April 2018
When I first thought of starting a blog 5 years ago, I really didn’t think I would still be with it 5 years later. Hobbies for me usually come and go thanks to my attention span. But reading is something I’ve been passionate about since high school and it’s that passion that has driven my blogging over the years.
I’ve shared my story many times over the years but I feel like it’s ok to reminisce for your 5 years anniversary. I’ve come a long way from my early days of a free wordpress site. I’ve (somehow) kept this blog going through 2 post secondary degrees; the beginning of my career and as I navigate this tricky world of adulting. I’ve changed the format of my reviews, redid my site design and moved my blog to a self-hosted server as well.
I might not read as many books now as I did 5 years ago or work on my blog everyday like I used to, but I’ve come to accept that things change and sometimes you just have to go with the flow. And in honour of 5 years, I wanted to share 5 lessons I have learned about reading and blogging since I joined this community:
- Blog hop and comment on other’s blogs whenever you can
- I really neglected to do this in my first year of blogging and it’s my biggest regret.
- You can’t read all the books and that’s ok
- Grow your TBR but don’t be afraid to remove those that don’t interest you
- Followers and ARCs aren’t everything
- Stats can be helpful but you need to be happy first and foremost
- It’s ok not to read or blog everyday
- I’ve really come to grips with this over the last year
- Never be afraid to be honest about your thoughts/reviews
- Don’t say what is expected but rather what you truly feel
Cheesy perhaps, but I think they are important things to keep in mind. Even a 5 year veteran like me can still get caught up in the envy and the like but you work on it a day at a time.
Thank you everyone!
Whether you are a new reader or a returning friend, thanks for 5 fantastic years! Who knows, maybe I’ll still be here in 5 more 😉
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My Reading Month of April
I think I said it best when I tweeted out this:
I feel like this gif describes my reading month in April. Great then oh sh*t pic.twitter.com/BPMyNBUUX4
— Lauren (@SERIESousBooks) April 22, 2018
April was a month I dedicated to getting things back on track. I was behind in ARCs and my reading challenges so my focus was really on reading those key books to contribute to my reading goals for 2018. For the most part, the first two weeks of April were extremely successful. The last two sucked thanks to life getting in the way but I was still in OK shape when all was said and done.
I think for me, May is about finding that healthy balance between reading, blogging and life and I can’t wait to see what it brings!
Total for April 2018: 18 Books Read + 1 Novellas Read
DNF’d: 0 Books
Last April: 18 Books Read + 1 Novellas Read + 1 DNFs
Standout Read (★★★★★)
This book was everything I wanted it to be! I love the fake relationship trope and this one executes it perfectly! The audio version is also AMAZING! So amazing I’ve got it on my list to buy since I borrowed it from the library.
Biggest Let Down (★★)
I love a good “bad-boy-turned-good” romance but this one just fell flat. It felt rushed and not much was done with the characters either.
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Previously posted series reviews that got updates:
You can always get the full details on all my challenges on my dedicated page but here is a quick update:
5 Year 5 Book Challenge: 3 titles added | 5 of 25 Titles Read — Behind
Goodreads Challenge: # books added | #/190 Books — Ahead
52 Sequel Challenge: 4 titles added | 11/52 Sequels — Behind
Tackling the TBR Challenge: 1 book added | /36 Books — On Track
View my Challenge Progress Here!
I’ve seen this meme floating around and thought it was a great idea to help me tackle my TBR list and reach that less than 500 goal. The idea is to go through 5-10 books on your Goodreads TBR list chronologically and decide if they should stay or go. I usually do a big Goodreads Purge twice a year but I like the idea of doing a little bit at a time and have decided to do this on a monthly basis.
This month:
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Pass: 3 | Keep: 7
Did I make any mistakes in letting some go or by keeping them? Let me know in the comments below!
You can still join in on these discussions:
- SERIESous Tips: 5 Ways to Get into Audiobooks
- Top Ten Tuesdays: Books I Loved But Will Never Reread
- Trope Thursdays: New to Town
Each month I have a list of 11 books I’ve selected to read for that particular month. These books include review copies and reading challenge picks. Here are some of the books I have ready to go for May:
What were your biggest reading or personal accomplishments of the past month?
Leave a comment below!
Hi Well your lessons are fantastic. Thank you for sharing, they come to me at the right time and hence it makes them special to me already.
I’m glad they gave you something to think about 🙂
So glad your starting to do Down the TBR Hole! You did it correctly as well. 🙂 My biggest mistake was letting myself get overwhelmed by how many books I had to read.
I’ve told myself that I will only look at my shelf totals every 4 months to see how I am doing with my TBR. And for the most part it’s working and I think this meme is really helping! Even if it’s just 2-3 off of it every month, it feels great to make that little bit of progress.
AHHH five years, what an incredible accomplishment, congratulations!! I’m so happy you kept on blogging and that it keeps on making you happy, I hope to be in the same place as you are in, well… one year and a half. Wow, I just realized that I’m getting old haha.
So happy you loved When it’s real, I have that one on my TBR and it sounds amazing 🙂
Marie @ drizzleandhurricanebooks recently posted…The 2nd Annual Book Bloggers Awards : my nominations and showering you with love
Thank you! I had to double-check the anniversary number multiple times to make sure it was right 😛 I definitely had a “oh wow I’m old” moment when I did!
I hope you feel the same way I do (if not better) in 1.5 years 😉