Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018!

Goodbye 2017

Looking Back

So, I don't know if anyone happened to notice, but I was NOT very active on my blog at all in 2017. I stopped reading. I stopped posting. I stopped blog hopping and commenting... Sorry, guys!

I feel like I have been going through a quarter life crisis all year. I just don't feel like I've been super happy. I'm not motivated to do much of anything.

I am in a funk.

I was pretty pumped that between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I could work everyday if I wanted to. And I did because getting out of my house made me happy.

It's sad when you feel like spending your day sifting through boring colored t-shirts at work all day everyday sounds preferable to much of anything else.

But despite the funk I found myself in, 2017 had some ups.

Most importantly...

Breath of the Wild sucked up SO MUCH of my time this past year. Did anybody get the DLC expansion pass? You know that meter that shows you where you have all been on the map for up to 200 hours? Well, my meter is about to be full.

I rediscovered my love of Sailor Moon. I have watched three seasons of the anime and read the first manga! I am excited to watch more of it and read the rest of the manga series!

I don't know why, but I remember hating Sailor Saturn when I watched it in like... elementary/middle school on Toonami. But I really liked her during this go-around. Like to the point that when I found out that there were Funkos of the outer guardians, I decided that I absolutely could not live without a Saturn one. Or Pluto. I don't know why those two were the ones I couldn't bear to live without.

I got to go see Leigh Bardugo on tour in Minnesota! I never made a recap post about this like I wanted to, but here is your photographic evidence that it happened! I don't know if it was a last minute thing or if it was just poorly publicized, but Sarah Ahiers was there too and I didn't know about it. I would have made sure to bring her books along as well!!

I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding in October. I had a lot more fun than I expected to, even if the guy I had to walk with had on Tr*mp socks. *shudders*

-I got to visit my mom in Indiana twice. My sister and I flew there in January and hung out and then roadtripped there in August. I'm glad that we got to go twice. Because those were the only two times we got to meet her squishy faced dog. He just died this month from cancer. :(

-I started getting more into anime. I probably could have binged a lot more of it than I have, but I've been telling myself I can't watch more Sailor Moon until I read some books. One weekend when I was home at my dad's, my sister and I binged the entirety of Charlotte (not hard, it took like four hours).

If you are into The Darkest Minds, watch Charlotte. It gives off total TDM vibes.

Check out my like, try, why-esque post about it!

-I participated in the On The Same Page Secret Sister project for the two rounds of 2017. It was so much fun to put together packages for people, I'm definitely going to continue on with that because I think I need the cheer in my life right now.

-I FINALLY got promoted to full time at my job! I also got a raise and I get to do something besides just packing! Also, I made a real life FRIEND at work. Like they used the word "FRIEND" to describe me on more than one occasion! And I get to have health insurance again!!

So basically, while 2017 did suck for the most part, there were definitely some wonderful ups!

Also, in case anyone was wondering what my motto for 2017 was... it was "It could be worse." I found myself saying that A LOT in the last couple months.

Hello 2018!

Looking Ahead

I plan to make 2018 my year. I am going to blog more. I am going to read more. I am going to be generally happier in my everyday life. I am going to make an EFFORT!

I am going to start by rearranging almost my entire house and getting rid of a lot of shit. If it doesn't make me happy, it's gone.

I want to blog hop more, so I am going to join the Commenting 365 challenge hosted by Nori at ReadWriteLove28.

I want to read a lot more of the books I have on my shelf already so I'm going to join the Beat the Backlist and Series a Month challenges and kind of combine them.

I want to FINALLY get 75 books read in one year. So I have to read at least 6.25 books per month. Doable.

For some ungodly reason I want to try out booktube?? Why??? I don't know, but we'll see how that goes.

I want to kind of expand my reading horizons. YA will always be my jam, but I kind of want to read more adult. Like, I want to find books for me. I also want to try out more manga. If you have any good recommendations for me, I would love to hear them!

Here are some things that I am looking forward to in 2018:

-The new special edition paperbacks of The Darkest Minds! Mine have already started shipping, but in such a stupid order. The Darkest Minds is the only one that already shipped. Never Fade is set to arrive on the 5th. In the Afterlight is set to arrive the same day as The Darkest Minds, but it hasn't shipped yet. And then Through the Dark is set to arrive on the 12th.

Like.. What the hell??

-The movie tie-in paperback of The Darkest Minds.

-THE DARKEST LEGACY!!!

-THE DARKEST MINDS MOVIE!!!!!!

-All the pirate/seaworthy YA books that are coming out! Daughter of the Siren Queen, Pacifica, To Kill a Kingdom, These Rebel Waves, The Sea Witch, Whisper of the Tide, ...Seafire?? I think that's one that's coming out later in 2018?? I can't remember, but I think it is. 

          

          

-I think my sister and I are planning to drive to Indiana again in June. And it will be great because her boyfriend is probably going to come with so that will be less driving per person! Woo!

-Fall Out Boy has a new album coming out and that is definitely always exciting.

That is all I can really think of that I am looking forward to at the moment. But really, with all the exciting TDM stuff, what more do I really need?

Then here are the things I plan to read in January:

1. Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

(I got this for an ARC Tour and it conveniently arrived right before the holidays so I'm going to have to DEVOUR it during this work break or I'm not gonna get to read it at all!!)

2. Between the Heart and the Blade by Amanda Hocking

(Netgalley)

3. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

4. The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows

(These two are gonna be my Beat the Backlist/Series a Month books.)

5. Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

(Netgalley)

6. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

(Netgalley)

7. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

(My reading choice that is outside of YA and also would qualify for Beat the Backlist.)

And I guess that's about all I have to say today!

What were some highlights of your 2017? What are you looking forward to in 2018? What do you think of my new blog layout?