OMG It's my 5th Blogiversary Today!!

I have no idea how, but it appears another year has gone past, and my little blog is now 5 years old!!!

Wow 5, I can't remember the last time I stuck at anything for 5 years and want to keep going for many more.

Originally I was intending to have masses of giveaways this week, but as the pandemic has worsened I feel it wouldn't really be right, and would just give the lovely post office workers more non essential things to deal with. 

So it's a rather muted celebration from me today.

Although many of you are probably aware, those that just read my blog won't, that I am currently on day 22 of battling Covid 19, including spending last week in hospital, on oxygen so that I could breathe easier.  I also had a temperature just up to the fever levels but I honestly didn't think I did - so please please be careful, if you are in a country in lockdown - follow the rules, keep yourselves and your families safe, and stay home. Or the next infected person could be someone you know.

This is one horrible energy sapping virus, and I'm sure by the time I finish this blog post I'll need another sleep, as it is taking that much out of me.   I'm actually in the care of the virtual Covid19 hospital, with regular doctor's phone calls and an oxygen probe, to make sure I don't relapse. I am without a doubt still recovering slowly, my reading mojo after a week off has returned, but you will see in upcoming weeks some rather shorter than normal reviews, as my ability to string words together is rather lacking at the moment. 

I'm bruised all over from the various blood tests, and I don't think you can ever regain your dignity after a stay in hospital, especially with some of the tests and prodding the nurses give you - which I'd prefer not to go into detail here!

If there is a drop off in reviews from this it will be around the start of May, due to how far in advance I tend to schedule things - and with holidays looking cancelled this year, I have literally no clue what will happen review wise going forward, but I'm guessing there will be less.

My mum is also in hospital with Covid19 - she is stable, still last I heard in a medically induced coma, and was moved to a hospital 3 hours away.  Thank you to anyone who has been asking about her too.

What I have been most amazed at, although I already was aware they are amazing, is how the Book Community have rallied around me recently, especially while I'm worrying about not being able to organise blog tours - my amazing team of bloggers have been doing whatever they can to alleviate the worry while telling me rightly to rest!   And thankfully on the whole I'm working with understanding authors who are appreciating that things will happen but perhaps not quite as intended if I was at full speed.

Onto more happier notes, I have over the last year been to some absolutely fabulous book events, including my first book festival - Capital Crime,  I was nominated for best media star at the RNA Winter Party for the second year running, but lost to my fabulous friend Anne Williams from Being Anne (go check her out, her blog is brilliant). I was also lucky enough to attend the recent RNA Book Awards evening which is a night out I'll remember for years to come,  in addition to showcase events for HQ, Simon & Schuster and Penguin to name a few.

To think that this day 5 years ago I was blaming Laura Bambrey  for finally co-ercing me to start a blog, and look where we are now.   I have my own business Rachel's Random Resources on the back of it, and have never been happier in my life.  Thank you so much Laura for talking some sense into me.

And basically a massive thank you to you, for supporting me over the past 5 years and hopefully onto many more. Whether you are a reader, fellow blogger, author or publisher or anyone else that makes book world happen, you are completely awesome and there is now way I'd be celebrating 5 years without you all to keep me going. 

I have everything crossed that by the time I write this post next year, that the world has gone back to something resembling normal, that we are allowed some free movement again, that independent bookshops have survived the crisis, that all the publishers are still publishing, authors are still writing and above all readers are still reading to escape the real world we live in.

Thank you for being you - and above all please please stay safe.