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Book Review Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg


My thoughts about Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg


This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Disclosure: I got sent a free copy of this book by the publisher via Net Galley.



The book synopsis for Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg

Book cover Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg

A silly and vibrant book about a little frog who finds his own way at swimming class. For little swimmers ages 4 years and up.

Splash! Mommy wants all her little frogs to take swimming lessons. Floating, backstroke, treading water . . . Hop tries his best, but often makes a mess of things. One day, he surprises even himself!



You might also like: My 2022 Reading Challenges


3 stars

Discussing Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg





Where to find Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg online:


 Amazon affiliate link

Goodreads


Book Review Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg




You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers


Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

   

Book Review 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton


My thoughts about 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton


Looking for a quick, standalone romance read? Want a book set in Italy? This is one is for you!


This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.




The book synopsis for 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton

12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton book cover

12 days. 10 ports. 1 soul searing kiss that could change her life . . .

Getting shot down after trying to kiss a handsome stranger? Embarrassing. Discovering the guy is on her Italian cruise? Humiliating.

Lily tries to avoid the mystery man, but the tug to know him is as strong as the Mediterranean current. To make her mortification complete, her best friend is determined to play matchmaker.

Is it too late to jump ship?

The cruise is strictly business for Zander. He's here to build his photography portfolio, not get side-tracked by a romantic fling. The last woman Zander loved died a year ago, and he's not sure he's over her yet. But he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Lily, who looks nearly as lost as he feels.

When the cruise ends, Lily and Zander must decide if one kiss is enough to build a future on or if their feelings will be swept away with the tide.

12 Days to Love is the first book in the A Destination of Heart contemporary, clean and wholesome romance series. If you like exotic settings, meddlesome friends, and hearts willing to take a risk on first time love, then you'll love this book by award-winning author Lisa Swinton.

A Destination of Heart Romance Series
12 Days to Love
Love in Bloom
Kiss & Makeup
Sugar & Spice
Loving the Greek Billionaire

All books may be read as standalone romances.


You might also like: My 2022 Reading Challenges



3 Stars

Discussing 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton




Where to find 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton online:


 Amazon affiliate link

Goodreads


Book Review: 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton




You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers


Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

    

Book Review The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte

My thoughts about The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte


This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Disclosure: I got sent a free copy of this book by the publisher via Net Galley.



Expected publication: August 10th 2022 Publisher ‏ : ‎ CrackBoom! Books Language ‏ : ‎ English Board book ‏ : ‎ 22 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 2898023558 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-2898023552 Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6 years Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - Kindergarten

The book synopsis for The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte


The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte book cover
Learn about emotions with The Little Prince

Discover emotions with the beloved character from author-illustrator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Joy, fear, anger, surprise...children experience a range of emotions every day, often several at the same time, and they sometimes find it difficult to articulate what they feel. Naming and identifying emotions is a way for little ones to start recognizing these feelings. As they gain self-awareness, children learn to manage their emotions, a critical skill that lays the foundation for emotional intelligence and resilience. The feelings described in this book include joy, surprise, anger, love, fear, sadness, and calm. Large scale board book with colorful illustrations to keep little ones engaged; This book helps children articulate what they are feeling and gain self-awareness; Inspired by the famous tale The Little Prince, timeless and enchanting.
Children's Sense & Sensation Books, Children's Daily Activities Books, Early Learning Beginner Readers


You might also like: My 2022 Reading Challenges


4 stars

Discussing The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte




Where to find The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte online:


 Amazon affiliate link

Goodreads


Book Review The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte




You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers


Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

 

Book Club Kit Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Book Club Kit

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


Please be aware going into this post that it is for people who have read the book and therefore contains some spoilers.

About the book


Publisher: Penguin Books

Genre: Romance, Women`s fiction

Number of pages: 369

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143124544
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143124542
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0065GC0BA

Published: January 2012

Purchasing links:  Amazon - Barnes and Noble 

Goodreads

Book Covers


Me Before You by Jojo Moyes Book Covers



Book Synopsis


They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

You might also like: Book Club Kit: The Library by Bella Osborne

About the Author

Jojo Moyes, Author of  Me Before You

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

Her novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over thirty-eight million copies worldwide.

Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo lives in Essex.


Authors website

Author Interviews


Thea was generous enough to let me be on set, which I know doesn't always happen, and so we kept working the whole way along, it's been completely collaborative. 'Me Before You' Author & Director on Translating the Tearjerker from Page to Screen

I tried all sorts of settings for this book. I drove all over Scotland, trying to find a castle and a small town that would "fit." It was essential that Lou came from a small town, rather than a city, because I live in one myself and I'm fascinated by the way that growing up in one can be the greatest comfort—and also incredibly stifling. I wanted a castle because it was the purest example of old money rubbing up against ordinary people. Britain is still incredibly hide-bound by class, and we only really notice it when we go to a place where it doesn't exist in the same way, like the U.S. or Australia. I needed the class difference between Will and Lou to be clear. Check out the rest of the interview by Book Browse here.


Book Reviews


My Review of Me Before you by Jojo Moyes.

The character development is amazing. I fell in love with Lou’s fun, witty, sarcastic character and she brought on so much life in this book. Read the full review by @suckerforcoffe


Reading this book was entertaining. It was funny, not boring at all, fast paced, very meaningful and I love how Lou and Will’s relationship developed. Read the full review by @jessica_tay27

Jojo Moyes’s brilliant but heartbreaking novel, Me Before You, plays upon readers’ emotions with its engaging and realistic characters, unconventional love story, and thought-provoking plot concerning the struggles of quadriplegia. Moyes inspires an unrestrained enthusiasm for life and its adventures and instructs readers to “live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle…just LIVE.” Read the full review by @DiscoverLourdes

The story line of this novel is the most moving I have ever read. It makes you think about what it would really be like to be completely paralysed, which I doubt many people have seriously considered. This book gives you an insight into what life might be like for those with physical disabilities but also those around them. Read the full review by @WhatsHotBlog

My expectations of this book were that it was going to be a lot more slushy and romantic than it was. As a hopeless romantic, I have no shame in admitting that I adore any “love conquers all” kind of storyline, however Jojo Moyes cleverly writes this book in a way which has its romantic moments, but also does not pretend love can solve everything. Read the full review by @AmyRoseBuckle

Discussion Questions


What are your thoughts about organisations like Dignitas? 

Do you feel your views about assisted suicide have changed after reading the book?

Were you able to relate to the way Will felt after his accident?

If you were Louisa, would you have quit working for the Traynors? If yes, at what point?

If Louisa had never accepted her job with the Traynors, do you think she would have continued to be in a relationship with Patrick?

How would the story have been affected if part of it was told from Will’s point of view?

Will tries to change the way Louisa views the rest of the world. While Louisa is unsuccessful in changing his plans, does she succeed in changing anything about Will? 

If you were going to give the book a different title, what would it be?

Which scene stuck with you the most and why?


Quotes from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


“You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

“Some mistakes... Just have greater consequences than others. But you don't have to let the result of one mistake be the thing that defines you. You, Clark, have the choice not to let that happen.”

“I will never, ever regret the things I've done. Because most days, all you have are places in your memory that you can go to.”

“You are scored on my heart,Clark. You were from the first day you walked in,with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.”

“The thing about being catapulted into a whole new life--or at least, shoved up so hard against someone else's life that you might as well have your face pressed against their window--is that it forces you to rethink your idea of who you are. Or how you might seem to other people.”

 

Book Club Kit Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

You might also like: 

Me Before You Trivia Quiz

Book vs Film: Me Before You

Series I'm Obsessed With: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers


If you'd like to support me, donating goes a long way to helping with the running of this blog. Thanks for your support 💗

Donate now



Book Blogging in 2022: Book Blogger Survey and Statistics

Book Blogging in 2022

Book Blogger Survey and Statistics


As a book blogger how do you fit into the book blogging community? What do stats for the average book blogger look like? 

This post will take a closer look at what's happening in book blogging in 2022 and offer some transparency about the statistics of book bloggers.


You might also like: Easy Ways To Support Book Bloggers


Blogging Statistics in 2022

Is book blogging dead? Far from it! New book blogs are being launched all the time and other more established book bloggers continue to grow their readership.

If you're interested in blogging statistics in general I recommend checking out 40 Blogging Statistics You Need To Know in 2022 by Ryan Robinson. The post offers some great insight into the current situation. 

You might also like 50 Fascinating Blogging Statistics by 99firms which includes stats like "The number of blogs globally is estimated at 600 million" and "60% of bloggers write at least one guest post for other blogs". Obviously this post is about blogging in general and not specific to the book blogging niche but it contains some interesting information. For example "61% of consumers have purchased something after reading a recommendation on a blog" is a good indication about how influential a book blogger can be in helping to increase book sales.

If you're interested in book and reading statistics I recommend checking out Eye-Popping Book and Reading Statistics by Toner Buzz. Did you know that "The 2022 global book market is valued at $150 billion" or that "Ebook and audiobook sales increased by more than 30% since 2020"? Check out the post for more interesting stats. 

First Site Guide also has a great post with 47 Blogging Statistics that is well worth a read. Did you know "77% of people regularly read blogs online"?

A Brief Summary of My Book Blogging Journey

I've been book blogging for a long time. I started in 2006 before it was even really a thing. Back then I had a Tripod website and the blog experience was much different to what it is now. Myspace was still the place to be back then 😉

I moved over to Blogger in 2012 and started this blog. Since then the site has evolved as I've put into practice all the things I've learnt over the years. 

My all time most viewed blog post is one I posted in August last year about Things That Should Be In Every Blog Post. So far it has over 49K page views and continues to get an average over 6K page views a month. 

Other popular posts include 60 Blog Post Ideas for Book Bloggers with over 13K page views so far and Pinterest Group Boards for Book Bloggers with over 9K page views so far. Both continue to pull in good traffic on a regular basis. 

My most viewed book review of all time is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling which I posted in September 2020 with 1.63K page views so far. 

My personal best in terms of page views to my site in the one month is when I hit 47,138 which happened in September 2021. My average monthly page views to my site is around 30K. 

The majority of my blog traffic comes from Google search. I also get a lot of direct traffic to my site. Pinterest and Twitter are the social media sites that bring in most traffic. 


Average Stats for Book Bloggers

Over the years I've seen a lot of book bloggers worrying about their book blog stats and sadly seen a lot of them give up and stop blogging altogether because they feel they don't get enough traffic their blogs. 

Recently some of my long term book blogging buddies have decided to give up on their book blogs and move over to social media sites and build their platform as a book blogger on communities like BookTok, BookStagram, or BookTube instead. I'll cover this topic in more detail in a separate post as there's a lot to discuss.


You might also like: Common Problems Book Bloggers Have and How To Solve Them


Book Blogging 2022 Survey

I recently came across a book blogger survey 2022 invite over on the Pages Unbound Reviews blog. Briana started doing these surveys back in 2016 to offer some transparency on what are "normal" stats for book bloggers. On the aforementioned link you can also find the results from the previous surveys she did. 


If you know of other surveys offering statistics to do with book blogging please let me know about them in the comments section below. 


I decided I wanted to do my own survey to compare my findings and get a clearer picture of what average stats are for book blogging now. I set up a thread of polls on my Twitter profile. 


Book Blogging in 2022 Survey Results


How long have you been blogging? 


This is an important indication of how the book blogging community is growing. As you can see, I'm not the only one who has been doing this for a while. 

It's encouraging to see that several new book bloggers have joined the community in recent times proving that there is still interest in the practice of book blogging. 

Book Blogger Survey#BookBloggers #BookTwitter #BookBlogging

How long have you been book blogging?

— Jo Linsdell (@jolinsdell) May 6, 2022

How many page views do you get a month on average?

WOW! Over 83% of book bloggers are getting under 5,000 page views a month to their blogs. This is much lower than I expected. It could be linked to a number of factors though. 

Some book blogs only post book reviews and so have a more limited readership. Some are newer blogs. Some are hobby bloggers and so maybe don't fully leverage SEO or do little to promote their blog posts. There are lots of reasons why traffic could be low.

Book Blogger Survey#BookBloggers #BookTwitter #BookBlogging

How many page views do you get per month on average?

— Jo Linsdell (@jolinsdell) May 6, 2022


On average, how many comments do you get on your blog posts each day?

A lot of bloggers, myself included don't get a lot of comments on their blog posts and often feel discouraged because of this. 

The survey showed that the majority of book bloggers are getting 0-5 comments a day. I definitely find comfort in this. My comments to views ratio is terrible. It's nice to know I'm not the only one struggling with engagement on my posts. 


Book Blogger Survey#BookBloggers #BookTwitter #BookBlogging

On average, how many comments do you get on your blog each day?

— Jo Linsdell (@jolinsdell) May 6, 2022

 

Where does your blog traffic come from?

Search engines are the winner here with social media links coming in a close second. This highlights just how important the right SEO is when creating a blog post. 

It also shows how important social media is to growing blog traffic. Every blog post should be easy to share on social media so it's key to have social share buttons on your blog. 

Book Blogger Survey#BookBloggers #BookTwitter #BookBlogging

Where does most of your blog traffic come from?

— Jo Linsdell (@jolinsdell) May 6, 2022


Conclusion

We're all at different points in our book blogging journey and a lot of us are struggling with the same problems so don't let it get you down. If you are passionate about book blogging keep doing what makes you happy. Your energy will show through in the content you create. 

These results reflect the data that Briana gathered with her surveys over at Pages Unbound so I think it's a good indicator of what is happening in the book blogging community. 

I hope this survey has offered some valuable insight into book blogging statistics and given you some food for thought. 

Did any of these results surprise you? Where do you stand in regards to the book blogging average for these stats? Can you think of other questions I should ask in future surveys?


You might also like: Ways To Avoid Book Blogging Burn Out


Book Blogging in 2022: Book Blogger Survey and Statistics


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You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers


Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

If you'd like to support me, donating goes a long way to helping with the running of this blog. Thanks for your support 💗

Donate now


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      • Book Blogging in 2022 Survey
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POPULAR POSTS

  • Things That Should Be In Every Blog Post
  • Book Blogging in 2022 Survey
  • Book Review: Hop at Swimming Class by Esther van den Berg
  • Book Review: The Little Prince, My Book of Feelings by Corinne Delporte
  • Book Club Kit: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
  • Book Club Kit: The Library by Bella Osborne
  • Book Review: 12 Days to Love by Lisa Swinton
  • BOOkish Blog Hop: Favourite Fictional Schools
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