Bookish, Blogging & More // 2024 Goals

Hi Friends,
Happy New Year! The fact that it is 2024 is simply mind boggling, since I don’t think I have even fully processed 2020 yet. But, ready or not, a New Year is here, which means new goals. Or, as some call them, resolutions. Just like last year, I’m going to be sharing with you my bookish, blog, and personal goals for the year ahead.

Blog Goals
– Stay Consistent: I feel like this will always be a goal of mine. I want to continue to be consistent on my blog. Unfortunately, Bookmas (although wonderful) was a fail for me in 2023. So, I am hoping that I can keep posting regularly this year, and have a successful 2024 Bookmas.
– Don’t Compare: I think all content creators are guilty of comparing themselves to others. I would like to stop doing that, and focus on my content. Specifically, posting what I like to post. My blog has always been my own little corner of the internet, and I’d like to remind myself that everyone is different.
– Engage: It would be awesome if I could engage in the book community more. This is something that I started doing at the end of 2023, and I am so happy about that. I want to start commenting on Instagram and blog posts more often. It has been so much fun connecting with people in the bookish community. Hopefully, I can keep that up in 2024.

Bookish Goals
– Physical TBR: I have no idea the number of unread books I own, but it’s probably at least 100. This year, I would like to make an effort to read the books I own.
– Different Genres: I am always telling myself that I’m going to read books that are out of my comfort zone, and never do. So, something that I will be trying to do is reading books from all types of genres – including ones I don’t normally gravitate towards.
– Blacklist Books: I can be guilty of reading only new and popular titles so I am hoping that in 2024 I can make it the year of backlist books. Of course, I will read some new releases, but I have a lot of older books that I want to read this year as well.

Personal Goals
– Stress Less: This is way easier said than done. I am typically a ball of stress, even on anxiety medication, but I am going to try and be stress free in 2024.
– Baby E: In last years post I mentioned that I wanted to get pregnant. Well, we are going on trying for two years now with no success, but I truly believe that this will be our year!
– Travel: I would love to travel this year, since I did absolutely no traveling in 2023. I have some places that I would love to visit and cross off my bucket list.

In the comments, let me know some of your goals or resolutions for the New Year. And, one last thing. Like last year, my reading goal will be 100 books. If I hit it, that would be great! But if not, that’s fine too. Before you leave, ring in the New Year by following my blog!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Bookish, Blogging & More // 2023 Goals

Hi Friends,
Happy New Year! I cannot believe that it is practically 2023. This year was insane but pretty good if I do say so myself. Fun fact, New Year’s Eve is my favorite day of the year. I like how everything starts over when a new year comes, and there are new possibilities. Today, I will be sharing my New Year bookish and blogging resolutions!

Blog Goals
– Stay Consistent: I think that I’m fairly consistent when it comes to my blog, but I would like to have more of a schedule. I try to post 3 days a week, so I’m hoping I can keep that up in the New Year.
– Grow: Followers are not the reason I blog, but I would love to grow my community. I always get so excited when I get a new follower because it means that you enjoy my content.
– Socials: I am going to try and be more active on my socials. If you don’t know I have a Bookstagram, Twitter and Booktok account! You can find me as BooksWithBunny on all my socials. I would like to post multiple times a week on all my accounts.

Bookish Goals
– Read Before Buying: Honestly, this probably won’t work out for me but I would like to only buy books I’ve read. I feel so guilty when I buy a book and end up DNFing or not liking it.
– Read My Shelf: This was a goal of mine in 2022, but I would still like to read more of my owned books.
– Finish Series: There are some book series that I have been reading for what feels like ever. I would like to complete at least one series per season (spring, summer, fall and winter).

Personal Goals
– Mental Health: This was also a goal of mine from last year, but I did a horrible job taking care of my mental health in 2022. So, this year I’m going to make my mental well-being more of a priority.
– Yoga Teacher: Currently, I’m working towards getting my yoga teacher certification! I would love to be done with the program early 2023. Hopefully, I can start teaching yoga soon.
– Baby Fever: This is a very personal goal for me but I am hopeful that I will grow my family in 2023. I have been trying to get pregnant for a little over a year, and I’m trying to believe that this year it will happen.

In the comments, let me know if you make resolutions or goals for the New Year. And, if you do what are your top goals? Before you leave, ring in the New Year by following my blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Returning To Booktube

Hi Friends,
Recently I uploaded my first Booktube video in over a year. The video was a book unhaul and is actually doing pretty well. But, I am still unsure if I want to go back to YouTube. I love creating my blog content, but I did enjoy filming that video. Every now and again, I get the urge to film a reading vlog or haul. Things that are just harder to do in a blog format. However, I feel like YouTube still gives me a bit of anxiety.

On Booktube, people seem to read only the popular books. I like reading all kinds of books not just whatever one else is reading. Also, filming in my house can be a little difficult at times. I did a whole post on ‘Booktube vs Book Blogging‘, and why I prefer book blogging. And, I don’t think my opinion on the talk has really changed all that much. Still, I am stuck on if I should continue trying Booktube again. Or, just stick with my little book blog, since I’m not sure I could keep up with both.

There is always the option of posting reading vlogs on Booktok, which is much smaller than Booktube and less pressure. I’m just very confused at the moment. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Please give me your advice on if I should attempt Booktube again or stick with only book blogging. Don’t forget to follow my blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Bookish, Blog & More // 2022 Goals

Hi Friends,
In this post, I am going to be sharing my bookish, blog and personal resolutions. I love the start of a New Year because it means new beginnings and adventures. I always like to make resolutions even if I sometimes don’t stick to them.

Blog Goals
– Be More Flexible: I don’t want to be so hard on myself when it comes to a posting schedule. I try to post three times a week, but I don’t want to stress out if that isn’t always possible.
– Branch Out: This is a book blog, and books will forever be the main focus. However, I want to post some lifestyle content every once in a while. I would like to share my other interests outside of books.
– Engage More: I want to read more blogs and engage with other bloggers. I don’t ever seem to make time to read blogs, which is something I hope to change.

Bookish Goals
– GoodReads Goal: As per-usual I would like to achieve my GoodReads goal. I have set it at 50 books, and I think it is doable.
– Read My Shelf: I own a lot of unread books, and that stresses me out. I want to make reading my own books a priority this year.
– Backlist Books: I tend to pick up new releases or hyped books. This year, I want to make an effort of reading older titles that I never got around too.

Personal Goals
– Mental Health: My mental health is very important to me. I want to remember to stay on top of my mental health, and take care of myself.
– Routine: I would like to have more of a set morning and night routine. Something that will put me in a good mood, and help start the day off right. As for night, I want to have a routine that I can look forward to at the end of the day.
– Stay Active: I wouldn’t say that I am not an active person, but I do go weeks without doing any kind of fitness. I would like to consistently be active and healthy.

Those are some of my goals for the year. I have other goals, and one major personal goal. But I thought I would just share a few with you all. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? What are some of yours? Don’t forget to start off the year right by following my blog!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Posts

Hi Friends,
I started this bookish blog back in Mach of 2021, and boy has it been a ride. I’ve had fun writing all my posts, and sharing my love of books (and other things) with you all. In this post, I wanted to share some of the posts that I had the most fun writing for so far.

March TBR Feat. Tis The Damn Readathon
This was second post ever, and it is very special to me. I participated in my first readathon of the year. My husband pushed me to read a different book for each post. It was crazy, but I was glad that I challenged my self to read more than I usually would. So, this post will always be one of my favorites.

Coffee Meets Books // Holiday Edition
I thought that this post was very unique. Although it might have been done by others, it was interesting pairing books with coffee. I really had to think of what book to pair with each drink.

Ones I Couldn’t Live Without // Thankful Thursday
Although, I loved all my ‘Thankful Thursday’ posts, this one warms my heart. I was happy to get the opportunity to talk about the ones I love so much. It gave me a chance to remember how grateful I am to have these people in my life.

The Gilmore Girls Tag
If you have read my bio, you know I am a huge (no, mega!) Gilmore Girls fan. This tag was loads of fun to do, and I want to do another GG tag in the future.

Thanksgiving Day 2021 // A Day In Pictures
I don’t share too much of my personal life on the blog, so this post was a nice change. The photos gave my readers a small glimpse into my life. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Music Meets Books // Holiday Edition
This is another recommendations post that was a blast to write. I came up with this idea, and immediately knew the book and song pairings. I think that a lot of the recommendations worked well, and it put me in the holiday spirit.

For The Ones You Love // Book Recommendations
As you can see, I love doing book recommendations. It was interesting suggestions books for people in other people’s lives. I don’t know if it actually helped anyone with their Christmas shopping, but I like to think it did. Nevertheless, it was a cute post, and different from the normal gift guides we get every year.

The Bookmas Tag
This post kind of kick started Bookmas 2021, which, if I being honest, has been a bit much too handle. However, I am happy that I decided to do the ’12 Days Of Bookmas’. This post had a ton of fun questions, and I had a good time coming up with my answers.

I love all my posts in their own ways, but these ones have stood out to me. If you are a fellow blogger, let me know what posts you enjoyed writing in 2021! As per usual, like, share, comment, and follow the blog. And once again, happy holidays to all of you.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Happy Halloween Giveaway // Spooktober 2021

Hi Friends,
I knew that I wanted to do a Halloween giveaway, and since Halloween is only a few days away, that means that today is the official start of the giveaway! Below you will find all the rules and the prize for the giveaway.

The Deadline
◉ October 31st 11:59 pm

 

The Rules
◉ Must Be 18 Years Old Or Have Parental Permission
◉ Must Have A  Valid Email Address
◉ Must Like This Post
◉ Must Share One Of My Spooktober Posts On Social Media With The Hashtag #BunnySpooktober
◉ Comment Below What You Are Going As For Halloween
◉ Let Me Know What Social Account And You Handle That You Shared A Post On

The Prize
◉ Kobo eGift Card $10

Kobo is an audiobook and ebook site and subscription services. It is similar to Audible and Scribd. Readers pay $10 a months for one credit, which they can redeem towards an ebook or audiobook. This is a small giveaway, but I want to show my readers how much it means to me that they support my blog! If you want to go a step further, please follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I try to stay pretty active on both.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Books, Blogging And More

Hi Friends,
I have a life and blog updated for you all today. My hope is that in doing this post, I can keep myself accountable. These are a bunch of fun goals that I want to accomplish. Not sure where time will take me, but “I have some dreams to make true” (comment if you get that reference).

Self-Publish
It has been a goal of my for sometime to self-publish books. I am going the self-publishing route for two reasons. First, I have a lot of respect for self-published authors. Secondly, I don’t want to put my mental health through the stress and possible rejection that comes from looking for a publisher. Anyhow, let’s talk about my books. I have been dying to put out a poetry collection for sometime now, and I already have a title and a draft of a cover. Now it’s time for the editing and formatting stage.

My goal is to have it out by winter of 2021, or early 2022. I have a children’s picture book completely thought out, and on the process of getting the artwork done. I would like to release that by March of 2022. Currently, my main focus is a YA thriller that is reminiscent of classic teen horror flicks. I am working on the manuscript and taking my time getting it just right. I would like to have that released by October 2022 or Fall of 2023. For me it is about quality, not speed. I have a loose idea for a magic-realism middle grade and an adult rom/com novel, but those won’t be out for a few years. Comments about self-publishing tips or advice would be great!

Candles
If you are a reader, you are a candle lover as well. For some reason candles and reading go hand-in-hand. I am starting a small candle business. I want to make a few small fall candles, then winter ones as well. The goal is to create scents that you can’t find anywhere else. The plan in the future is to release themed collections, which will be a lot of fun. I would love to know your scent ideas in the comments below. You can follow the company’s Instagram page to stay updated on our progress.

Blog
As for my blog, I wanted to let you know that I will be officially doing “The 13 Days of Spooktober” as well as “The 12 Days of Bookmas/Blogmas”. I already have most of my posts planned out, but topic suggestions in the comments. Not all of my posts will be book related, but I do think I have a good mix of lifestyle and book posts planned. “Thankful Thursday” may also be a thing in November, which will consist of mostly lifestyle posts.

I am going to be doing a giveaway in October too. I picked October, since everyone is bound to do a holiday giveaway. Also, October is close to my heart because I got married on Halloween. Another thing is that I have a readathon idea, so I might be hosting that sometimes next year. Do you prefer just prompts? Or would people prefer a bingo board? Last, I might be starting a book club, but more info about that will be on my Twitter.

If you read this entire post, thank you! I love getting my readers’ feedback. Don’t forget to like and share this post. And, if you aren’t already doing so, go subscribe to my blog to get post notifications.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

My Blogging Process // Creating Content


Hi Friends,
Today, I will be doing a post on how I write my blog posts. I know this may seem like a weird topic for a blog post, but I thought it would be interesting to share. Here’s how I formulate my blog post ideas, edit post and keep track of reviews. I try to stay extremely organized regarding blog posts. Especially since I put up 3, sometimes 4, posts a week. I have to plan out all my posts for the month and then some. Currently, I have a list of blog post ideas that will last me until November. However, a true blogger knows that things change and you have to move posts around all the time. I just prefer having a master list of ideas that I can pull from at any given time.

I feel like I am constantly writing posts and thinking of ideas. So to make it easier on myself, I try to write my posts for the coming week on Sundays. I edit them and schedule them to go up. Now that doesn’t always work out thus, I am writing this post Monday, August 16th and it is going up on my blog today. Some quick post ideas are tags, top five favorites, and recommendations. Usually I like to have back-up posts ready to go live on days like today, but that isn’t always the case.

As for reviews, I try to jot down my thoughts throughout reading the book. This way I have my thoughts while reading the book and my overall final thoughts. It takes a lot of trial and error to perfect blog reviews, and come up with something you like. Right now I like my review style, but I am sure it will change later in my blogging life. As for editing posts, I am terrible at grammar. There are some free grammar and spell checker tools on the internet. There are paid versions as well.

I have noticed that grammar editors tend to change your writing style, so keep that in mind before investing in one. Luckily, I have my husband who is willing to proof read my posts. I will typically do one final proof read myself just for safety. A big tip when writing posts is not to focus so much on SEO. As a blogger that is something we are all trying to prefect, but sometimes your writing style and SEO aren’t going to agree. It is better to put out a post that reflects you instead of one that checks off all the SEO boxes.

I hope that this post interests you in someway. Please check back for other bookish and lifestyle posts.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Blogger Myths & Blogging Tips

Hi Friends,
Today, I am going to be shattering those myths of being a book blogger. I think these are Booktube myths as well, but I could be wrong. I am including a few blogger tips for all you new bloggers, or those of you thinking of starting a blog.

No Books Necessary
A lot of people think that book blogging is all about having a huge personal library. We see bloggers posting their rainbow bookshelves on Bookstagram, and we think the first step to being a book blogger is to buy books. This is completely untrue. Many book bloggers use the library and borrow books from friends. You can even use apps such as Libby and Overdrive to get audiobook and ebook copies of books from your local library. You can still share your love of books without owning a single book.

Book Hauls Aren’t A Requirement
This is piggybacking off the last myth, but book hauls don’t matter. Yes, it is cool to see the book people buy or receive, still, there are tons of minimalist book bloggers out there. Also, a lot of book bloggers go on book buying bans until the clear their tbrs. I don’t typically buy books, so most of my collection is books I’ve received as gifts. Library hauls are a great option, or buying discounted books from a local thrift shop is an inexpensive way to grow your collection as well.

Reading, Reading, Reading
I used to think that I couldn’t be part of the book community because I was an extremely slow reader. Luckily, that isn’t a problem anymore, but truthfully, it doesn’t matter how many books you read a month. There are tons of people in the book community that only manage to read one or two books a month. You are not alone in your struggles to read, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hit your GoodReads goal. As long as you have a passion for books, and you engage in the community, you are golden.

What Everyone Else Is Reading
This might shock you, but you’d have to read the same books as all the other book bloggers. It is a common mistake that all book bloggers have to read the same books and genres. At times, I am guilty of trying to read what’s popular. I’m not saying it isn’t nice to read multiple opinions on the same story, but people, including myself, read book blogs to discover new, underrated books. Don’t be scared to read for yourself, and not what people except you to read.

Want An ARC
I am sorry to break this to you, but if you want to become a book blogger just to get arcs, you’re wasting your time. Yes, sometimes book bloggers are fortunate enough to receive ACRS of books. But this rarely happens, especially for physical copies. Publishing companions are very selective about sending out review copies. Most of authors and publishers are turning to Netgalley for ARC releases. I have been using the platform for a while, and I can say that getting approved for some ACRS aren’t easy. Don’t start a book blog for money or gifts.

Tech Savvy
The last myth I want to shatter is that you have to be some web design wizard to start a blog. True, there is a learning curve when starting any kind of blog. But a lot of sites, such as Squarespace or WordPress, are pretty straight forward. Also, there are tons of articles and YouTube videos on how to navigate just about any platform.

As for my tips, I only have a few, so don’t stop reading yet.
1) Write Before Publishing: This is something I wish I had done before publishing my blog. I think you should write at least 10 to 20 blog posts before launching your blog. This way, you have a lot of posts that will go up so that you don’t have to worry about writing a new post every week. You can focus on reading and writing as you go.

2) Set Schedule: Some people might say this is due to my need to plan everything, but I think having a posting schedule is important. Whether you post once a week, month or even once a year, you should pick one day for your post to go up. This way, your readers know which day to visit your site for a new post. I don’t think a set time is as necessary as a regular day, but having both couldn’t hurt.

3) Always Edit: I didn’t do this with my earlier posts, but I found that editing and proof reading is a must. You should read over your post at least twice before publishing it. Also, if you suck at grammar like myself, it couldn’t hurt to use an editing software or subscription. I hear that Grammarly is a great resource for bloggers. But keep in mind their subscription is quite expensive.

I hope that you liked this original post. It was fun exposing book blogger myths and sharing some of my blogger tips. Please support my little book blog by liking and sharing this post. If you want to join my mailing list, you can subscribe via email.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Hallmark & More // Update

Hi Friends,
As you all know that books are a big part of my life. However, I am a shameless Hallmark movie lover. I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into my blog. I want to start reviewing Hallmark movies for you all. I will be reviewing old and new movies from the network just as I do books.

I know this seems random, but I think it would be a fun addition to my blog. I could review Netflix and Lifetime original movies as well. I understand that this wont be something everyone will enjoy, but it could be pretty fun. I would love to know your thoughts, and some Hallmark movie recommendations.

In July, Hallmark does Christmas in July, which means a lot of Christmas movie reviews coming your way. But don’t worry I will still be keeping up with my book content as well. I think that this added content will be a lot of fun and I’m excited for it.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny