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2022 (Reading) Goals

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Happy, happy new year everyone! I cannot believe it’s 2022, but I choose to be hopeful as we stare down another year that has blessedly arrived. I hope the year has started off well for you all, whether you celebrated quietly at home or were able to gather with others safely.

With this being said, I don’t quite take on New Year’s resolutions because so often the way it is framed suggest we’re setting up ourselves for failure or extreme stress to achieve such goals. So instead, I’m framing this as reasonable and attainable goals I hope to keep myself accountable this year. Start small and grow from there as habits kick in. Be flexible and just have fun with it.

Will you join us in making 2022 a great year to diversify and try new things?

  1. Read 80 books
  2. Listen to more audiobooks (maybe 10 at least)
  3. Read 1 poetry book
  4. Re-read one series and/or 3 standalones
  5. Read 2 non-fiction Christian books
  6. Spend more time in Scripture (once a day)
  7. Finish 90% of ARCs on time
  8. Choose ARCs with a stricter criteria instead of willy-nilly choosing
  9. Read at least 7 new BIPOC authors
  10. Not be afraid to DNF >1 book if necessary
  11. Participate in more buddy reads with fellow bloggers like you!
  12. Try out different blog posts (at least 1-2 others) not currently found here
  13. Read more from the library – only buy books if absolutely needed
  1. Read 60 books
  2. Dive into the ARC scene (and finish on time)
  3. Read a non-fiction book
  4. Read at least 5 works by Indigenous authors
  5. Read and engage more with other bookish blogs
  6. Reading a French novel
  7. Re-read an old favourite in another language
  8. Explore different genres for audiobooks (find one I like)

We’re wishing you all a blessed, safe, and joyous 2022!

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Let’s Talk Bookish – Reflecting on 2021

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

DECEMBER 31: REFLECTING ON YOUR 2021 READING/BLOGGING YEAR (Rukky @ Eternity Books)

What did you accomplish reading and blogging wise in 2021? What are you most proud of? What are you most disappointed by? If there’s something new you tried in 2021 with your reading or blogging, what was it and how did that turn out? How do you think you’ve grown as a reader/blogger? What would you advise yourself as we look to 2022?

The year 2021 is where we really tried to post content constantly here on DTRH, and adhere to a schedule and try and get into a habit of things. And overall, I really do think that we accomplished this and I’m definitely proud of us for coming this far. It’s not easy to just add commitments to your schedule and actually stick to it for a whole year, and I am so glad we had the chance to do that this year in 2021.

One of the things I am proud of was being able to read so many books this year. I only set a goal of about 50 books, but I managed to surpass this in the end. Normally I don’t keep track of how many books I read, but I’m glad that I committed to reading a certain number of books and executed on it. The best part was that it didn’t even feel like a chore, and I genuinely enjoyed reading all these books. Hopefully I will continue to have time for this hobby in the upcoming year(s) as well.

I was definitely disappointed in some books that I randomly picked, but I suppose that’s the danger of random picking in the first place. I may, in the future, want to look into a book more before just reading it. While I have found some great treasures this year just picking one off the shelf, there were probably more times where I was underwhelmed and expecting much more.

As stated earlier, I’d say the commitment to posting as often as we can and trying to engage with the community was really something we worked on this year and really hope turned out well. We have both definitely grown here at DTRH this last year, and not only purely because of reading and blogging as well. It has been a hard year for most, but struggle really does invite growth.

Our post yesterday gives some insight into what we looked back on in 2021 and how it feels looking forward. For 2022, I hope we can continue to enjoy reading and blogging, and continue to grow with the community. Of course, we will also make new goals to try and reach next year, so stay tuned for those.

Happy New Year, everyone!

musings

2021 Reflections

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Is it strange to say that I felt this year pass by like looking at something through a blurry mirror? It just doesn’t feel quite real that we are once again at the end of another pandemic year and waiting on 2022.

Alas, we wanted to put out some reflections about the year from both of us at Down the Rabbit Hole. Things that we learned, things that we’re excited for, things that maybe made us a little sad. We wanted to keep it real here and share more of ourselves outside books alone (but also including books ’cause they’re such a huge part of our lives).

  1. Immigration stories hit me in the feels and I realize I shouldn’t be so quick to judge those who want/need to escape the life they were born into (read Love in English for example)
  2. While travelling is off for me, I realize books provide more adventure than I ever anticipated before
  3. Speaking of travels, I’m thankful for shorter distance travelling plans as I’ve come to realize it’s the people I go with that make the trip, not just the location
  4. Just because I’m Asian doesn’t mean that all Asian experiences and stories will connect with me – but even with a little grace to experiences I haven’t gone through, I still stand by not perpetuating harmful Asian stereotypes to the wider masses, especially in literature (see So We Meet Again)
  5. Life is super short, not just from seeing how fragile we are from disease but also from freak accidents, so I’m grateful for all my loved ones I can still hold onto (even from afar) this year
  6. I want to do more things I’m passionate about and not because I have to/feel obligated to do them – so posting things I like and making blogging fun
  7. Forgiveness is a healing process that takes time, but I am glad to say 1 year later, I am seeing the fruits of such healing (thanks to Forgiving What I Can’t Forget)
  8. Love >>> our own need to voice every opinion (mostly unheeded) – if there’s one thing this pandemic has taught me, to love others is the braver and more worthy choice
  9. Hope is not ignoring the reality – it’s looking forward to a brighter future with full confidence while acknowledging and acting accordingly in the present
  1. Firstly, grateful to Andge for a fantastic year here at DTRH, and for suggesting a whole slew of fantastic series that I really enjoyed (see Six of Crows, Stalking Jack the Ripper, Shadow of the Fox, Caraval…)
  2. Now that I’ve found something that I love to learn and do, I instantly know that it was right all along. Sometimes, you just know when it’s right, so I encourage you to chase that little inkling as it really can change your life
  3. Time is fleeting, and really shorter than you ever think, so enjoying the present moment where we can be safe and together becomes increasingly more important
  4. It always does a lot of good to try and see things from others’ perspectives. Listen more instead of speaking more
  5. Everyone deals with the same hardship a different way – something that pandemic really proved. A little more compassion can go a long way
  6. Relationships and friendships can ebb and flow, and there is no need to worry that you aren’t growing all your relationships at the same time (you don’t have the resources!)
  7. Making time to rest is so much more important than squeezing in a little bit more work. Burnout is hard to recover from
  8. Health is paramount. Don’t underestimate this!

Hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about how we felt about this past year – it certainly hasn’t been easy for most of us. What have you all learned this past year?