It was about a year ago when Kevin suggested we start a book blog. I was hesitant at first because I am self-conscious about my writing. I have always been a bad speller and not very good at punctuation. After some convincing (he said it would be a fun hobby we could do together and he would always proofread my writing) I finally agreed. Here is my 2019 Blog Recap.
At the beginning of 2019, we started brainstorming ideas of what we wanted to write about, names to call our blog, and the best ways to start a blog. We were in this stage for a while, and I wasn’t sure we would ever get past the initiation stage to publish anything. Finally, around May we went live with a few articles. Since we started, I have written and posted 14 articles.
Goals for 2020
My Goodreads goal for 2019 was to read 12 books (I was not keeping track of audiobooks or rereads last year). I was able to meet my goal for 2019! For 2020, I would like to read 12 books and listen to 12 audiobooks. My non-reading goal is to try to keep better track of my reading and keep up with posting reviews, all while working on my Spanish. I read 3 children’s books in Spanish this year!
2019 Blog Recap
I am going to highlight some of my favorite things about reading and blogging throughout the year. I’ll start with my least favorite book I read this year and work my way to my overall favorite book of 2019.
Least Favorite Book
My least favorite book was Who Moved my Cheese? By Spencer Johnson. It’s my least favorite because I am not a huge fan of self-help books. It was short so I didn’t waste my time and it expanded my reading genres so it wasn’t all bad. I gave it 3 stars, check out my full review here.
Favorite Reread
My favorite reread is definitely Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. I didn’t remember much from when I first read it several years ago. This time, I read it right after reading The Shining and right before the movie, Doctor Sleep, came out. I was super excited to see Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance and the reread and the movie did not disappoint.
Favorite Audiobook
My favorite audiobook this year is an Audible Original, The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson. It’s a short listen about Marie Curie’s life around the time when a love scandal threatens to discredit all her scientific work. Marie’s friend Hertha Ayrton, also an accomplished scientist, helps her through the difficult time. It’s based on a true story about women in science, feminism, and friendship. It made me angry and it made me cry. I gave it 5 stars! I have not written a post about it yet but if you would like to check it out on Audible you can find it here.
Favorite Quote
Of course, my favorite quote is from The Lord of the Rings. I have so many favorite quotes from there, I need to write about more of them. But my all-time favorite is “All that is gold does not glitter.” I even have an awesome bookmark with this quote on it that I got for Christmas! You can read my thoughts about J.R.R. Tolkien’s poem here.
Favorite Blog Post of 2019
My favorite post is my article about Bill Nye’s quote: “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” It still inspires me, if you would like to see why, click here.
Favorite Part about Blogging
Surprisingly, reading is my second favorite part of blogging. My favorite part about blogging is making all of the pictures and artwork that you see on the blog. My favorite photo I have made in 2019 is “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure,” a quote from The Alchemist. The photo that gets the most pins on Pinterest is the quote from Eragon. If you like any of the photos I make please re-pin or share them with social media.
Favorite Book of 2019
It’s so hard to pick a favorite book. I didn’t have any books rated below 3 stars this year. My average rating was 3 or 4 stars. My only other 5-star rating this year was IT by Stephen King and technically it was a re-listen. I re-listened to all 44 hours before IT Chapter 2 came out in theaters. The narrator is what made this book 5 stars. See what I liked about him in my review here.
Year of Firsts
There have been a lot of firsts this year. I got a Kindle Paperwhite earlier in the year and read my first book on an e-reader. I taught myself how to use GIMP and Canva to make pictures. Also, I ran a 5k using a training program on Audible.
Final Thoughts of 2019 Blog Recap
My writing has grown significantly since the beginning of 2019. Before blogging, I hadn’t written much since college and that was all scientific writing, none of it was for fun. I’m still getting the hang of writing for myself and an audience.
We are still in the process of using Social Media to promote our blog. I am having the most fun with Pinterest, again, because I like pretty pictures. Please if you like our blog give us a like or a share on your favorite social media platform.
I never thought I would be blogging about books. It’s a lot of work but it’s so much fun and worth it.
We would love to hear your thoughts about our blog to help us grow and expand what we do. Do you have a favorite article or certain types of articles you’d like to see from us more?
What was your favorite book you read this year?
What a great year you had!!! I love that you have a goal to read children’s books in Spanish – this is something that I’ve wanted to do for the past five years but just haven’t gotten around to. You’ve inspired me!
Thank you! It helps a lot that I have a friend who speaks Spanish and is willing to read with me. Good luck with your Spanish!
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I read Perfect Child after reading your review,it was a great book. I’m with you I can’t decide my favorite. I just finished The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah great book I also read The Nightingale by same author both great reads. I do read the quotes every week too very interesting history. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much! I thought the Nightingale looked interesting too. I might have to borrow it from you. Thanks for reading!