ALB Turns 10!

It feels surreal to be able to say that today, the 13th of April 2021, is officially when this blog of mine turns ten years old. I certainly had no idea when I hit publish on that very first post that this would be my longest-running personal project (and specifically my longest surviving blog, as I've started a number of those in my time on the internet), one that would continue to excite and challenge me as the years went by. I couldn't have predicted everything that it brought into my life: the pride & joy, the creative outlet, the incredible 'holy smokes, I can't believe I get to do this' opportunities, the incredible support and encouragement, and, most important of all, the relationships. 

Whether you're a reader that's been here from the start or you just stumbled across my blog recently and decided to stick around, I'm very thankful that you're here. This blog wouldn't have become what it was without you, that's for sure! The same goes for all the friends, authors and publishers that I've worked with over the years -- without their support, I wouldn't have been able to find my footing in this community and on this platform. It has been such a wild ride, and I'm so grateful and awed that I've made it this far (and that there's still further yet to go, at least for the foreseeable future).

Just for fun, I'm embarking on a trip down memory lane by sharing stats, milestones and favorites from the last ten years! Hope you enjoy getting a peek at the past of Alexa Loves Books.

(as of 4/13/2021)

1. Something Borrowed + Something Blue | I read this duology so long ago, and I'll honestly admit that I'm not sure how they'd hold up. But it seems like readers stumble across this double review (and comparison chart) even now!

2. Marie Lu's Video Game Recommendations | I love Warcross & adore Marie Lu!

3. Travel Tales: From Here to There | I should really do an updated version of this post! It would be fun to see what other modes of transportation (and the matching books) I could feature.

4. Travel Tales: Back to Asia | This, for sure, definitely deserves an updated post, especially since a lot of these recs are dated. We have so many more options now!

5. Throne of Glass, A Celebration: Part Deux | Self-explanatory, as I'm a Throne of Glass fan.

6. Crown of Midnight (Excerpt) | Also self-explanatory, as I'm a Throne of Glass fan.

7. Safe Haven (+ Movie Review) | I haven't touched another Nicholas Sparks book in years, but it was pretty fun to read the novel and watch the film back to back.

8. A Fiery Romance | Devil in Winter review | This is my favorite Wallflowers book so I'm obviously very pleased my review is one of my most-viewed posts.

9. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 | Remember when we all participated in very specific reading challenges just for fun? It's a marvel to look at how different things are for me now.

10. FaerieAThon Announcement + Tithe Reading Breakdown | It was fun reading all of Holly Black's Fae books and discussing them afterwards, especially leading up to the release of Queen of Nothing.

1.  Friends with ARCs | Rachel & I read ARCs we have in common together and answer a question inspired by the book in our review posts! This is one of my oldest blog features.

2. Tunes & Tales | I don't share my favorite albums or songs as regularly as I used to, but I always have fun pairing music with the novels I read.

3. Adventures in Anime | Rachel & I have started watching anime together on a more regular schedule, and it's been fun deep diving into shows familiar and new!

4. Bookish Style Files | Spoiler alert - I'm considering bringing back this feature because I actually miss it. What started out as pairing book covers with dresses worn by celebrities at special occasions turned into a combination of sharing my own outfits and pairing them with covers and dress/outfit shopping to match a book's aesthetic!

5. Screens & Scenes | This is the second feature I'm considering bringing back, since I definitely need a space to talk more in depth about the films, tv shows and anime that I've been watching!

6. Books in Real Life | I miss this old feature Rachel & I collaborated on where we were inspired to do the activities we'd only read about in books we liked in real life. 

7. Table for Two | I'd definitely consider bringing this feature back once it feels safer to be out and about again, as it was fun to have monthly dinner & dessert outings with Rachel!

8. A Little Chitchat | While this feature is retired now, I was pretty proud of my discussion posts back in the day! 

9. An Author a (Mon)day | Another retired feature that I'm still pretty proud of! I'd try to feature a new interview with an author every, you guessed it, Monday.

10. The Sunday Mix | I used to be so good about sharing blog posts from other folks via this now retired feature!

1. Love-A-Thon | My friend Katelyn is the one who originally created this event, though I took over hosting with a bunch of other folks in the last few years it happened. I loved being able to celebrate this community and spreading the love!

2. Mabuhay! | Rachel  & I try to make a point out of doing posts to celebrate Philippine Independence Day in June, and it's been so much fun!

3. Friendship Festival | I've already mentioned that the relationships I've formed with other people are truly the best part of my blog experiences, and it was lovely to celebrate friendship with Rachel & Kelly (two of my oldest and dearest friends I met through the online book community).

4. Fall Into Fantasy | It's always a joy to collaborate with my friend Hannah (as I've done many times over the years), and our fantasy event was one of my favorites.

5. Sizzle & Swoon | My friends Sharon & Racquel were two of the people who I fangirled over romance reads with back in the day, so it was highly appropriate that we ended up creating an event to celebrate that!

6. Travel Tales | I love traveling, and I love reading, so it's unsurprising that I convinced some pals (whose blogs are no longer active, sadly!) to join me in hosting a blog event inspired by both.

7. Alexa & Judith's Epic Summer Read-along | It was a whole lot of fun to do an event with my pal Judith inspired by our mutual love for Morgan Matson!

8. Return to Green Gables | Speaking of beloved books, I love that Rachel & Hannah & I were able to do an event celebrating our love of Anne Shirley and the Anne of Green Gables series.

9. Black Dagger Brotherhood Party | It wouldn't feel right to not include the BDB event Rachel & Kelly & I held together years ago, simply because 1) it was the first adult paranormal romance series I read and 2) it was a whole lot of fun working on those posts.

10. Something Strange & Deadly Surprise Party | I must admit to being very proud of this surprise Rachel & I put together for Susan Dennard on the release of her Something Strange and Deadly series finale.

And, of course, because I'm celebrating, I want to be able to share my joy with all of you by hosting a giveaway! I'm giving away $50 to spend on books to two winners. There are two Rafflecopter forms below, one for US readers and one for international readers, so please enter the correct one. These giveaways will be open through April 30, 2021, 11:59pm EST.

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