What a month!

Hello and welcome to my new Monthly Wrap-ups!

The idea is to share a little of what’s been happening at MoMoBookDiary, the books I’ve been reading and whatever else happens to find its way into my ramblings. I should probably warn you now that, despite the name, these wrap-ups might not actually appear every month. We’ll see how it goes!

During the summer, I’d realised that my blog’s tenth birthday was fast approaching and thought I really should do something to mark the occasion. Well, you know me well enough by now to know that a little idea can very quickly grow arms, legs and even wings! What started as a little anniversary tidy-up somehow turned into a complete blog refresh.

When I started MoMoBookDiary back in September 2016, I knew very little about WordPress. I just wanted somewhere of my own to keep a record of the books I’d been reading. Nothing fancy, just me and my books. Of course, once I discovered I could change colours, layouts and all sorts of other things, I ended up spending more time faffing around with the blog than actually reading. Not quite what I’d intended!

Ten years later, I’m still learning. WordPress has changed so much over the years that some of my earliest reviews were looking rather worse for wear. Tiny headings, enormous hashtags, strange spacing, you name it! So, for the last couple of months, I’ve been working my way through the archives, tidying things up and adding publication details where I can. It’s a huge job, and definitely not one I’ll be finishing overnight. I’ve also made some changes to how the blog works, including creating My Bookcase, a better way to browse through the reviews. There are still little things I want to change, but I’m getting there.

If you happen to find an older review that’s difficult to read because of the formatting, please use the Report a problem link at the bottom of the page to let me know.

Ten years of MoMoBookDiary

On 16 September 2026, MoMoBookDiary officially turned ten!

Ten years. I still find that quite hard to believe. When I wrote that very first review, I had absolutely no idea that I’d still be here a decade later, chatting about books, discovering new authors and finding more and more books I want to read. There have been plenty of changes in my life during those ten years, some wonderful and some incredibly difficult, but the blog has remained my little corner of the internet. This little blog of mine has been the one constant in my life. Whenever I’ve felt alone or found myself drifting without a purpose, it’s been there to remind me that I still have something worthwhile to do, sharing my love of reading in whatever way I can. And perhaps that’s why giving it a fresh start has meant so much to me. I’ve also been revisiting some of those early reviews, and it’s quite something to see how my writing has changed. I don’t want to rewrite the past, though. Those reviews are part of the journey, even if their formatting needed a little rescuing!

The books haven’t been forgotten!

Despite all the time spent tinkering with WordPress, I did manage to get some reading done! September brought a lovely mixture of crime, thrillers, romance and a little Christmas magic. Yes, Christmas books already, and no, I’m not apologising! I’ve enjoyed discovering new authors, catching up with familiar favourites and taking part in book tours. There have been some wonderful reads, and the reading pile certainly isn’t getting any smaller, but then I wouldn’t really want it to!

A few more changes behind the scenes

As well as the blog refresh, I’ve been learning a little more about what happens after I press Publish. I’ve started looking at Instagram insights and Google Search Console, which is giving me a better idea of how people find their way to MoMoBookDiary. I never started blogging for numbers, and that hasn’t changed, but there’s something rather fascinating about seeing that someone has found an old review through a Google search. I’ve also tidied up my review request information and made a few changes to how I organise things behind the scenes. Hopefully, all these little improvements will eventually mean less time fiddling with the blog and more time reading. Although, knowing me, I’ll always find something else to fiddle with!

Looking ahead

So September has been a mixture of celebrating the past, tidying up the present and making a few plans for the future. The blog is still a work in progress, but I’m pleased with how it’s coming along. More importantly, I’m still enjoying it. Ten years ago, I started MoMoBookDiary simply because I wanted somewhere to write about books.

And here I am, ten years later, still doing exactly that.

One book at a time. 💗