It’s a new year!

 Looking back…

When I started this blog in May, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never used WordPress before, wasn’t familiar with the blogging world at all, didn’t even know what to write about. But I knew that I had an original voice and idea. After a few months of tinkering with WordPress itself, I dove in head first.

In 2015, (bargain)bookbliss had:

• 61 posts
• 454 visitors
• 1,115 views
• nearly 50 followers

I created a Twitter account. I tweet at strangers and butt into conversations. I enter giveaways (to my followers – sorry/not sorry – I hope I win!).

I’m overwhelmed by the support and sense of community amongst book bloggers. You are kind, funny, opinionated, passionate people that I truly appreciate.

I managed to collect some 200+ books in the past year. (On the cheap, of course.) I got 2 new bookshelves. (They’re already overflowing…) I gave books to people that I love. (Whether they liked it or not.)

2015 was a record-breaking reading year for me. I read 139 books/things. I discovered audiobooks and graphic novels. I read some non-fiction. I read some AMAZING books. I read some duds. I read and read and read.

…Looking ahead

2016 is going to be a great year. I can already tell. Why you ask? Because I’m going to shake things up a bit.

Towards the end of the year, blogging became a bit of a chore. I had memes to schedule and reviews to write and graphics to create. I had a new job and it was the first time working full time while blogging and “how do you people do this?” I did a lot of thinking during my Holiday Hiatus and I’ve come out the other side with newly found inspiration and passion.

In 2016, (bargain)bookbliss will have:

• my weekly bargain feature (every week, without fail… unless I lose an arm and can’t type)
• more reviews
• discussions… hopefully lots of them

I’m most excited about the discussions. I had this preconceived notion that discussions had to be profound essays about original topics. I’m realizing that is not that case. Discussions can be whatever I make them into. Write a lot or write a little, but the point is to voice my opinion on a topic. It can be a topic that has already been mentioned in the book blogging community (as most have been). My opinion will never be completely the same, so it is worthy of voicing.

As far as reading goes, I’ve set my Goodreads reading goal to 52 books – 1 a week – so I can focus on quality and not quantity. I didn’t want to push myself to do more because more ≠ better. It’s likely that I will surpass my goal, but I’m content with where it’s at.

With that, here’s to an amazing year! I’m glad you’ll be joining me!