So, it’s the very last day of 2011, where the hell did the last year go?! I wanted to just do a quickie post on my past year and what’s in store for 2012, it won’t take long I promise!
So 2011 was the year that this little blog started out. On 28th January 2011 I decided that tumblr wasn’t the best place to post reviews and moved everything over here, this was urged on by a couple of lovely bloggers who I had spoken to through tumblr. Little did I know that setting up my blogger blog, and actually using the twitter account Id already had for the best part of a year, I would make so many more lovely friends and talk to some awesome people! I started out talking to and following some awesome book bloggers who gave me so much confidence in what I was doing, Alex from Alex Eatsbooks, Marcie from To Read or Not To Read and Pam (Bookalicious) were really kind and whilst talking to them I got to know more of you guys, it was a great time.
The more confident I became in blogging really came out in my real life too and as the year progressed I managed to meet some awesome people. I’m generally not a very social person, I have my small group of friends and that’s that, but in June I was invited to go to Manchester and meet up with Vicky from Heaven Hell and Purgatory, Cait from the Cait Files, Vicki from Comacalm and the author Keris Stainton. I was so excited to finally meet some of the people Id talked to online and Keris was the first author Id met too so I was even more excited about that! We had fun and chatted books all afternoon and I loved every second. I’ve since met up with Keris a few more times and she’s awesome! I recommend chatting to her on twitter if you don’t already!
The success of that meet up in Manchester urged me to take up an offer of meeting Mary Hooper in the Bloomsbury office in London in September. I’ve only been to London twice before this, once I was 12 and we stayed on a boat or a coach for the majority of the trip and the other in 2010 with my awesome boyfriend. I’d never made the trip before by myself, never got the train there and only been on the underground a few times… so I was pretty nervous! Thankfully the train journey went real smooth and the ever awesome Laura aka Sisterspooky; book fangirl was there to greet me and be my guide! I am indebted to her as she really did take this northern nOOb under her wing and kept me company the entire day. That day was awesome and I managed to meet up with lots of cool people who I’d spoken to online; Viv from Serendipity Reviews, Sarah from Feeling Fictional, Carly from Writing from the Tub, Becky from the Bookette and many others! I had such a good day and I can’t wait to do it all again for the Celia Rees event in February! (Yes I’m crazy; it’s a 6 hour round trip for the day!)I have to say that being part of the blogging community is usually fantastic anyway but in August when I turned 23 I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had so many people wish me a happy birthday, it felt so special and like I was part of a huge big family! That really made my day.
So 2011 wasn’t a crazy year for me, it was a laid back fun year and not much happened but I loved it all the same. I became part of a fantastic community and met some amazing people. I really hope 2012 has more of the same!
Talking about 2012, there’s a few things I want from the blog and my life in the coming year…
I want to stop being so OCD about my blog; at the moment I feel like I need to post every day, I get worried when there’s a gap and yet I don’t mind gaps in blogs I follow. Therefore my aim is 4 reviews a week and an IMM, sometimes maybe not even one of those! I hope you will all love and still read my blog all the same if there’s not something on it every day.
I also want a bit more to be included. I sometimes have things I want to talk about that I don’t cause this is a book blog. I might include a few bits about bands and TV shows and films in here once in a while. It won’t be much but just a little bit, I hope that’s ok.
Finally I want to meet more people and have more fun. I loved meeting up with people in 2011 and there’s so many of you guys I still haven’t met up with, Emma the wonderful Book Angel, Lyndsey, Vicky’s partner in crime from Heaven, Hell and Purgatory and Michelle from Fluttering Butterflies are at the top of my list, these ladies are truly awesome and twitter wouldn’t be the same without them! Anyway; I’ve babbled enough. I should probably go and dry my hair and go out, but I’m so lazy! I hope you all have a great new years eve tonight, no matter what you’re doing and if I don’t talk to you on twitter before hand,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
7 Comments
Zoe Crook
Great post! Happy New Year!
SisterSpooky
fab post and you are NOT a northern nOOb!!!
Book Angel Emma
What a lovely post. I look forward to meeting you too.
Wishing you everything good in 2012 <3
The Slowest Bookworm
Happy New Year Raimy xxx
Jenni (Juniper's Jungle)
Lovely post! I look forward to seeing what you have to say next year on books and other things too 🙂
Keris Stainton
Was so lovely to meet you too. We must do it again soon (before I’ve got too many magazines to carry 🙂 ).
SusanKMann
Belated happy new year and what a great year you had x xx