April 4th marked one year of blogging here at The Reading Ape. I have to admit It doesn't feel like a meaningful milestone: the blog is still very much in motion and little in the way of observations or conclusions about it come to mind.
I does seem to me, however, to be an appropriate time to say thanks to folks who have helped with advice, responses, reading, publicity, and support. I should also say I'll probably forget someone or have missed something; I should have been tracking the scores of small good deeds done for The Ape along the way.
If I have it right Rachel at A Home Between the Pages was the first backlink I remember seeing.
Greg at The New Dork Review of Books and Amanda at Dead White Guys started blogging right around the same time I did. Both have commented, retweeted, and blogrolled beyond what The Ape deserves.
I think I owe Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog at least 10% of my Twitter followers, if not more.
Jackie at Farm Lane Books gave me a fantastic plug during Book Blogger Appreciation Week last year. It came at an opportune time; my energy for the blog was waning a bit during a particularly trying semester.
John Williams at The Second Pass has retweeted and backlinked several pieces. Since I kind of want to have a site like his, this was both flattering and motivating.
The Morning News folks have been particularly good sports about passing along my obsessive Tournament of Books "coverage." I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a contest that is about open discussion doesn't mind including an anonymous internet crank.
Shout-out to a couple of regular commenters and retweeters: Mayowa of Pens with Cojones, Patrick at The Literate Man, Brenna at Literary Musings, Kenneth Griggs at The Ken, lifi of Fat Books, Thin Women, and many others I can't think of right now.
A meta-thanks to the literature bloggers I read before starting The Ape: Mark Sarvas of The Elegant Variation, Maud Newton, Mark Athitakis, and Ron Hogan at Beatrice. I saw what these folks were doing and I wanted in. So far, it hasn't been a mistake.
My friend Clint was there for a couple of early discussions about what would become this blog and has been a great supporter and reader all along.
Least digitally, my better half deserves a mention. I spend a lot of time reading and writing for this little hobby, and if she didn't think it was pretty cool, there's no way I would still be doing it. She reads everything and tells me straight what's what.
Thanks to all mentioned here and all you readers out there.
Onward,
The Ape
