2026 Goals

01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , , , ,

I am undertaking a small but big endeavour this year and while I am older and wiser in terms of time and commitment, I am also coming into this year with oh so many years of blogging behind me that I am not ignoring the lessons of the past. I have dug, sculpted, and set fire to my little corner of the internet and I am content where I have ended up. Because of that, I am going to keep as much harmony as I can in what I plan to do.

Therefore, this year my goals are relatively simple: I am going to read and I am going to review. Just how I am going to do that is going to be thrown into the washing machine.

It’s a huge year in terms of books because Jasper Fforde is finally releasing Dark Reading Matter, the final book in the Thursday Next series. I did a reread last year to refresh my memory and I have been incredibly patient (kinda) over the last thirteen years while he published five other books in the meantime. I reviewed this series my first year of blogging. Reading The Eyre Affair was one of the books that prompted me to start this blog. So to be finally able to close the series and still be here to review it is pretty awesome. It was announced in February last year the expected publication date was September 2025 but due to “quality control issues” it’s now 2026. At this stage June. Either way that’s more information than we’ve had the previous twelve years.

In terms of regular goings on, I have my usual posts coming up: Book Bingo, Top Five of 2025, my blogiversary giveaway, as well as another year of my #AussieYAChallenge. I can’t believe this is the third year of my challenge. I was terrified of launching it in 2024 now here I am realising the world didn’t end and I’m loving it.

My reread series of this year is the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I adore this series, absolutely adore it and to return to these characters (and maybe finish a half done review for their books) would be divine. I am quite excited to start all the way from the beginning and maybe even venture into the extra series Carriger has which have been on my to read pile for just as long.

The big news is I am going to be opening my review requests again. Granted only briefly, but I have missed being asked to read some amazing books, to have authors trust me with their work and to be able to share some fantastic stories with you all. Details will be coming in their own post so keep an eye on that. If it’s going to be like it was before it’s going to be tough, but again, the book world has changed dramatically since I was last offering this so who knows, I might open the doors to an empty field of nothing and nobody. But I can’t wait to find out.

The other challenge of my year is I am pushing myself to read paperbacks again. The books I want to read are near impossible to find as audio, especially Aussie YA, but even good fiction books I come across at work or are recommended to me I can only get a physical copy. This says a lot about the availability of audiobooks, but personally I need to get back into the habit too and I am hoping this is the year to do better. I have been slowly getting there, but I need to make a conscious effort. It’s hard because audio lets me get through a book faster and more conveniently. Clearly what I need is to have the time to stop and sit and be content with only reading, not reading while also doing x, y, and z.

So I’m still reading, still reviewing. I am throwing in some challenges for myself out there while being manageable and keeping the fun of blogging alive. Aside from that I am heading into this year with a hope to discover some amazing books, share some amazing reviews, and have fun on this wild ride.

NaNoless November

06 Nov 2025 1 Comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , , ,

I find myself in a strange situation where for the first time since 2008 I don’t have a writing mission for November.

That’s not to say I haven’t been writing, I am currently trying to finish drafts left, right and centre (one finicky draft that is a roller coaster of success and solid, solid, brick walls); but my daily goals, my forums, and the feeling of comradery is gone as NaNo ceased this year.

I know there are articles all over the place about substitutes and other places that replicate NaNo or give you a goal to aim for but they aren’t the same I wail and whine.

I still love the idea of NaNo, I am almost two decades in and I like the achievement of my 50k. It also gets those pesky ideas out in a large lump and I can go back and look months or years down the track and polish, throw out, or steal from. Two of the drafts I’ve been working on recently both came from previous NaNo works so it’s reassuring to see that the pain, sweat, and tears of hitting those daily word goals (or frantically trying to catch up at the eleventh hour) were worthwhile.

I will be hitting my 50k goal come November 30, it will just be with less badges, less procrastination and idea hunting on forums, and less word count updates. I may have to create a fun graph to track my progress though because it’s a real motivator seeing that graph rise and rise or scare you if it plateaus for too long.

I’ve been doing this long enough that I feel confident my November tradition will continue but it’s hard not to feel a little sad at what we lost.

1200th Post

11 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , ,

A few days ago, as I was looking up old posts to reference for another blog post, I came across one where I was celebrating my 600th post. It was a wild flashback to 2017 and at the end of the post I pondered where I would be in another 600. I thought to myself, obviously I immediately forgot about that once I posted it and have probably passed that new milestone now, what with the more regular schedule I had been on in past years than those early ones. I checked and what do you know, I was on 1198. You couldn’t have planned this better.

I checked my schedule and I had 5 posts planned, the second one being my 1200th. I didn’t want it to be the 1200th so a swift change was in order. Technically my 1200th post is now about being the 1200th post but I am still counting it. I will not wax lyrical, I always find myself carrying on which I’m reigning back. But this time I will stop to say that 1200 is an impressive feat. Unsurprising given I have been here 12 years, but at the same time that feels like waaaay too many posts.

Looking at the numbers I actually must have posted more in the first 600 than after. Roughly in four years I did 600, whereas it took about seven to do the same amount. In that first time I did do four (I think), month long celebrations where I posted every single day. I also briefly posted on Sundays so despite often not posting for months on end, it all worked out? I dunno, numbers are weird and it’s best not to think about them.

Somehow 600 and 1200 became pinnacle moments instead of 500 or 1000, probably because I did miss the 500th and aimed for the next one. I don’t want to say where the 1800th post is going to land me but I think anything from here on end is some kind of achievement.

To those who have been here since post one I am eternally grateful, for those who came in at 100, 500, 1000, or 1195 I am also incredibly grateful you have chosen to come on this bookish journey with me.

2024 Goals

18 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , ,

2024 is here and well underway by this point. No one is wishing Happy New Years anymore, February is practically here and then we’ll forget we even had a break to begin with. I didn’t plan for my first of the year to be so late but here we are. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, got plenty of reading done, and have already added plenty of books to your TBR pile for 2024.

I have been looking at what I want my goals for this year to be and I am keeping it simple and relatively easy to strive for. I think my evergreen goal is trying to read a lot more Aussie YA. It was the first 2024 goal I made at the end of last year and already have failed because there are so many nice and shiny books from overseas. Of the eight books I have read so far this year, one is from the #LoveOzYA group, even the two I am half way through are both overseas stories. But I have plenty of time. The problem is I wish it was easier to search for them. The #LoveOzYA team fought hard to get the term recognised, I just need bookshops and libraries to have it as a category I can look up. There’s some great lists on Goodreads, I don’t think StoryGraph does lists the same way, if it does I’ve yet to discover it. Right now I am being guided by the #LoveOzYA website, their blog, lists and tags people put on social media, and looking up authors I already know that fit into that category. Of course I also need to read the back catalogue on my own shelves which is also part of my goal. So many potentially great Aussie YA books sitting unread on my shelf.

The problem is those overseas books are so tempting, so I am not making it a sole goal. But one I hope if I put some effort in to I shall achieve. The rise of audiobooks must be a help, but I fear it will be a wait before any back catalogues get converted. I’m doing it partly because I want to find more local authors, but I also need less USA high school books. Or at least if it’s going to be overseas YA it can’t be in a high school. Somehow the UK and Australians can make YA that isn’t set so heavily in the halls of a high school, I like those ones. But that is a me problem, I think I need a break from cheerleaders and football and not quite ready to jump further into the US fantasy quite yet. Years ago they had a great Book Bingo Challenge which I loved. I might make up my own one to aid me. What I need is a #LoveOzYA Challenge like the old Australian Women Writers where there’s goals to aim for. Oh, I may have given myself an idea of a challenge I definitely don’t have time to make but do kinda desperately want to make…I’ll keep you posted.

Away from that I have set my goal at 80 books again, hopefully we can be a bit less dramatic come December when I need to have finished. I am also creating my Book Bingo so that will go up soon as well. My plan was to less intense in January in terms of posting, but that has slackened further now it being the end of January and all with nothing posted yet, but I’ll get there. Keeping it fun and casual I tell myself. Fighting against my organisational instincts and keeping it casual like I promised myself last year.

Next week is my blogiversary, the one post I can’t skip. I have my Top Five up for grabs as well as a few other books I’ve loved. It’s times like this I wish I’d reviewed more because it’s hard to push books you love when there aren’t many reviews to read up on to tell you why I loved it. I will get the reviews up as soon as possible though because I need to tell you about these amazing books.

Other than that I am gearing up for a more relaxed year, reviews when I can, trying not to hold myself too accountable so I am not guilt ridden, but also balancing it so I don’t go full on neglect either.

Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Another Year Gone.

31 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags:

I don’t know why I feel such a sense of guilt writing this end of year wrap or, or any wrap up really. I think it’s because I put a lot of pressure on myself so if I don’t achieve the goal I feel I have failed. Even getting time to write this has been a challenge and certainly not my usual end of year schedule where it’s spaced out beautifully.

The weird thing is I felt little guilt over my neglect through the year, not so much because I didn’t post, but because I actually forgot a lot of the time so I wasn’t remembering to post. I think this also played into the fact I don’t feel I read a lot this year. I know I fell behind on my goal and I’m not quite game to check but I am almost certain I didn’t hit my target.

In other news I finished writing a book, have almost finished writing another. I’d like to think that played a role too but I know I am only grasping at excuses. I was incredibly busy with life and I think the combo of time, and not having a lot of books to think about, I didn’t feel the overwhelming crush of pressure and guilt about not posting reviews. Which I should be relieved about, but alas has actually made me feel guiltier on reflection.

It’s definitely a combination of the fact I have been doing this for so long, this was my tenth year, it was supposed to be better. But work and family commitments take up time. Life takes up time. In the past I’ve slipped because of illness, burnt out, holidays, plus a range of other things. But I know I can be better. Which I think is worse. I think my end of year tradition has become me lamenting about not doing things and neglecting this blog. I must stop doing that too (she says as she continues to do it).

Going into my eleventh year I am trying to be kinder to myself. Which, I know, I have said a lot in the past too. I make plan to change things up, change schedules, try and make it more manageable. But I think I am at a loss with plans. I think you can’t plan once you hit a certain point. I need to read more certainly, but also don’t be reliant on a schedule to keep.

If I read a book I will post about it. If I have a solid run for a while then I don’t I will try my absolute hardest to not feel weird about it. The blog will be here patiently waiting for my return.

I got to participate in a book release recently for an author who I have been reading since my very first year doing this. They were an author I picked up when I had opened my review requests (god how I miss those!) and I have been invested ever since. It took me back to those hectic but simpler earlier days. To be honest I think life and the general world was simpler then so it probably doesn’t count. But it has given me something to think about going into year eleven of this endeavour.

I honestly still love it. I love doing it. So why haven’t I been able to? I don’t think I will get an easy answer on that. I do think the lack of reading hasn’t helped. When a book speaks to you, and you love it, being able to sing its praises is easier. I think getting out of the habit made it hard. As hard as it is to make a habit, getting back to one I think is just as challenging.

I see the regular faces who like my posts when I do post and I want to thank you for sticking with me all this time. Through my weird schedules, my absence, through social media upheaval when nothing is seen, nothing connects anymore, and for still reading my words when you all no doubt have the exact same distractions going on in your own lives.

I am not ready to quit this. I do not want to give up on it. I only ask the world slow down a little and give me a chance to rediscover my deep love for this blog because it’s there below the surface, buried beneath a little dirt and mud but I have bought a shovel and I am willing to dig down deep to uncover it again.

Looking back I once again thrived in the first part of the year. I already have reviews lined up for next year so not doubt this will happen again. I read some wonderful books this year, not exceeding my goal or anything, I think it will be a tight finish if I meet it at all. Maybe with some last minute cheat shorty books but I think that’s ok. It’s definitely indicative of how I haven’t read a lot, couldn’t read a lot. But this is why I have thrown myself into audiobooks because you can listen anywhere, anytime. I’m 90% sure this is how I’ve gotten to read anything at all these past few years.

I’ve still got a few hours to go so reading will still be happening. I have added up my Book Bingo and matched the appropriate books to their places. I’ll do a separate post for those, but it isn’t as dire as I thought. One good things about reading so many books, and knowing my own tastes is I can get quite lucky by chance filling in those squares when I fall behind.

I reread last years wrap up, and it’s made me feel a bit better about everything. I definitely think I’m in an ok place going into 2024. I was always doing this for fun and my own enjoyment. If it ever stops being that I will worry, but for now, neglect and guilt aside, I am going into next year with this blog in tow, even if it’s a little battered and bruised and covered in a thin layer of dust.

But enough of that. For now I wish you all a happy new year and may 2024 bring you wonders and joy! I will be watching the fireworks with awe as per usual, and will step blindly into the new year with whatever may come.

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