Tag: #blog

Things I’m Thankful For: Blog Edition

Things I’m Thankful For: Blog Edition

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I had a glorious holiday filled with family, delicious food, friends, and lots and lots of shopping 🙂

I received these turkeys when I was student teaching during my senior year of college. I hung them in my own classroom for YEARS after I graduated and then started hanging them in my house after I left teaching. This is my 24th year celebrating the holiday season with them 🙂

I love this time of year so much. Although we should be looking around all year long to reflect on our blessings and things to be thankful for, November is a great reminder to really stop and look around.

While I do this year round in my personal life, lately I’ve been thinking of all of the blessings that I’m thankful for when it comes to my blogging life! In no particular order, here are some things I’m grateful as they relate to Book Coffee Happy.

Things I’m Thankful For: Blog Edition

Instagram

Truth be told, Book Coffee Happy is MUCH more active on Instagram than any other platform. While I do post on this site, Facebook, and Twitter (X???), Instagram is my favorite. It’s so much easier, faster, and more fun to post a quick Instastory than to type up an entire blog post. I try to add to my stories on Instagram daily. If you don’t already follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, please do! HERE is the link.

Authors

Without authors there would be no readers and without being a reader there would be no Book Coffee Happy. Thank you to all of the authors out there who give me topics to entertain myself and to blog about!

Fellow Book Bloggers/Bookstagrammers

Ahhh the blogging/Bookstagramming community is so amazing and I have made some wonderful new friends all through our mutual love of BOOKS. We inspire each other, tag each other, and support each other and I’m so thankful. I’m even a member of a local group of book bloggers/bookstagrammers who meet up from time to time (I have yet to actually make it to a meet up but it’s something I’m so looking forward to SOON)!

WordPress

Writing this little blog is my favorite hobby and I couldn’t do it without the support of WordPress. Thank you for making it so easy for someone like me to create and run a website! WordPress has been amazing to work with and the customer support has been incredible. Between chats and emails, I have asked mannnnnnnny questions and the support I have received has been amazing. WordPress is the only server Book Coffee Happy has ever been on and I have absolutely zero plans to ever switch.

Libraries/Book Stores

Forever thankful for the places which allow me access to books (and so much more)! Thankful that the library is my happy place where I can quietly walk the stacks, work on my blog, or just peruse the shelves.

YOU

Without readers, I would have no blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting my little corner of the Internet today and everyday. I love writing this blog and I’m extrodinarily thankful for the people and the experiences which it has provided.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to all who celebrated! Stay tuned…my next blog post (will be posted mid week) will be a very special one 🙂 And the post after THAT will kick off BLOGMAS on 12/1!

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

Happy New Year and a Change to Book Coffee Happy :)

Happy New Year and a Change to Book Coffee Happy 🙂

Hiiiii!

I hope you loved Blogmas as much as I did. Blogmas is so much work but I absolutely loved doing it and have already started planning for next December. If you missed the end of Blogmas, you can read the Blogmas wrap up (including the entire month’s posts) HERE.

Happy New Year!

I hope your holiday was filled with lots time with those that you love and lots of time reading BOOKS 🙂

I did a LOT of reading:

An overnight hotel staycation with my family 🙂

My bestie and I went to the Half Price Books Outlet:

Me 🙂
My Beautiful Bestie…Hi Amy!!!
THE. VERY. BEST.
Oh I sure did read this book waaaaaay back in the day written by Britney Spears and her mother!
On NYE we went to a spy themed restaurant and they made you create your very own spy agent name. My daughter took one look at mine and rolled her eyes which made me love my name choice even more 🙂

A Change to Book Coffee Happy:

There is an exciting change coming to Book Coffee Happy in the new year!

I am proudly reflected in all aspects of my blog from the pink background (my favorite color of ALL TIME. The VERY first thing I did once I started blogging was to change the background from white to pink, lol) to the not so grammatically correct sentences. This blog is MINE and what I love most about it is that I put my heart into each and every aspect of it. I’ve worked hard through the years to make sure that this little blog of mine is something that I am proud of, not only because it creates revenue for me but because it is my favorite creative outlet. I love blogging and I love the community of book lovers that I have worked so hard to create!

Since I have started blogging in 2018, I have always included my “bottom line” at the bottom of all of my book reviews. It’s usually 1 (ish?) sentence that summarizes my review of the book. I have always called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”…and I have always HATED that I have called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”! It sounds so formal and so “businessey”…in other words, so NOT me. I guess I just didn’t know what else to call it without using a “star” rating system (I did use the “star” rating system when I first started blogging but over time I learned that it worked better for me to review books without it). I wanted a quick, few word recap of my feelings at the end of each of my reviews to summerize my thoughts but I was simply at a loss of what to call it. “Bottom Line” just made the most sense because those final thoughts have always been indeed my bottom line! The name for these last thoughts just never fit with the overall vibe of my blog.

Until now 🙂

After years of trying to come up with a better title for this little recap of my reviews, I have finally landed upon the perfect word. A word that reflects me and a word that reflects my blog in a perfect way. So starting in 2023, at the end of each of my book reviews you will also find my…

drumroll please….

EPILOGUE!

According the the Oxford Dictionary, an epilogue is defined as a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.

How PERFECT is that?!?

I am a huge fan of epilogues in general as I like books (and television shows) to be wrapped up in pretty little bows and using this word on each of my blog reviews is such a perfect match. It feels so much more ME and is such a better fit for Book Coffee Happy. And I obvi love that it’s a literary term. Perfect.

So cheers to 2023 and cheers to Book Coffee Happy! I have some really exciting things already planned for this blog in the coming year and I’m so happy to have you along for the ride.

Xo,

Jenny

Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! Spend some time searching through old blog posts, I have been blogging since 2018 and I’ve read a LOT of books 🙂

Click HERE for the 13 best books I read in 2022

Book Coffee Happy’s 13 most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE

My Favorite Posts that I wrote in 2022 can be found HERE

I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby:

*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)

*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

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Calling All Bloggers and Vloggers: Add Your Links {Volume 3}

It’s that time again!  A chance for all bloggers and vloggers to publicize themselves and at the same time, discover some interesting new blogs and vlogs to follow.

Over the summer, I wrote a blog post asking for bloggers and vloggers to share their sites and to add their links in hopes of people being able to get their name out there and also to discover new sites to follow.  A few months later, I wrote another blog post asking for bloggers and vloggers to share links and descriptions to their most current posts/videos.

Both posts were so successful! So many lovely bloggers and vloggers posted links and descriptions of their blogs/vlogs. I instantly found new favorites to follow and so many others commented that they did as well.  Love!

So today…let’s do it again!

This time the theme will be “Posts or Videos Which Taught People Something”

Think back to posts/videos you have created.  When was a time you posted something which was helpful or taught something?

Post a link to a helpful blog POST or helpful vlog VIDEO and a brief description on what that particular blog/video is about in the comments below. Let’s all discover new blogs/vlogs to follow! If you have a blog/vlog, I’d love for you to participate regardless if you participated in the past or not.  All blog/vlog topics welcome!

Please only add links to the comments on this post (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to keep them all in one place.

Also, if you haven’t already added your link to the comments on the other 2 posts, feel free to do that now as well 🙂

Calling All Bloggers and Voggers Volume 1

Calling All Bloggers and Vloggers Volume 2

I’ll go first!  Here is a link to a helpful post that I wrote.  It’s a list of amazing books that I would recommend bringing on vacation!  All of these would be PERFECT vacation reads (or anytime reads).  Hopefully this post will help you while planning what to bring on your next vacay:

15 Amazing Books to Bring With You on Vacation

Now it’s your turn!  I can’t wait to read the comments below.

Have fun and enjoy discovering some new favorite bloggers/vloggers!

And while you’re discovering new blogs/vlogs to follow and subscribe to, I’d so love for you to follow/subscribe to mine if you don’t already 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Happy 1st Birthday to Book Coffee Happy!

I have been faithfully reading other people’s blogs every single day since 2007. I absolutely love them and have always wanted one my own…a place to create, share, and have fun. Exactly 1 year ago on September 10, 2018, I decided to take the plunge and officially introduce my blog that I had previously quietly been working on to the world. Its scary to put yourself out there like that and I’m so thankful that I did.

Happy 1st Birthday, Book Coffee Happy!

When I first started blogging, I had a grand total of 6 readers. My husband, my parents, and my 3 best friends. 1 year later and I have 644 blog followers, 1,228 Instagram followers, 663 Facebook followers, and 472 Twitter followers. I also have a YouTube channel with a handful of subscribers 🙂 I’m thankful to each and every person who is following me on all platforms in this blogging journey.

1 year ago today…

It’s the best hobby I’ve ever had. I’ve learned so much…I created a website and actively keep it running for an entire year which is something I never thought I could do! I’m incredibly proud of that and this 1 year anniversary truly feels like a celebration to me.  I’m a big believer in always trying to learn new things and this blog has most definitely been a learning experience for me.

It hasn’t been easy (thank God for Google searches, YouTube how to videos, and WordPress tech supporters) but it’s been so worth it. This space is something I’m so proud of. It’s good for me and has given me such a fun and the creative outlet to share my love of reading alongside bits of my personal life.

One of the hardest parts of blogging is the fact that I’m such a perfectionist and this is all so new to me.  I’m learning while publicly publishing posts which aren’t always 100 percent perfect.  But that’s life, right?  This blog is a reflection of me…and I am most definitely NOT 100 percent perfect 🙂  I’ve given myself the grace to make mistakes over this past year which is definitely NOT something that has been easy for me.  I’ve also learned that presenting something with mistakes is better than not presenting anything at all. And this applies to so much more than just blogging 🙂

Over the past year, this blog has opened up so many doors for me and has given me some truly amazing experiences:

I have been sent a total of 19 Books to read, review, and host giveaways for on my blog:

(Full blog review and giveaway of The Unbreakables By Lisa Barr coming soon!)

I attended Lit Fest 2019

I attended the Midwest Writers Association Meeting

I was offered a job leading storytime at Whimsy Play Cafe in Buffalo Grove twice a week (the cafe owner was a blog reader!) Here’s a (very blurry) link to see what I do there:

I loved the interaction from other bloggers/vloggers on THIS POST  and on THIS POST. I found so many new blogs/vlogs to love!  If you are a blogger or a vlogger, feel free to add your link to each of those posts.

I enjoyed rounding up some favorite books to include on my Spring Break 2019 Book Recommendation List and also on my Pregnancy/New Parents/Baby Shower Gifts Recommendation List.

You can read my very post blog post HERE!  It’s super impersonal, lol.

At this time last year I had no idea how to use Instagram or Twitter. 1 year later and I’m LOVING Instagram! I post a new Instagram story at least once a day (usually multiple times throughout the day) and it’s FUN. It’s a fun place for me to actually talk about day to day life in videos as opposed to written words.  Love it!  As for Twitter, I’m still over here trying to figure it all out, lol…work in progress 🙂

Aaaaaaand along with the amazing experiences this year also came some not so amazing experiences.  My broken elbow, my food poisioning which turned out to be a horrific stomach flu, and my car accident all top that unfortunate list.  Ugh.

For every person who has commented on a blog post, clicked the “like” button, commented, or shared on a Facebook post, mentioned me in an Instagram story, retweeted my tweets on Twitter, or interacted with me in any other way on social media…thank you. All of these things will help my hobby to GROW and I’m incredibly thankful to you.

For every author who has reached out and has so graciously offered to send me a copy of their book to review and share with my readers…thank you!

For every person who has purchased something through my Amazon affiliate links…thank you.

And most importantly, for every person who has recommended my blog to a fellow book lover…thank you.

I have met some lovely people and have made some lovely new friends as a result of this blog!  I’ve even had people come up to me in public and introduce themselves as blog readers!  I LOVE THAT!  Just 3 days ago, a lady came up to me at a local park and introduced herself because she recognized me from my Disney video 🙂

To my very first blog readers: Jon, Mom, Dad, Amy, Barbara, and Beth…I love you all so much!

Jon, you were the very first person I told that I wanted to do this and I said, “Want to hear a crazy idea?  I think I want to start writing a blog!” and you said, “I don’t think that’s crazy at all, I think you should and I think you’d be great!” Thank you for believing in me and for supporting me. Thank you for working so hard and providing for our family which in turn then allows me the opportunity to write this blog.  I love you so much 🙂

And lastly…my children. I have never shown their faces or said their names on here which has been HARD. I am literally obsessed with my kids and I’m a Stay at Home Mom so writing this blog without including them feels like I’m sharing myself but without sharing my heart. Maybe one day I will introduce you to them but for now, thank you for respecting their privacy. Spoiler: They are the 2 most gorgeous kids on Earth.

 

 

 

My favorite posts are hands down the ones about my personal life:

My (Now Ruined) Favorite Library

My Birthday

Walt Disney World Vacation

My 3 Best Friends and My Amazing College Experience

Reading at the Ronald McDonald House

Michigan Getaway with Jon

I’ve blogged about some amazing books over the past year, made some lovely new friends over the past year, and have successfully accomplished something that has always been such a dream for me.

I have so many ideas, plans, and goals for this space moving forward. I can’t wait to make them happen.

Happy 1st Birthday, Book Coffee Happy!

And because…well, life…

I was so excited to eat my perfect looking blog birthday cupcake but was struggling with how to eat it with my son sound asleep on me. I took this selfie and literally 1 second later…

The blog birthday cupcake toppled off the plate and landed frosting side down directly on top of both of us. My husband (who was sitting next to us) immediately jumped up, saved the cupcake, cleaned everything up, got me a fork, and told me that maybe this should tell me to stop taking so many selfies.

Side Note: I’ll never stop taking selfies.

The deconstructed version of the perfect blog birthday cupcake was delicious and my son stayed asleep throughout the whole ordeal.

Next year’s newest blog goal: to eat Book Coffee Happy’s 2nd birthday cupcake whole and without having to use a fork 🙂

Happy 1st Birthday, Book Coffee Happy!

Birthdays include gifts. The gift I would love would be to hear the title of a book you have read and loved which you discovered because of my blog! Please comment here on this blog post, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter…wherever!  I can’t wait to see which books I have introduced you to! My heart will be so happy to know that I’ve done that for you 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

Calling All Bloggers and Vloggers: Add Your Links!

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post asking for bloggers and vloggers to share their sites and to add their links in hopes of people discovering new sites to follow.

It was such a success! So many lovely bloggers and vloggers posted links and descriptions of their blogs/vlogs. I instantly found new favorites to follow and so many others commented that they did as well.  Love!

So today…let’s do it again! Only this time, post a link to your most current blog POST or vlog VIDEO and a brief description on what it’s about in the comments below. Let’s all discover new blogs/vlogs to follow! If you have a blog/vlog, I’d love for you to participate regardless if you participated last time or not. All blog/vlog topics welcome!

Please only add links to the comments on this post (not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to keep them all in one place.

Also, if you haven’t already added your link to the comments on the other post, feel free to do that now as well 🙂

Have fun and enjoy discovering some new favorite bloggers/vloggers!

And while you’re discovering new blogs/vlogs to follow and subscribe to, I’d so love for you to follow/subscribe to mine if you don’t already 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

***Be sure to check my blog tomorrow for a very special post***

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*

*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*

*Follow me on Instagram*

*Follow me on Twitter*

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel*

*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*

*Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page*

 

The Secret Life of a Book Blogger Tag

I saw The Secret Life of a Book Blogger tag on Adventures of a Bibliophile and knew I wanted to participate!  I love participating in tags and this was a fun one to fill out 🙂

How long have you been blogging?

10 Months

At what point do you think you’ll stop blogging?

I don’t ever want to stop!  It’s one of my most favorite hobbies I’ve ever had!  This is such a fun and creative outlet for me, I love it so much.  I’ve been reading other people’s blogs every single day since 2007 and I’ve always wanted to have one of my own.  Now is the time. 🙂

What is the best thing about blogging?

I’ve made some lovely new friends.  Blog readers, other bloggers, and authors!

What is the worst thing? What do you do to make it okay?

Absolutely nothing 🙂  This is my hobby….so absolutely zero pressure on me. I work on it when I want and create my content exactly how I want!

How long does it take you to make/find pictures to use?

It takes me a LONG time to do EVERYTHING for this blog, lol.  All of this is still so new to me therefore creating any type of content takes me quite a large amount of time.  I’m definitely getting better the more practice I get but I would NOT say that any of this has been (or currently is) easy for me, lol.  However, I’ve learned SO much along the way and am learning more each day which is definitely a bonus.  There is so much to learn when you create/maintain a blog!  I love learning new things and having this blog is such a great fit for me.

Who is your book crush?

Nobody!  My real life marriage is my own personal fairy tale…#cheesyandproud

What author would you like to have on your blog?

Liane Moriarty! I would ask her how she has the unique ability to write such amazing books and then be able to turn around and write such mediocre books, lol. (read more about my complicated thoughts on her HERE)

What do you wear when you write your blog posts?

I’m a stay at home mom…so 99% of the time I’m wearing the official stay at home mom uniform: black yoga pants. The best.

How long does it take you to prepare?

Oh jeez….see above.

How do you feel about the blogging community?

This was one of the unexpected surprises that I received when I started writing this blog.  I was (and continue to be) blown away by the kindness and generosity of the blogging community!  People have been so accepting, kind, and helpful to me.  I’m extraordinarily thankful!

What do you think one should do to create a successful blog?

Be willing to take risks, put yourself out there, and always be open to learning new things!

I nominate these wonderful bloggers to now participate in this tag:

Bookathon

Mrs. B’s Book Reviews

8 Ways You Can Help Support Book Coffee Happy:

1. Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)

2. If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine

3. “Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)

4. Follow me on Instagram

5. Follow me on Twitter

6. Subscribe to my YouTube channel

7. Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.

8. Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page

 

Calling All Bloggers and Vloggers!

I have been reading blogs and watching vlogs every single day since 2007. That’s 12 years of daily checking in with my favorite bloggers and vloggers! I’m constantly finding new ones to add to my list of favorites.  I love discovering new blogs, vlogs, bloggers, and vloggers!

I read such a wide variety of blogs…healthy living blogs, book blogs, Mommy blogs, food blogs, etc.  I even read a few fitness blogs and I am NOT someone who enjoys sweating, lol.  I find that when I connect to a blogger, it’s not always about the topic as much as about the blogger her/himself.  Does that make sense?

Since starting a blog myself, I have truly learned how incredibly wonderful and helpful the blogging community really is.  I love being a part of this lovely community and I have met such kind people through my blog.  It has been amazing.

My personal blogging essentials: laptop, candle, coffee.

Calling All Bloggers and Vloggers:

If you write a blog or have a vlog, please post a link to it in the comments below! This is a great opportunity for everyone (myself included) to discover some new favorites.  Be sure to include a short description of what type of blog (or vlog!) you have.  All types of blogs (and vlogs) welcome!  Please only post your links in the comments on this post and not on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  That way everyone can see the list all together and can refer back to it when they are looking to discover something new.

I can’t wait to explore and discover some new favorite blogs (and vlogs)!  I hope you find some new favorites as well.  Make sure to subscribe to them when you do (and while you’re at it, please make sure you are also subscribed to my blog)!

Enjoy 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

8 Ways You Can Help Support Book Coffee Happy:

1. Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)

2. If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine

3. “Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)

4. Follow me on Instagram

5. Follow me on Twitter

6. Subscribe to my YouTube channel

7. Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links.  The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.

8. Leaving a positive review on my Facebook page