Top 10 for 2013... and a New Year's Resolution

It's been a little more than 6 months since Mermaid with a Book was launched, and this mermaid's flippin' out over the things that have happened since then. Book blogging has been such a wave to ride on and I'm so thankful for this experience. I've picked my way through a lot of things – still am, actually – things like improving my blog design with HTML, building relationships with authors and other book bloggers, how to write a review to best express my thoughts on a book (negative reviews, especially).

First things first — my New Year's resolution for 2014:

To read more books than I did in 2013.

One thing that bugs me the most is not hitting my target of reading 100 books last year. I've only got a miserable 44 on Goodreads, no thanks to school assignments and projects. Also, I read 111 books in 2012 without writing any proper reviews for them, so writing reviews will lower my target for 2014. 50 would be a nice number to start with. I'm really hoping I don't end up something like this at the end of this year...

"ALL THOSE BOOKS I HAVEN'T READ YET OMG ASDAFAOSIOINGYTKLRG!"

Anyway, here are my top 10 reads for the past year (in no particular order)!

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Even In Darkness (Between, #3) by Cyndi Tefft [review here]

Dangerous Depths (The Sea Monster Memoirs, #2) by Karen Amanda Hooper [review here]

The Twice Lost (Lost Voices, #3) by Sarah Porter [review here]

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Stolen Night (Vampire Queen, #2) by Rebecca Maizel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Sweet Shadows (Medusa Girls, #2) by Tera Lynn Childs

Dearly, Departed (Gone With The Respiration, #1) by Lia Habel [review here]

Just For Fins (Fins, #3) by Tera Lynn Childs

The journey for Mermaid with a Book hasn't been exactly a smooth sailing one. Running a book blog is tougher than it seems, what with juggling reading, reviewing, schoolwork and family matters. I encountered my first experience of writing a negative review for a book, and it was hard work organising my thoughts. I finally realised how hard it is to write a good review. Not only do your feelings go into the review, you've also got to analyse what made you feel happy, angry, sad or confused. It's about embracing the book and the hard work which went into writing it.

I've discovered many more gems to read, made friends with other book bloggers and authors from all over the world and did what I love best – reading books and writing about them. I'd love to thank all who have supported me in one way or another – by reading my reviews, retweeting and commenting on them, following my blog and entering giveaways hosted here. Each and every one of you make my day. This book blogging journey has just begun for me, and I hope 2014 marks the start of a beautiful new year filled with more bookish events and friends!

Happy New Year, everyone!

                                                                                 Merhugs,

           

P.S. What's your New Year's resolution? (;

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