my one year blog anniversary!

Hello, friends!

This is a really exciting post, because officially a year ago today, I was posting my first blog post on THE BOOKISH SKIES. It feels kinda surreal, because I don’t feel like I’ve been posting for this long at all. At the same time, I have a lot that I’m thankful and regretful for and so it truly feels like a while.

I wish I could host a more exciting one year anniversary post, but this is just going to be a lot of thoughts and rambles, so I apologize in advance.

THE BOOKISH SKIES is not my first blog, but it is the one I’m most confident in. A couple of you probably remember my Tumblr blog days, but it’s here where I feel the most comfortable and where I started to connect with most of you.

Here, I’ve surpassed 100 followers (unfortunately, the only stat recap you’ll see in this post, not only because I do not care that much about stats but also because I don’t know where to see this in WordPress lol), I’ve connected with people from all over the world, I’ve started a feature to talk about my own country, I’ve read over 50 books, completing my Goodreads goal for the first year without lowering it halfway through the year.

REWIND TO MY FIRST POST

I won’t link you to it, because it’s a bit embarrassing, but I talked about a few things there that have definitely changed.

• I wasn’t happy with my layout. And while I’m still not 100% satisfied with it, I like my current layout a lot more than my old one. It fits my personal aesthetic a lot better, and I feel like I can be more creative with it. I’d still LOVE to be able to change the theme colors, but it doesn’t bother me as much anymore.
• I’d just graduated from high school. Even though it’s been a full year, it truly feels like I just graduated. I think it’s because I’m still a kid at core and haven’t aged at all since 2015, which is a huge problem, considering I’ll soon be 20 and have no idea of adulthood whatsoever, lol.
• I didn’t know I’d been accepted into my dream college. By the time I wrote that post, I had yet to complete the second step in my college entrance exams and I really didn’t know where I was going! It sounds exciting, but I was pretty anxious at the time and barely sleeping. I am so happy everything turned out great!
• I’d read only 18 books. I spent the entire year of 2018 mostly watching movies and read only 18 books. And I am so, so proud of myself for saying that for 2019, I’ve actually read 60+ books. It’s a really good feeling, because reading is a huge passion of mine and I love the person I am when I am reading. During 2018, I felt so disconnected of myself and all my hobbies looked like burdens. It’s really good to be reconnected with my favorite thing in the world.

THE BEST PART OF THE LAST YEAR

• I read more. I’m sorry to repeat myself, but this is definitely the best part about the past year. I’m so glad I’ve read so much. I am so glad I’ve listened to so much music. I’m so glad I can *tell* what has happened in each month, because I’m actually living and not just going through motions like I was throughout 2018. It’s a really, really good feeling.
• I’ve met so many amazing people. I am so, so, so glad for all the people I met through book blogging. Y’all are the nicest community I have ever met. I specifically want to thank Marta, Sophie, Olivia, Marie and Caitlin, for all their thoughtful and nice comments who have made me smile and warmed my heart through rough patches. But not only them, truly. Every single one of you who take the time to read my posts and comment: I couldn’t be more thankful. I truly do not deserve y’all.
• I’ve been inspired by so many bloggers. The best part about blogging to me is how much I learn from what you all have to say too. Annie, Lauren, Ngoc, Taasia are just a few of the bloggers I have met here that have either driven me to buy a new book, listen to a new song or just inspired me with their words and intelligent posts.

LOOKING FORWARD

I really hope to continue blogging for a long time. There’s a lot that I don’t know about the future – I feel like those years when you’re walking to adulthood are always so unpredictable, because there’s literally no stability to my life whatsoever lol -, but I really, really hope I can find more balance to continue blogging.

I really want to figure out a better schedule for the new year, so I can be more consistent in both posting and blog hopping. I don’t have a lot of goals besides that, tbh. Of course it will be nice to grow my following, but I am satisfied with what I have and am not aiming towards any number. I also don’t dream of getting ARCs or participating in book tours or anything like that. My only goal is to be a better blogger & reader, in the best of my ability.

For anyone that has read any of my posts in the past year: thank you so much. I am really happy with everything I’ve achieved and hope to continue growing with you guys! 💛