Category: discussion

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

January 6: 2023 Reading & Blogging Goals (Aria)

Prompts: What are your reading goals for 2023? Do you have a specific number of books, or particular genres you want to read? What are your blogging goals for 2023? What do you want to do differently with blogging than you did last year?

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Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to another LTB here at DTRH, and unsurprisingly, it’s a new goal-setting session. While I am not usually one for resolution setting and all that, it is of course pertinent to project into the future and set some plans for this year, if not just in broad brushstrokes. It’s been a tough few years for everyone, and I really wonder if this will mean more ambitious goals or less in light of that. We’ll just have to see!

I don’t have too many reading goals for this year. I can’t believe I still haven’t done an audiobook; my friend did say it took her 4 to 5 books to really get used to it though, so maybe I just need to dive in and try something. I just love the visual aspect of reading so much, it’s so hard to give that up for just audio. I don’t know if others can relate to that. If you have switched to many audiobooks (but still prefer regular), how did you guys make the switch? I’d love to know.

I specifically set a less lofty goal this year for reading number. Last year I was barely around 30 (or maybe I was bad at keeping track this year) when I originally completed more than 50 the year before. School just got unexpectedly busy and it seems like I can’t handle all the readings on top of my readings. Still, I generally try to read as much as possible and I will make time for it when I can. There are just those periods of hibernation which are just inevitable with school.

With the blog, I definitely want to work that well into my schedule again. I think it hasn’t been too bad, but I’d like to improve from last year and be even more consistent and post more new content. This is of course all contingent on school not consuming my life, but that remains to be seen. A goal is just a goal after all!

I’m not sure what I would really do differently about blogging this year but I think I just generally want to try and prioritize more and see if I can be a bit more efficient with me time. Sometimes taking a break is just necessary though, so it’s definitely a balancing act between those two things! We shall see how that works out this year.

What are all your goals for this year?

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

December 30: 2022 Reading & Blogging Reflections

Prompts: Happy almost New Year’s Eve! How many books did you read in 2022? Did you meet your reading goals? What were some of your favorites? What were your least favorite books you read this year? How did you feel about your blogging in 2022? What are your favorite posts you wrote in 2022? What are some of your favorite posts from the community that you read this year?

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s the last LTB of the year and that’s just something I thought I wouldn’t be saying so soon. As usual, it’ll be a time of reflection and checking up on goals and what not. So without further ado, let’s go!

It seems like I only read 30 or so books this year (or honestly maybe I didn’t keep track very well), which is definitely lower than last year. I had way less time than I thought, and I actually filled up a lot of the list recently when I reignited my interest in some thrillers. My (arbitrary) reading goal was 50, which I suppose comes down to about a book a week, and I just wasn’t able to this year, but I still got to read some great ones this year!

This year I read books like Verity, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and Nine Lives, all of which I didn’t have the biggest expectations, but turned out to be quite good. I may not have read the most books this year, but I am glad I got to read some books that I really liked. My least favourites were probably Magpie and Klara and the Sun, which didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but were nonetheless readable.

Blogging on the other hand has definitely been up and down; periods of slow posting but also some periods of good posting. I think overall it was a little bit slower than I would have liked, but I think a busy schedule will often do that to you! I definitely enjoyed writing our post on personality typing the characters from Six of Crows, and we hope to do more of that next year!

And with that, I hope all of you have a great rest of the year and a happy new year to all of you! A reminder to get some rest where (and while) you can, as we all know the cycle will just start all over. Happy holidays!

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

December 23: Holiday Books (Aria)

Prompts: Christmas books and movies dominate the media during the winter season, but Christmas isn’t the only holiday being celebrated. Do you like reading holiday books at all? Have you ever read a holiday book about another religion? What about a holiday book not set during the winter season? If you’re religious but don’t celebrate Christmas, do you feel represented in the holiday media?

Happy (almost) Christmas everyone! And happy holidays to all the other celebrations going on at this time as well. Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone. Today’s topic is suggested by our very own host, and I suggest you go check out her page (linked above) if you haven’t already!

I tend to read mysteries and thrillers, so I usually don’t read holiday books. But I think there are certain books that I read during the holidays, and that will usually enter the cozy genre. So cozy mysteries are always good by the holidays or during winter. I think the catch is something light-hearted around the holidays will always be appropriate for what I want to feel!

I haven’t read anything about another religion on purpose, but whenever it pops up in a book I read, I really appreciate it. It’s always nice to get a glimpse into religions you don’t know. I worry about picking them up on the fly, because I won’t be sure it’s an accurate representation of how it really is. But I just tend to take these things with a grain of salt, and treat them as little tidbits of information that I can at least appreciate.

I wonder what a holiday book not set during the winter season would be like. That would be something more akin to a beach read right? Maybe I’m just overgeneralizing though. Just something about a wintery cool season makes me want to sit down in a comfy chair and just read, and slowly go through the book at my leisure. Not sure how you all love to do your holiday readings!

I celebrate Christmas but I’m not sure that means it’s really represented in the media. It’s really been taken over as some sort of gift-giving party-hosting scheduling frenzy for two weeks (not that I dislike it). But in terms of the religious side of things, I feel that some of that is lost in the media portrayal, and becomes more capitalistic in nature. Still, I enjoy the time to see friends and family you don’t necessarily see often, and I think that’s always a blessing.

What about you all? Do you do holiday readings? And please do let me know if you have a good holiday read that isn’t set in winter (or autumn)!