Five Year Anniversary of The Reading Life

“A book is a great cemetery in which, for the most part, the names upon the tombs are effaced.” - Marcel Proust

The Reading Life is five years old today.  

  I have thought and thought what should I post in observation of five years of blogging.  I want first to offer my thanks to all the people who have taken the trouble to comment on my posts.  You have for sure helped me keep going.  I remember being very happy when I got my first comment and I still feel the same gratitude when ever anyone leaves a comment, expect for the odious spammers.  Through blogging numerous new reading worlds have opened to me.  To give just one example, shortly after I started The Reading Life, I read a short story by Katherine Mansfield, "Miss Bliss".  I liked it a lot and I ended up posting on all of the short stories in her published collections.  Now everyday people from all over the world read my posts on her.  I was very proud to be asked to contribute an article to The Journal of The Katherine Mansfield Society.  

I also offer my great thanks to the ninety-five authors who have done Q and A session on my blog. I have learned a tremendous amount from these sessions.  I am very proud also of the more than fifty short stories I have been honored to publish.  If anything is of lasting value on my blog, it is the Q and A sessions and the short stories.  Everyday I read about the growing success of the writers I have featured.   There is an huge wealth of valuable insights and information in the Answers.   I originally focused on Q and A sessions with mostly Irish writers but I am, hopefully, expanding world wide.  

My Review Policy - I don't really have one but i am happy to look at almost any sort of work.  Feel free to contact me concerning this.  Sometimes I post on a book a few days after I get it,sometimes years and sometimes never.  If I have told you I will post on your book, I will.  I only accept E books. 

Readership Review

There are 2256 posts now on my blog.

Since inception I have had 2,793,656 page views. 

@thereadinglife has 3588 Twitter followers.

 The top four posts are all on older short stories by authors from the Philippines. 

The top countries of reader residence are USA, The Philippines, India, UK, and Canada. Based on percent of views per resident, The Reading Life is proportionally most read in Ireland.  

The most likely city of residence is the Metro Manila area followed closely by Mumbai.  

The posts about R. K. Narayan and Katherine Mansfield are most read.  

Thanks for reading and again I thank all who have commented or done guests posts.

       "Don't worry, I am still lurking here" - Carmilla