Hello! My name is Anissa and I am a 36 y/o accountant from Wyoming. One of my greatest passions/hobbies has always been reading, so I thought I would try my hand at book blogging. I know book vlogging is more popular these days, on YouTube and other platforms, but I am not really one for being in front of the camera. Plus, I already have my hands full with learning how to set up this website for my blog (first timer here…LOL!). I want to make it both pretty and, hopefully, informational. Needless to say, I’ve got the writing part down but now need to work on the presentation. I started setting this website up in late 2020 (August, I think) but one of my goals for 2021 is to get it up and running, and ultimately maintain/update it on a regular basis.
I don’t read a ton of books in any given year (currently 15-20) but I will blog my reviews for the ones I do read this year. I have tried to get the widget that flags my current reads from Goodreads on my website but, at the moment, it doesn’t appear to be working properly. If I can’t figure it out I will just list them and update them over time (maybe once a month). I participate in many different challenges, most year long ones, in my Goodreads group (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/58421-2021-reading-challenge) but I also enjoy trying out different readathons. I am considering making a page for my progress on the yearly and/or other challenges from my Goodreads group. Similarly, I will try to keep a list of the readathons I am participating in on the homepage for anyone who is interested. It is all in good fun for me so I don’t get too worked up if I don’t finish every challenge/readathon. My Goodreads group is very active and everyone is super helpful/supportive which makes it lots of fun. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a Goodreads group to join. I am ALWAYS open to new Goodreads friends so feel free to send a request.
My favorite genre is historical romance but, through my Goodreads challenges and readathons, I am trying to diversify my reading into other genres. For example, I have recently been reading a book (Buried in a Book by Lucy Arlington) from the cozy mystery genre and an really enjoying it. The more contemporary feel is a nice change given most of the books I read are historical or fantasy based in setting and/or time period. In 2020, I also read The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay and had similar feelings about the more contemporary setting and time period. I have a penchant for continually starting new series, instead of continuing or finishing ones I already started, so it is an over arching goal for me each year to improve in this area.
Another of my aspirations, which I suppose follows naturally from being a bookworm, is to write my own novel. I am currently working on a young adult fantasy/romance idea but only have a little over 11,000 words. As with my inexperience in website building, I know it needs some work as far as plotting and structure but I am excited to finish a rough draft at some point. I mostly pantsed the portion of the scenes I already have written. I am not sure how I will tie my personal writing into this website, if at all, but it seems fitting as it is book related too. Ultimately, if I could get the plotting/drafting process down, I would like to branch out into an idea for my favorite genre. I just figured, being inexperienced, I would start small and work my way up.