I know I wanted to list my favourites blogging wise this year but I wasn’t sure what to include. This is my attempt to include everything from blog posts to bloggers. I have my final 2017 post coming soon (once I start writing it) of my favourite books of this year. It’s going to be a hard post to write.
Most Read Post Of This Year
It came between two posts for the coveted ‘most read’ spot this year. I trawled through looking at my views and did my checks and my most popular post was in fact ‘Do Your Reviews Ever Feel Repetitive?’ with ‘Why I Am Happy To DNF’ in a close second. I was in no way surprised to see a discussion post as the most popular post of the year, they are the posts which get the most views and comments on a weekly basis and I love that. It is why I will undoubtedly be doing the Discussion Challenge again next year. It helps motivate me to write those discussion posts (as they take up more time and energy to write) but they are the ones I engage with people more on.
Most Read Review This Year
Every book blogger knows that reviews simply aren’t as popular as other posts on the blog. I mean, my Sunday Summary posts are viewed more often than most of my reviews. You would question what is the point but then if you are posting your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon then the point is you are boosting a books popularity and helping an author out. You may not care that much when it comes to books you didn’t like, but those you love? I know I would sure like more people to read my favourites, especially if it means an author can keep writing what they love.
Anyway, diversion aside, I wanted to know which review I did garnered the most attention in 2017. I was in fact a review for a film: Five Reasons To Watch Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I’m not surprised to see something Harry Potter adjacent received attention but I am surprised to see my most popular review in 2017 is for a film. My second most popular review was in the same format and was Five Reasons To Read Alchemists Of Loom. I’m surprised that was so popular as well. It does show me that a five point format works for people in reviews. I think because you have the three headings and a summary. They're easy to look and digest if you don’t have time to read the whole thing. I’ll have to do that more.
My Favourite Post Of The Year
I know in one tag for the year there is the question of which post you wish had received more attention, I think I always wish my posts received more attention. I want folks to love them all. Instead, I am going to select the post I loved the most from the past year.
I think the post I most enjoyed writing and felt was most true was ‘Commenting: Sometimes Less Is More’. I am a fan of writing long comments and I like receiving them but honestly, I like folks commenting. It doesn’t matter if they say a few words or write an essay, it’s good to see folks stopping by so that’s what motivated me to write that little post and I am really pleased with it.
My Favourite Review Of The Year
How do you pick favourites when it comes to a review? I am not exactly objective on what was a good or a bad review. I pretty much think everything I write is amazingly terrible but I keep on doing it because blogging is fun. Anyway, I think the review I enjoyed the most was the one I wrote for The Love Experiment. It’s nothing special or different but I just enjoyed spewing my thoughts onto the page, and reading it back made me smile. I also noticed I have not done anywhere near enough ‘Five Reasons’ reviews of late. Probably because they’re a little more time consuming but I am changing that next year guys, I will bring back those posts (maybe… hopefully… we’ll see).
Post I Wish I’d Written
There are plenty of posts I wish I wrote. Pretty much every review which either convinces me to buy a book or reminds me why I loved it in the first place. Those, along with the many well thought out and informative discussions which get me thinking mean that I could write a very long lost here for you. There is one post which springs immediately to mind though and that is the one Evelina at Avalinah’s Books wrote after Netgalley changed things up for international bloggers.
She wrote an encouraging post which hopefully helped those who felt disheartened at the changes occurring in the bookish community and felt excludes by them. I had wanted to write something similar but life prevented me. In fact, I still have the notes on that post saved on my phone. It was basically me encouraging folks to take alternative routes to get books from libraries to indie books to taking a shot and emailing publishers. I didn't feel the need to finish my post after reading hers.
Book Bloggers Who I’ve Enjoyed This Year
The bloggers who I've enjoyed the most this year? For me, I feel they should be obvious. There may be new faces on here or they may be old but they all deserve to be here.
- Nick and Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist: Nick for always providing the best romance recs and for reading all of the things so you don't always have to (it's like she checks them out for you and if they get her stamp of approval they must be good). And Nereyda for her amazing bujo skills and reminding me you can go through a reading slump which feels never ending but eventually you will get back into reading and love it. Also for making me always feel I should exercise more and linking to good YouTube videos.
- Metaphors and Moonlight: Kristen reads the best indie books. If you are ever in doubt you want to read an indie she is there. Also if you need any good/different paranormal recs. She managed to survive a hurricane with chronicle illness! I mean seriously guys, check her blog out.
- Fine Print: Danya is a blogger I have followed for a long while. She reads excellent fantasy. Has great taste in romance and is just generally great to chat to. She had a tough time of it towards the end of the year but she is still reading and blogging and still adding plenty of books to my TBR, as usual.
- Avalinah’s Books: Evelina is a newer blogger to my list but considering she wrote the post I wish I had this year I felt she definitely deserved a spot on here. I’m only a recent follower to her blog but I know I like her discussions and she is so active on Twitter that I feel I should try harder.
- Book Haven: Greg has had a tough a year. I mean major heart surgery and still blogging!? Yeah, I feel like I’m slacking too.
- Diva Booknerd: Kelly’s blog is one I have followed for a while but never really commented on too much but this year I sucked it up. I’d posted how short comments mattered just as much as long ones so was determined to practice what I preach and turns out Kelly is great. She also ends up spending way too much on romance under the influence of Nick. And she is a champion of OzYA which is great but upsetting for me because a lot of books she reads haven’t made it out of Australia yet and they sound so good! I cannot justify going to Australia just to stock up on some books, I don’t gave that kind of cash.
- Weendizzle: Rowena is great. She reads good romance, has the biggest family known to man so always has an interesting story to tell and always seems to watch good films. She is one of those bloggers you feel actually pays attention to what you say when you stop by. And she keeps you well informed about whichever sport she’s following which is in season, which is always fun.
- KissinBlueKaren: Karen is a blogger who I discovered a while ago but who I began following after one comment on my blog. I couldn’t help but keep stopping by. She reviews a variety of books and helps me discover books I might never normally read.
- We Live and Breathe Books: Specifically Sam who is reading all the YA so I don’t have to. I can pick and choose the best from her. She is always friendly and posts so much which is great because you never run out of new recs and in good discussion posts.
- The Innocent Smiley: Val blogs about YA mostly and I love it. She also has a cat, Primrose, and I love when you stop by and there’s anew cat picture. Any blogger who loves cats is one I want to be following.
- It Starts At Midnight: Shannon not only hosts the Discussion CHallange long with Nicole, she also loves The 100 and blogs about books when The 100 is having downtime. She has excellent TV and book recs so I keep on stopping by.
- Feed Your Fiction Addiction: Nicole is the other host of the discussion challenge but she is also a brilliant blogger. She reads so many different books and she is great she keeps track of bloggers birthdays/blogoversaries. She is like this central hub, you stop by on a Sunday and her posts include giveaways going on and preorder gifts. You not only get reviews but bookish information, what’s not to love?
There will be plenty of bloggers I’ve forgotten. There are so many I follow so if you’re missed off it’s not because I’ve not been loving your blog this year but simply because I am forgetful and began to feel my list was getting a bit lengthy. If you’re missed off feel free to shame me in the comments.
What blog related things have you been loving of late? Which bloggers have you loved this year? And which post do you wish you wrote? Tell me blog things below and let’s make 2018 a great year for bloggers!
So… 2017 was a dumpster fire of a year. It honestly was. If it wasn’t for the good things happening this year would not have been worth it. I am glad to be able to begin afresh in 2018 because 2017 has not been the most kind to anyone but it was definitely not great for me personally.
Personal Highlights
I went on holiday to Cyprus, my first holiday in about three or four years. My mom and I relaxed and read and drank cocktails and I honestly had a great beach holiday. It makes me want to travel more but I’m not brave enough to travel alone (yet) so if you guys have travelled alone please tell me motivating things so I can give it a shot.
Then there was my trip to Bath with friends for a hen do. It was a great weekend and I experienced my first spa day and loved it! It was a fun mix of history, drinks and relaxation and Bath has become one of the places I need to go to again.
I once more had a really fun bonfire night hanging out with the BFF. Dancing to music in a field and acting like kids (without the aid of alcohol). It was fun and not even that chilly and I really enjoyed that. Bonfire night isn’t always my favourite but that was a good night.
And finally, one of my friends got married! It was a great day, a little emotional and such fun. I’m glad I got to be there to see it all. The added bonus of seeing friends from school didn’t hurt either.
Top TV
I am not good at keeping track of TV but there were plenty of shows I loved this year and these are a few.
I have only recently started this one but it’s brilliant and I definitely want to watch the original Korean drama as well to see how the two shows compare. I am enjoying it so much to see an autistic MC and see his struggles to make it as a surgeon. It seems really well done and smart and so I am glad this show got made.
I will always adore this show and it’s almost wrapped up for another series. I think I love it because it’s set in my local area but it’s also a genuinely good show. Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy on my screen don’t hurt either. But yeah, I appreciate seeing Birmingham on the TV and even if some of the accent attempts are terrible I enjoy it every time. And some of it is filmed at The Black Country Museum and that’s not that far from me! Who doesn’t love seeing their local area on TV from time to time?
How could this not be on my list? I think this will be on plenty of folks favourites lists. I didn’t think this second season could possibly be as good as the first but they proved me wrong. It was just as good if not better in certain ways.
The other show I loved from Netflix was The Defenders, I watched the whole thing in a day and I loved it. Well done Netflix. I may not have been able to make it through Iron Fist but I could make it through this show. I cannot wait for Jessica Jones to return to my screen once more after watching this.
This show returned on Netflix for another season and it was just as brilliant as always. I will seriously watch this show forever. Yay for older women being the focus of a show. And yay for it being funny! This is better than half the comedies I see on TV and it’s back again soon for another season!
This was one weird ass TV show. I was confused about 90% of the time but it was so smart. I loved the fact it had Jemaine in it as well (from Flight of the Conchords) because I love that guy. I hope shows like this still get made even though Disney has closed a deal with Fox. It was dark and twisted and a little bit crazy and it worked! I admit that the Fox Marvel shows are better than the ABC ones by far and I hope they still get to be made because these are the shows I enjoy most. I know the ABC ones keep the tone of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but that doesn’t matter, they were cheesy and kind of bad.
Favourite Films
I forgot this film even came out this year but it was so good. I was amazed at the skill of James McAvoy playing so many different characters in one film. They were all so very distinct and he made his physical presence so different for each character that I actually forgot it was the same person at times. I loved this film and it gave me a strong urge to rewatch Unbreakable. And now I’ve done some googling I know there’s another film, Glass, scheduled to be out in 2019! Cannot wait, guys.
I saw this film at the cinema with my brother and even though I was forewarned it was emotional I cried. I admit I cried. I don’t think the X-Men films, or even the Wolverine films, have always been the best but I definitely feel like they’ve slowly been getting better as each film comes out and I really hope they carry on being made because Logan demonstrated the skill of these films. I may not have agreed that Hugh Jackman was the best actor to play Wolverine (too tall) but he certainly did justice to his character and that was never more obvious than in this film.
Guys, this is a satirical horror about racism. This film was genius. It got you thinking and there were comedy elements in the form of Rod, but as a whole, it is a horror film meant to shine the light on the racism prevalent in the US and the west in general and it does that well. I watched this film because it looked so smart and my friend and I loved it and were shocked by it and it really did its job. It had laugh out loud moments but also moments which shocked me. I actually read that there was another ending planned for this film and when I was watching I expected that ending but it was decided it should be happier and I’m kind of glad for it.
Who wasn’t excited about this Disney film? I adored every second of it and I bought it on Blu-Ray to rewatch over and over. It was one of my favourite films growing up and it’s still a favourite of mine. My one friend didn’t enjoy it as much as she hoped but I call her crazy. I loved it.
I was a bit late to the game with this one. I didn’t get to see this in the cinema but I got to see it on TV afterwards and I wasn’t sure it would meet my Finding Nemo expectations but much like the Toy Story films were so well done that you couldn’t fault the sequels, the sequel game was strong in this one too.
Talking about strong sequel game, John Wick 2 managed to surprise me with how good it actually was. I adored it. My one friend had an issue with the one death scene in it but as a whole, it was so so good. I didn’t think it would be as good as the first but turns out Keanu Reeves can still make brilliant films and this is one of them. I cannot wait for there to be third John Wick film. I need more.
And what better film to end my list with than Thor: Ragnarok. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see this or not because Thor was my least favourite of the heroes in the MCU but he’s moved right to the to with this film. Taiki Waititi is my hero after watching this and I’ve also remembered my Chris Hemsworth crush. He is hot and funny, how many celebrities can say that?
Top Music
Foo Fighters // P!nk // Linkin Park
Kesha // Ed Sheeran // Taylor Swift
I wasn’t sure how to figure out my favourite music of 2017… then Spotify gave me a list of my most played. It was really accurate apart from Taylor Swift’s new album wasn’t there enough as I bought it on iTunes. These are the highlights on my music, though. They are the artists I couldn’t stop listening to and the ones I will continue to listen to on repeat.
What are your non-bookish/blogging favourites of 2017? It’s easy to get down on this year, but I admit it wasn’t all bad.
Hi guys, I hope you’re already for Christmas as it’s Christmas Eve! I wasn’t going to post today or on New Year’s Eve because I know it’s the time of year we’re all busy with our family but I hate missing a Sunday post so I will persevere.
This week has been a really strange one. I will begin with the bad and work my way up. I did debate whether or not to tell you guys on the blog but I’m honest about everything else so you can hear the bad news too.
On Thursday night my nan passed away. I am still processing it. She went into hospital Tuesday and we thought she was just causing trouble (as she was known to do) and causing a stir. She was anaemic and her blood pressure was low but we were optimistic. But then when we visited Wednesday the doctor told us she wasn’t responding to treatment and they recommended stopping treatment and keeping her comfortable. It was shocking for all of us. I was in tears at work Thursday so was sent home and we managed one last visit to the hospital Thursday and then in the night when no one was there she passed. It was a terrible night for me but knowing how unhappy she became towards the end I can at least know she is at peace now.
I am obviously still heartbroken and am prone to bouts of crying if I leave myself to think too hard but keeping busy to prepare for Christmas is helping. Because of the way the holiday has fallen we can’t do much to prepare for her funeral or anything like that until Wednesday but it means I am going to be busy on my week off of work. This wasn’t exactly how I’d hoped to spend my time but I am hoping my having to plan things like her funeral will help keep me distracted. I am actually glad that my stepdad has invited his daughters and their kids over for Christmas Day now, though. Having so many people in the house will stop me and my brother from moping and will help us enjoy the holiday because it was my nan’s favourite holiday so I refuse to let it ruin the holiday for me.
As you can imagine blogging hasn’t been my priority this week but I do want to get my end of year/start of 2018 posts up. I thought about taking a break from it but I honestly think that staying busy is the best way for me to cope because I will wallow. This is probably one of the stages of grief but I’m cool with that.
Apart from the big low of this week everything else has been pretty awesome in comparison. Everyone at work was absolutely lovely while I was sat there crying and working away Thursday morning (I was wrapping my work up in case I wasn’t back in Friday) those on my team were so lovely and my friends have been totally amazing. It has made me really appreciate the friends I have because they are the best and have totally been there. If I need to cry/a distraction/late night chat then I know I’ve got people I can call and that’s good to know.
What I’ve Been Reading
I’m sure you can all appreciate I have not been in the best mood for reading but I had started The Cruel Prince at the beginning of the week and I was determined to finish. I do find a good book can often be the perfect distraction. This was most definitely a good book. I will be reviewing it next month, closer to the release date. If you guys enjoy a good fantasy or have read Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest then you need to preorder this book ASAP. It’s amazing! My only complaint is that I don’t have the next book yet!
New To Me
I got a single book this week and it’s a short 200 page thing for Kindle and I am pleased with that progress. I did also get approved for the Shadowsong ARC, though. I am so insanely excited for this book you don’t even know, I’ve got my preorder in already but I will never say no to reading early.
How have your guys weeks been? Are we all ready for CHristmas? We still need to put our tree up but all of my presents are wrapped.
It’s approaching Christmas so what better time of year to sit and watch a whole heap of Christmas films for no good reason? I spent all of my Saturday watching Christmas films on Netflix, inspired by the fact I wanted to watch Christmas Inheritance (because my love for Eliza Taylor knows no bounds) and then it was a bit of a slippery slope from there.
Christmas InheritanceBefore ambitious heiress Ellen Langford can inherit her father's gift business, she must deliver a special Christmas card to her dad's former partner in Snow Falls, the hometown she never knew. When a snowstorm strands her at the town inn, she's forced to work for her keep, and in the process, finds romance and discovers the true gift of Christmas.
I will be honest, I watched this film for Eliza Taylor. I may not be all caught up on The 100 but I will watch anything she does because she is my favourite. I thought the film had potential but was a little predictable sounding. I mean, rich girl gets sent to small town to learn the true spirit of Christmas? Yeah, I knew how that was going to go down straight off the bat, but I didn’t care.
We begin with Ellen showing off her gymnastic skills and drinking to show she is such a rebel. I wasn’t totally sure what she did in the company but for some reason she expected her dad to hand it over to her. I only figured out they were a gift company when she got to Snow Falls. I didn’t really get why her dad thought sending her to Snow Falls would teach her humility but it obviously will. Probably because it’s just the kind of place where everyone knows one another and they are very close.
I was totally right about the film but it was so bad it was good, you know? It was predictable and funny and cutesy and basically like a Christmas contemporary romance in film form and who doesn’t love that? I did spend a lot of the film thinking, I recognise that dude when it came to Jake so then I had a big Googling session to figure out what I’d seen him in (he was in Obvious Child, an excellent film with Jenny Slate that is an abortion rom-com… I know, it shouldn’t work but it’s so smart and I enjoyed it) so there was that as well.
I can’t say this is a film which everyone will love but if you’re looking for a cheesy Christmas film and want a little cheering up with some heart-warming romance then check this out. This film won’t fail you.
A Christmas PrinceWhen a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love - but will she be able to keep up her lie?
This one was the perfect film to follow on from Christmas Inheritance… also I had heard it was terrible and needed to experience it first hand. Christmas Inheritance was the better film by far, this one was a bit too cheesy and ridiculous and filled with OTT drama and scheming. It had me rolling my eyes so much it was ridiculous. Like, I knew it was going to be ridiculous but as soon as they named the fictional kingdom Aldovia I knew it was going to be bad, could they not think of anything which didn’t sound like Genovia? Also, the whole sneaking round for a story bit was so crazy, especially as when she was lying about being a tutor she still had her press pass on! And the moments where she was sneaking around for the story were so not subtle and it bothered me.
I will say it was light easy viewing and I would have adored this film as a kid so maybe those viewing with a slightly younger audience will have good viewing to keep the kids occupied at Christmas, perfect as many break up for the holidays.
Love The CoopersWhen four generations of the Cooper clan come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday.
After I discovered who played Jake in Christmas Inheritance I then discovered he had been in another Christmas film, Love the Coopers, and this one was available on Amazon Prime. I’d already added it to my to watch list and I think it was because someone who had something to do with The Family Stone had something to do with this film and The Family Stone is one of my favourites.
This was a little weird but it was completely laugh out loud funny. I was confused by the narration and couldn’t figure out how all the characters were linked for a really long time but I didn’t even care. It was crazy and a little weird but it was sweet and heart-warming. it may not be my favourite film ever but it was fun and sweet and it made me happy. Also, I’m now a little in love with Jake Lacy, I will watch films with him in always.
El Camino Christmas
The project, scripted by Melfi and writer Chris Wehner, is about a young man (Grimes) who seeks out a father he has never met and, through no fault of his own, ends up barricaded in a liquor store with five other people on Christmas Eve. The story takes place in the fictitious town of El Camino, NV.
This was the most disappointing of the Christmas films. I enjoyed it in some ways. It was funny, but I felt like there could have been more. It was a comedy and it was a little ridiculous but it felt like big chunks of the story were completely not explored. I mean, the MC (whose name I can’t remember… along with everyone else's) was arrested for possession and supposedly having other drug paraphernalia. He was beaten and then only escaped custody as one of the sheriff’s deputies let him go.
There was no exploration of the cops incompetence or anything they just were incompetent and then it was okay. And then there was the fact the guy was trying to connect with his father and it all just felt disjointed, like a bunch of plot points thrown on a page and only half were fully explored. Basically, it was all half assed and rushed and hella confusing and even the ending didn’t feel satisfying. It entertained me but I wouldn’t recommend or rewatch.
Have you watched any Christmas films yet this year? Do you have a favourite or d you just like to try and see what comes on TV and hope for the best?
Hi guys! So what’s happened this week? I’ve spent a lot less time on my laptop again this week and I’ve enjoyed the slight digital break. I’ve been spending my time thinking about my resolutions for next year and I’m thinking one of them may be me trying to switch off from technology after 9/9:30 because too often I find myself sitting in bed on a night browsing my phone for an hour after I go to bed and there is no reason for it. It would be much better if I just turned off from technology, so you guys heard it here first, I am going to try and switch off. I am also thinking I want to set some non-book/blog related resolutions because I never normally do that. We’ll see, I’m all about 2018 planning right now.
We struggled with the aftermath of the heavy snow we had on last Sunday. We had a real cold snap here and it was a real struggle getting to work all week. Public transport wasn’t too bad but it was slippery and when it went below freezing the snow gradually became ice which was just awesome (not). I successfully haven’t fallen over but was definitely stressful walking up the hill to work, especially as I couldn’t always walk in the road to avoid the ice like I wanted to (if anyone could explain why people don’t grit footpaths that would be awesome).
I won’t move on to work because whilst I enjoyed some things at work a couple of major things pissed me off. I’m working for another week and then I break up for Christmas. I am looking forward to the time off. I am also looking forward to the Christmas party next week.
I have had a fun non-bookish week all in all and I am loving that. I managed to blog a bit, and I read a book and finally finished another. I watched terrible Christmas films on Netflix and that was awesome. And then I watched a funny Christmas film and I don’t even care that it’s not quite Christmas yet, we’re planning on putting our decorations up this weekend so I’m getting into the spirit.
What I’ve Been Reading
I decided screw finishing A Court of Wings and Ruin right now, let’s read Artemis and I actually really enjoyed it. Although I did have issues (as discussed in my review) it was fun, though. It was only after I finished and I thought back on it the issues were obvious to me. I also (finally) finished A Life in Parts and I have to say Bryan Cranston has led an interesting life. I am glad I read it.
New To Me
I only got two books this week. I am impressed with myself. Autoboyography was a Kindle daily deal so I had to buy, especially since I’d seen plenty of good reviews for it. And then I won The Cruel Prince on Readers First a couple of weeks back and I’ve been sat in doubt about whether or not it would arrive (I am excited about this book, I’m always surprised if I get books I actually want). I will be starting The Cruel Prince this weekend. I cannot wait, Holly Black always does good books.
What are you reading? Anyone else had snow lately? And what’s your favourite Christmas film?
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