It's our birthday! We gon' party like it's our birthday! (And we all know how book bloggers party: they get together and read! And then blog. Or, if they're feeling really rambunctious, they blog and then read. We're feeling like bringing the roof down for this joyous occasion. So we're blogging first.)

 For birthdays and assorted anniversaries, it's commonplace to croon how it was only yesterday that... But rebels that we are (we read dystopians like they're going out of style; which they kind of are, but that's beside the point), we're going for the other extreme. Our first post, on the day The Honest Bookclub was born seems ages away. This is in part because time is The Original Trickster, and partly because we've learned so much.

 What can one really learn in a year of blogging about books? We're glad you asked! (You haven't asked? How rude, you should have. It's okay, we forgive you. You now owe us a debt of life.) 



1. Book Buyers Anonymous is a real deal... or at the very least needs to be.
2. And on that note, we think the mailmen/delivery men hate us.
3. Yes, there is a reason I'm alone in this coffee shop at 7AM with a notepad.
4. The fictional friends you make, you make for life.
5. A healthy way to expel excess frustration is also to picture the object of said frustration being pummeled to death by our favorite badass book character.
6. Shipping gifs can be hilarious.
7. "I have to tell my co-blogger" is an established phrase.
8. "May you become a Hunger Games tribute" is a good curse.
9. "May you teach Defense Against The Dark Arts at Hogwarts" is also a good curse.
10. As is "May you teach Latin at Aglionby."
11. If a post needs to be published on a Monday, it's started on a Monday.
12. If it gets moved up to Tuesday, let's just procrastinate until Tuesday.
13. "I don't know... that lamp just didn't struck me as wholly-encompassing, y'know? I'd rather they kept the lampshade simple and to the point. It's like they were trying too hard."
14. You mean there's another kind of shopping which doesn't involve books?
15. Book quotes are the only material we can memorize effortlessly.
16. And timing is always right to quote at least one or two books at a time.
17. Is there such a thing as Bookish Merch Hoarder?
18. Yes. Yes, there is.
19. One can never be too well-read, have a too-large bookshelf, or own too many books.
20. One can, however, be too rich, too thin and/or too famous.
21. I'm not walking down the street and crying at random! I'm walking down the street listening to an audiobook and crying for a very good reason!
22. Must. Not. Marathon. Series. Before. Reviewing. Each. Book. As. They're. Finished.
23. Bad hair days are inconsequential compared to bad review days.
24. "May your most anticipated book of the year suck!" is another good curse.
25. A book in hand is a flashing, neon "please, interrupt now" sign to the world at large.
26. But coffee shops are still some of the coolest places to read.
27. There is no feeling of immediate kinship quite like that between two strangers with books in hand.
28. Missing your stop in public transport was so worth seeing that struggle resolved.
29. Things One Cannot Describe Accurately I: book smell.
30. Things One Cannot Describe Accurately II: book texture.
31. "Blogger just..." now ranks as the most common complaint-starter.
32. "Blogger won't..." is also popular.
33. (All interchangeable with Wordpress or any other blogging platform of choice.)
34. There is no person easier to shop for than a book-blogger/vlogger/lover.
35. What do you mean, I didn't use to make lists for everything before?
36. Couture? BLOG TOUR!
37. Quaking before celebrities is nothing to quaking before beloved authors at signings.
38. With great bookshelves comes great responsibility.
39. Emotional attachment to inanimate objects. Now it makes sense.
40. Better than New Car Smell? New book smell.
41. Better than New Car Smell? Old book smell.
42. Better than New Car Smell? Book smell.
43. The first rule of reading a new release is - you don't talk about the new release.
44. The second rule of reading a new release is - you don't talk about the new release.
45. Petting books is totally normal. Everyone either does it or lies about not doing it.
46. Paycheck? You mean my Monthly Book Fund?
47. Book nerd? I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!
48. "I had the worst nightmare last night! M... my Kindle... it... Ah, I can't, it's too soon!"
49. Forget tequila, book hangovers are the worst!
50. "I can't come out on Saturday, I'm doing a blog tour" is a perfectly understandable excuse.
51. When covers don't match, it actually hurts.
52. Never judge a book by its movie.
53. Never judge a book by its audiobook.
54. Never judge a book by its synopsis.
55. Never judge a book by its cover.
56. The shame when you do one or all of the above is directly proportional to the amount of suckage of the object of your judgment.
57. A cracked spine is a crack on our hearts.
58. Interviewing an author probably beats petting a unicorn.
59. The struggle of not being able to attend BEA is real. Every year.
60. You mean some people Instagram their meals? W... Hang on just a second, I've gotta Instagram this book cover.
61. Flu > book slump.
62. The greatest Zen kōan: Why is this post so popular?
63. We may not run marathons, but we slay at readathons!
64. Being able to say you're on tour is the best thing ever. And by tour, we mean a blog tour.
65. Booktubing is scary. We're safe behind our blog, thank you very much.
66. Giveaways and NetGalley ARCs really love the phrase US-only. We, on the other hand, don't.
67. If you're on a blog, always leave a comment. It makes us bloggers feel warm and fuzzy inside.
68. It's okay to fangirl to an author when you're trying to be professional.
69. It's okay to fangirl about a book when you're trying to be professional.
70. The idea of leaving the house without a book is absurd.
71. Don't be embarrassed about taking pics of your books in public. Laugh all you like, muggles, I have a book blog to run and an Instagram to fill.
72. There's nothing wrong with writing one-star reviews, as long as they're constructive. Honesty is important and people need to vent.
73. Kind feedback for the blog makes our day.
74. Reading while drinking wine is amazing.
75. Reading while drinking coffee is amazing.
76. Reading while drinking tea is amazing.
77. Spilling drinks or smudging food on books is not amazing.
78. Never ever ever ever ever ever lend your books out to people. They ruin them.
79. Never ever ever ever ever ever borrow books from others after saying things like these. You might have an accident and have to eat your words.
80. Adopting unwanted and sad books from a charity shop for re-homing is an act of great kindness for both you and the book.
82. Libraries are your friend.
83. Twitter is your best friend and your mortal enemy.
84. One can never have too many bookish tote bags.
85. Notebook hoarding is okay.
86. Juggling NaNoWriMo and a book blog is not for the faint of heart.
87.  "Can't. Blogging." is an acceptable excuse for just about anything.
88. Knowing your favourite author could have visited your blog is the best thing ever.
89. Book signings full of other bloggers stress you out.
90. "Will they sign this too? And this? And this? And- ah, screw it" *takes a bagful* *can't make book signing due to bad back*
91. Kindle, book, laptop, tablet - it doesn't matter how you read it, as long as you are reading it.
92.  Sitting and staring at your bookshelf proudly is a daily occurrence. 
93. "They got an ARC of that already? HOW?"
94. "We have an ARC of it and they don't. YES! It's our time to shine!"
95. It's perfectly fine to just hold a book, even though you're not reading it that second. It's a comfort thing.
96. Bubble bath reading is heaven.
97. "This stranger just referenced one of my favourite books. I'M SO BLOGGING ABOUT THIS!"
98. The idea of an author writing an ingeniously plotted book series at age 16 is mind boggling to us. How?!
99. "Ooh, that's a good idea for a blog post!"
100. People walk in and out of your life. But only true friends leave draft posts on your blog.



And thus have we imparted all the wisdom we have acquired over the course of a year. Many a mind has been blown over the contents of these 100(ish) (subjective) facts. It was nearly too much. But knowledge is power, and our insights have made us into book-blogger superheroes in a measly year's time. We cannot even begin to dream what sort of wisdom an additional year may bring! And we intend to be here for many, many more years to come. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey so far, all. It's been a blast.