My blogiversary giveaways results & some ponderings on blogging.

The giveaways ended, the anniversary has come and gone (time does fly pretty quickly) and soon it's time for Christmas tree, presents and such. The important ponderings I mentioned in the title concern my blogging of course (what else?). You all know (or most of you at least) how there are always some stumbling blocks in our 'blogging career'. There were for me in the past year, more than I care to list. The fear of failing kept me going through the tough times, my newly found deep interest in blogging helped me most of the time. I did catch myself noticing how easy it would be to just forget about the whole book blogging thing several times in the past year. I would get sick, not post for two weeks and then get thoughts of 'why even bother' kind. Or, I would just have emotional issues to work through and those emotional issues would drain all the energy and passion for anything out of me. I noticed that this type of funk was the most dangerous for me and I had to be on constant vigil to know when it was happening and not let it get in the way of my blogging to the point where I could give up and not look back. As the full year of blogging was coming around I was very close again to asking myself this horrid, dreaded question, " What is the point of blogging?". But then when I posted about my first anniversary, I got comments like this:

I wanted to say Congratulations, Lilly! That is so exciting! It is a big milestone in this world of blog here one day, blog gone the next. You should feel very proud of your accomplishment. Mine is coming up in January. I can't believe it! You seem to me like you have been blogging so much longer than I have. You are so good at it!

from Rebecca who has a quite awesome blog, Lost In Books, I might add.

or like this:

I just wanted to say Happy Blogiversary and I'm so happy to have met you!

from sweet, sweet Dar, the owner of lovely Peeking Between the Pages

or like this:

Woohoo Lilly, Happy 1st Blogoversary!!! It has been an absolute pleasure visiting your blog the past year!

from Teddyree, the most life-loving girl I ever had the pleasure to meet whose blog, The Eclectic Reader, is equally lovely.

And then there are congratulations and best wishes coming from my (may I say) personal blogging gurus, J. Kaye and Beth F. who have been there pretty much from the very beginning.

And Anna from Diary of an Eccentric, Amy from House of Seven Tails, and many many more wonderful bloggers who share the passion for reading with me.

This is what makes it all better, what gives what I do here meaning and real quality. All the wonderful, motivated, funny, inspirational people I had the honor to meet online in this blogging world. I simply wouldn't have the heart in the end to not only say goodbye to book blogging but to all of the girls I have met and look forward to what they write daily and the prospect of meeting many more of fellow bookaholics. How can I say no to that? I can't.

I thank you all for visiting my blog throughout the year and stopping by to congratulate me (trust me, I read every single comment) and I hope my life will not get in the way too much next year.

Whew, let's move on to what you really want to know. I have chosen the winners of all three giveaways.

The winner of my romance giveaway is:

Blodeuedd from Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell!!!

The winner of the thrillers' giveaway is:

Carol M.!!!

The winner of the sci-fi giveaway is:

Evelyn!!!

The winners have been notified by email and I have received the responses to the first two giveaways. However, I still haven't heard from winner n0. 3 (sci-fi) and I hope that I will withing the next two days. If not, then on Monday I will choose another winner.

Okay, this is it. No more rumblings of my demented mind for today.