We have arrived at the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of The Emerald City Book Review — which came into the world on January 1, 2014. It seems a good time to take stock, look at how far I’ve come, and think about next steps.
The past six and a half years have been a time of great change and crisis for me, a real process of learning to “read” — in the larger sense of trying to decipher experiences and put them into a meaningful context. I could not imagine having gone through all that without the support of a reading community, a group of people to whom this meaning-making activity matters. And working on this blog, with all the connections I found thereby, provided that for me in abundance.
I have learned so much about myself, about the world, about marvelous books, and about wonderful humans around the globe who are holding their candles in the darkness, expressing their individuality in manifold ways — with joy and frustration and courage and humor and outrage and compassion and grief and love. I am more grateful for this than I can ever say.
There is no way I would want to lose those connections, and so I definitely want to stay a part of this blogging world. But at the moment I’m trying to run two blogs, and it’s too much. So, with the feeling that this particular journey has brought me to its intended destination, I have decided to bring it to a close, and move all my blogging activity over to Entering the Enchanted Castle, as of January 1, 2021.
I will definitely still be doing plenty of “book blog” things, like reviews, discussion posts, projects and challenges, and monthly wrap-ups, because I love them and because I think the bookish community is the best. But I’ll also include some personal posts, share some of my writing, and sometimes talk about some other interests (as I’ve already been doing on the other blog).
I also plan to launch a new venture, Enchanted English — a place where I can offer language lessons and literary services online. I have tons of ideas that I’m working on, and I hope you don’t mind if I share them with you when they are ready.
In the meantime, don’t worry; this blog is not going away any time soon. I’ll still be here as usual till the end of the year. But after that, if you haven’t already, I hope you will follow me at enterenchanted.com. I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Goodness, Lory!
First of all, congratulations on all your achievements!
I have always enjoyed reading your posts, even when I haven’t commented, and your new direction looks exciting. I wish you all the very best with all your plans and am looking forward to continuing to read what you post, wherever it may be. 🙂
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Um, achievements — I guess it’s more fun to talk about those than my failures. Which would take up quite a bit more space, but I won’t bore you. Anyway, yes, hooray! Onward and upward. And it’s always nice to see you here.
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Lory! As my daughter’s teacher would rightly say, you can’t learn and grow without making mistakes. Onward and upward as you say! It’s all good.
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Oh, to be sure. Probably my biggest mistake was to be afraid of making mistakes. 🙂 But I’ve learned something there (definitely one cannot learn a language without making mistakes).
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Awww, well, it’s been a wonderful chapter, my friend, and I look forward to seeing what you get up to on the new blog. ❤
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Thanks Jenny, I’m so glad you’re here.
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I can’t wait for the next chapter!! And see for instance your English classes program and services
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Thanks, I am working on it!
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Sounds like a good plan. I have not been able to keep up my book blog and my professional one, however I have a good roster of regular clients and it’s more important to me to do the book blog. I started my book review one actually as a rumination on going full-time with my business and it’s moved over to books then added more running back in! Good luck with sorting it out and I’ll be sure to follow you over there when the time comes.
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Things morph as we go along. I wonder what this new idea will turn into.
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Sounds like a good plan! I will miss this blog and its happy balloon though. 🙂
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Thanks Jean! Yes I love my design, that is one of the hardest things to let go of …
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Sounds awesome!! I can’t wait to see what you do in the future with Enchanted English!!
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Thanks Erica, I think it’s going to be fun.
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Congratulations, Lory! That is such a fantastic innings, and I’m sure this new iteration of your blogging life will bring its own adventures, achievements and growth. Look forward to seeing your star rise!
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Thanks Sheree! I’m so glad to be here and so grateful for everyone’s encouragement.
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