The Year That Was… 2016

+International Giveaway

Well, I don’t want to dwell on the political chaos or death toll of 2016. One study from last year showed how being optimistic actually helps you live longer, so I’m aiming to do less moaning in 2017 and trying to look on the bright side of life. I think you can still stand up for what you believe in without being angry at everyone. Honey gets you a lot further than vinegar or something like that!

2016 was a busy year for me. Josh and I bought our first house, moving out of Dorset and into Hampshire, just. We’re on the edge of the New Forest National Park now, which means no excuse for not going for walks. Unless the weather is as miserable as it has been this year. Then we got Scully, a tiny Labrador puppy who has been growing at great speed! She’s been such hard work but I adore her, and her grumbly old man noises.

That all meant the blog took a bit of a back seat. I had to lower my reading goal to 110, which I just made but only with a bunch of comics and novellas thrown in. I’ve got a lot more into #bookstagram lately, and I’d to be a bit more involved and put more effort into my photos this year. If you do want to follow me on Instagram, the account is a mix of books and Scully.

I stumbled on my challenges around house moving time. I had planned to read a classic, non-fiction and graphic novel (or comic collection) each month. However, over the whole year, I did read 12 non-fiction books and 13 graphic novels but only 5 classics. I’ve managed to naturally incorporate non-fiction into my reading now so I expect that will continue in 2017 and I do reach for a comic now when I don’t feel like prose. There are definitely still classics I want to read, but I won’t try and put pressure on myself to read them so often.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in Non Fiction November, and I’d love to find more challenges like that which encourage me to blog but don’t require lots of reading commitment.

Here for the giveaway? Well, you can win a shiny new copy of any book I read in 2016! Even if I didn’t like it! Check out my top ten choices, browse the blog or, if you’re in a hurry, see my year in books on Goodreads.

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