2019 was such a good year for me, both in my personal life and in my bookish, and 2020 seems to be starting off well! I had been blogging for 6 months at the beginning of 2019, and even though it wasnt that long ago, looking back and seeing how simple my reviews and posts were I cringe a little. Thankfully, I met some amazing bookish friends and found some great blogs to read, both of which helped me become a better and more confident blogger. This post is going to focus on my ‘tops’ of 2019, my top moments, books, blog posts etc. I really put a lot more effort into my blog last year and hopefully it shows. Did you all have a good 2019? What were some of your top moments from the last year? Let me know in the comments.

Top Moments of 2019

Going to my first ever bloggers event – I may have had to travel to London, but I couldn’t resist when I got invited to my first ever bloggers event from Gollancz publishing. I had so much fun, and got to meet one of my favourite authors Ben Aaronovitch.

Seeing the Spice Girls – I’ve loved the Spice Girls for years now, as a 90’s child I grew up with them and couldn’t miss the chance to see them live.

Meeting some of my favourite authors – Jay Kristoff, Leigh Bardugo & Katherine Arden. I love every single one of these authors and was such a nerd when I went to the events. I always feel really awkward and don’t know what to say, but they were all so lovely and put me at ease.

Updating my Blog – When I decided that blogging wasn’t just a passing fancy I decided to update my blog with some gorgeous designs drawn by the lovely Vicky over at Vicky Who Reads . I was pretty useless in giving her ideas but she created some amazing new graphics that I absolutely love.

Becoming a trustee for a charity – in 2018 I did my first ever Convoy for the CWUHA. A charity that funds a school in Tanzania and also takes part in two convoys a year to Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, bringing aid to vulnerable families and disabled children. Seeing the level of poverty there was eye opening to say the least, and there were definitely a few tears shed. So when I was asked to be a trustee I jumped at the chance. This is a purely voluntary role, it comes with no pay and anything I do comes out of my own time, but once I went over and saw the work we were doing I couldn’t resist. I’m also taking part in another Convoy in Sept 2020.

Top Books of 2019!

I have already done a post based around this, but I could only pick 10 books which was incredibly hard! So For this one I’m going to show you every single book I loved out of the 72 that I read! 2019 was a year of incredible debuts, sequels and new books by authors I already loved. I may have read less books than I did in 2018, but I definitely feel that the quality of these books was so much better.

Books I DNF in 2019

I hate doing this. I am the person that powers through, sure that the book must get better. However, last year I decided that I shouldn’t waste my time on books I wasn’t enjoying. There were only three books that I DNF, but a part of me still feels bad for not giving them a chance, even though I read most of them to around 50% before I gave up.

The Last Mrs Parrish – This book was both predictable and problematic. I got it on a 99p deal off amazon after a friend recommended it. At around 20% of the way through I guessed what was going to happen, and after confirming it with my friend I decided to DNF. I really cant believe this one get the hype it does.

The Path Keeper – I just couldn’t get into this one, I think I found the characters slightly annoying and found the romance a bit too fast paced for my liking. I have seen some raving reviews for it though so it might be a bit of a marmite book.

Beyond the Shadowed Earth – I was so disappointed in this book, it was one of my highly anticipated reads for 2019 and I powered through to around 75% but just couldnt finish it. I found the main character extremely bratty and felt that the plot jumped around with new things appearing without warning or context.

Top blogging posts of 2019 by views

These are the posts that, according to WordPress brought the most traffic to my blog and received the most views.

Six for Sunday – Favourite Genres

Shelflove crate King of Scars unboxing

Books from my favourite genre – Top Ten Tuesday

The Versatile Blogger Award

Books by my favourite authors I still need to read – Top Ten Tuesday

My Top Posts of 2019

These are the posts I’m most proud of. Whether they are reviews, tags or posts talking about my favourite books/genre.

Darkdawn By Jay Kristoff Review

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Review

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal review

Author Interview – Alexandria Warwick, Below

And that’s my 2019 in review! I have some amazing memories from this year both bookish and from my personal life, and 2020 is looking like it might well be better. What were some of the top moments from your 2019? I Hope you all have an amazing 2020!