Coming of age

In one of those odd coincidences, my 100th post (wow!) happens just after acquiring my 21st follower. As I've crept through the 90s, I've been contemplating the possible contents for this post in advance, because it felt as if I needed to do something significant. I toyed with the idea of a list of books with '100' in the title - but could only think of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I've not yet read. Googling just results in lots of entries for top 100 book lists. So, I thought I could maybe make one of those myself...but I didn't really have time. And of course, time marches on, the posts happened through the 90s and I got no further with my cogitations... As life would have it, something did pop up, which amused me for both its timing and the gently ironic synchronicity:

 

Those of you who have been following this blog from the beginning, might remember my very first post - Book Junkies in the Age of the eBook - where I opened this mad journey into writing about what I read with a discussion on my love for actual books, compared with all the electronic forms of reading now available. It's still one of my most popular posts, which surprises me, but then, there have been many random and unexpected things that have happened with various posts since I started blogging. This little cartoon comes via Facebook from a friend who is an avid eBook reader, and we've had many a discussion about that...

I'm having a great time with this blog. I would like to thank those of you who read me, and who make comments. There have been some great discussions over the months, and I've met some very interesting folk. My reading patterns haven't changed significantly, although, I do find that I read with the knowledge that I may well write about the book - although, I've not actually written about every book I've read since starting the blog... I am finding that I have more incentive to get to those neglected classics, because they're being discussed - here and on other blogs that I follow. It's partly what spurred me on to re-read Anna Karenina (first post coming on that very soon, for those who are reading with me), which I'm enjoying much more than I did as a teenager - maybe I have more reading muscle these days. Months of reading craft theory, as I did for my Master's thesis, was kind of like reading boot camp!

What I have become more aware of is how other people read - both those who are fellow book-bloggers and friends with whom I discuss reading. Books crop up more in conversations with friends now too. 

I've also been constantly surprised by where my audience is located. Currently, my top three - in order - are Americans, Australians and Russians. The Americans and the Aussies jostle for top spot, and the Russians have been sitting solidly in third for months now. Why Russia? As far as I know, none of them have signed up to follow, or make comments, so I have no means of knowing what it is that appeals enough in my posts to attract such a loyal following. Most intriguing. The contingent from the Phillipines come via another blogger's site I suspect. And then, after that, there is an amazing shifting mix - currently the really interesting additions are Peru and Panama! DB says of the former, possibly some lama farmers with a good Internet connection! Whoever you are - welcome! 

Thank you everyone who has been a regular here, and those who drop in from time to time. If I could invite you all over, I'd make something like this and there'd be pieces all around and champagne!