In the past couple of years I have joined a few Facebook groups. A couple of those groups have been really nice fits. Some, however, have been filled with way too much drama for my tastes so I left (including one I started!). Some just quietly drift away.
Some of my newer FB friends I've met through these groups have gotten in touch with me regarding my recent Books I Read in 2025 post at my blog with questions about how this came to be.
When I first started this blog in 2008, I had no idea what I wanted out of it, what its use would be (if any) or to whom (if anyone).
My first blog was a copy of a guest piece I did for The Stiletto Gang, which is still going strong although I no longer know most of the contributors.
It was a piece I wrote about giving up my smoking habit.
https://www.kayebarleymeanderingsandmuses.com/2008/07/
It was tied to my first foray into the world of crime fiction conventions. Beginning with Bouchercon 2008 in Baltimore, MD
https://www.kayebarleymeanderingsandmuses.com/2008/10/bouchercon-2008-my-first-bcon.html
From here Meanderings and Muses took a big step.
We started hosting members of the crime fiction community. We hosted authors (both well known and yet to be published), publicists, agents, editors, bloggers and reviewers, librarians, and readers.
https://www.kayebarleymeanderingsandmuses.com/2009/10/announcing-next-years-guests.html
The Meanderings and Muses hosting tradition continued for many years until it simply became bigger than I could handle. Growing from occasional guests to two guests a week was more than I wanted and more than I could do if I wanted it done well. But when I look back now and read some of those posts I know that what we created here is to be celebrated and treasured. Who knew how many would become well known names on The NYT Bestseller List? Major award winners? That some of them would have their work adapted for TV and films? It makes me proud.
I would be remiss to not mention that I met a great many of these people through the legendary (truly!) DorothyL Website from back in internet infancy. Michael and Diane Kovacs, along with Kara Robinson, created a virtual salon for crime fiction that created a home for many.
During the years, Meanderings and Muses has served as a journal. A place for me to reminisce about growing up, holidays with my folks, trips I've taken, books, essays and short stories I've had published. And it led me to Maddee James and her amazing and highly regarded website development company, xuni.com. Maddee and her team built me a pretty fabulous author webpage - https://kayewilkinsonbarley.com/books/ - that continues to make me happy, even when I'm not writing and have nothing new to add there.
Meanderings and Muses is kind of a "Dear Diary . . ." that I can look back on and relive some nice memories, and reflect on some of the hard times.
I can type a word or a phrase, a subject or a name, a recipe name, a date or an occasion into the little Meanderings and Muses search box, hit "enter" and be presented with columns and pieces and pictures that I may have completely forgotten.
And, to get back on point, it's been a handy spot to keep lists of books I've read.
That, my friends, is (in answer to the original question) how my recent Books I Read in 2025 post at my blog came to be.
It sometimes takes me awhile to get to the point. 😄
As my dearest old friend, Michael Dean, used to ask, "Kaye Alan. Can you just give us the Reader's Digest version, please?"
And after all these years, the answer is still, with love and apologies to Michael, "No. Apparently not."
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