It’s a bit hard to belive, but I’ve been blogging here at (un)Conventional Bookviews for five years now. I started on Blogger on June 2nd, 2012.
Five Year Blogoversary
So, to celebrate, and to thank those of you who have continued to visit me during this very, very busy semester where I haven’t been a good blogger friend at all, I want to share a giveaway with you all. But first, let’s take a quick look at what’s been going on here for these past years.
I only stayed on blogger for a few months, then I switched to a self-host wordpress blog, as I saw all the amazing plugins other bloggers were using. I still love self-hosting, both for the plugins, and for the theme options I have at my disposal.
2012 was a fairly quiet year, taking into account that I started self-hosting in September, I still think it’s not too bad that I received 354 visitors and had 2’361 views. Also in that time-period, there were 534 comments.
2013 was much better, with 13’165 visitors and 6’111 comments 🙂 Little by little my blog has grown, and I have a nice follower base now. Some bloggers I have interacted with online have become dear friends, and I have even been lucky enough to meet several of them in real life at various book conferences.
I have also started two original memes / weekly features, Safe & Sexy where I share a sexy quote including condoms, and Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts where I share food or drink quotes.
In 2015, I went to Romantic Times Book Convention in Dallas, and that was such an eye-opening experience for me. Meeting other people who love reading as much as I do, hanging out with authors, and just having a great time all around. In 2016, I went to Chicago for BEA, and that was a blast as well. This year, I went back to RT, in Atlanta, and again I had a fantastic time. I really hope I’ll be able to continue to come overseas for more book-conventions in the future. Thankfully, there are more of those here in Europe now as well, and I’m going to Berlin for RARE in two weeks, as well as to Cannes for a New Romance (that’s what New Adult romances are called in French) convention that lasts a weekend.
It is such an amazing experience to meet other bloggers in real life, and I can’t wait to do so again!
So, on to the main-course of today, the five year blogoversary giveaway. I’m using Rafflecopter to help me choose three different winners. One winner will be European, and she will receive the following six books, some of which are autographed by the author:
The second winner has to have a European address as well, and she will receive a signed AND personalised copy of this book:
Finally, the third winner can live anywhere in the world, and her prize will be Jana Aston’s RomCom series Wrong for kindle :
Thanks so much for stopping by for my five year blogoversary! I hope you’ll visit again 😉
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Congratulations on your Five Year Blogoversary Lexxie. That’s amazing!!! 😉
I’m a blogger on Maureen’s Books, and I life in The Netherlands. I’ve been blogging for three years now. And what a great experience it has been. I love every minute of it.
I hope you have many more blogoversaries in the future, and I’m glad to have met you in this blogging world 😉
I’m very happy I have met you in the blogging world, too, Maureen 🙂 I loved all the pictures you have shared lately from your honeymoon! Good luck with the giveaway 😉
Happy blog birthday, not many blogs make it to 5 years so huge congrats! I live in Ireland and have been blogging for 4 years (I had to check my blog for that!). Time flies when you’re having fun blogging 🙂
Thanks, Trish! I would love to come to Ireland one day, it’s on my bucket-list of places to visit 🙂 ha! I had forgotten about my blogoversary, thank goodness Nicole @ MyFictionAddiction reminded me yesterday!
Congratulations!
Thanks, Latanya 🙂
Congratulations! Happy blogoversary!
Thank you, Aj 🙂
Happy blogoversary my friend ! WE really need to meet! Well you know where I live and I blog since 2011. It’s always so much fun! Love you and what you are doing!
Thank you Melliane! You’re right, we DO need to meet. Have you decided anything about Cannes in September? I’ll only be there from early Saturday morning until Sunday evening 🙂 I love you and your blog too, and I’m sure we’d have fun together in real life, too!
Congratulations Lexxie! I can’t believe it’s been five years already! 😀 I’m glad everything is going well.
To be fair I’ve just started up a lifestyle blog (free wordpress) after cancelling my anovelstart.com book blog and the difference is shocking lol. I didn’t realise how much freedom the paid version gave you 🙂 Note my near heart attack when I couldn’t install addon’s.
This is still one of my favourite blogs so keep it up! Lets add five more years 😀
Amy x
Thank you Amy! I can hardly believe it, either. I bet it’s hard to go back to free wordpress, even if there’s still a lot you can do with that. I need to check out your lifestyle blog for sure 🙂 I have missed A Novel Start, but understand your need for change 🙂
To be fair Lexxie I had enough of authors thinking they could speak to you like rubbish if you didn’t like their book lol. At the end of the day they ask for a honest opinion/review not a fake one. Not worth my free time 🙂 I’m hoping this time around will be different 😀
That sucks! I have never had that happen, thank goodness, and if I do accept a direct review request, I remind the author every time that my review will be honest, and that I will post it even if I don’t really enjoy their book…
You’re right that dealing with those kinds of frustrations in your free time isn’t worth it.
It was usually from 1st or 2nd time authors 🙂 The ones that had a few books out already never complained lol. On that part I’m glad it’s over any way 🙂 Looking forward to a peaceful journey where I can still review if and when I want on my new blog 😉 teehee x
Twitter: Mollykatie112
Congratulations Lexxie! Five years is fantastic! I love seeing your pictures from all the conventions you attend-living vicariously through you and a few other bloggers that also attend. Here’s to many more years of blogging and books!
Thanks, Lorna 🙂 I love attending those conventions, Lorna, knowing I’m very lucky to be able to do so 🙂
Five years?? Congrats! I also started on Blogger– and while I love Blogger there are so many cool plugins/themes that I’m envious of from other blogs….
I know, right? It’s incredible. Blogger is great, but I do love the plugins I can use here.
I don’t know Yet. I’m finishing my Ph.D as I told you so will surely do my big présentation in these dates. I will know more next month for the dates
Finishing your Ph.D is way more important, so we’ll just have to find another time to meet! 🙂
Congrats Lexxie!!! Woo hoo! 5 years is an awesome milestone and I’m glad you’re still doing it and loving it. Here’s to 5 more!
Thanks, Greg 🙂 I think blogging has just become a great way for me to express myself, and you’re part of why I enjoy it so much.
Congrats Lexxie, AWESOME accomplishment!???
Thank you, Trisy! 🙂
Happy Blogoversary!! 5 years is pretty awesome!
Thank you Grace 🙂
Congratulations on 5 years! You have really done a lot since you started your blog and it looks like you have had a lot of fun doing it.
It has been a lot of fun so far, Carole, and I hope it will continue to be fun for a long time yet 🙂
Twitter: nadz1809
Congrats Lexxie on your 5 year blogging journey. Pretty awesome.
Thank you Nadene 🙂
Yay for 5!! I love how you and Brandee have been able to meet up at those events. Blogging, bringing friends together. ? Here’s to many more years to come!
I still really need to meet you one day, Christy! that’s on the top of my bucket-list, just so you know 😉
I only started following about a year and a half ago so it’s neat to see you going strong with the blog for five years and a little bit about your early years of blogging and making blogging friends. 🙂
Wishing you another fantastic year of blogging and lots of good books, Lexxie!
Thank you Sophia 🙂 It’s always a pleasure to see your avatar on one of my posts!
Twitter: kimbacaffeinate
Congrats my friend. I am glad I got to meet you and Brandee. *raises glass* Here is to many more blogoversaries! !
I’m very happy I met you last year, too, Kim! It was such a fun week in Chicago, hanging out with bloggers and chatting books 24/7 🙂
Congratulations, Lexxie, Five years and still loving it is awesome. I’ve been blogging for five years too and have no plans of stopping. Looking forward to more book shares and conversations:)
Five years as well, huh? Well done, Laura 🙂 I hope we’ll both be sharing lots of more books and conversations as well.
Congratulations on your Five Years of Blogging! You have accomplished so much, having your own self-hosted site, and bringing in a lot of followers. Enjoy the next five years…and more.
Thanks Laurel-Rain 🙂 I hope there will be many more years, too 🙂
Twitter: ejaygirl77
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Thank you Jonetta 🙂
Happy five year blogoversary! I think you’re one of the first bloggers I met and I am happy you’re still blogging :). So many bloggers I met when I first started blogging have stopped by now.
It really is amazing to look back and see how far you’ve come with your blog since you started. here’s to many more years!
You’re right, Lola, several bloggers I met early on have disappeared as well – thank goodness there are still some around!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Twitter: ailynk
fingers crossed on the international one! happy 5 years old
*crossing fingers right along with you, Ailyn*
Happy 5 years, Lexxie! Here’s to many more wonderful years. I hope this new year will also be full of exciting blogger meet-ups for you. 🙂
Thank you, Nick! You’re one of the bloggers I’d love to meet in the future 🙂
Twitter: Kissinbluekaren
Happy 5 year Blogoversary!!! That is awesome Lexxie. You have always been a great blogging friend to me, even with how busy you are. I started with blogger in 2009 and then went self hosted in 2010. I didn’t start book blogging until 2014, so that is why I only count 3 years. It is nice to look back and see how far blogging and our blogs have come. I wish you nothing but the very best moving forward. Cheers!
Thank you Karen 🙂 You’re one of my great blogging friends, too, and I was so happy to meet you in person last year in Chicago! I hope we’ll be able to do that again one day 🙂
Huge congratulations on your 5 year Blogoversary. I love your quirky, original theme which is so attractive, yet quick and easy to use. Have a great anniversary week and I hope you continue to enjoy book blogging for many more years to come:)).
Thank you Sarah 🙂 I’m glad you enjoy my theme – my favorite colors for my favorite hobby 🙂
Happy 5 year blogoversary!! <3
Thank you Stephanie 🙂
Happy Blogoversary!!! Congrats on five years and here’s to many more awesome years in blogging.
Thank you Ashley, I hope there will be many more years of fun and shenanigans, too 🙂
Happy Blog Birthday, Lexxie!
Sounds like you´ ve had five amazing years with your blog, so hopefully the next five will be amazing as well. Thank for sharing this with us and all the best for the next round of blogging 🙂
Best wishes
Vi @Inkvotary (former GoneWithTheBooks)
Thanks, Vi 🙂 I will do my best to make the next five years as fun and fulfilling as the first five!
Happy 5th Blogoversary, my friend!! 😀 It’s a fantastic achievement, well done *thumbs up*
I’ve celebrated my 6th year with Darkest Sins in May, it never stops making a blogger/reviewer feel good <3 Cheers to many more years!!!!
Also, thanks SO much for the gorgeous giveaways!! I'm in UK and, even after Brexit passed (boo!), we are still technically in Europe, so high five! 😉
Of course you’re still in Europe! Switzerland was never in the EU, even if the country is smack in the middle of Europe 😉 Good luck, Silvia.
Wow, 5 years of blogging!!! So proud of you. You’ve created an amazing blog for us readers to find great recommendations. I love your blog! I’m still a newbie and hoping to last at least one year (I don’t dare to dream bigger than that). Haha.. thank you for the giveaway! Here is to another five years of awesomeness! ?❤️??
Thank you Geybie 🙂 I’m glad you’ve found some new books to add to your shelves thanks to me. And we were all newbies at one point. I hope you’ll continue to have fun blogging, it’s always a pleasure to see you here, or visit you on your blog!
Happy 5th Blogoversary!!!!!
Thanks Freda!
Congratulations on 5 lovely blogging years! May you have many, many more!
Thank you Xyra 🙂
Happy blogday and see you soon <3
Des gros bisous !!
Je me réjouis de te voir à Cannes, Mylene! Bisous <3
Ouiiiiiiiiiiii moi aussi <3
Happy Blogoversary, darling wifey!! Here’s to many more years of blogging and many more years of, um, snogging? at book conferences for us!! 😉 *SMOOCHES & BIG HUGS*
Is that what the kids call it these days? :p I have kind of been eying BookExpo for next year… it actually might work, since it will happen the three very last days of teaching, and if things work the way they worked for me these past three years, I will have finished the program already. If not, I’m still looking into RWA in Denver, too 😉 {{{BIG HUGS}}} and kisses right back at you.
Wow! What an amazing accomplishment, particularly with how busy your schedule has been! I am so happy to have found your blog, which is so fun. Hugs… and to many more books in your life. RO
Thank you, Ro 🙂 It has been a great pleasure getting to know you and your blog as well 🙂 Hugs
Happy 5th year and I love all those pictures of you and Brandee 🙂
Thanks Felicia 🙂 <3
Happy blogoversary again, Lexxie!! I hope you have at LEAST five more years of blogging ahead of you—and lots of fun conferences to go with them.
Thank you Nicole! I hope so, too 🙂
Congrats on your 5-year blogging anniversary! It sounds like you’ve had a wonderful five years, and I do love visiting your blog, so hopefully it will be around for a lot more!
Thanks Kristen 🙂 I have had a lot of fun, and I think continuing to blog is a must, as long as it is still fun, you know 😉
Wow, congratulations!! Five years is quite an accomplishment. And you have done so many great things, been to so many amazing places! Hope you have another five even more fabulous years 😀
Thank you Shannon! 🙂
Congrats darling on your five years. I can’t believe its been that long for you already!! Time does fly. And wow you have done so much, so you definitely deserve a great celebration for all your hard work!
Thanks 🙂 I can’t really believe it either 🙂
Hi Lexxie, I am absolutely thrilled and happy dancing. I answered your email today (hope in time) with the things you asked me for. OMG – you made my day!
Best wishes and again congrats to your five years
Vi