Hi friends,
Today is Sunday, time to look back in the rearview mirror and talk about my week in and out of the blog. As usual I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted for years by Kimberly @caffeinatedreviewer .
As it’s the first Sunday of the year I will also talk about my bookish year of 2020 and what I hope for 2021
In my Private Life
First, let me wish you a Hapy New Year!
When I wished a happy new year in 2020 I bet none of us had any idea how crappy 2020 would be! So let’s hope that this year will be better.
Our New Year’s Eve has been a very quiet affair with my husband, my son and I all in our PJs eating sushi and ice cream.
I fell asleep on the couch before midnigt and nearly head butted my husband when he crouched abov me to kiss me a happy new year! 😆Â
We would have been for a great start LOL
That reminded me of one year, when we didn’t have kids and had celebrated the new Year with lots of friends and my husband nearly knocked me out when lowering the trunk on my head! I swear I saw stars 😆
It seems that New Year celebrations are a real hazard in our family!
I have still one more week of holiday and it will be my last days before the summer so I plan on enjoying them and being extra lazy!
On the blog (click on the graphic to read the post)
First, I have to apologize as I know I have comments to answer to and I have been quite MIA these last days!
Posting every day for our Best Reads of 2020 has taken its toll and I really needed a breather there. I’ll do better next week, I promise!
In december, I read nine books and my favorite were:
The Not Outcast by Tijan 5 stars
For me to love a book I need to connect with the characters, to be interested by the story arc and to have just the right pacing. If you add great sidekicks and struggling characters that’s even better. You have all that in The Not-Outcast plus a topic that made me reconsider my opinion on people. Â
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall : 5 stars
Why did I wait so long to read that book? It was just delicious and funny! It won’t be my last Alexis Hall!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah : more than 5 stars
That book simply crushed my soul!!!
I planned on reading all the Kristin Hannah’s books as that was my first one but I’ll have to reconsider. I stopped reading Firefly Lane at 90%, not because I didn’t love it or because it was bad but because it was destroying me!!!
I need HEA in most of my books and I am discovering that Kristin Hannah, being extraordinarily talented, is NOT an author who loves her HEA. So I think I’ll have to space out my reading of her books!
PS If you know one of her book that has a HEA, just give me the title in the comments below.
About my year in books…
I read 127 books this year while my goal was 100 books. Yet my 2021 challenge is only 50 books as I don’t want the pressure
Next are my 2021 resolutions
First, I will get back to my former blogging pacing of one or two memes a week and one or two reviews. I hope to add some discussion posts here and there but I feel that I really need to pace myself out or I’ll end up in a burn out.
I want to blog for many more years so I need to take care of me.
That also means that there are days when I won’t be on WordPress and then will answer the comments in batch and overflow you with comments on your own posts that I missed 😀Â
Years ago I would have been devastated by this slower pacing, now I just accept it as what I need.
Second resolution: no pressure. Or at least minimal pressure.
I really felt this year and its stress like so many of you.
And again, I need to keep reading and blogging being fun and not stressful.
If that means losing some followers in the process, I am ok with it. I know who are my friends here, loyal for years and these are the ones that matter. You are my tribe, the ones that stick with me in the good like the bad days.
That also means that I will request very few ARCs.
Just some indie romance authors that I adore like: Amy Harmon, Emma Scott, Brittainy C Cherry, Jewel E Ann, Suanne Laqueur, Beth Flynn, Tijan and Rebecca Yarros … mostly.
On Netgalley, I don’t have much luck anyway. I dream of having Beth O’Leary or Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ARC but I know I’ll never be accepted.
Then no pressure means that I halved my goal on Goodreads, even if I know I’ll be over 50 books very easily. That’s all in the head you know?
Last, no pressure also means that I will do more mini reviews.
I have decided that I’ll do mini reviews for books that I liked but will keep full lenght reviews for books that amazed me, moved me or made me think. Or maybe made me rant too LOL
One challenge that I will do is Kimberly’s Audiobook Challenge!Â
I’ll edit my last feedback for 2020 but that was so much fun that I want to do it again.
Last resolution: I will do buddy reads and bookclub reads.
I began bookclub reads on Instagram last year and that was an amazing way to read out of my comfort zone books and chatting with a bunch of booknerds about our read felt amazing!
Added bonus: our discussion made it really easy to review the books.
Pfew that’s it!
Do you have resolutions for 2021? How was your year?
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
I totally feel the no pressure resolution! 2020 was so stressful and I became lax on the blog and just felt so guilty about it and the problem just kinda compounded on itself. No pressure is totally what I’m going for! Any motivation is good!
Who knew we’d come to this right? 😉
Right?? Ugh fuck 2020 and fuck covid. I would like my sanity back please
Happy New Year, Sophie! I love your resolutions for the year. Low pressure is also the name of the game for me! I’m looking forward to a year of reading whatever I want, hopefully listening to more audiobooks and getting through lots more of my backlist/currently owned books. 🙂
Thank you Nicci!
I’m definitely with you on the slower pace this year and taking it easy. My 2020 was mixed. I was sad that I didn’t get to see friends and family much and even my work besties are in different bubbles. But it was good in that I didn’t get the virus, I learnt to knit, started my own blog and bookstagram, and got my first tattoo at the start of the year! This year is looking up slightly in that they’re started to roll out weekly covid tests in the school academy I work in. We’re just hoping we’ll be a priority for the vaccine!
Teachers should be a priority Katie! Fingers crossed for you!
Happy new year! And you’ve had such a great bookish year!! Despite the mess that 2020 was haha
It makes happy to see that you rated The Not Outcast 5 stars! I’ve been looking forward to this one!
Happy New Year. Definitely hoping to read more Amy Harmon this year. I still have Condors to read from Suanne. Need to prep myself to be ready for that read. All the best for 2021.
Happy New Year Soph! I had very quite one since I spend it alone in my apartment by watching Bones. I set my goodreads challenge to 250 but besides that my new year resolution is to eat lessen potato chips to once a week which I have failed already but I have time to improve my ways!
Wow you had a great reading year! I really want to read that Tijan book and hope to soon on kindle unlimited Happy new year!!
Happy New Year! You had such a great reading year in terms of rating. So glad you enjoy so many books you picked up.I hope you are able to find a balance where reading and blogging doesn’t become a source of stress for you in the new year.
I so agree with your no pressure resolution. Now more than even we need to make our lives easier and calmer… there’s plenty enough to worry and stress about without adding reading and blogging to the mix. I’m blogging a bit less, which I enjoy, and it’s been good for me. I rarely requests arcs, and I’ve enjoyed removing that pressure. This year I just want to concentrate more on reading sheerly for pleasure, reading from my own shelves, and reading what I want, when I want.
I so hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays before returning to work!
I hope this will also work for you Tanya!
I don’t know about sushi and ice cream, lol. You had a great reading year, Sophie! Here’s to a calmer, happier 2021 <3
Thank you Jacquie!!
Happy New Year, Sophie!
Your New Year’s Eve sounds a lot like mine, I also fell asleep on the sofa, though I did not headbutt my husband haha 🙂
Your goals sound great! We indeed do this blogging for fun, so it should stay fun and doable 🙂 I also prefer a lower goal and no pressure than having to stress about something that should bring me joy.
Happy New Year, Sophie! All of your resolutions sound great. I have goals for 2021 but they’re mainly about focusing on things I want to read (Less ARCs and books I already own, finishing up series, reading some nonfiction, etc.). Since they are things I really want to do, I’m hoping it won’t be a lot of pressure.
I hope that will help you feel good too Suzanne!
Glad you had a fun, quiet New Year with family, Sophie (and without the headbutt, lol). Not putting pressure on yourself sounds like a perfect resolution to me.
The “no pressure” rule is always a sound one when we want to enjoy what we’re doing – and in the end it turns out to be more productive than we could hope for! 😉
Happy New Year!!!!
Thank you Maddalena and happy new year!
I think lowering your reading target on Goodreads is a good way to go, and relieving the pressure. You’re right – we read and blog because we love doing it and so getting knotted up with guilt because we load ourselves too heavily is a real shame… Your challenges sound like fun and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your 2021 reads!
And a happy new year to you too! What a productive year in terms of reading in spite of it all. Here’s to better times ahead 😀
Thank you Mogsy!
Yay for no pressure! That is very smart. I like the idea of choosing a low Goodreads number, that way you’ll always be ahead Happy New Year Sophie!
Thank you Tammy! To you too!
Happy New Year! Glad you were able to avoid the head butt. 🙂 Sounds like a pretty good New Years though! And yes to the pacing… it’s easy to get burned out.
Happy reading this week 🙂
Thank you Greg!
You had a great reading year! I hope 2021 is even better. Happy New Year!
To you too Kristi!!!
While I am hopefully that this year will be more happy for us all, I think I can handle anything after 2020 to be honest. LOL Crossing fingers the vaccine coming out will help bring some normalization again because boy do we need it.
You did an amazing job of reading and I had such fun seeing your passion for the books you fell in love with. I adore buddy reading so much, it actually brings something so much more fun to reading that is different.
Never fear, I got your back, I have adored you and your blog for quite a while now and I think its important to take care of yourself. We need to support each other, through the good and the bad.
Thank you so much Renee!
I think a lazy week and less pressure for book goals in the New Year sound just right. Happy New Year!
You read so many books!! I would love to add a challenge to my reading goals this year, too. Maybe an audiobook challenge is the perfect way to fit one in! I hope that you have a wonderful 2021, Sophie! 🙂
Thank you! You too!
I’ve been blogging for eight years now and just like you, I realized after a few years that I had to step back and pace myself otherwise I’d burn out. Blogging is supposed to be a fun hobby, not a second job. So like you I started requesting less and posting less. I comment back on every comment, but it’s not always the same day. I think people understand.
I need a HEA in my reads, too! Too many non-HEAs in real life so I don’t need them in my entertainment as well.
Glad you had a nice New Year. We had a quiet one as well. Have a lovely week, Sophie! 🙂
Thank you for these words Rachel, they were exactly what I needed!
Happy new year to you! Those are great goals. I wish you luck with them all. I have been scaling back ARCs for years and found a magic number that really works for me. I have to be honest, I love reading mini-reviews. A good one is a challenge to right, but some people are fantastic at capturing their thoughts in a concise manner which is really impressive. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!
I know what you mean sam but I never learned to be concise while all encompassing LOL
Happy new year! You did great with your goodreads challenge! I almost set my goal at 50 this year just to keep it super easy, but I kept it at 100. If it starts telling me I am behind, I will change it because no one needs that pressure.
My resolution was no challenges, no pressure. I am just gonna read what I want, when I want and not try to find books that fit various challenges and such.
That’s exactly my plan Samantha!
We too had a quiet New Year’s Eve here, just the two of us, with a phone conference at … 10:30 at night and, we all went to bed early! Ha! Ha! So I know what you mean. Anyway, Sophie, here’s wish you and your family peace, joy and happiness and all the best for 2021!
Thank you Alexandra! To you too!
Wow 127 books is amazing especially if you put together all you do on here, IG and FB, you are like superwoman! You are right though, pace yourself and just enjoy x
Thank you Caro!