So this year has been a very weird one for me. I'm not exactly happy with how much I've read, which is a great deal less than I have previous years, and I'm not happy with how little I was active in the book community as a whole for so long. But this whole year has also been a real struggle, and the start of the year was one of the lowest points for my mental health in a long time.
It's been a tough year and I'm not really sure how to properly reflect on it. Somehow the only thing getting me to write blog posts this year has been kpop which was not a scenario I though I would ever be in, but here we are.
I'll answer some questions from the end of year book tag and maybe set up some of my plans for next year, in which I hope to do much much more reading.
Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
That dubious honor currently goes to The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi, which was one of my most anticipated books for this year and really something I was looking forward to. It's been difficult to sit and read it with school but I'm hoping that over this break I can finish it.
From what I have read and seen from people on twitter it's going to be a wild ride and I've truly missed this cast of characters. Laila is one of my favorite characters ever and her arc here is really intriguing, and the tension between Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos is fantatsic. Plus Séverin's descent is going to be fascinating to read. Please root for me because I'm going to try and finish it before the year ends!
Do you have a book to transition into the end of the year?
Technically the answer is not really, because I don't really have a good pick for a spring, but I have a sort of personal tradition where at the beginning of each year I have the urge to reread my favorite books. It's comforting, in a way, to got into anew year with something familiar that you know will make you happy.
This year, I'm considering rereading A Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers and rereading some of my favorite Austen novels, maybe Emma or Persuasion. I have some ideas for blog posts based on a full Austen reread as well, if anyone would be interested in that.
Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?
I am not great at keeping up with new releases, but a books I'm excited for but haven't yet read that came out in 2020 is These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. I've heard a lot about it and seen this book all over my twitter timeline for months now, so I'm understandably very very curious to read it. I've seen a very broad range of perspectives from those who have read it, so I also want to try and form my own opinions on it since the premise is very, very promising.
The historical setting and the Romeo and Juliet influences sold me as soon as I heard about this book so I really hope it lives up to the hype!
What was your favorite book of 2020?
I really feel like I kind of haven't read enough to make a very good judgement of this. However, I do have some contenders for books I just simply really enjoyed.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo was gorgeous and atmospheric, leaving me craving more of this soft, lilting fantasy that was like storytelling and myth, all woven together.
Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner was an immensely satisfying ending to my favorite series of all time. I'd been anticipating it since it's over a year delay to publishing and I can confirm that it really was worth the wait. Please read The Queen's Thief, for me?
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary was everything I could have possibly wanted in a romance novel, well written and paced with interesting, well fleshed out characters and no use of tropes that frustrate me in so much adult romance.
All three of these titles got 5/5 star rating from me and were really fantastic, I'd highly recommend checking them out!
What was you favorite blog post of 2020?
My favorite post of my own is for sure the Books as Taemin's Criminal MV post, which just made me really happy, frankly. I was able to combine some of the things that had made me happy this year and a couple people seemed to really like it too which made me happier.
I want to make more content like that in the upcoming year so please, if you enjoyed that look forward to it!
Have you already started making reading plans for 2021?
Kind of, but not really. I think the extend of my goals is really just "red more and read more broadly" because I've finally managed to pull myself out of this strange slump and have started to enjoy reading again. I also want to be more critical of what I read and stop forcing myself to read books I know I won't enjoy because I've been told they're good.
I want to return to 52 books as my goal again, which I changed this year because of my poor habits in the first half of this year. I also want to read through my backlog of books I've been gifted or just haven't gotten around to yet on my tbr.
Other than those broad goals I don't think making much other goals is productive or feasible for me. I just hope to return to love reading much more and find more joy in it.
What are your goals for blogging in 2021?
Fingers cross because I've never managed to stick to this but I want to post more frequently. I hope to stick to a twice a month schedule and release content that people are actually interested in reading.
I also have a vague thought to revamp my blog and it's look, making it more user friendly and look just much neater overall.
Some blog posts I have planned are my Austen Reread and Ranking post, more of my Kpop MVs as Books posts, more proper reviews, and more tags. I have a plan to release my review of Counting Down With You soon as long with a list or reasons why you need to read that book.
Hopefully someone will read them, and read this, and I will get to share my love and my interests with people.
I know this wrapup is coming pretty late, but I hope to make good on all these promises and hints for next year, and I hope that everyone has an amazing holiday and an amazing 2021.
Sending much love and good vibes!