The End Of The Year Book Tag

It is very hard to believe we're at the end of the year already! I have had the craziest year, with so many massive changes, but it has gone so fast. I have been seeing the End Of The Year tag going around and thought it would be a good way to get back into things.

1. Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

I think the only book I started and put down this year was Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. I was enjoying this but just wasn't in the mood so put it down. I'm not sure if it is one I'll pick up before the end of the year but I definitely want to finish it some time soon.

2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Clearly I am late to the party with this tag. It is already well into the end of the year now, but I find thrillers and books covering darker topics are my typical transition books. However, this year I was just picking up anything I found interesting in the hope of actually being able to read a book.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

I think all of the new releases I was anticipating for the year have already been released. I'm just looking forward to 2020 releases now.

4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay - I absolutely loved This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay so I'm really excited to read this collection of experiences of a junior doctor in the NHS at Christmas time.

What Light by Jay Asher - I have already read this book a few years ago but I really want to reread this book this year. It is a super sweet Christmas contemporary story, which I loved the first time around, but I've seen a lot of negative reviews since so I want to see how I feel about it on reread.

Girl Made Of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake - I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book so I really want to see if it will live up to the hype. It follows a girl who's best friend accuses her twin brother of rape, putting her in the most horrific situation.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

I think Girl Made Of Stars has the potential to be a favourite if I love it as much as everyone else seems to. It made a lot of favourites lists at the end of 2018. 

6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2020?

I have in the sense of deciding not to make too many plans for the year. I have found that the more I give myself plans or goals for the year, the less I actually read. I will talk about this more in a future post.

What are your reading plans for the end of the year?

Sophie :)

I'm Back & A Few Changes

Oh my days, life has been crazy! I am so sad that I have had to basically neglect this blog for the majority of this year, but so many life changes meant that I had to prioritise everything else going on. However, things are hopefully starting to settle down and I'm back into some kind of routine so I am hoping this will mean I can get back into the blogging game.

While I am so excited to be back, there are some things that I want to change. During my break from blogging, I realised there were some things that I just don't enjoy about it. I was so focused on trying to do what is expected of a book blogger that I didn't bother to think about whether or not those were things I enjoyed. I have decided that, since this is purely a hobby for me, my main focus should be the things I enjoy and I shouldn't put pressure on myself to do the things I "should" be doing.

As much as this may go against everything a book blogger should be, I hate writing reviews. I have always felt this incredible pressure to try to review all of the books I read and never felt like I was doing a good enough job, probably because it always felt like a chore. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to stop reviewing book completely. I just think I need to calm it down a bit and just review books when I have something to say. It is so hard, I feel, to write a full review for a 3 star, totally average, nothing special book when I can sum up my thoughts in a short paragraph in my wrap up. So, from now on, I will still be posting the odd review, but I will not be trying to review everything I read.

The other thing I am wanting to change is incorporating other topics. I love reading and always will, but I have other things I love and want to talk about. I have been doing this a little bit through my 'What I've Been Watching' posts, and I would like to include more TV/movies content, as well as some other things I enjoy.

So basically, I'm back but expect a few small changes around here.

What kind of things would you like to see on this blog?

Sophie :)