2021 - Luke’s Blog

31Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My Most Successful Articles from 2021

Features

Today marks the last day of 2021, the first year in which I decided to start a blog all about books and blogging. It's been a fascinating year and one that ai've enjoyed a lot! There's a lot that I've learned about what works and what doesn't work with blogging and in 2022 I hope to optimise this workflow even further. I decided I wanted to find out what my best-performing articles from 2021 were. This is to not only gauge which posts I should focus on, but also give any budding bloggers some ideas on posts they could copy on their very own blogs. Therefore, below, counting down from the fifth most viewed to the most viewed post on my blog throughout the year. A few of these went…

28Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Book reviews, Fantasy

I picked up Graceling by Kristin Cashore because it was, what I thought, a relatively short fantasy novel to dig my teeth into before the festive period started. However, it ended up being a bit more of a slog than I would have hoped. [caption id="attachment_1548" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this review contains affiliate links. This means if you decide to purchase Graceling via any of the links in this article, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you from Amazon which supports the blog. These affiliate links do not influence my final opinion of the product. Graceling focuses on the story of Katsa who has learned from a young age that she has something called a “Grace” which means she…

23Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Best Books I Read This Year – Ranked (2021)

Features

As we are getting closer to Christmas, this means we are getting closer to the end of the year. I think we all know once Christmas fever hits, we don't really re-emerge until the following year. [caption id="attachment_1542" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Therefore, I thought I'd get in my "Best Books of the year" list now as I will likely spend the period after Christmas eating, drinking and with family and friends! I've read some absolute banging books this year, for sure. It makes me wonder if next year will bring any books along that are any better than those that I read this year. However, this is what I love about reading: you're always finding a new favourite that you're utterly obsessed with. Below are the eight…

20Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

Book reviews, Nonfiction

If you didn’t know - like the big kid I am - I absolutely adore all things Dinosaurs. Admittedly my interest hasn’t spread out into much more than simply reading up about them and watching films/documentaries about them. But either way - I love these enormous, dangerous creatures that lived millions of years ago. [caption id="attachment_1524" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] That’s why, when I saw The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte on sale on Amazon, I just had to pick it up. In all honesty, I wasn’t 100% sure what I was purchasing, I’d just seen it was a celebrated book and had quite an appealing front cover. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is actually a non-fictional telling of the… well… the…

18Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness

Blogger Spotlight: The Only Way Is Books

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're highlighting The Only Way is Books run by Debbie which focuses on reviewing and all things books. It offers up a clean and easy-to-use design that allows you to get to the book reviews quickly and enjoy Debbie's bookish content. [caption id="attachment_1518" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? Through a sheer love of books. I’m a massive bookworm. People would ask me for book recommendations or my opinion on a book and I decided to reach a wider audience by making a book blog where I write reviews! What's your most successful post? On my book blog, the most successful book review I have with the most views is Zoo. What's been your biggest uphill battle with blogging? Getting…

15Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

Blogger Spotlight: Brave Daddy

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're highlighting Brave Daddy - a blog run by Greg, offering parents tips and stories from the point of view of a parent who admits that no parent really knows what they're doing. Greg writes interesting stories that turn everyday parenting moments into almost fictional stories. [caption id="attachment_1512" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? Well, a lot of things. First, I got things on my mind, but the wife and kids don’t listen. I think that’s a common thing with husbands and fathers who are intellectual giants. It’s tough, but we find a way to make it through the day. Another thing that made me want to do it was hanging out with people and sharing our daily tribulations. Being…

14Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Blogger Spotlight: Donna’s Interviews and Reviews

Blogger Spotlights, Features

In today's Blogger Spotlight, we're highlighting Donna's Interviews and Reviews - a blog that focuses on exactly what the title suggests - book reviews and interviews with authors. Donna has a good following and really enjoys what she does. Donna enjoys blogging and has some great tips for those looking to start a blog as well as some great ideas on what motivations keep her going. [caption id="attachment_1507" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] What made you get into blogging? I have always been a huge reader, then during the first lockdown I wondered if there were book groups on Facebook. A quick search showed that there were loads. I joined a bunch and soon became friends with authors and fellow readers. The blogging came as a sort of accidental…

12Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Luke’s Book Quiz Round 5

Features, Quizzes

Here we are with a fifth book quiz! That means if you've taken part in the previous four book quizzes already, by the end of this one, you'll have answered 60 questions on books. I wonder how many out of those 60 you get right. Do let me know! This book quiz is written under the same pretence as the previous four: I've written questions and answers to either books I've read, questions I'd know the answers to or questions on books I think many people would know the answer to. I don't want these quizzes to make you feel dumb, they're simply here to test your knowledge and maybe even find yourself a new read via the links to my reviews for many of them. Right, let's get underway.…

09Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

6 Apps All Book Lovers Need

Features, Tips and Tricks

Do you love books? Do you love your phone? Well, why not download some great apps that give you so much more bookish content to read, discover and enjoy. [caption id="attachment_1495" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] I love downloading different apps to use, not sure why, it's a bit of an addiction. I usually have over 140 apps or so on my phone including the ones installed on my phone already. There are a lot of apps I have on my phone that I only use around once a month or so but still keep on there for those very rare occasions. Therefore, I've downloaded plenty of different apps that are perfect for book lovers. There's obviously a lot out there that we could use so I've narrowed these…

07Dec 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Ready Player One was one of my favourite science fiction novels I’d ever read when I first picked it up. It was a brilliantly nerdy book filled with cultural references, video game references and a multi-layered story that discusses the evolution and effects of technology on culture and wove in a fun ‘bigger than this’ storyline too. [caption id="attachment_1482" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Ready Player Two has come out after Ready Player One was made into a fairly successful movie too and so comes with a lot of hype behind it. It carries on soon after the events of Ready Player One with Wade Watts and co dealing with their newfound fame, money and lives. Plot – 3.5/5 As I said, Ready Player Two carries on the story…

Year: 2021