In a few short hours 2017 will be over and soon we start afresh with our reading goals and goodreads challenges! 

Looking back at the first few books of the year, I can't believe it was only this year that I read 'Everything, Everything' but also, how was it not just a month ago that I picked up 'Caraval' and made it my first review? 

There's also things we aren't aware of when we read - the amount of pages, the number of male v female (v multiple authors, anthologies or gender neutral). So I want to take this time, my last post of 2017, to look over all my statistics for the year!

December has been a strange month for reading. I feel like I've barely touched a book yet here I am having read a bunch - some of which are chunkers! Seriously, I powered my way through the third book in a political fantasy in just a few days - the first book took me
M O N T H S! 

Overall, I am pretty pleased since I've been incredibly unmotivated and I suffered a nasty migraine for a few days which rendered me inable to do anything but sleep, along with christmas and all that comes with it. 

When it comes to reading goals the most I ever think about it is my goodreads reading challenge, however this year I have decided to work on my reading a bit more beyond the 'I MUST READ THIS MANY BOOKS OR I HAVE FAILED'

I know that once I tell someone my goals I'm accountable and therefore I try harder to follow through so here I am, telling you all about the few things I aim to achieve with my reading in 2018!

I've been sort of sporadically blogging this year, and only really in the last month or so I've began taking it more seriously and trying to be organised. I've enjoyed blogging so much more when I've planned out what I want to share and for 2018 I want to continue being organised and keep enjoying blogging!

I don't want to bore you all with the nitty gritty of my planning life but I do want to clue you in to some things I'm hoping to achieve in the coming year with emmanovella!

Unfortunately not every book you read will be one you enjoy and a lot of the time this isn't because they're bad, it's just they've been so hyped up that you feel somewhat let down. I know for a fact there are books on this list that people will not be happy with me for saying I didn't love it but that's just how it goes.

I want to express that I am not bashing these books or the work the authors have put in to them. Reading is subjective and one book that is a lifesaver to one person and they would go to the ends of the earth to protect is mediocre to another. Reading is subjective and we can't get upset because someone we don't know hates our favourite book - that's the beauty of reading. We all take something different from the story and that's what makes book blogging so much fun as it provides and insight into how one particular person took a book!

I am awful at keeping up with new releases - or rather, purchasing them and then not reading them. So for my 'Books of 2017' lists will be of books I have read rather than books that were released this year!

I want to start with the books I loved the most. The ones I fell in love with and will treasure forever. I somehow rated exactly 17 books 5 stars this year - okay, it was 18 but I'm couting two as one and you'll see why! - and I love lists that use the year for the number of items... that was confusing but you know what I mean: Top 17 of 2017 etc! Although I am sad we're creeping towards an unrealistic number for 'Top' lists, but that's a worry for another day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

Don't worry - I'm not writing this on Christmas Day... okay, that's a little bit of a lie. I'm writing this part before Christmas but obviously I don't know what books I have yet so I'll be filling that in before dinner! 

I know I'm getting books as I've given my mum a massive list and access to my goodreads to help her pick! She is good at picking out books I'd like by herself it's just she always picks out ones I own. I've even picked some books out in charity shops and got her to buy them to wrap for me so I know I defintely have some! 

EDIT: CHRISTMAS EVE
So... I've looked at my gifts under the tree and my mum seems to have gotten me 17 books. WHAT? Mental - bearing in mind she hasn't a clue what I like and says only one is on my goodreads like (of which I have 600!) Dear lord!

EDIT: CHRISTMAS DAY
So I got 24 books just from my mum and then four more from other family what?!

There are so many new books coming out next year that sound incredible! Unfortunately, I can't read every single one of them. I'm aiming to really tackle my TBR next year so I have to keep book buying to a minimum - we'll see how that goes, huh?

I've gone through my 2018 shelf on goodreads, got rid of the ones I'm not that interested in and I still have 63 books on there... uhoh. 

My mind changes all the time and it's very likely the release of these books will come and I'll want nothing to do with them but right now these are the twelve books that I am most drawn to. Some I am more excited for and know I will buy the second I can (even if I need to ship them from the States!), others just sound interesting and have piqued my interest. 

Enough rambling - here we go!:

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I love buying and giving gifts. I also love receiving gifts, as most of us do. However, I'm sure we've all been in the situation where someone doesn't know what to get you or feels that they haven't bought you enough and you end up with a bunch of items you have no need or use for.

I'm not going to lie... We really aren't easy creatures to buy for unless you know us well. I could suggest candles, treats, fluffy socks and the like but that's just what I like. So I have two suggestions for you. One is for the book lover, the other for the book writer. 

Gift Cards
Of course, you could buy books but unless you have a catalogue of your book lover's personal library this is a danger zone. I would love to receive random books that someone else picked out for me without a list but my mum is the only person with a remote sense of the books I like and even then if we're shopping she always picks up books I own or have read. She gets a list of about a hundred books to choose from instead. She hates it. 
Your best bet is a gift card. A £10 Waterstone's gift card can get someone two books on the Buy-One-Get-One-Half-Price offer (with about £1 extra to pay) so this is ideal! They also get a stamp on the loyalty card taking them a step closer to another ten pounds off so it's a win-win! 

Scrivener
This is an incredible gift for the writer in your life. It can seem a tad daunting at first but this piece of software has been invaluable to my writing experience in the short few weeks I've had it. 
This is the most expensive item on this list at about £40 but it is something any writer would love to have and I highly recommend it. I would say you make the suggestion to them first that you would buy them this and have them play about with the trial for a bit to get to grips and see if they like it but ughhh I adore Scrivener and it is 100% the best purchase I have made in a long time!

And that's it. I've tried to write this post a bunch of times but I was just reiterating what every other bookish gift guide states and I'm fed up being told to buy mugs or pillows. A gift card is the only bookish gift you can get me and know I will 100% use and love. 

I also want to apologise for my abscence lately. I've been super busy with life and trying to plan for 2018 blogging! I've got a tonne of ARCs to read for reviewing in January - none of which I have even started yet! Ahh! - and I'm trying to give myself a bit of a relaxing end to the shitty year I've had so, once again, please bear with me! 2018 is looking fabulous!

Begin Again is an incredibly addicting New Adult romance that left me craving more of Kaden and Allie. Leaving her life in Lincoln, Nebraska behind Allie reclaims her life and her independence by going to college at the other side of the country. What she doesn’t expect is having to room with Kaden White - and he doesn’t want her there any more than she wants to be.
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