January 2018 Recap // Broken Promises & Books & Self-Promotion (Sorry?)

Hey hey, remember when I promised to start posting regularly in January but then I didn’t? 

Because I don’t remember that at all. It didn’t happen. You guys are all lying to yourself. I’m a responsible blogger who posts regularly and doesn’t lie to her audience. Yes.

Anyways, I’ll actually start posting regularly in February?? I hope??

BOOKS I READ

{book covers link to gr pages}

      

The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan // ★★★★☆

• I really love thriller good girl-turned-bad where it’s fine at the beginning but then everything spirals and it all sucks and it’s terrible?? Makes me feel better about myself tbh. [review]

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black // ★★★★★

• I LOVED THIS SO MUCH OH MY GOSH LIKE I DON’T HAVE AN OBSESSION FOR FAE OR ANYTHING BUT HOLLY BLACK IS A GENIUS I LOVE HER SO MUCH [review]

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp // ★★★☆☆

• This was a really mediocre book oops. [blog review]

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi // ★★★★☆

• Ownvoices Muslim and Iranian representation!! This was actually really interesting except for the manic pixie dream girl aspect whoops. [blog review]

favorite book?

THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE THE CRUEL PRINCE i’m not sure what my favorite book is??

least favorite book?

Before I Let Go!! Sorry not sorry?? But honestly I’m a little disappointed in myself because I also disliked Marieke’s other book, This is Where it Ends.

PHYSICAL BOOK HAUL

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

• Okay I was actually super excited for this book! It’s an ownvoices book with a black mc, and its synopsis is absolutely intriguing. But I’ve heard that it buries its gays and that’s pretty problematic??

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston // ★★★★☆

• Badass female gladiators!! I LOVE CAESAR AND HE APPEARS IN THIS BOOK SOOOOOO. Also female friendships and love! #yes [review]

Nemesis by Brendan Reichs

• THIS SOUNDS SO COOL. There’s an asteroid threatening the earth + also a guy murdering this girl every day + another guy going through stuff that I forgot. So. COOL, AM I RIGHT?

Genesis by Brendan Reichs [arc]

• Sequel to Nemesis! I didn’t actually read the synopsis because #spoilers and I don’t like those, but I’M PRETTY SURE THIS IS SUPER COOL ALSO. But I’m SO GLAD THE PUBLISHER SENT ME THIS because right after I finish Nemesis I’m pretty sure I’m going to read Genesis straight away.

Fire Song by Adam Garnet Jones [arc]

• Hnnng NATIVE AMERICAN REPRESENTATION?? DO YOU HEAR THE CRIES OF JOY IN THE DISTANCE?? That’s because there is hardly any Native American representation anywhere (that’s well done) and I’m pretty sure this is ownvoices, too!

The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood & other authors [arc]

• This includes stories from Dhonielle Clayton, Mackenzi Lee, Stacey Lee, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marieke Nijkamp, and Meg Medina so WHO IS THAT SMOL BALL IN THE CORNER BOUNCING?? IT’S ME.

I received all of these from publishers, so thank you to Penguin, Annick Press, and Candlewick Press!

Ahhhh ahhhh it’s so stressful and hard to consistently keep up and to comment on everybody else’s posts, okay? So I’M SORRY but I think I’ll only be commenting back?? Unless one of your posts looks really really interesting, I will only force myself to comment back. But when I do have the time, I will try and keep up with the posts in my reader.

But also, I’ve literally tried so hard to do the 3x per week schedule but IT JUST ISN’T WORKING OUT, POTATOES. I think my goal now is going to be 2x per week, and as minimum 1 post per week.

I need to stop reaching super high for my blogging goals since it seems to be overwhelming me and then I just don’t do ANYTHING.

THINGS I CHANGED

• For my reviews, I won’t have my border thing around the featured image! So it’ll just be some text in a white box!! And now you guys can distinguish the posts you actually want to read from the reviews!!
  …
• ALSO I ALREADY MENTIONED THIS IN MY LAST RECAP, BUT. I got a new theme for my Instagram?? And I’m so proud of it honestly??

^^ a snippet of my feed. I REALLY LIKE THE PICTURE IN THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. THAT IS MY FAVORITE PICTURE AS OF EVER.

THINGS I’LL CHANGE

• I have something pretty big planned! It’s pretty big!! It’s actually really big!! I kind of want it to be a surprise so I’ll reveal all in maybe a month or so, depending on how long it takes. BUT I’VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS FOR A WHILE SO YOU GUYS PROBABLY KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.

*shifty eye emojis*

POSTS I LOVED

{also!! i don’t think i ever mentioned but this is not in any specific order, i literally just go to my following’s list and then pick out people to choose posts from, but my following list is in the order of the time i followed (most recent to most non-recent)}

Ilsa wrote about her book blogging slump and go give her love please and thanks.

Aris complains about some YA book tropes that are really annoying and I agree a lot so obviously this post is factual and correct.

Swetlana lists 12 situations every reader encounters and it’s so real it hurts my soul from the inside.

Kai says her feelings on readers leaving your blog behind (and this has definitely happened to me?? But I’m not really salty because I wasn’t really close to those people and the actually meaningful people stayed).

Marie talks about blog hopping and how to do it and why you should do it; and she’s very helpful besides the fact that I blog hop never.

Balie makes some bookish horoscopes based off astrology signs and she did actual research?? Like wow this must have taken so much effort go over there and appreciate her right now.

Analee complains about how blogging is hard and here is another complaining post but I like to complain and read complaints so fight me.

Jackie recaps her December and I’m choosing her recap because she has like no other posts rip!! But go shower her in love to encourage her to blog again.

Lia gives you a guide on what to do after receiving ARCs and I love reading helpful ARC posts.

May discusses the importance of diversity and like wow??? This post is so important??? Go read it???

Mikaela talks about how stressful blog hopping is and honestly same??? Because same???

Cait lists the 8 types of TBR piles that stare at you and put pressure on you and she is correct.

BOOK NEWS!!!

The second trailer to Love, Simon came out and I am so incredibly excited!! Like wow!! I need this movie in my life right now!!!

Kai is now offering paid web design services and she’s very cool so go check her out!

The cover of Smoke in the Sun (the sequel to the Flame in the Mist) was revealed and a) it’s beautiful and b) POC ON COVERS YES!

The title for the sequel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was revealed and here’s the goodreads page!

Gloria Chao (author of American Panda) is publishing Misaligned, a book about a Taiwanese girl whose life gets changed when another Taiwanese family moves to her town YES ASIAN REP.

THE TITLE FOR THE SEQUEL OF THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO WAS ANNOUNCED AND I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH THE GOODREADS LINK IS HERE.

An asian-inspired fantasy book is being published and it sounds so fantastic?? PRINCESSES RECLAIMING THRONES.

Blanca & Roja’s cover was revealed and honestly I’m literally so excited for this book IT SOUNDS SO FANTASTIC. THE COVER IS SO PRETTY. I’M DEAD.

Sorry for throwing all of this at you??? Except not sorry because NOW YOU SEE SO MANY FANTASTIC BOOKS.

Ok I’m at 1.3k words at this point in the post I should just stop maybe??

But this month I took my midterms!!! And three of the four class grades were released and I’m pretty proud of them. So yay!! I studied this time and I am proud of myself!

ㄨ✓

BOOKISH

PAST GOALS

• Read at least 5 arcs this month, publishing in January-February. ㄨㄨ No
• Write at least three Goodreads reviews for already read books. ㄨㄨ No

CURRENT GOALS

• Read at least 5 books this month and post ARC reviews at least two days before release date. Usually I post my ARC reviews like around a month after they publish or something? Which isn’t really bad but it’s not good either.
• Write at least three Goodreads reviews that are complex and funny and get >40 likes on all of them. I need more Goodreads stats, I’m selfish, okay.

BLOGGING

PAST GOALS

• Write 11 posts. ㄨㄨㄨㄨㄨㄨㄨㄨㄨ I WROTE THREE THOUGH.
• POST ON SCHEDULE. ㄨㄨㄨㄨ I WROTE THREE THOUGH.

CURRENT GOALS

• Write a post in advance to its publication date by 2 days at least THREE TIMES. I always write posts the night before oops.
• Post at least 7 times this month. THAT WOULD BE MY RECORD HONESTLY.

WRITING

PAST GOALS

• Think about my novel for at least 9.12 seconds. ㄨㄨㄨㄨ RIP my novel tbh.

CURRENT GOALS

• Think about my novel for at least 12 seconds and write at least 5 words of it. I LITERALLY FORGET ABOUT MY NOVEL ALL THE TIME.

LIFE

PAST GOALS

• Drink water from the fountain and not from a plastic water bottle! ✓ㄨ Okay yes I started doing this with my Swell bottle but then I filled it with Mountain Dew and now it has a weird aftertaste of Mountain Dew every time I put water in??
• Stop going outside wearing like a t-shirt and pants when IT’S SO FRICKING COLD WOW. ✓ㄨ Now I 9/10 times wear a coat!
• Try?? To?? Be?? Self-confident?? ㄨ Hahahahahahaha I should stop being jealous of other people but it’s so hard.
• Stop biting my fingernails. ㄨ GUYS I LITERALLY FAILED ALL OF MY GOALS.

CURRENT GOALS

• Drink from my Swell bottle. Okay so I actually left some water in there and now I think all the bad soapy Mountain Dew taste has left the bottle? SO YES I SHALL START USING IT AGAIN.
• Stop biting my fingernails. I always bite them when I’m nervous or bored ahhhhhhhh.
• Start saying no to people. I have a problem with pleasing people whenever I’m in their presence. Literally if I’m away from them I’ll come to my senses of what I really want but if I’m near them then I’ll be like YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO!!!

How was your January? Did you post consistently? Do you have any big changes planned? What goals do you have for February? Did you cry when I didn’t post (of course you did)?