Cheers to a New Year: My 2022 in Review

2022 was the year I dived into a black hole called the Psy-Changeling series. I had immensely loved Nalini Singh's contemporary romance books, so when my romance sisters Lisa and Katie kept pushing for me to start this paranormal romance series, it was due time. Side-eyeing myself for not starting this series sooner! It seems paranormal romance is kinda my jam because I binged Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews with the same fervor the year prior. I absolutely LOVED the world of Psy-Changeling *happy tears*. You bet I'll be diving into the "second arc" this year.

I was on a major board game kick last year after binging a lot of The Dice Tower videos. Tabletop games have been an on-and-off-again hobby of mine and I had made board game nights a resolution for 2021. They were a hit with my small but close circle of friends! As an introvert, these games nights became my favourite social event throughout the year heheh. I focused a lot of my energy on self-care and familial relationships. Two highlights of 2022 were seeing &Juliet musical and SEVENTEEN live in concert~ I'm focusing on travelling this year but I hope that I will also get a chance to attend more artisan markets and hobby conventions. May 2023 be kind to us all!

Hello, New Year: My 2021 in Review

2021 was a year of great losses and great gains. We've had a number of deaths in our community but my greatest loss last year was the passing of my bestpup Tidus. Anyone who knows me or speaks to me on socials know Tidus was the king of our household. He was my IG book model and lone audience of my singing serenades. He had a huge and calming presence in our home. It's been a hard year adjusting to his absence but I'm fortunate to have so many memories, photos and videos of him to reminisce over. You are forever in our hearts, Tidus!

The rest of the year flew by after that. My days consisted of working, reading, eating and sleeping. You know... the basics. When I mentioned great gains, I meant that I gained a boatload of work experience and confidence in my nursing capabilities. Many of my seniors have commented that they've noticed how I've grown professionally. I take the praise with such gratitude for my team's guidance and support in my first year working as an RN. Shout-out to the ACE Team woo~ Honestly, to every single person just trying to get through to the next day during this pandemic... I applaud you and am cheering for you. May 2022 be a better and healthier year for us all.

2015: A Year in Review and Top 15 Reads

2015 has been an amazing year in books and blogging! Thanks to the constant book pushing of the Fizzle Reads girls, I've wholeheartedly embraced the YA genre this year. I didn't expect the 100+ new books I'd add to my tbr in the process though (not including my regular dose of NA/A) lol.

It was back in Janurary that I decided I'd be more organized with the blog and eventually made an blogging calendar to help with planning. Looking back now, I DID GOOD, if I do say so myself *pats self on the back*. I wasn't always consistent with my posts and often times I didn't go by the calendar [hahaha], but I have a visual that I stuck with it throughout the year.

Big BIG THANK YOU to all the bloggers and booklovers I've befriended this year, be it through my blog, your blog, goodreads, twitter or instagram. I've loved reading your comments, hearing from you and all your book recommendations! Everyone in the blogosphere is so supportive and loving. I may disappear now and then but you're stuck with me for a long while, you guys ;)

Here are my top 15 favorites in books:

• Fuel the Fire and Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie
• Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley
• Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne
• Seduction Game by Pamela Clare
• Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
• Cinder, Scarlet and Cress by Marissa Meyer
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
• Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras
• Back to You by Priscilla Glenn
• Every Breath by Ellie Marney
• To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han
• Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters

And my top favorite read/watched/listened in 2015 for some other categories:

• Anime: Kuroko no Basket (Honorable Mention: Haikyuu!!)
• Manga: Akatsuki no Yona (Honorable Mention: Horimiya, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun)
• TV Show: Bones (Thank you Netflix for allowing me to binge watch 9 seasons in a few months haha) 
• 2015 Music Album: Handwritten by Shawn Mendes
• Kpop song: Baby Don't Cry by EXO (Honorable Mentions: BTS' Run and Butterfly, GOT7's If You Do, EXO's Love Me Right)
• Movie: Inside Out (PIXAR, MY QUEEN)

2015 consisted of 54 blogs posts here at Bookish Bluebird! *fires confetti canon* I had a blog makeover that included a name change. I've participated in 7 blog tours and 8 cover reveals. This was the first year I started using NetGalley and accepting more ARCs with was equally exciting as it was overwhelming. I started using a "review to come" method to give me more time with my thoughts but now I have a backlog of reviews to post ack. Pretty sure I'm going back to my old reviewing ways haa. For 2016, I hope to catch up on all my reviews, participate in more blog tours and blogger discussions, read more diverse books and go to a few bookish events! *raises champagne glass* Here's to another year of fantastic reads!