On this glorious day two years ago, The Novel Hermit was created.
It slowly grew up, reaching soo many milestones and making new friends. It is what it is today because of you guys, who continue to visit and show your love for it. It will, hopefully, continue to grow bigger and bigger, reaching new milestones. We shall celebrate in style! Let’s party and dance and throw confetti! Because it’s a wonderful day!
In the past two years,
- I’ve made frickin’ amazing friends. (You know who you are. ;D)
- My blog stats went up, and I reached over 500+ followers on Bloglovin and Twitter, which is a great accomplishment.
- I started requesting e-ARCs and got accepted to many of them. I got my Netgalley ratio up to the recommended percentage.
- I finally received physical ARCs and books from publishers just recently.
- I’ve been so inspired by the creativity of this community, that I just want to do more.
And in honor of The Novel Hermit’s two-riffic blogoversary, Charlotte and I redesigned my blog header. Voila. Take a look!
SOUND THE TRUMPETS! THE NARWHAL IS BACK! :D Isn’t it beautttttifffuuullllllll? It looks so adorable clinging to the circle! I LOVE.
Fun fact: I wrote out “Novel” into Illustrator (yes that is my handwriting), and Charlotte created the overlap effect with a tablet.
Also, thank you again to the lovely Charlotte for the gorgeous blogoversary banner. It was a joint collaboration. The watercolor in the balloons and the font were courtesy of me, and the gif and everything else was put together by Charlotte.
I also want to give a huggeeeeee shoutout to my fellow blogoversary twin, Jessica of Literary, Etc, as well as fellow December blogoversary friends—Kristen of My Friends Are Fiction and Stormy of Book.Blog.Bake! THE PARTY WILL GO ON AND ON FOR US!
I’ll be hosting two giveaways.
The rules:
- Giveaway #1 is only opened to the US. Giveaway #2 is only opened internationally (as long as The Book Depository delivers to you).
- The giveaway will run from December 19 to December 31, 2014.
- You must be 13 years (with your parent’s permission) or older.
- You will be disqualified if you pick up entries you haven’t done.
- If the winner does not respond to my e-mail within 48 hours, I will have to choose another winner.
- I am not responsible for any items lost in the mail.
1. For US people ONLY, you get to win a box of these books:
The Walled City (ARC) by Ryan Graudin
Stitching Snow (ARC) by R.C. Lewis
Born of Illusion by Teri Brown (signed)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Matched by Ally Condie
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf (signed)*
*fyi, this book was signed to me. :P Sorry?
Enter to win a book of awesome books!
2. For international folks ONLY, you get to pick from a book that I loved this reading this year:
I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
More Than This by Patrick Ness
Also Known As by Robin Benway
Enter to win one of my favorite reads of this year!
YAY CEEEEEE! HAPPY SECOND BLOGOVERSARY!!!! I am so happy I found your blog – you, as a person, make me giggle a lot and I love the twitter convos I find myself in with you! A big CONGRATS, a MERRY CHRISTMAS, and may your books be plentiful! ;D
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!! I’m so proud of our little baby blogs all growing up. It’s amazing how much can happen in two short years. I LOVE the new header. So stinkin cute and perfect. So happy I ran across your blog because it’s a delight! Here’s to many more b-days
Congrats to you Cee!!! I read your blog always and I CANT believe your only 2! You have such a great blog! Hmmm I recommendtion for you….that s toughy sinc your lob read way more than I do. Ohhh got it! I am a huge huge fantasy lover, namely the fae! MJ would typically say Heir of fire since I worship Sarah J. Maas but I’m sure you’ve gone there already so I’m going to go with Holly Black’s The Darkest Part Of The Forest if you want a kind of darker gender reversal story. If your looking for something with a bit more lighty and whimsy then you should go with Skylar Dorset’s The Girl Who Never Was & The Boy With The Hiddden Name. It’s still a great story involving fae, Wizards, ogres, and travelers it’s not as deep though.mhope you have many more lovely years to come!
happy blogoversary and happy holidays! Thanks for the giveaway<3
Your blog has always been cute but I love the new super cute header! Congrats on the two years! It seems to have been very successful and fun. :) Here is to many more.
Happy Blogoversary The Novel Hermit! Hope you have another year of amazing reads and everything book-ish! ^_^ My favorite read of 2014 that I think you should read is…Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson! If you like cute contemporaries than this one’s for you! :D If You’ve read it already though, than I recommend Effortless With You by Lizzy Charles and/or Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard. Both gave me completely different #feels and it was amazing! :)
Happy blogoversary! I absolutely love your blog. :) My favorite read of 2014 was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It was so enjoyable because it was sci-fi/dystopian and also had video games mixed in with virtual realities! I’m definitely going to reread it sometime.
Happy blogoversary to another December veteran! I LOVE THE NEW HEADER. Narwhals forever!
Happy Blogoversary and to many more to come!!! I recommend reading City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare or Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep because they are both fantastic. Both of them are the last in their series but the authors are both great writers!! Thanks for the giveaway!! :)
Congrats on reaching your two year blogoversary! I reached my two year mark a week or so ago I think. And I love the Marwhal in your header!
Congratulations! Blogging for two years is such an accomplishment, especially when you do it so well! I wish you all the luck in the future. I will certainly be following your posts!
Congrats on your blogoversary, Cee! So, so proud of you! I loved Since You’ve Been Gone since it was so easily to relate to and seeing Emily’s growth throughout the novel.
AHHH! You’re totally get old(I mean, reaching a two year milestone obviously means you’re wise and wisdomed by this point). Oh wait…that’s not offensive is it? ;P I totally mean it in a good way!! OKAY MOVING ON BEFORE I MAKE SOME MORE WEIRD COMMENTS….congratulations, Cee!!! This is such a huge accomplishment! I’ve always adored your beautiful website designs(I mean, let’s be real, you have the greatest taste in typography and gorgeous pictures) but I have to admit I enjoy reading your posts even more <33 Again, congratulations! Keep doing your thing and being awesome. ;D
Happy Blogoversary! Thanks for providing such interesting posts for me to read. One of my favorite reads of this year was Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen. It is a fast-paced novel with a premise based on a fairy-tale trope that still manages to be incredibly unique. I really connected with the protagonist, and I thought that the world building was wonderful. I would definitely recommend it to you!
Happy Blogoversary!! My favorite book from 2014 was The Winner’s Curse. I enjoyed how the relationship developed between Arin and Kestrel. I also found the history between the two peoples extremely interesting.
Ahh! Happy Blogoversary Cee! You’ve accomplished so much this year! One of my favorite books this year was Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson. It’s a great summer read about self discovery and friendship and I loved it so much!
Happy Blog Anniversary! I suggest Between The Spark & The Burn & To All The Boys I Have Loved. When I look back at this year I’ve read a lot of books, but its hard to pick the one, ya know? Its been a great year w/ you all & hope for many more! SPOILER
I don’t suggest if you hate open endings.
HAPPY SECOND BLOGOVERSARY CEE! -throws all the books and cake and chocolate and Squirtles at you-
You and Charlotte did an AMAZING job on that new header. I’m completely in love with it – that font, that hermit half hiding in the circle, and your narwhal. 8D<3
Happy blogoversary, wishing you many more to come!
That’s so awesome, happy 2 years of blogging! And, that narwhal is so cute! I think that’s like your signature for your blog haha :)
Happy Blogoversary!
You might have read these already, but I this year I loved Cinder, The Winner’s Curse, The False Prince, and Snow Like Ashes! They were all wonderful world-building Fantasy books with a lot of heart and soul poured into them.
As much as I love the narwhal, I just really loved the ship too! I love cute little ships; it brings out the urge to go all “Ahoy!” and put a pipe in my mouth. But yes, that narwhal is a cutie. :3 My favorite book this year would have to be This Song Will Save Your Life and The Winner’s Curse. I related too much to This Song Will Save Your Life, and The Winner’s Curse was absolutely mindblowing.
HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY YOU!!!!!! Wow, can’t believe TNH is two years old. Crazy times.
Er I love the banner and new header, they’re frickin’ adorable ^_^.
Happy Blogoversary! *throws confetti*
My favorite book this year was Leaving Time byJodi Picoult. It just touched me so much, especially the elephant stories and the ending was unexpected!
Happy Blogoversary! Wow, I can’t believe it’s been TWO years. That’s awesome!!! :) I’d recommend The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Hann, and The Raven Cycle series :)
Because they’re the books that stayed with me the most this year <3
Happy blogoversary!! Wishing you more blogging years to come. :) I’d recommend Throne of Glass or Angelfall. If you love kick-ass heroine then you should read them! there’s just too much awesomeness on those books.
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!! *throws confetti* Yay! Two years is a milestone, baby! This really calls for a celebration! ^___^
As for the recommendation, I definitely recommend I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson. The writing is intense, beautiful and so alive. It is an experience reading that book. One of my all-time favorites, really. Go read it if you haven’t yet. :)
Happy blogoversary!
If you haven’t already read the Seven Realm series (starting with the Demon King) by Cinda Williams Chima, I would suggest that one. The world building is rich, the characters are fun, and it’s a grand ol’ adventure through the Seven Realms, which has the tides of war lapping at its shores. I don’t normally read more than one book in a series (with the exception of Harry Potter), but I recently finished book two in the series, and I can’t wait to start on book three. They’re excellent!
Happy Blogoversary to you!!!
I’ve read a lot of great books this year. I’ve read the first three books of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Mayer in one sitting, they were all amazing and unique. I also liked The Distance Between Us by Kasie West, it’s a YA contemporary and I loved the writing and characters.
Happy blogoversary!!! And I love the new header :)
A book that I especially loved this year was Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. The writing was so amazing, the plot had so much though put into it, and the characters were so well developed. It completely took me by surprise and I totally recommend it.
Happy blogoversary! I love your blog – and the design especially. Seeing a little orange crab in my browser is really cool. Also, the new nahrwal is awesome.
As for my favourites… I really liked Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which is a perfect historical romance with a heavier historical part (I usually read fluffy historicals, but this one surprised me). Of course, the tv show probably has something to do with my fascination with the story…
My favourite YA read was Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher – it’s heartbreaking and lovely and fresh (a girl who thinks she’s responsible for the death of her friend writes letters to a death-row convict in Texas to confess what she’s done).
Hi I just found you but I already love you .congrats on your blogversary and your website is beautiful .
Happy Blogoversary!
One of my favorite books this year would have to be A Triple Knot by Emma Campion. It was a great historical fiction read about Joan of Kent and the black prince, both of whom I have always found to be fascination people from that time in history. It was well written, had a lot of action, and there was also a love story in the midst of everything. Definitely a great read that kept me fixated from beginning to end.
I really loved The Kiss of Deception because it kept me on the edge of my seat and it’s just really awesome! :)
Happy Blogoversary!!! I loved Deception’s Princess series by Esther M. Friesner!! The writing was great and the characters were all well done!
Happy blogoversary! :D May the coming years be filled with heaps of new amazing books! And speaking of those, I’d definitely recommend “Cuckoo Song” by Frances Hardinge. It has some of the most innovative settings I’ve seen, with a fantastic twist on changellings, plus gorgeous, evocative language, and a great plot. It’s truly a must-read.
Happy holidays!
Happy Blogoversary! One of my faovurite books of this year was Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. It is written beautifully and has one of the funniest couples I’ve ever encountered. They are swoony together and will make your heart melt while reading them. Hands down, one of my favourite contemporaries!
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!! :D I just finished reading All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven which is absolutely brilliant– loved it so much. Thanks for the amazing giveaway :)
Happy blogoversary! <3 I wasn't sure what you were looking for so I kind of ended up listing a whole bunch of books.
FANTASY: Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas), The Raven Boys (Maggie Stiefvater), Splintered (A. G. Howard), The Diviners (Libba Bray) DYSTOPIAN/SF: Cinder (Marissa Meyer), Under the Never Sky (Veronica Rossi), A Thousand Pieces of You (Claudia Gray)
STEAMPUNK: Etiquette & Espionage (Gail Carriger), The Clockwork Scarab (Colleen Gleason). CONTEMPORARY: On the Jellicoe Road (Melina Marchetta), Girl Overboard (Justina Chen),
Happy Blogoversary!!!!
My favourite book this year, well I think it’s a tie between Mercy Thompson series and Charley Davidson!
Mercy Thompson series is just nicely written, I love all the books! And Charley Davidson’s is funny
Happy blogoversary! I’d recommend Spark of Light by Elizabeth Tuttle for a few short words: Dystopian elf romance.
Happy Blogoversary! I’m loving the new header :)
Hmmmm, I would recommend Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie, it was my first circus read and it really surprised me, in a good way :)
HAPPY SECOND BLOGOVERSARY
JR Ward’s the king for the writing and characters
Happy blogoversary!!! :)
I recommend Stone Cold Lover because well it is written by JLA. I also recommend Winterspell by Claire Legrand. It is a retelling of the Nutcracker with far and clockwork and I thought it was a great read for this time of year.
Happy Blogoversary and Happy Holidays! :D
If you like high fantasy, I’d recommend Danielle Jensen’s Stolen Songbird.
I know I’m late to comment but hey, better late than ever right? ;)
So freaking proud of you and what you’ve accomplished through the 2 years, never once forget you are amazeballs and you are the best (even when I tell you that you are the worst lol because you are both <3).
Man Cee, your header just— how do we make the best things when we collab? *pats self on back*
And hmmm and book to recommend well, I guess Falling Into Place because man can Amy Zhang write.
happy blogoversary!!^–^
I’ve loved Clockwork Princess because it was heartbreaking and i loved the characters. All of them.<3
Congrats on your blogoversary!!!! I recomend you one of my favorite reads of this year: Elenaor and Park :)
Thanks for the giveaway!
Hello! Congrats… I have been following you for quite a while now enjoy your posts! I recommend reading Eragon if you never have.
Hi ! Happy Blogoversary and this great giveaway ! :) I will recommend you The Dragon Run ! It’s slightly dystopian and kind of Divergent because the people have to undergo test BUT the result of the markings will be ink on your neck and definite which class you are ! you should definitely check it out :) i got it from Scholastic
Happy blogoversary!!! I loved Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. Wonderful world and full of twists!
HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY, CEEEEEEEEE! Your blog is darn fabulous and I love your new header. I must say I missed the narwhal, so I’m glad he’s back :D And being all cuddly and adorable, to boot!
As for my favourite 2014 read: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED by Arin Andrews, because it’s the book that finally made me realise what I want to do with my life and I think that’s a pretty freaking fabulous thing for any book to do, right? :D
HERE’S TO 10000 YEARS MORE OF BLOGGING <3
happy blogoversary :)
I’d recommend puddle jumping by Johnson, Amber L.
Happy Blogoversary, Cee! :) I have not read a lot of books this year as compared to the past few years, but the best one I’ve read is The Young Elites by Marie Lu. I definitely recommend it. I hope you enjoy it :)
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! :) My favorite read of the year was The Big Wide Calm by Rich Marcello. I’ll just copy and paste my review for you!
“Fantastic! I saw the cover of this book, and I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover…but I had to enter the giveaway! Luckily I won, and I couldn’t get enough of reading this book. In fact, if it had been longer I wouldn’t have complained. This is such a good book I can see it easily being made into a movie sometime in the future. I can see Richard Gere or someone similar playing John.
This book appealed to me because I love music. I learned a lot through reading this book too. I did not know the whole songwriting process took so much time. I really admire singers who write their own songs.
Rich Marcello has the most believable narrative writing. You can actually see Paige Plant go from naive youngster to a mature woman in this book. Paige at first seems like she is all about herself, but as you read the book you find out she is truly a giving person. Sometimes it was amazing to me that a man actually wrote this book.
I truly loved each character in this book, even down to the sweet dog Solly. This is one of the best novels I have read in a long time. This will be staying on my shelf to be read again very soon.
“
Happy Blogoversary.One of the books that I read this year was Whip Eye. I really enjoyed this book and do recommend others that love adventure or a little mysterious happenings to check it out.
Happy Blogoversary, One book that I enjoyed reading this year was Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I love it because despite the seasons it always makes you feel like your in the summer.
happy blogoversary! Liked the king by JR Ward for the characters
Happy Blogoversary!! :) :) My absolute favorite read this year was Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan! The ending–I never saw it coming!! :)
Yay! The narwhal is back! Even while it was gone, it was the distinctive mark that I kept associating with you ;)
Also, happy second blogoversary, Cee! :)
Happy happy Blogoversary! Your blog is so cute and I love reading it. My favorite read of this past year was The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. Talk about excellent world building, great characters and a wonderful read. Thanks for the giveaway!
I read the Mercy Thompson series books 1 – 9 this year and have really enjoyed it, Mercy and Adam have become one of my favorite book couples.
Happy 2 year Blogoversary and to many more:) Have a Happy New Year too!