogaversary! You’re an inspiration to all us newbie bloggers out here. Keep up the great work 😀
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Hahahah I’m convinced you’re more than just a newbie though. 😉 Thank you so much and I hope you’ll enjoy everything you’ll accomplish on your blog too! 😀
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Congrats on your fifth blogging anniversary (I recently celebrated mine as well). I have to agree on all the points you’ve raised here, especially point 4. We should never be weighed down but what others think. Write you. Do you. Blog you. Be you. 🙂
Happy blogging!
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Happy belated bloggiversary in that case! Absolutely right there. It’s easy to put people down, especially if you don’t care for them and that’s why it’s even more important to not budge when they toss rocks at you! Thank you so much and here’s to many more years of blogging for the both of us. 😀
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5 years? Wow, great accomplishment! Good lessons all around. Looking forward to (at least) the next 5!
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Hahahah thanks, man! I appreciate it a lot! Thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the blogosphere and I look forward to our future interactions! Even those where you don’t agree at all with me on certain classics! 😀 😀 😀
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Congratulations. This is huge. Negative comments for you. How is it possible? You are one of the best there is on the blogosphere.
Saying that, just enjoy what you do. Many more blogging years to you.
I don’t want the gift card. I would prefer your friendship ❤️
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Thank you so, so much, Shalini! Ahhh, you know how people are, I’m sure you’ve seen the worse of them in those psychological thrillers of yours too. 😉 Thank you for your super kind words and I hope to continue to interact with you over the next years too! ❤ Ohhh no nooo, you already have my friendship! Do participate in my little giveaway, it won't hurt anyone. 😉 ❤
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Aw Lashaan, this is such a wonderful post! Blogging makes me realize how much I love writing reviews, or just writing in general. I’m still new to writing fiction (quarantine made me do it lol) but blogging made me realize how much I love writing and reading other people’s arguments and opinions 🙂 I also discover a lot of amazing books through blogging, many became my absolute favorites, and made many friends within the community!
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Thank you so much, Tasya! I totally agree. I don’t write fiction, at least not yet hahaha, but I know that blogging and reviewing have made me appreciate the art of writing way more than ever before! I could do this all day every day too! And the best part is that there’s always going to be an audience somewhere out there that will be curious enough to want to read your content too. Y’all are simply that amazing! 😀 ❤
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Congrats on 5 years of blogging! I hope I’m still blogging in 5 years too 😊
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If you love what you’re currently doing, I’m convincing you’ll be sticking around for 50! 😉 Thank you so much! 😀
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Omg! Happy 5th Blogaversary! Love your blog as always!
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Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it! ❤
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Happy blogiversary! We must have started blogging around the same time as I think my blog will be five next month. 🙂 I still enjoy it as much as ever, it’s so nice to have a place to champion great books and to chat to other book lovers. Here’s to many more years… 🙂
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Thank you so, so much, Hayley! Oh man, that’s formidable! Happy early-blogiversary in that case! 😀 And I agree with you on all fronts. Let’s keep it alive as long as we live! 😉
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Five years! Well, well, congratulations. It’s certainly one of my favourite corners of the blogosphere, and I’m happy to have you as a frequent visitor on our humble blog 🙂
You’re totally right about the time management problem, I have to speed up my efforts in this field. My blogging suffers seriously, as I try to prioritize reading, but I actually should limit FB and politics, not writing 😉
Thanks for all the post, I’ll stay around for the next five years and beyond 😉
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And I too am very happy to have discovered your blog and become a forever-loyal follower. You two have managed to influence me through your writing style and reading selection in ways that not many could ever. I’ll probably end up growing up trying to reach the awesomeness achieved by the both of you hahahah Thanks for everything and stay awesome, Piotrek! 😀
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Happy fifth blogversary!!!! 🙂
And I totally agree with you about the amazing sense of community we book-lovers share: this is one happy corner of the ‘net where I know I will always find wonderful people to talk to, intriguing ideas to share and lots of book information to “feed” my TBR – while other areas of social media might offer only a toxic atmosphere, the book blogging community is always a… spa of the mind 😉
PS: I totally love the way you underscored your talking points with Looney Tunes gifs!!!!
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Thank you so much, Maddalena! ❤ I absolutely agree with you. I've never seen such a supportive and kind population on any other social media platform and I'm happy to make this my primary home, especially with all the wonderful people like you who make me feel like I'm heard and appreciated! 😛 Stay amazing as always, Maddalena!
P.S. I learned from my girlfriend that your name basically means madeleine and I was surprised that I didn't even make that connection hahahah 😛
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Wow, 5 years is FOREVER! Congratulations!
Writing reviews is my favorite too. Even though people don’t read them as much they continue to be my primary content. I got into book blogging to write reviews for the books I’m reading anyway. I really enjoy having an outlet for my thoughts about a book, especially since I don’t have a book club or friends who read to talk it over with.
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Tell me about it hahahaha Thank you so much! ❤ I'm 200% with you there. Writing reviews is the only way to reach people who could understand what I went through or want to go through the same thanks to those reviews and I'd do them even if no one cared what I had to say (which is somewhat already the case among friends hahaha) 😛
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Aah what a lovely blogpost Lashaan 😊 5 years eh?! You’re so devoted and I always enjoy your posts. Here’s to another 5! (years that is, or beers, or both 😂) 🍻 👏🏻
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Hahahaah thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and yes to another 5! Hopefully life won’t get in the way too. 😉 Or the number of beers… 😀
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Happy 5 years!!! Im with you on all 5 points you’ve made. Time is a bitch and I’m still convinced I need to find out how to create a 25 hour day so I can fit in everything I want and need to do haha. Reviews are my favourite posts to write as well, even if they don’t get as many engagements. You’re a staple in the community and here’s to many more years to come.
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Thank you so much, Lois! I’ll pay you to give me the solution to a 25-hour day!!!! Or something to stop time momentarily so I can get more shit done hahaha 😛 I appreciate the kind words so much and I look forward to our interactions in the upcoming years too! Stay awesome. 😀
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I started blogging this year and thinking about 5 years of it seems like an huge time! Congratulations!
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Hahahaha it does seem like a lot when I think about 5 more years of blogging! 😛 I’m sure it’ll fly by, especially if you love what you’re doing! 😉 Thank you so much, Raven! 😀
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Happy 5th Blogiversary! 🎉🎊 I also love writing review and I’m not going to stop reviewing even though they don’t get many clicks. I try writing other things but reviews I enjoy most. Who will write negative things! That’s crazy. Here’s to many more glowing year to come.
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Thank you so much, Yesha! I endorse such mentality! Keep it up and don’t stop what you love to share! 😉 Ahhh, I believe the haters/trolls/envious ones are those that would take the time to say negative things and we should just ignore them and know that we’re better than them! 😉
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well said! 🙂
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Congratulations on five years of blogging, Lashaan! That’s such a huge accomplishment! I’m also been blogging for 5+ years and still enjoying it immensely. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Raven! I’m glad that we both stuck around that long and I hope we’ll continue to do so with any challenges life has to throw at us! 😀
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Congratulations on 5 years of blogging! Here’s to another five years and more!
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Thank you so, so much, Kim! And, absolutely! Here’s to many more years of blogging and sharing our passions with each other. 😀
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This is such a lovely post – I can really feel the love you have for blogging and the community you’ve created here 🙂. All of the points you brought up are super relatable as well (time is 😤🙅🏻♀️). Thank you for your beautiful reviews and inspiring dedication! Congrats 🥳!
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Thank you so much, Belle! I really appreciate the kind words and I look forward to our future interactions through the blog too! 😀 Hopefully, we’ll get to hate on time together too! 😛
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Time is a bitch. It’s never around when you need it, smh. Lol!
Congrats on 5 years!! 😀 5 great blogging years, from my POV 🙂
What’s making me happy right now is that I FINALLY got to watch the Boys on Amazon, and I really liked it. (I just need to remember to cancel my free month trial now, lol j/k )
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Right? Hahahaha If there’s one scientific discovery that needs to be made it has to be something to extend the number of hours in a day!!!! Thank you so much Zezee, I appreciate it a lot. Really glad that we got to remain in contact and interacted over the past years too. HELL YES TO THE BOYS!!!! Just in time for season 2 that’s coming out in September!!! Although your trial won’t extend till them unless you create another account with your brother’s info or something hahahaha 😛
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Same here too man on staying in contact and interacting in the blogosphere. I appreciate it too 🙂
🤣🤣 Oh lawd! Good thing you told me that. I’ll have to hold out until September now… or take your suggestion there, lol!
I need to see what happens. The way this season ended made me a bit pissed at Butcher although I understand why he did what he did, his motivation. And OMG! Homelander is the creepiest Superman I’ve ever seen!
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Happy Blogiversary! 🎉🎉🎉
5 years is amazing and I love your blog and interesting posts. Always very thoughtful.
Wishing you a great year six of blogging 🙂
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Thank you so much, Scarlett! I appreciate it soooo much! I’m glad to have gotten to know you and your beautiful blog/posts too! 😉
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Lashaan what a sweet and sincere write. Your labor of love comes out in your amazing shares. Have a wonderful Thursday!💕☕️☕️💫👌💫💕
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Thank you so much for your kind words! ❤ I hope you're having fabulous weekend yourself! 😀 😀
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Definitely! Your humbled words were humbling. What an expressive heart! 🍂♥️🍂☕️☕️Enjoy your weekend too, Lashaan!
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Happy 5th blogiversary my friend! And big congratulations! Pay no heed to those negative comments! You have way too many fans here to be bothered those 😉 Question: have you ever taken a break from blogging?
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Thank you so much, Jee! I appreciate the support and your wonderful friendship! Stay awesome as always! And no, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a break! The longest period without posting I might have ever went was maybe 3 days? 4 tops? Hahahaha 😛
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Wow$!! Kudos to you!!!
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Five years! Nicely done, Lashaan. I’ve been onboard for such a small part of that, and yet I’ve very much enjoyed the journey, just the same. Your reviews tend to have a real positive feel to them even when you’ve thoroughly disliked what you’re reviewing. And the way you so often write a review that puts us into the life of the work, that makes it personal, really well done! I hope in another 5 years we’re all still around reminscening about the previous 5 years.
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Thank you so much, Todd! I am very happy to have met you through the blog and would’ve loved to have known you even earlier but hey, I’m loving every instant of interaction we’ve had ever since we first crossed paths! Thank you for your amazing support and here’s to, indeed, another 5 years of fanboying, my good friend! 😀
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You had 82 likes AND 82 comments and you have NO IDEA how much effort it took to ruin that beauty! 😭😭😭😭😭😭….but wait…this comment will make it even AGAIN! YAYYYY!! *happy dance*
“Time is a b*tch” COULDN’T HAVE PHRASED IT BETTER! 🤣🤣
ALSO..WE LOVE YOU TOOOOOOO!! 😉😇🦋🌻🌸😍 STAY AWESOME, Lashaan! And here’s to soooo many manyyy more followers, friends and BLOGIVERSARIESSS!!! YAYYYYY!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
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Hahahahaha don’t worry about it. That usually gets destroyed quite quickly when people start replying too. 😛 And hell yes to that fact about time. A piece of wisdom that I’ve acquired since a very young age. 😛 Thank you so much for always being so extra supportive and friendly and overall awesome, Rain! Our interactions are something that I always look forward to, or at least to see what new emojis you plan on using next! 😛 😛
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Congratulations on finishing 5 years!!! I’m at 4 and a half years so I kind of understand you haha.
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Thank you so much, Sumedha! I hope you’ll complete your fifth year and be proud of all the energy you’ve put into it! 😀 😀
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Congratulations on 5 years of blogging Lashaan! ❤
("Time is a B*tch" made me laugh out loud!) 😀
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Thank you so, so much! I appreciate it and I hope to continue our interactions throughout the upcoming years. We can work together to beat time too. If it’s even possible! 😛
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I hope so too.
As for beating time, if anyone can it’s we who read! 😁
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Congrats on your five years of blogging Lashaan! 😊 Hopefully when my blog will reach five years of age I will still post things regularly 😂 Anyway, you can be proud of how great your blog and its content are! Cheers to many other years of blogging 🥳
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Hahaha don’t worry about being consistent! As long as you do it when you can and enjoy doing it, your blog will survive! 😉 Thank you for your kind words. Here’s to many more years of blogging. 😉
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I have only recently found your blog Lashaan, but do enjoy your varied posts. Congratulations on your blogoversary. 🎊🎉🥳 Five years is great. I agree with your five things. I could say the same.
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Thank you so much, Carla! I too love our interactions and always look forward to them. Here’s to many more years of blogging. 😀
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Five years! Incredible! Here’s to 5 (10?15?50?) more! 🥂🥳 Definitely agree with all of these. This community is amazing and the main reason why I dedicate so much time to blogging. ❤
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Thank you so much, Alex! The community really is incredible and I couldn’t have asked for anything better! Here’s to many more years of blogging. 😉
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Such a lovely post- I’ve followed you for a while and it’s so nice to read the things you’ve learned and enjoyed in that time! I also cherish my blog and the connections it brings me, thank you for sharing 🙂
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Thank you so much, Eleanor! It’s amazing all the people you get to meet through your blog and I’m glad that it brought you to me. I look forward to our future interactions and I hope we both keep on blogging forever! 😀
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Congratulations on your 5-mile milestone! I love book reviews; it is how I fill up my TBR list.
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Thank you so much, Linda! Oh yes, it’s the number 1 way for me to fill up my TBR too and I don’t even mind hahaha 😀
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