Friday, January 20, 2012

Book Chase Is 5-Years-Old Today

Two of Book Chase's Biggest Fans
Well, you know what Robert Burns said about the "best-laid plans of mice and men"?  I am here to tell you that the man was right on the mark about that one.

I had rather grandiose plans to work Thursday evening and Friday afternoon on the announcement that Book Chase has today officially reached the ripe old age of five whole years.  I know that's not a real big deal just based on the fact that I've seen so many 10-year blog milestones marked in the last few weeks.  But, believe me, five years is about five times longer than I ever figured I would last.

Anyway, that was when the real world decided to take control of my schedule instead.  Last night my tweener granddaughter invited me to take her to the Middle School girls basketball doubleheader - where I sat with a few fathers while she visited with her friends at the other end of the stands.  (Hey, you take what you can get from them at that age.)  And then, this morning, I got a phone call from my father's assisted living center telling me that he had fallen and needed to go to the emergency room.  So here it is, almost five p.m., and I'm finally at home trying to post something before I completely miss the date.

So, a brief summation it has to be.  Since beginning Book Chase in January 2007, I have read 685 books and, according to the counter in my sidebar, I have reviewed 684 of them (and I have no idea why I skipped one, or which one it was).   This is post number 1,771 since the blog's inception, and those posts have drawn 9,445 comments.  Answering comments from interested (or provoked) readers has been the most enjoyable aspect of book-blogging for me.  I have been particularly enthralled by the long-running conversation under the post I made about Anne Perry's murder conviction - and how could I ever forget being threatened with a lawsuit by the brother of a very well-known and powerful British celebrity?

I do want to tie in some kind of giveaway to mark the end of the blog's fifth year, but that will have to wait until later this weekend.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you who have read and/or commented on my posts here for the last few years.  One or two of you have, I'm pretty sure, been here since mid-2007 or early 2008.  It really is all about the book community and finding people who enjoy discussing the passion we all have for the written word.  Coincidentally, I ran into a quote in the book I'm currently reading, A Novel Bookstore, that makes that exact point:
"You have just confirmed to me that one of the most fortunate purposes of literature is to bring like-minded people together and get them talking."

Thanks for talking with me for the last five years.

26 comments:

  1. Congratulations on five years... as well as your very impressive stats!
    I appreciate your take on so many things... especially this year's playoffs :D
    My blog will turn three tomorrow... time flies!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Kathy...and congrats on turning three over there. You're right, looking back makes me realize just how quickly those five years have come and gone. That's almost scary these days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations on a great blog! I believe my status is called "lurking" but I certainly enjoy your reviews, the snippets of your life and life in the U.S.A. I hope you continue to enjoy producing this blog as much as I enjoy checking in. Thanks.
    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much, Elizabeth. It's been a fun five years and I have thoroughly enjoyed becoming part of the online book world. Since I retire at the end of 2012, I am hoping to be able to do this for a long time to come. Right now, it can be a struggle to juggle a full-time job and five or six posts a week on Book Chase...hope I don't get lazy with the extra time to come in 2013.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well done, Sam! I don't know if I've been with you every step of the way, but it's pretty close. Here's to another 5 years!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy birthday, blog! Here's to much more good stuff!

    Nik

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Birthday to your blog, Sam. I always enjoy your reviews and often go straight from your blog to my library catalogue and reserve the books you have written about. Does the President and his wife really read your blog??? That's pretty impressive. I guess it never dawned on me that they would have time to actually read regular books like I do. In any event, I always enjoy the little insights into your personal life along with your reviews. I'll be interested to see how your life changes with retirement on the horizon--more music, more sporting events, more books--the possibilities are endless. You are going to be busy, indeed.

    Maxine

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations. I've been enjoying your reviews and bookish posts for some goodly part of that 5 years, and I hope that I can read for at least another five years until you reach that ten year mark and beyond.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats, Sam. I'm glad you have stuck to it as I always enjoy reading you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations, Sam! Sorry to hear about your father's fall and hope for his speedy recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sam, congratulations to you on this very significant milestone. I have always been so impressed with your insightful reviews and provocative [gutsy] blogs.
    Also, I want to very much commend you on being so faithful WITH book reviews. I used to do so much more reviewing than I currently do, because I have learned just how much real work it is [and I am severely lazy].
    So, thank you Sam -- you are an inspiration.
    Here's [I'm lifting a beer] to many more years of wonderfully solid Book Chase blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations on the milestone.

    I enjoy your reviews and ramblings.

    And I like the quote about bringing like-minded people together. A valuable service.

    In this day of everybody reading the same 10 books sold at Costco, or that were recommended by Oprah, or devouring series written for "young adults", it's refreshing to hear from so many for whom seeking out quality reading material is a priority.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Susan, you were one of the early birds I had in mind. Thanks so much for being here.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for the good wishes and kind words, Nik.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hope I haven't mislead you too often, Maxine.

    No, they aren't fans of Book Chase...just a little sarcasm I threw at myself. It would be kinda cool, though...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ten years is the new goal, Sherry, and I'd be honored to have you with me to the next milestone. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Much appreciated, Ted. I have enjoyed hearing from you over the years.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks very much, Jenclair. He's doing pretty well today. No breaks, only deep bruising, so we were very lucky to dodge another bullet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Cip, I've really enjoyed your friendship over the last few years and I appreciate your good wishes and kind words. You're right about reviews being work; no doubt about that. Each one takes me between an hour-and-a-half and two hours, even though some flow more easily than others. But I can't imagine reading a book anymore without spouting off about it. See you around...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Exactly right, Susan. I detest best seller lists because of the way they further dumb-down the reading public. When did we become such a nation of easily led sheep?

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don't comment as much as I'd like, but I still come here and read what you write. I love your blog, and I'm looking forward to the next 5 years of great book reviews, even if you are making my TBR list uncontrollably long.

    Annie

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks, Annie. I've enjoyed your comments over the last five years and wish you'd have stuck with your own blog...it's not too late, you know.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hats off to you on your anniversary! Respect and regards from your friend,

    Rawson

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks, Rawson. Much appreciated...and onward to five more (I hope).

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wonderful blog.....I agree with your comment in your header. :)

    NEW follower.

    I am stopping by from the Top Writing Blog competition.

    Just wanted to say hello. This is a great way to find new blogs and visit ones you haven't visited in a while. :)

    Elizabeth - Silver's Reviews

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Elizabeth, thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate your kind words...and I'm off to follow the link to your blog. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete

I always love hearing from you guys...that's what keeps me book-blogging. Thanks for stopping by.