Highlights of Stuck-in-a-Book 2012

I know I should probably round-up other people's blogging highlights, and normally I do try to point you all off in various bloggers' directions, but today I wanted to point you to a few of my own posts through 2012.  Although, thinking about it, most of these were highlights because of their collaborative nature.  You all know by now how much I love the community of bloggers, so I have them to thank for most of the joy of blogging in 2012.

So, here are some of my personal highlights from Stuck-in-a-Book in 2012 - do pop back and read the posts, if you missed them the first time, and why not feature your own blog highlights as 2012 comes to a close?  In no particular order, of course.

1.) My Mum and I had a very public disagreement about Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek - I posted my review here, and Mum's riposte the next day.  Most of you sided with her, and her love of Jean-Benoit... and we all had a very fun time!  (Give or take some rampant sexism.)

2.) I unleashed my wicked side a little, and I stuck my claws into Mary Webb and Dewey: The Library Cat (separately... can you imagine the treatment The Webb would give Dewey?  "Sleak and shimmeringly glossy of coat, he stole, unafraid as the lark, towards the humble owner whose nature he so trustingly adored - with the adoration offered by speculative birdsong at dawn" &c. &c.)  Luckily, you didn't desert me in your masses - and everyone seemed to enjoy seeing me be a teeny bit vicious.

3.) Flushed from success in my new-found role of Comedy Blogger (well, I hope there's always some of that), I decided to turn my hand to Television Recaps - more precisely, The Great British Bake Off.  Only the last four episodes, that is - here, here, here, and here - it was super fun, and those posts are now among my top ten most-viewed.  (The top place is taken by a post my housemate wrote, so that puts me in my place.)

4.) 2012 saw not one, not two - oh, no wait, it was two - series of My Life in Books, so that's another 30 bloggers revealing their favourite books throughout their lives, and then trying to guess their co-participant's characteristics, based on their book choices.  I'm so grateful to the bloggers who participated, particularly those who enthusiastically spread the word on their blogs, Twitter etc.  You can see the index of My Life in Books posts by clicky-click-clicking here.

5.) Although I've been blogging for a while now (2012 saw me pass my 5th birthday, and I suppose I'm nearer my 6th now), I'd never quite had the courage to inaugurate a week devoted to a single author.  What if nobody joined in, I thought?  I needn't have worried - you lot were amazing.  Harriet and I co-organised Muriel Spark Reading Week, and we got eighty reviews that week, covering all of Muriel Spark's novels.  They're all indexed here - and special thanks to Christine for going all out to speed through The Mandelbaum Gate at the end of the week, when she spotted that it was the only outstanding novel.

6.) And I couldn't do a round-up without mentioning my recent post On Commenting.  It got more comments than anything else I've ever posted, and seemed to strike a chord.  I felt rather zeitgeisty, and really appreciated the feedback - and have spotted a rise in commenting around the blogging world of late.  Well done everyone!

Thanks so much for reading Stuck-in-a-Book in 2012, and for your own fab blogs (if you have blogs).  It's been another wonderful year in the blogosphere, and I've really needed it this year.  You'll never really know how much I've appreciated bloggers and blog-readers this year!

My Books of 2012 will be appearing soon - once I've managed to whittle down my list!