Thank you so much, everyone, and happy new year!

Sappy Ramble Sesh

Feel free to skip over this long segment if you want :) 

The fact that you're seeing these words means that you've come across my blog somehow. Maybe you're one of my friends, in which case I appreciate the fact that you're supporting me. Maybe you're a fellow book blogger, and if so, I have to thank you for all the inspiration and help. Or you might have found this corner of the internet some other way, but no matter what, this blog wouldn't be possible without you.

You know, it's been exactly six months since I first started this blog. I'm so glad I did. As we look toward the new year, right there on the horizon, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you, the heroes behind this blog.

The best part is when I get a nice comment from someone. You know, these always make my day. I love feedback, too, because I can't grow without that. Like the user recently who commented on my about me! Shoutout to you, because you were able to give me a suggestion while remaining positive. I appreciate it.

I decided to title this section "Sappy Ramble Sesh", because looking back at what I've written, it seems like the best way to describe it. I know this was just a jumble of incoherent thoughts, but I needed to let it out. 😊  That being said, let's move on!

3 things to celebrate in 2023

Just looking back at the past year, three things come to mind:

1. Starting this blog!

Like I said, this blog went up and running on June 25, and it's been an emotional roller coaster. I'm so glad I didn't let my fears get in the way and decided to publish my very first post.

2. Receiving ten ARCs.

ARCs, or Advanced Reader Copies, are given when an author or publisher gives a blogger a free copy of their novel in exchange for a honest review. I got approved for my 10th one a month ago. Here are all my ARC book reviews, which you can check out if you're interested. 

3. Fifteen posts.

I know this amount isn't huge, but I've been posting sporadically the past year. That's going to change in 2024, I promise. And this leads us into the next part...

3 upcoming changes in 2024

With the new year comes some new updates!

1. I'll write more here on this blog.

I didn't really have a posting schedule last year, but I'm preparing my January posting schedule to ensure I'll publish reviews weekly. This isn't an empty promise.

2. I'm finally got a https URL!

Take a minute to look at the website URL for this blog (in the search bar). Chances are, it's "https://www.pagesofperfiction.com" or simply "pagesofperfiction.com". It took a long time to get my SSL certificate and fix all the redirects, so this blog is easy to access.

3. I'm doing reading challenges!

I haven't done any before, so I'm really excited. This news deserves a separate section.

3 reading challenges I'm taking up this year

I love the number three, which you could probably tell, considering the fact that there are exactly three lists in this post and all of them have three items listed under them. I suppose that's why I decided to do three reading challenges this year. That's not the only reason, though.

I started blogging midway through 2023, which meant I couldn't participate in any reading challenges, because they start at the beginning of the year. So throughout the past six months, I've been silently noting down challenges I want to take part in. These are the ones that I finally decided on.

1. She Reads Romance Books Reading Challenge. 

The best part about this is that Leslie, the blogger hosting the challenge, provided prompts that aren't related to romance books in case you'd prefer other reads. That way, I can pick whichever prompt for that month makes the most sense for me to read, between the options.

2. Shelf Reflections 2024 Reading Challenge.

This has 45 prompts that you can use throughout the year to guide your reading. Let's see how many I get to!

3. Bookish Books Reading Challenge.

This one is for books... that are about books. The criteria is pretty lose, though- most of the YA novels I read do relate to books in some way (ex: main character loves reading), so I'm pretty sure I'll do well.

As a side note, I kind of want to try this 2024 Classics Reading Challenge, which is about books written before 1970. I've only read one classic book before (The Hobbit, which was published in 1937), so I might take part in this if I have the time.

Here's to another year full of prosperity, peace, and, of course, pages.

Paige C, signing off.