Onward

Hey! So I'm actually working on writing lately (and a million other projects, if you're interested in one, go ahead and request to follow me on Instagram @asherlockwrites), so haven't had a lot of brain power to devote to blogging. I always have such high hopes to make this thing BIG! Alas, I just do whatever I want like I usually do, share a little slice of my love of reading and writing with a handful of you.

So let's do this!

Writing

As I've said I've been writing! Well kind of. I've been working a poem project thing (see my Instagram), thinking of editing a short story, aand working on some not-writing writing work like character worksheets and other world-building stuff. I'm curious if you're into writing, how do you block out time for that kind of writing extras - research and world-building and all that stuff? That stuff that feels a whole lot like procrastination to me a lot of the time, so I avoid it because I'm not getting word count. Which is really dumb because that kind of stuff is really important. Thinking through stuff is actually a huge part of writing, it's just that if that's all you do then you're in trouble. It's a balance, I guess. Why does this writing stuff have to be so haaard??

But I'm actually waiting on feedback from a couple of people anyway so don't want to dig in to another rewrite quite yet, so this is the perfect time to spend on all that extra - excuse me, essential - stuff. And it's fun! I even have Pinterest inspiration boards for my made-up town and a bunch of my characters. 

If you are writing, researching and world-building all at the same time though, how do you divide it up? Or do you do one before the other? Go back and edit later? Tell me your secrets!!

Reading

I finished A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers like two weeks ago and I'm STILL NOT OVER IT. It was so much fun. My review of it made both of my parents immediately buy the ebook so check it out! I did manage to finish Banana Heart Summer by Merlinda Bobis after which is a beautiful, delectable story that made me crave aalll the Filipino food, but now I'm in a reading slump. I think I might DNF the book I'm trying to get into now and skip on to the next one.

Life

 

What else has happened recently? Well, in April I graduated university, in May a friend and I started to talk about booking a trip for the summer, and in June I quit the part-time job I've had for the last year to travel for the summer, and my last shift is in two weeks! Crazy. It's been fun not doing school and working part time and having more time to spend with friends and to write (or avoid writing with other things, let's be honest). I have no idea what the future will hold past the end of August but I'm feeling okay about it for now!

What have you been up to? What have you been reading? What are your best writing tips?

3 Books I Read Because Other People Made Me

HA just kidding as if anyone could make me read books that I don't want to read (sorry, dad). But sometimes a nudge from a friend really helps to push me out of my comfort zone, or actually sit down and read a book I've been meaning to read for months. Here are a few books I've read recently based almost solely on the recommendations of others!

1. Waking in Time by Angie Stanton

Recommended by: I can't remember who recommended this to me... it may have been Lara? Someone on Twitter, anyway, when I asked for romance recs.

Well, whoever recommended it to me said it was cute, fun romance and they were so right. It was exactly what I needed after the crazy month that is November for university students. It was a simple, fluffy read, featuring romance and time travel and centred around a super sweet family story.  It was such a fun, relaxing read. ...Although I was trying to figure out the age logistics of someone from the 2010s dating someone from the 1920s. Like, is age just inconsequential when you hop from time to time? How does that work? (This is why I love time travel. So many questions. So many possibilities.)


2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Recommended by: A school friend of mine who is getting an English degree. She read Frankenstein for an essay she was writing for class, and said that Frankenstein reminded her of herself in some ways, which I thought was intriguing. I've also been meaning to read Frankenstein for forever, and this was just the push I needed to actually sit down and read it.

It was... a lot different than I expected. I didn't know much about it, aside from the usual cultural connotations of Frankenstein, and that it's considered the first sci-fi novel. It was much starker and sadder than I thought it would be, and a lot of it takes place more internally than the sci-fi I'm used to reading. It was still good though, just made me think. (And also weirded me out a lot...) I'm not sure if I'd recommend it, necessarily, but it was interesting.

3. Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs

Recommended by: A friend of mine that I worked with this past summer, who reads almost exclusively thrillers, which I would not have guessed upon first meeting her. She said it was one of her favourites of the genre.


If you aren't aware by now, I don't really read thrillers at all. I read Melina Marchetta's Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, but that's it (and it was so very familiar and similar to the rest of MM's work that it wasn't that strange). So reading Monday Mourning was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I gave my friend Jellicoe Road to read in return so I had to read it. It was really good! It's amazing how no matter the genre if there's good, self-aware and empathetic characters then I'm hooked. My favourite part of this book is how Reichs weaved in a message about the utter sadness of women being victims of violence into her mystery story. And it ended so, so well, despite being unexpectedly sad in places.

This recent experience with reading books outside of my comfort zone has made me want to read even more widely and outside of my reading comfort zone. What should I try reading (maybe a genre you haven't seen yet on the blog)? What books have you read solely because of others' recommendations?

Review of All The Books I Read in 2017

Well, the year is coming to an end, which means it's time for my annual tradition of trying to make up for a year of not talking about books as much as I would like to by talking about them all at once!! This year I'll do it with the help of this survey done by Jamie over at the Perpetual Page Turner.

2017 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 61!

Number of re-reads: 16, a few more than last year...

Genre you read the most from: Looking through the genres I read this year, I read a *way* wider variety of genres than I usually do, which is cool! It's always my goal to read widely. However, my top genres remain YA fantasy (mostly because of my rereads of both Queen's Thief and Harry Potter), and adult and YA contemporary.

1. Best Book You Read in 2017? I'm not sure... maybe Trafalgar by Angelica Gorodischer or Sputnik's Children by Terri Favro. Gosh I love sci-fi. Oh wait, no, I forgot Thick as Thieves came out this year... augh I can't pick! 

2. Book You Were Excited About And Thought Were Going to Love More But Didn't? I loved The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, but none of the books I've read after that have pushed boundaries quite like that one, including the one I read this year, Run, although it was still an enjoyable read.

3. Most surprising (in a good or bad way) book you read? Trafalgar!! In all ways. Well, not bad, but like, in that I was surprised to find that I liked it, and I was also surprised by the twists and turns and stuff. And now I remember how these end of year things go, where I just keep talking about the same good books over and over...

4. Book you "pushed" the most people to read (and they did)? If by "pushed" you mean "handed to and insisted they read it", then Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Always.

5. Best series you started in 2017? Best sequel of 2017? Best series ender of 2017? I almost forgot about Leigh Bardugo's incredible duology, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. I love when authors can both do amazing characters *and* crazy good action. However, best sequel I would definitely give to Thick as Thieves because, uh, Megan Whalen Turner.
 

6. Favourite new author you discovered in 2017? DAWN DUMONT. She NEEDS to be the next famous-even-outside-of-Canada author, because her work is incredible and absolutely hilarious. I loved her newest book, Nobody Cries at Bingo, and want to devour everything she has written and will write forever.

7. Best book from a genre you don't typically read/was out of your comfort zone? I pretty much don't read thrillers but a friend of mine solely reads them, so she gave me Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs. It was good! And I wasn't even (too) scared.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Six of Crows, hands down.

9. Book you read that you are most likely to re-read next year? Thick as Thieves, definitely! I have been meaning to reread it all year. 

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2017? Probably Glass Beads by Dawn Dumont.

11. Most memorable character of 2017? Ugh, don't even know. The characters in Thick as Thieves though. MWT knows her characters and writes them so well. 

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017? Probably the most eloquently worded book was Rose and Poe by Jack and Todd, which I still intend to do a review of, so look for that soon! Either that or Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Gosh that author knows how tug on a person's soul.

13. Most thought provoking/life-changing book of 2017? Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Hit me in exactly all the right spots at the right moment. 

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2017 to finally read? Six of Crows!! Also, Devil in Deerskins by Anahareo. I knew that book would be fascinating, and it was! Thanks U of M Press for providing with the final nudge I needed to read it. ;) 

15. Favourite passage/quote from a book you read in 2017?

“What do you think? I laid my hand flat on the table so that he could see the scars. Do you think we are needed? I mean people like us, who have strayed from the path, withdrawn? Who have no diploma, no education, no work, nothing to show, have learned nothing except this: That it is worth it to stay alive.” – I Called Him Necktie by Milena Michiko Flasar

 16. Shortest and longest book you read in 2017? Well, I read a short story collection, so that's pretty short (it was Love Beyond Body, Space and Time by Hope Nicholson). Longest... probably Thick as Thieves or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. 

17. Book that shocked you the most? Thick as Thieves! Or Trafalgar. 

20. Favourite book you read in 2017 from an author you've read previously? Do I need to say it.

21. Best book you read SOLELY on a recommendation from someone else/peer pressure: Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs! Unexpectedly entertaining, and enlightening.

23. Best 2017 debut you read? AFTER THE FALL by Kate Hart, hands down.

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year. SPACE in Trafalgar by Angelica Gorodischer. 

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read. Oh! I read Waking in Time by Angie Stanton, and boy was that fun. Romance, college and time travel? Sign me up.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2017? Oh, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, definitely. 

27. Hidden gem of the year? After the Fall! Actually, all the books I read. Please just go back and read all of the reviews I did this year, find some gems!!

28. Book that crushed your soul?? Gilead. And Thick as Thieves, because page 287.

29. Most unique book you read this year? My sci-fi loves, Trafalgar by Angelica Gorodischer and Sputnik's Children by Terri Favro! Both so unique, and BOTH SO MUCH FUN. Go read. Now.

30. Book that made you the most mad (in a good or bad way)?  I don't think I actually got mad at any of the books I read this year. The ones I didn't like were just... blah... and the good ones were just too good to make me mad. Sad, yes, but not mad.

Book Blogging Life

New favourite blog you discovered in 2017? Guys, I can't keep up with my own blog, how can I keep up with new ones...

Favourite review you wrote in 2017? I think my review of Sputnik's Children by Terri Favro. Although I like most of the reviews I write now. I think I've gotten a lot better at writing reviews. 

Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? Either 5 Things To Remember When Looking for Diverse Books or 5 Strategies For Finding Under the Radar Books. Basically, my blog's mission statements.

Best event that you participated in (author signings, virtual events, etc)? Not really an event, but the release of Megan Whalen Turner's Thick as Thieves! I got together with an IRL friend of mine who is an MWT fan and we had a little Queen's Thief Party, it was lovely (and uber nerdy, just the way we like it). 

Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017? Some lovely publishers decided to send me books to review, which is awesome! I love it that publicists think it's worth it to send books for me to review. :)

Most challenging part of your blogging or reading life this year? Balancing it with school, as always. And, now that I'm back into writing, trying to balance it with writing. And, as always, figuring out how to grow out of YA (although I think I'm getting the hang of it more now), and what I really want the blog to be. You know, just the little things. Oh, and keeping to my one-post-a-week goal. 

Most popular post on your blog? My review of Devil in Deerskins by Anahareo! I'm so glad because that book deserves to be read more.


Post you wish got a little more love? My post about J.K. Rowling, Megan Whalen Turner and Authorial Intent. I was hoping to get a bit more discussion going... Oh, and my Local Book Nook series! Read it, love it, participate!


Best bookish discovery? Can I just say Women in Translation Month?

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Yes! I said I wanted to participate in a reading challenge, and I did participate in Women in Translation Month, which was one of the best things I did all year. Meytal Radzinski is a genius for coming up with that campaign and I'm so excited to participate again next year (and read waay more women in translation all the time!)

Looking Ahead

I seriously suck at keeping up with debuts and stuff so the only question from this section I'm going to answer is One Thing You Hope to Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2018? One of my post recent posts was talking about how sharing writing is scary and I think I may have decided (as you can tell, I'm sooo committed) that I want to share more of my own writing on the blog. As for reading, for once I think I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing (although I'll go into more detail in a New Year's reading goal post!)

What are some of your best or worst books of 2017? Have you read any books that I've talked about this year? WILL you read any books I've talked about this year?? 

TBR Tuesday

Since I talk about books that I'm reading and/or have read already most of the time, I thought today I'd talk about some books that I would like to read. So here are some books that are currently on my TBR that I have not gotten around to reading quite yet:

1. Queen of the Clueless and Icon of the Indecisive by Mina V. Esguerra. These are the sequels to the first book, Interim Goddess of Love, which was recommended by Chachic. I kind of thought I'd read books like this before with humans-turned-goddesses, but it didn't go in the direction I expected and was super cute. The MC is also fairly sure of herself and has a super fun voice. But it was way too short! I need to read the sequels yesterday.






2. mitewacimowina: Indigenous Science Fiction and Speculative Storytelling by Neal Mcleod is an anthology of short science fiction written by Indigenous authors. It sounds fascinating, and I have yet to read any Indigenous sci-fi so I'm curious to see what it's like. It's also not a very popular genre as far as I can tell at the moment.

3. Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson. I've had this on my TBR list for awhile, but this review of Eden Robinson's work by a blogger I like further convinced me that I should read some of her work.

4. The Abominable Mr. Seabrook by Joe Ollman, which I found on one of 49thshelf's amazing lists. I love graphic novels, but what I love even MORE is graphic novel memoirs or biographies, which is what this is. It sounds so cool.

5. Unbuttoned by Christoper Dummitt, which is a history of a former prime minister of Canada, Mackenzie King, and his "secret life." He sounds like an interesting guy, so I would be interested to read more about him. (This book I also found via 49thshelf.)








6. Glass Beads by Dawn Dumont. I loved Nobody Cries at Bingo, so I'm definitely going to put her next book, out in April, on my TBR.

7. Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand. I put this on my TBR after reading about it on Laura's blog, and now I keep hearing more and more good things about this author. Also it's MG, which I haven't read much of for awhile now, and I miss it!

8. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. I think I saw someone recommend this on Tumblr, and they said it was unexpectedly amazing and had great characters, so since I love good characters, I was of course hooked.

 9. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. This has been on my TBR since it was called something else, because I am a sucker for alternating POV romances. It comes out in May!

10. The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis. I loved The First Third, so I definitely want to read Will Kostakis' next book. I wasn't able to get my hands on this for awhile because I couldn't find a way to get it in Canada, but since it's being published in the U.S. I think I can find a way now!








So, these are just 10 of the books on my TBR. I have at least four and a half more pages of books I'd like to read, but I won't bore you by talking about all of them.

Which book should I read first? What books are on your TBR? 

What I Read This Year: 2016 End of Year Survey

I did this end of year survey for the past two years, and I'm doing it again! The survey was created by Jamie at Perpetual Page Turner.

 2016 Reading Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 65, a lot less than last year.
Number of Re-Reads: 11
Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy and contemporary remain my favourite genres... YA Fantasy, with 11 (most of which were rereads), adult contemp with 9, and YA contemp with 7 (wow is that the first time it's been more adult than YA??).

1. Best Book You Read In 2016? I read a lot of good books, but they were all so different I can’t pick a best book this year... see below for some of my recommendations. 

2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? I've loved all of Stephanie Kuehn's books, so I was super excited for her new book, The Smaller Evil, but it was probably my least favourite book of hers, maybe because it was similar to another book I read by her. She's still an amazing author, though, and Charm and Strange was one of my best books of 2014.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (recommended by someone on an episode of Witch, Please). You'd think a book that takes place over not very long about the mundane life of an English butler would be boring, but it was the most fascinating thing ever.  There is so much going on under the surface, and the narrator's voice is sooo well crafted. Ishiguro is a genius.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? I don't know if anyone read it, but I definitely brought up Rebecca Traister's All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Birth of an Independent Nation a lot. So fascinating, so relevant.

5. Best series you started in 2016? I started, finally, to read Throne of Glass because my best friend was reading it. It has been on my TBR forever, but I honestly don't think I would've liked it as much if I'd read it sooner. I love Celaena, she's great. (Although now I'm reading Crown of Midnight and... aghh Sara J. Maas is mean.)

Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016? The Raven King, for both! So good.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016? E.K. Johnston! Well I knew about her before, but I'd never read any of her books, and I fell in love with her book Exit, Pursued by a Bear (I even did a book pumpkin of the cover!) Hermione is the best, and I'm so happy there are YA books like this now.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? Probably Boring Girls by Sara Taylor, which is an adult thriller, I think. So out of my comfort zone, but I loved it. I also did a review here.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Either Boring Girls or The Raven King!

9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? I mean, it was already a reread this year, but definitely The Queen's Thief series since BOOK FIVEEE

10. Favourite cover of a book you read in 2016? Made You Up by Francesca Zappia has a fun cover (and was what initially attracted me to the book, way back before it was published, didn't get around to reading it until now...) but I liked the covers of most of the books I read this year.

11. Most memorable character of 2016? Bish from Melina Marchetta's Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil. MM does her characters soo well.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016?  Ice Diaries by Jean Mcneil had so many gorgeous turns of phrase, and depicted the Antarctic beautifully (also, a great book if you're doing the book-from-every-continent challenge... too bad I didn't find it last year!!)

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016? Another book I have pushed at a lot of people: Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of New Hollywood by Mark Harris (recommended by Literary Disco). It was about the Oscars of 1967 and how Hollywood was changing (and failing to change), intertwined with the history of the sixties and its effect on Hollywood. SO fascinating, I could not put it down by the end, and even though it's like 800 pages it was too short. Also, even though it was published in 2008, it is interesting how incredibly relevant it still is. Everyone should read this book, it is so great. You should also listen to the episode of Literary Disco on it.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas... I think I've had it on my TBR list since I started blogging when I was fifteen.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016? I don't know if it's my favourite, but a passage I like that I wrote down, from Expecting Adam by Martha Beck:

“He looked back at me with steady eyes, and I knew what I had known – what I should have remembered – all that time: that his flesh of my flesh had a soul I could barely comprehend, that he was sorry for the pain I felt as I tried to turn him into a “normal” child, and that he loved me despite my many disabilities.”

16.Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2016? Shortest is probably North End Love Songs byKatherena Vermette, a gorgeously written book of poetry about growing up in the North End in Winnipeg. Longest book is either Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris, or Riel: A Life of Revolution by Maggie Siggins.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most I read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I just kept thinking, how does he survive this!?!? And then he did. What an incredible story of survival.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) Since I read Queen's Thief I can count Eugenides and Attolia :), but I'll also say Chaol and Celaena from Throne of Glass.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year The friendship in Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta! Of course. Even though it's her first adult novel, it's so very, very Melina Marchetta.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: Throne of Glass, haha.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016? I can't pick! :)

23. Best 2016 debut you read? I don't think I read any debuts this year... I just can't keep up.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. Maggie Stiefvater knows how to build beautiful places into her stories, and not just in the sense that they're aesthetically pleasing, but also that they just mean so much to the characters (and, by extension, the readers).

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? Tell Me How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan. :)

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016? Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews. If you ever want to cry, just read something by Miriam Toews. She knows how to write humor, but also deeply sorrowful stories.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin. I love fun, magical MGs. :)

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? Swing Low: A Life by Miriam Toews. It doesn't help knowing it is a true story about Miriam Toews’ family.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016? The Miracles of Ordinary Men by Amanda Leduc. Such an interesting concept, and it was done super well. I wasn't super satisfied with the ending, though, but the rest of it was good.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Couldn't think of anything, then remembered that I had to read The Shunning by Beverly Lewis for a class last semester. So mad that I had to read it (and do a presentation on it).

Book Blogging

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2016? I haven’t really kept up with reading very many blogs... recommend me some!

2. Favourite review that you wrote in 2016? Probably my review of Boring Girls by Sara Taylor.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? I like my post, Why I’m Glad I Wasn’t a Teen Author and my post on Growing Up.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I don’t think I participated in any events this year... oh except I did this annotation project of a Queen’s Thief book with some Queen’s Thief fans. I’m excited to do some more things with that fandom in the new year in anticipation of the new book!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016? The Thick as Thieves announcement, definitely. I mean when you’ve been waiting five or six years for another book, and an announcement is finally made, it’s a big deal!!

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Well I've talked about how I have trouble finding books I can really get into, so that’s one thing. I also found it hard to do all of my 2016 reading goals, apparently. I find it really hard to challenge myself in my reading when it’s so much easier to read fun books, especially when I’m busy with school.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? Funnily enough, my review of Boring Girls by Sara Taylor, and my review of Life Among the Qallunaat by Mini Aodla Freeman, which also happen to be in my opinion the best posts I wrote this year.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? My post Why I’m Glad I Wasn’t a Teen Author, as well as my post about accomplishing my goal of writing 50,000 words before the end of December!

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Probably the podcast Witch, Please!, a podcast with two (Canadian!) feminist lady scholars discussing Harry Potter. Soo interesting and funny, and relevant, considering all the stuff going on with JK Rowling and the Harry Potter universe these days. They just did an episode discussing the Fantastic Beasts movie.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? Uh... I did really terribly with my reading goals this year, although I did read quite a bit of CanLit, and a lot of diverse #ownvoices.

Looking Ahead: Books

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017? Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo! I loved Shadow and Bone and its sequels, but I’ve put off reading Six of Crows and its sequel (mostly because there are like 30 holds on it at the library). But I want to read it!!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)? Thick As Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner!!

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? After the Fall by Kate Hart! I have wanted to read her book since I read a first chapter excerpt on her blog years ago, and I’m so excited she’s finally being published! She also has consistently over the years had great blog series, from her cover analysis, to her Badass Ladies You Should Know series.

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017? See #2!

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017? I want to actually accomplish some of my reading goals next year. I was looking back at previous blog posts, and my reading challenge posts have always been the most well received so I think I’m going to do that. And I’ve been saying this for years, but I’d love to actually have a blog post schedule, even if it’s only once a month or something. I want to have written more than 13 blog posts by the end of next year (okay so that would mean more than once a month... whatever)!! I have also been thinking for awhile about completely redoing the layout of the blog. We'll see how that goes.

Stay tuned for my 2017 reading goals!

What are your best books of 2016? Goals for 2017? Any suggestions for how I can spruce things up around here?