Honestly, I thought this April was going to be slow because of the quarantine, but in the end it really flew by. Going in, I was not sure what the challenge was going to be like this year, because of all the things going on in the world... but I found that A to Z 2020 was a very positive experience for me!
We had fewer blogs participating, and I had fewer daily visitors, but maybe this was exactly what made this year feel friendlier and... cozier, in a way. I got to know my visitors, and the blogs I was following. I also enjoyed my theme of Folktales of Endangered Species. I pre-wrote all my posts, to make sure I had all my research done and I could spend time visiting in April!
My most popular posts this month:
Amazon river dolphins
Dugongs
Pangolins
Javan slow lorises
Chameleons
You can find a list of all the posts in alphabetical order here!
I usually got about 10-25 comments on each post, which is a nice number. I was also happy that this year seemed to be the year of dedicated commenters: Everyone was kind and enthusiastic, and left comments with substance, rather than 'hi, nice post, read my blog' type things. It was always a delight to read the comments in the morning. Thank you!
Once again, there were several themes I enjoyed a lot, and I kept returning to read the posts daily. There were too many of them to list all (I visited somewhere between 25 and 40 blogs a day!), but here are some highlights, in no particular order:
Story Crossroads collected folktales and legends of kindness and healing
Sue Bursztinsky did an excellent series of posts on Arthurian legends
Sarah Zama did another fun series on life in the 1920s, but more importantly I read her book and it was awesome
Virginia Waytes was the first adult themed blog I've followed during A to Z, and I loved the diverse cast of supernatural characters
Ronel the Mythmaker posted great resources for folk and fairy lore
Anne E. G. Nydam did illustrations and fun commentary on nursery rhymes
I also loved the Quilting, Patchwork, Appliqué blog where we got to see some gorgeous quilts every day.
As for the genealogy blogs (another category I enjoy), Genealogy Challenges and Finding Eliza were my top favorites this year.
Thank you all for participating, posting, commenting, and visiting! See you all next year! :)
Thanks, Zalka, I feel honoured to have been on your list of highlights! I enjoyed yours too, but then I follow your posts much of the year anyway. I think you came up with a very interesting theme. Well done!
ReplyDeletePS I bought your book Dancing On Blades, very enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteNice wrap up. Thank you for the mention. I think you were my first comment or every morning.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your folktales about endangered species.
Thank you, and the team, for hosting. My participation wasn't 100% this year. Your A-Z posts are always a highlight for me, enjoyed all I was able to read.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful blog with interesting content and an excellent reflections post. After being ahead with my preparations for A to Z I now need to finish my reflections post.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a warm and cozy A to Z:)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your theme and the tales every day.
Have a wonderful May.
I enjoyed a lot your theme, once again (2nd year following), very interesting, and always great tales ;) Thank you so much for the mention ;))
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your tales (not just during April, but all year), and appreciate the thought you put into selecting and summarizing them. I'm so glad you enjoyed mine, too! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBlack and White (Words and Pictures)
Sorry I'm so late in commenting. When the challenge ended I was spent as always. But I'm catching up. I always enjoy the Reflection posts.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the shoutout. And ho my goodness! I'm so flattered that you liked my story. Thanks so very much for mentioning it.
I can't belive, I see blogs that completely missed my radar. Need to go investigate!
Thanks so much for another awesome challenge. I really enjoyed it. Congratulation on successfully concluding it. I had no doubt ;-)