So it’s my first New Year’s with Ramblings on Readings, and I’m thrilled to say that I have stuck with this blog for as long as I have.
I was worried that once classes started this past August that I would just abandon it all together. And I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me and come back every week to read and comment; as a thank you, I’m giving away Melissa Marr’s “Wicked Lovely” series, so enter HERE. Not much time left on that, so hurry if you interested!
Now to share a few of my favorites from 2013 with you!
Top 5 Books/Series Read in 2013
1. The Benny Imura Series by Jonathan Maberry
- Excellent post-apocalyptic series about surviving life with zombies, evil bounty hunters, a legendary older brother, and a fiery new girlfriend.
2. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
- Awesome fantasy with a strong heroine; I enjoyed the first, but the second wins by a landslide.
3. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
- Just finished this last week; the writing is BRILLIANT with entertaining characters and a plot so expertly crafted, the ending leaves you going….WHAT???? DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN??
4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- This is one of my all-time favorite YA Contemporary Romance. It’s not a ‘punch you in the heart’ kind of book, but it’s adorable, sweet, and heartwarming with an intensely satisfying ending. I’m excited to read Perkins’ other books.
5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
- My favorite Sci-Fi series by a landslide; Meyer is a wonderful author who creates sci-fi storylines from beloved fairy tales, and I cannot wait for Cress in February!!
Top 5 Movies seen in 2013
1. Star Trek: Into Darkness
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
3. Saving Mr. Banks
4. Iron Man 3/ Thor: The Dark World
5. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Anyway, there are a few things I’m hoping to accomplish in 2014 on this blog. First of all, I have so many unread books, both physical copies and ebooks, sitting on my shelves and on my kindle. Like, a ridiculous amount. And these aren’t just books I got for free thinking, maybe I’ll read this someday. Some of these are books I really want to read, I just haven’t gotten to them. So my resolutions are:
1. I will not buy new books. Only exception is sequels I have been waiting months or years for. I know there are a few of those coming out in 2014. But other than that, I MUST read the books I already have.
2. Spend more time in the book blog community. I haven’t done enough of this in the past few months. I love reading other blogs, and I just haven’t had time this past semester. So I’m going to make time for that in the coming months.
3. Learn to say NO to review requests or tours that really don’t interest me. Being a new blogger, I said yes to just about everything that came my way. This resulted in a loss of interest in reading since I had books I wasn’t really interested in, and I have a pile of review requests right now that is looming over me (I’m sure I will like many of them, but I’ve been kind of burned recently, and I’m wary of wading into said pile). My biggest piece of advice for new book bloggers- only agree to read things you are truly interested in and have no qualms about. You’ll thank me later.
4. Find and participate in more weekly memes. I really love these, but have never truly gotten into them myself. I feel like its another good way to create and enjoy the blogging community. If you have a favorite PLEASE post in the comments. There are quite a few out there, and I’m sure which ones to join.
5. Keep up with NetGalley. I have a disgusting amount of unread books on my NetGalley shelf. I’m surprised it hasn’t forced me out and barred the door. I would really like to get to the place where I can easily keep up with reviewing the amount of books I have on my shelf.
6. Watch and review at least one Indie movie a month. So few people see these movies, and I love seeing and reviewing them, especially since there are so many on Netflix.
7. Participate in the Good Reads reading challenges. No explanation needed. I’m thinking between 50-100 books. Not sure exactly what number at this point. I think I read almost 50 books just since June, so closer to 100 probably.
8. Do giveaways to clean out my current shelf. I have lots of books on my shelf that I haven’t even looked at in a year or two. I’ll be moving to my own place soon (hopefully very quickly after I graduate) and will need space for my new books. This means lots of good giveaways for you guys (series such as Kagawa’s “The Iron Fey”, books from “Hush, Hush” series, James Patterson’s “Maximum Ride”). So lots of fun and exciting giveaways to look forward to!
9. Schedule posts much more in advance. I do a lot of this, but there are moments where I have time, and I think, I should really knock out this weeks posts, but then I get lazy and watch Netflix instead. Scheduling posts is way less stressful, so I’m hoping to make this a habit in the new year.
10. Come up with a new/unique/interesting rating system. The stars just aren’t doing it for me.
So those are some of my resolutions for this blog for the New Year. Thanks again to all of you who have been along for the ride so far! I love all of you and your lovely comments and unbelievable support, and I hope you continue stopping by. As I said above, I will be working on heading to your pages far more often!
Much Love and a Happy New Year,
Jessica <3