My 10 Goals for 2020 // aka to stop being so hard on myself

It might be a bit late for this post, and considering 2020 didn't start out in the best way for me I was really considering not writing this at all, but reading so many of my fellow bloggers goals made me feel inspired! After all, January 1st is just a date, and you can choose to start fresh whenever you want 🌱

10 Reasons Why Fantasy is my Favourite Genre

It's no secret that Fantasy is my favourite genre. Over the past few years, my reading tastes have grown to appreciate other genres, but in the end, I always return to Fantasy. Those are the books that have the blurbs and covers that always immediately grab me. Even if an aspect of the book falls short, there is almost always something redeeming about most Fantasy novels for me, whether it be the well-crafted world, unique concept, dynamic characters, or exquisite writing.

But what is it that draws us to Fantasy narratives? In this post, I will be listing just some of the things that draw me to this magical genre.

Bookshelf Tour!

Last year I bought a new Ikea Billy bookshelf, but it only recently came to my attention that I never shared any photos since I built it. So I decided that now was the perfect time to do a bookshelf tour and reveal all of my shelf organisation secrets.

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2019

We are officially 7 months into 2019 and I do not know where my time went. Actually, I do - it went towards my dissertation, but now that I have finished university that feels like a lifetime ago. As a result, I have tried to lower the pressure of my reading goals this year and maintain my Goodreads Challenge by reading MANY graphic novels, which are short and I can get through in a day. Now that it's summer though, I have more time to read, and I'm hoping to get through a decent stack of books before the year is out.

Things That Make Me Pick Up a Book

I am super picky when it comes to choosing books. There are so many and I'm scared I don't have the time for them all! I want to prioritise the ones I think I'll love, and I think setting myself a yearly book buying limit has really shaped the way I approach books.

Blog Plans for 2019

At the time I am writing this post, I am feeling super motivated to tackle 2019 and everything that comes with it. I always struggle through the winter season (I think my body was designed to hibernate), but when January comes about all the 'fresh start' talk manages to get through to me and I am buzzing to do things.

Books I'm Voting for in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2018

It's rare for me to have read many books that get nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards. In previous years I've felt a bit behind when it came to new releases, but somehow in 2018 I read a whole load of them, and from more than just the YA Fantasy and Science Ficiton category! Even more surprising is that many of the nominees are actually some of my favourite books of this year - so I guess the hype doesn't always lie! Here are the 6 books I've voted for in the semifinal round ✨

YALC 2018 (and other bookish events)

I have attended many bookish events this year, but I realised I haven't properly talked about them here yet! I am obsessed with bookish events and I have been trying to pack as many of them in 2018 as I can. I love that I never feel much pressure to talk to people, but that knowing I have something in common with those around me makes me feel more confident in talking to them and making new friends. I hope that I get to attend many more in the future.

Why I Have 4 TBR Lists

We all know the struggle of an overflowing TBR. Wanting to add all the books to your Goodreads shelf, knowing very well that you will never read them, is something I think we can all relate to. What those of you who follow me on Goodreads will have noticed, however, is that I don't just have one 'Want To Read' shelf. I have four.

Where are the University Aged Books?

Lately I have been considering the relationship between my age and my love of YA. You can see this in a post I wrote a few months ago about the nature of YA and what I think attracts adults to YA, which you can find here. I have been reading more adult fiction for university in this past year and a half, and with this wider range of books I've started to wonder why no one talks about the in-between stage of teenage life and adult life.

Book Haul // September-December 2017

The time is here for my third and final book haul of 2017! I decided to share a book haul post every 4 months this year rather than have them at the bottom of my wrap up post every month. I try really hard not to buy too many books, and I find that this is a much more effective way to track my bookish spending. You can find parts 1 and 2 of my 2017 book haul here and here.

What is it that attracts adults to read YA?

When I first started this blog I was 17, and all I read was YA. I read the occasional classic or adult book too, but YA was where my heart was at. Now I'm almost 20 (yikes), and the YA section is still my first stop when I enter any book store. I love the genre as much as I did then, maybe even more, and I don't think my age is ever going to change that.

May-August 2017 Book Haul

I'm back today with another 2017 book haul! I decided to share a book haul post every 4 months this year rather than have them at the bottom of my wrap up post every month. I try really hard not to buy too many books, and I find that this is a much more effective way to track my bookish spendings. You can find part 1 of my 2017 haul here.

YALC 2017 Recap and Haul

I think it's official. I'm going to go to the YA Literature Convention every year for the rest of my life. I'm not a big socialiser and I didn't really talk to anyone other than the three friends I went with, but the atmosphere of book nerdiness and being surrounded by fiction is enough for me to have an amazing time.

The Cover Changing Curse

I'm pretty sure one of my earliest readerly woes was when the Artemis Fowl series changed covers. I had just finished the third book when I went to the bookstore and found that the fourth book was there, but looked entirely different. I spent hours searching on the internet to try and find copies of the remaining books in the covers I loved, but they were all painfully expensive and disappearing off the face of the earth by the second. And so I had to settle for a cover change.

Books I Almost Put Down But Thankfully Didn't

It's rare for me to put a book down with no intention of picking it up again. When I do this, it's normally because I get super frustrated in my inability to get into a story, and it's often made worse if the book is very hyped.

My Summer TBR

With all my exams and assessments recently, I've had barely any time to read. Now that they're all out of the way I feel like I have a lot of reading to do, and too little time to do it! So I've made a list here of 12 books I really want to read this summer.

January-April Book Haul

I rarely do book haul posts because I never buy enough books in one month to make a post about it. So I decided to collate my hauls from the first 4 months of 2017 to make this one big post. Turns out I bought wayyyy more books than I thought I did. I might need to set restrictions on myself for the rest of the year!

Does Good Sci-Fi Need to be Realistic? (and is it really different from fantasy?)

There can be a fine line between science fiction and fantasy, so much so that they can occasionally be hard to distinguish from one another. So what makes the two genres different?

5 E-ARCs I Need to Read

I've been marvellously on top of my Netgalley and Edelweiss requests this year. Instead of focusing on catching up with older requests, I've been reading my newer requests the month they are released so they don't pile up. That way I can publish my reviews in good time in the hype build up around the release dates. However, that does leave a couple of ARCs that I need to reserve for further down the line, not to mention a few e-copies I requested many moons ago back when I was a mess and when the releases had come and gone. That leaves a total of 5 books that I really ought to be reading this year, and I'm hoping with this post I can get some encouragement on which books to read next!