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Yep. A couple of weeks ago, much to my shock, By Hook Or By Book reached this milestone! My first reaction was something like this:

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And once I picked myself up off the floor, I kept saying this:

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Seriously though. I just can’t believe that there’s over 3,000 of you who find my “Little Blog That Could”, interesting enough to follow. It’s simply:

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I know I’ve said this before, but I want to tell you again how much all of you and blogging mean to me. When I first started this 3 1/2 years ago, I was at one of the lowest points of my life. Having had to leave my 26-year career as a children’s librarian because of poor health, just about destroyed me. The people I thought were my friends suddenly weren’t there, and I had lost all sense of purpose and direction. Surviving an abusive childhood had instilled a deep-rooted need to make a positive difference in the world and as a children’s librarian I had found that. Reading gave me so much pleasure when I was a child, what better job in the world could I find, than one that allowed me to introduce the magic of books to another generation?

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In July of 2014 I had never felt so lonely and isolated. Not even my lovely husband could snap me out of my funk. And then I stumbled across WordPress and my life changed again, only this time for the better. Once again I could share my love of books with other bibliophiles!

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When I first started blogging I figured I might gain a small group of followers and I was thrilled with the idea. But slowly By Hook Or By Book became something more. In addition to discussing book reviews, you all are gracious enough to read and comment on my posts about social issues and my um, rather passionate political rants.

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I’ve made so many friends here and not just book fiends like myself. I’ve been introduced to movies that I’ve never seen by bloggers such as:

Vinnie @ https://vinnieh.wordpress.com

Michel @ https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com

Jay and Sean @ https://assholeswatchingmovies.com

And there’s Pete over at

https://beetleypete.wordpress.com

who in addition to being a supportive friend, hosts things like music and film challenges and writes some of the most amazing essays and short stories I’ve come across.

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And speaking of writing, some of my favorite authors and poets include:

Brad @ https://bradscribe.wordpress.com

Sarah @ https://thesarahdoughty.wordpress.com

Jay @ https://thisismytruthnow.com

Didi @ https://didioviatt.wordpress.com

Candace @ https://literarydust.wordpress.com

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If I need to know the latest happenings in politics, there’s no one more fair and balanced than Gronda @ https://grondamorin.com

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I’ve made so many book-minded friends that it’s impossible to list them all, but here’s just a few of my favorites:

Sophie @ https://bewareofthereader.com

Carrie @ https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress.com

Mischenko @ https://readrantrockandroll.com

Dani @ https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com

Lashaan and Trang @ https://bookidote.com

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I honestly could keep this going for days, but as this is already a rather long post, I’m going to wrap this up by just saying THANK YOU once again. Your kindness, support, and generosity has made such a difference in my life. I truly feel blessed.

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*I promised you more Snoopy gifs Brad, so these are for you!*