{"id":42782,"date":"2024-12-30T15:46:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T02:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=42782"},"modified":"2024-12-30T15:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T02:46:14","slug":"the-10-most-read-posts-of-2024-right-here-on-anything-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/12\/30\/the-10-most-read-posts-of-2024-right-here-on-anything-really\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Most-Read Posts of 2024, Right Here on &#8220;&#8230;Anything Really&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s that time, innit &#8212; when 2024 is in its final countdown for 2025.<\/p>\n<p>While we may feel mixed about what the Year of the Wood Snake augurs, it&#8217;s become tradition for me to mark the year&#8217;s final days with a review of the ten most-read posts on my blog. As always, the ten are largely grouped in chronological order, but also by theme, to the extent possible.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #003366;\">Three Main Themes:<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>For 2024, the themes are very clear. The first comprises posts centered on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.helenlowe.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Wall Of Night<\/a> series, which in turn comprise two subcategories, Revision Updates (&amp; related matters) and matters &#8216;surrounding&#8217; the series, such as updates on Group Haarth&#8217;s Read-Along and the Wall Of Night wiki. To keep things simple, though, I&#8217;ve just ordered all the posts chronologically under <em>&#8220;The Wall Of Night Series.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41024\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41024\" class=\"wp-image-41024 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Fantasy_HelenLoweBooks_image_1-300x241.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Fantasy_HelenLoweBooks_image_1-300x241.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Fantasy_HelenLoweBooks_image_1-150x120.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Fantasy_HelenLoweBooks_image_1.jpeg 502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41024\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The WALL series (to date)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The second clear theme are the posts centered on <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/category\/what-im-reading\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;What I&#8217;m Reading&#8221;<\/a>, while the third category centres on <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/category\/other-writers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Other Writers<\/a> and their takes on writing. So now, without further ado:<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #003366;\">The 10 Most-Read Posts of 2024<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Theme One: Anything (At All) <em>The Wall Of Night<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>1. April 8<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/04\/08\/the-great-wall-of-night-series-read-along-the-heir-of-night-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Great \u201cWall Of Night\u201d Series Read-Along: \u201cThe Heir of Night\u201d Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In which Rosie Wadman of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/haarth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Group Haarth<\/a> posted an update on completing the read-along of Part 2 of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/heirofnight.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Heir of Night<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32214\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32214\" class=\"wp-image-32214\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Haarth-FB-Group-150x119.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Haarth-FB-Group-150x119.png 150w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Haarth-FB-Group-300x238.png 300w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Haarth-FB-Group-1024x812.png 1024w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Haarth-FB-Group.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Group Haarth<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Which, I have to say, you seemed to like. \ud83d\ude09 If you&#8217;d like to join in, just click on the Group Haarth link &#8212; I know Rosie welcomes company. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. April 11<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/04\/11\/the-great-the-wall-of-night-4-revision-its-update-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Great &#8220;The Wall Of Night&#8221; #4 Revision: It&#8217;s Update Time!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I am pretty sure this one is self-explanatory, but clearly eagerly awaited. (Yes, I do know why, too.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. April 22<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/04\/22\/updates-upsides-a-sneak-preview-into-the-wall-4-tuckerization-character\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Updates &amp; Upsides: A Sneak Preview Into The WALL #4 Tuckerization Character<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Yep, April was a busy month on da blog, and this &#8220;sneak look&#8221; at the WALL #4 Tuckerization character (strictly no spoilers tho&#8217;) found considerable favour.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41464\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41464\" class=\"wp-image-41464 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WALL-Series_UK-300x144.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WALL-Series_UK-300x144.jpg 300w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WALL-Series_UK-150x72.jpg 150w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/WALL-Series_UK.jpg 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41464\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The WALL series (UK)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>4. May 30<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/05\/30\/the-compleat-list-of-daughter-of-blood-qa-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Compleat List of <em>Daughter Of Blood<\/em> Q&amp;A Posts<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Over the course of 2022-23, with the final wrap-up in 2024, I reposted a series of reader questions and my answers, on various aspects of <em><a href=\"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/daughterofblood.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daughter of Blood<\/a><\/em> (and indirectly The Wall Of Night series, in some cases.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_29607\" style=\"width: 105px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29607\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-29607\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Daughter-of-Blood-by-Helen-Lowe-95x150.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"95\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Daughter-of-Blood-by-Helen-Lowe-95x150.png 95w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Daughter-of-Blood-by-Helen-Lowe-190x300.png 190w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Daughter-of-Blood-by-Helen-Lowe-650x1024.png 650w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Daughter-of-Blood-by-Helen-Lowe.png 742w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 95px) 100vw, 95px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-29607\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UK\/AU\/NZ<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_29736\" style=\"width: 103px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29736\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-29736\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Daughter-of-Blood_Front-Cover-93x150.jpg\" alt=\"daughter-of-blood-by-helen-lowe\" width=\"93\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Daughter-of-Blood_Front-Cover-93x150.jpg 93w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Daughter-of-Blood_Front-Cover-186x300.jpg 186w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Daughter-of-Blood_Front-Cover.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 93px) 100vw, 93px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-29736\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">USA<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The individual posts were always well read, but my compilation of the complete (or compleat \ud83d\ude09 ) list consolidated that interest into a Most-Read placing for 2024.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. July 11<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/07\/11\/announcing-the-wall-of-night-wiki\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Announcing The Wall Of Night Wiki on Fandom.Org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was very pleased to be able to announce, not only that the WALL series has a wiki on Fandom.org, but that it was in the process of being revived, chiefly through the good offices of Nicolas Fitzgerald. To find out more, click on the link, or just go straight to: <a href=\"https:\/\/wallofnight.fandom.com\/wiki\/Main_Page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Wall Of Night wiki.<\/a> I know that Nicolas, like Rosie &amp; Group Haarth, welcomes company.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Theme Two: Reports on &#8220;What I&#8217;m Reading&#8221;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Or more correctly, have read.:) I&#8217;ve listed all three in chronological order but won&#8217;t comment otherwise &#8212; as with any review, &#8217;tis best to just click on the link and read (if you haven&#8217;t done so already.) I will say, though, that I&#8217;m gratified you find my (&#8216;terribly important&#8217; &#8211; ha!) reflections on &#8220;wot I&#8217;ve read&#8221; valuable.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-42351 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg-97x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"97\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg-97x150.jpg 97w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg-768x1184.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg-664x1024.jpg 664w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/To-Say-Nothing-of-the-Dog_Kindlejpg.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 97px) 100vw, 97px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41876 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Notebook_A-History-of-Thinking-On-Paper-98x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"98\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Notebook_A-History-of-Thinking-On-Paper-98x150.jpg 98w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Notebook_A-History-of-Thinking-On-Paper-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Notebook_A-History-of-Thinking-On-Paper.jpg 345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 98px) 100vw, 98px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-41875 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Night-Train-To-Lisbon-99x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"99\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Night-Train-To-Lisbon-99x150.jpg 99w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Night-Train-To-Lisbon-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Night-Train-To-Lisbon.jpg 264w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 99px) 100vw, 99px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. August 12<\/strong> &#8212;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/08\/12\/what-im-reading-to-say-nothing-of-the-dog-by-connie-willis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>To Say Nothing Of The Dog<\/em><\/a> by Connie Willis<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. August 28<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/08\/26\/recommended-reading-the-notebook-a-history-of-thinking-on-paper-by-roland-allen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Notebook: A History Of Thinking On Paper<\/em><\/a> by Roland Allen<\/p>\n<p><strong>8. September 23<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/09\/23\/what-im-reading-night-train-to-lisbon-by-pascal-mercier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Night Train To Lisbon<\/em><\/a> by Pascal Mercier<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Theme Three: Other Writers<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>9. July 8<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/07\/08\/myth-magic-fairy-tale-folklore-influences-on-the-house-at-the-end-of-the-sea-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Myth &amp; Magic, Fairytale &amp; Folklore: Influences on <em>The House At The End of the Sea<\/em> (2)<\/a> by Victoria M Adams<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-41948\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cover-the-house-at-the-end-of-the-sea-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cover-the-house-at-the-end-of-the-sea-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cover-the-house-at-the-end-of-the-sea-98x150.jpg 98w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/cover-the-house-at-the-end-of-the-sea.jpg 223w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Victoria M Adams, aka &#8220;Mary&#8221;, is a good friend and fellow writer, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview her when <em>The House At The End of the Sea<\/em> was published earlier this year. I posted the interview in three instalments, and the third and final part, on myth and magic in the book, was so fascinating I begged for a more indepth dive. Mary was kind enough to oblige and the &#8220;most-read&#8221; statistics tell me that readers shared my fascination. It&#8217;s the stuff for which we fantasy readers and writers live! (Imho.:) )<\/p>\n<p><strong>10. September 9<\/strong> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/09\/09\/on-writing-a-novel-haruki-murakami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;On Writing A Novel&#8221;<\/a> by Haruki Murakami<\/p>\n<p>As those who visit regularly know, I&#8217;m a huge fan of Haruki Murakami and his observations on writing as process, art, and craft, always resonate. This particular quote, and\/or my further reflections upon it, also appeared to find favour with <em>&#8220;&#8230;on Anything, Really&#8221;<\/em> readers and followers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-40767\" src=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami-183x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami-183x300.jpg 183w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami-92x150.jpg 92w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami-768x1257.jpg 768w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami-626x1024.jpg 626w, https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/NovelistAs-A-Vocation_Haruki-Murakami.jpg 1587w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 183px) 100vw, 183px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And there you have it &#8212; the most-read posts of 2024! I won&#8217;t say &#8220;roll on 2025&#8221; but it <em>will<\/em> come regardless of anything I may say or do. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n<p>If I don&#8217;t post again before the Eve &amp; Day &#8212; Happy New Year, one and all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s that time, innit &#8212; when 2024 is in its final countdown for 2025. While we may feel mixed about what the Year of the Wood Snake augurs, it&#8217;s become tradition for me to mark the year&#8217;s final days with a review of the ten most-read posts on my blog. As always, the ten are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bestof-on-anythingreally","category-most-read-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42782"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42799,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42782\/revisions\/42799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}