WOO First Crossroads for the year!
2019 has started with a BANG. As I start writing this, it’s the first week of January and I’m already 3 books down 😀 Warning myself to stay away from burnout, especially because this month is my end of quarter so for the latter half of the month I’ll be exhausted with trying to hit my sales targets /sweat/. So yes, I’m not quite writing this mid-month as I usually would, but this is the only time I’ll have for the rest of the month 😦
I was lucky enough to spend New Years at my boyfriend’s place up on the Gold Coast (where I took the beautiful header image on this post) and had a fantastic, unobscured view of the fireworks! We spent a few days up there, just hanging out, tanning, shopping, saw a few movies (definitely watch Vice and DO NOT watch Aquaman, no matter how sexy you think Jason Momoa is) and LOTS of reading. I read the last 300 pages of Renegades by Marissa Meyer by the pool – which is huge considering I haven’t read that much in a single sitting in a VERY LONG TIME (excluding audiobooks which I eat right up). Then proceeded to read half of The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the plane back to Sydney.
I’m looking to finish The Thing Around Your Neck and Words of Radiance part one by Brandon Sanderson today – I think between both of them I have about 150 pages to go. In the last week I’ve really rekindled my love for reading, but in realising that I’ve also found that I REALLY SUPER NEED to clean out my TBR list on Goodreads. I found myself at multiple points last year looking for something to read on that list and just feeling bored.
On that note however, I haven’t had a look of ANY of the books that are coming out this year and just found out (literally about half an hour ago) that Leigh Bardugo is releasing a new book in the Grishaverse and I am DYING. If you haven’t seen it – click here for the link – and you’re welcome. Taking any and all suggestions of what I should put on my new and improved Goodreads TBR!
I think that one of the things I really need to focus on this year is learning how to keep up with reading on the go. And I don’t mean the commute to and from work. I travel internationally for work quite a bit (It’s only the January and I already have 6 trips booked!), and every time I do, it shakes up my routine like nothing else. I’m the kind of person that needs their day to be planned out and structured – but when I don’t have dedicated time to answering emails or writing up proposals, I spend literally every second of my spare time doing it instead… and I completely attribute last year’s burn out to that. This year, the plan is to be more flexible. To forgive myself a little bit. To ask for help, and to voice when I just can’t do things. To make time for myself, and to love myself a little more.
(I just did the calculations; I do three trips a year to the US, that’s 14 hours x 6 SYD > SFO which makes 84 hours in flight – plenty of reading time!!!!)
Sydney Harbour ❤
As for the blog – I’m definitely looking to put more effort in this year. I mean, I would have last year if I did any reading! Having a creative outlet makes more of a difference than I’ve realised, so I’m hoping to keep it up. This year, I’m definitely thinking of changing things up a little in here – I want to do some reading blogs, some read-a-thons, take more pictures, post more opinion based stuff. I read back on my old posts and feel like I’m very stiff sometimes, so mostly, I want to put more heart and more personality into these posts! (it would probably be more fun for me too)
I’m going to cheat a little because I know that by the time this post goes up, I will definitely have all these books down – so here’s the wrap up for the first half of January.
As for the TBR, I only have one in mind so far and that’s Sadie by Courtney Summers, which I’m going to get on audiobook (which I’ve heard is fantastic). I recently got a 3 month free trial on Scribd which I’ve been using for a while now, so once the trial is up I’ll try and put a review up 🙂 I’ve got some opinions on it vs Audible and Kobo hehe
I hope January has treated you all well. Here’s to a great year ❤
Much love,
xo Pattycakes
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