2021 was a tough year for a lot of us. For me, it was also a year of distance from reading and blogging. I hit a rough patch towards the end of 2020 with my blogging and I never really got out of that head space for most of 2021. But now, I’m getting to a much better spot in terms of thinking about this blog as something I do for fun and escape after my day job.
For 2022 I am recommitting to enjoying my blog, bookstagram, and reading. Everything started to feel like a task during the first lockdown of 2020 because I used blogging as a motivating tool while I struggled with unemployment and not having enough money to pay my bills. But I lost sight of the enjoyment while the pandemic raged around me and I really want to get that back. Writing blog posts and book reviews and talking about books with people who also love to share the amazing things they’re reading is the goal, right? So that’s what I’m going to try to do.
That means my goals aren’t always going to be met when I have a tougher month at work, and I’ll probably need to reassess what I can commit to regularly. In the last several months I’ve only taken on the occasional ARC and no book tours and I think I’ll have to stick to that pattern. Instead, there are a couple of small bookstores nearby and I’ve (finally) replaced my ten year old broken Kindle so I’ll be working through the books I really want to read and letting my mood dictate things.
There were a few years when I was in college where I really didn’t read outside of what was assigned. I rediscovered my love for voracious reading during graduate school in a slower time of my life and I kind of got carried away with the goals and the challenges following that. Now, I’m just going to be happy with what reading I have the time and energy for. There will be days where I’d rather go on a drive with my partner or play video games and that’s life! It’s healthy to have moderation, even when it comes to reading.
So here’s to 2022: commit to the things you love, and do them however works for you!
Cups and Cards and Books 