Goals for 2018!

Hello everyone! I originally wasn't going to write a list of goals because I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, but rather Resolutions in general, but I decided today that there was a lot that I want to accomplish and it will be easier to do so if I have a whole audience holding me accountable. So I have come up with a list of 11 goals that I want to aim for in 2018. Not all of them are big goals but there are a few that are going to be challenging. Let's jump right in!

My first and foremost goal is to read 100 books throughout the year. I really want to reach this goal. I made it in 2016, but I only barely hit 60 books in 2017. I don't feel like I had a productive reading year and I feel somewhat disconnected from reading simply because I wasn't able to read as much. So, therefore, I reinstated my 100 book goal and I am determined to beat it!

Secondly, I want to reach 1,500-2,000 instagram followers. I'm currently at 800 so I definitely think this is doable, especially if I post more often than I currently do. Therefore, I think that this goal is definitely doable, and I may even be able to surpass it!

Thirdly, I want to write 100k words of a novel. I'm not going to say I want to finish a novel, because I might want it to be longer than 100k words, but I think that this is a good starting goal. Especially if I spread it over the course of an entire year. That way, it's only a little less than 8,500 words per month, which is extremely doable since I've written that much in a day before. It's more a matter of trying to continually write and not just give up after a certain amount of time.

Fourthly, I would like to hit 40,000 blog views by the end of the year (not whatever # I have now + 40k views, just 40k views total). I think that this is an extremely doable thing, especially since I've gotten over 10,000 views just within the past few months. That being said, my blog is growing and I am putting more time and effort into it than I have in the past so I think that I can definitely reach this goal.

Fifth, I want to save up enough money to buy myself a new camera and revamp my YouTube channel. I'm currently a good portion of the way there in my savings and I'm hoping that within the next couple of months I have the self-control to not buy anything so that I can buy my camera instead. I already have a camera that I could use for YouTube but it doesn't have a flip-out screen and most of the time it stops recording randomly, so I would really like a camera that doesn't do that. I also have a faster computer now, so editing won't take as long as before. I also know that a new camera would be beneficial to my Instagram account in taking sharper, better images.

Lastly, I want to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. I think that this is extremely doable considering I have a strong group of friends at college who all like going to the gym. I want to get back into shape before water polo season starts and, while I'm not ashamed of my body, I'd like to lose a few pounds this year.

Well, those are my goals for 2018! Let's hope that I can achieve them!
xoxo
Lauren

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Top Books of 2017!

As 2017 comes to an end, we look towards 2018 for new book releases and new favorites. Before we completely leave 2017 in the dust, let's take a look back at my favorite reads of the year. I've limited these to books I read for the first time and not rereads. This list is full of awesome books that I can't wait to talk about. I narrowed it down to only 10 books as I only read 62 this year, so let's just go ahead and jump in.

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My 10th favorite book of the year was Darkness Descends: A Skye Faden Novel by Alisha Ashton.

I read this book at the beginning of the year and was absolutely blown away by it. I'm still in awe of how it took my expectations and completely turned them around. It was super long and so amazing. I want to reread it again soon because it was just that good. For more of my thoughts, check out my review here. 

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Coming in at number 9 we have A Portrait of Pain by Jane Washington.

This was the fourth and final book in the Seraph Black series. It was such a perfect wrap-up for a series and, honestly, just blew me away. It's been a while and I should probably reread it before talking about specific things that happened but I do remember the love I had for the final book. You can check out my review for the entire series here. 

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At number 8 we have Long Way Home by Katie McGarry.

This was the third and final book in the Thunder Road trilogy and it was definitely my favorite by far. I never could decide which was my favorite between the first and second books, so when book 3 came I didn't know if I would like it more or less. The answer turned out to be more. I absolutely adored this book, mostly because it followed two characters we'd seen a lot of in the first two books. It was just the perfect resolution and there was actually plenty of action, which I loved. For more of my thoughts, you can check out my review here. 

My 7th favorites are An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.

I decided to group these together because they're the first two in a series and I didn't want to take up an extra spot talking about these two individually. Falling in love with this series was slow, but then all at once. I especially love Elias, but I guess that was to be expected based on all the hype that was surrounding him. Overall, I loved these books and can't wait for the next book coming out later this year.

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Coming in at number 6 we have Caraval by Stephanie Garber.

I was a bit unsure about this book when I first heard about it as I wasn't sure if I'd like a book about circuses, but it was so not a circus. It was phenomenal and blew my mind at every corner. I'm so looking forward to the sequel coming out this year. I honestly can't wait. For more of my thoughts, check out my review here. 

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Number 5 are the first three books in the Curse of the Gods series entitled Trickery, Persuasion, and Seduction all by Jane Washington. 

I'm absolutely obsessed with these books. I'm honestly not sure how I'm going to bear it when they're all published and I can't look forward to the next in the series. These books are hilarious and with just enough action and sexual tension. I absolutely love Willa and especially her boys. For more of my thoughts, you can check out my reviews for books 1, 2, and 3 here. 

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My number 4 are the 2, 3, and 4th books in the Veil Diaries by B.L. Brunnemer entitled When the Dead Come A Knockin, When to Fear the Living, and Whispers of the Dead.

This series became a favorite of mine at the end of 2017 when I read the first book 3 times in 3 days. I absolutely loved it and became obsessed from then on out. There's supposed to be so many more books in the series and I'm incredibly excited. These books take my heart and throw them in a mosh pit for everyone to squash and rip apart. They're fantastic. Check out my reviews for books 2, 3, and 4 here. 

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Coming in at number 3 we have the first two books in The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon: The Bone Season and The Mime Order.

I was not expecting to love this series as much as I did but I was blown away by book 1 and even more blown away by the sequel. I love Paige and I especially love Warden. I'm so excited to get to book 3 very soon. These books are so unique and very well planned out. I didn't see any of the twists coming and that is something that I can usually anticipate. For more of my thoughts, check out my reviews of the first and second books here. 

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My number 2 is Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas. 

I knew I would probably like this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. It definitely reinstated my love for Chaol and made me understand him and his actions even more. It also just ramped up my excitement for the last book in the Throne of Glass series. All of the twists and turns and action just blew me away. The ships also took a different turn than I expected and I loved it. Check out my full, non-spoiler review here.

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And last, but certainly not least, my number 1 favorite book of 2017 was A Court of Wings and Ruin by my queen, Sarah J. Maas.

This book was everything. It pulled me in so many different directions and, while I didn't think it was possible, I fell into a deeper love with this series than before. I have too many words about how much I loved this book, so just check out my review here if you want to read them. 

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Thanks for reading! Here's to newer and better books in 2018!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow this blog by clicking "Follow" on the right hand column! Add me to your Google+ Circles on the left hand column! New content every month from Reviews to Hauls to Tags! Don't forget to check out all the other parts of this blog by following the different links at the top of the page! 

Follow my Instagram here. Giveaway at 1k followers!

Get 10% off of HD Movie Codes (sponsored by Movies Anywhere) when you use "INFLUENCER" at checkout! *I do not receive commission from HD Movie Codes--I just want to save you some $*

Get 10% off your first order, plus 50 rewards points, when you use this link to purchase a personal aromatherapy diffuser from Monq

Get 10% off your first order on A Court of Candles when you use this link.

Subscribe to Owlcrate using this link and get a discount off your first box using AVIREADS

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

~~~

Life Update Moving Into 2018

Hello everyone! This post isn't going to be about books, or at least, it won't focus solely on books. This post is mainly to wrap up my non-bookish life during 2017. It was a whirlwind of a year and many things, both good and bad, happened. I think I'm going to keep this as brief as I can and only talk about a few major talking points.

First and foremost, I graduated high school in May with honors and a scholarship to my dream college. While I didn't hate high school in any way, it was long and exhausting. By the end of the first semester of senior year, I was beyond ready to graduate and move on. Going to school for 7-8 hours a day for 14 years of my life was getting old. 

Also, in February of last year, I started working at my new (well, it's not new anymore) job at a veterinary clinic in the boarding department. It means that I work with all the cats and dogs who are boarded while their owners are out of town. I loved it there, and still do. I've been fortunate enough to be able to come back on school breaks and pick up some shifts. My coworkers are awesome and the animals just make any stress worth it.

Summer came and summer went. I worked two jobs over the summer: one being my usual summer lifeguarding at a country club and the second being my new one at the veterinary clinic. Summer was busy and long, yet it seemed like it flew by when looking back on it. There wasn't anything that really stuck out about the summer, except that I was no longer in high school.

My 18th birthday also came and went. I'm an adult now, yay! Well, as adult as I can be when I still live with my parents on breaks and have to call my mom to ask for money to do my laundry. Still, I'm a legal adult and now have to think even longer before deciding not to slap someone who's annoying me. I bought my first lottery ticket on my birthday, simply because I could, and won $8. I'm pretty much Bill Gates at this point.

This next part is definitely going to be the longest, simply because it's the freshest in my mind. I think the most exciting thing to happen to me this year was that I moved into college a week after my birthday. What a ride this first semester was. School was great. I enjoyed most of my classes and despised a couple of them, but I ended up with good grades in all of them and very little stress at finals time. I joined choir and have found many new friends through it, as well as been able to continue my love of singing. I made so many new friends that have quickly become family. My social life has definitely grown and I've had so many new experiences that I wouldn't change for the world. I miss my friends incredibly while I'm on this entire month-long winter break. There's something kinda sad about going from spending almost every free second with at least one or two of your friends at school to sitting alone in your room all day at home. I'm counting down the days till I go back.

This brings me to 2018. I'm hoping that this year will be full of amazing experiences and not too many bad things. My classes this semester are ones that I'm really looking forward to, so I'm hoping that they'll be both academically challenging and interesting. I know that when I leave, I'll miss my niece more than anything else, but I hope that I won't cry too much over it. All I can hope for is that 2018 will be a great year.

My reading goal is set to 100 books, which I accomplished in 2016 but I was barely able to read 60 in this past year. I think that as long as I don't let the reading slump and Netflix take me away again then I'll be able to read a lot more. I'd really like to hit 100, so we'll see.

Here's to a great 2018...

Lauren

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Follow this blog by clicking "Follow" on the right hand column! Add me to your Google+ Circles on the left hand column! New content every month from Reviews to Hauls to Tags! Don't forget to check out all the other parts of this blog by following the different links at the top of the page! 

Follow my Instagram here. Giveaway at 1k followers!

Get 10% off of HD Movie Codes (sponsored by Movies Anywhere) when you use "INFLUENCER" at checkout! *I do not receive commission from HD Movie Codes--I just want to save you some $*

Get 10% off your first order, plus 50 rewards points, when you use this link to purchase a personal aromatherapy diffuser from Monq

Get 10% off your first order on A Court of Candles when you use this link.

Subscribe to Owlcrate using this link and get a discount off your first box using AVIREADS

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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