Happy 2 Years, The Book Insider!

       ​My blog is TWO YEARS OLD TODAY!! I can’t believe I’ve been shouting about books on the internet for that long. It’s crazy to think about it! So, I thought a great way to celebrate would be to compile a list of my favorite and most popular posts in the past year.* I also decided to include some of my favorite #bookstagram posts from the year as well. (The only thing I didn’t bring is cake...I know, I’m sad too. Maybe next year I can throw a blogiversary party, and I will invite all of you!)

*I only included the past year because I did a similar version of this post last year. You can check that out here.

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Poetry

       ​This year has brought a couple of opportunities for me to write some poetry. I love poems, but it’s hard to find free time to do it on my own. That’s why I’m always excited when I get the chance to write it at school. One of my posts was inspired by a prompt in my book club last year, and the other was assigned by my American Literature teacher this year when we were talking about single effect. I hope that as my life starts to slow down, I can find a way to incorporate poetry writing into it.

Single Effect Poetry

"The Day I Ran Away"

​Precommendations

       ​Precommendations has grown up into a second volume! If you don’t know what this series is, it’s my monthly issue where I pick out my most anticipated releases for the month. And I’ve also been doing it for almost a year and a half, which is crazy! I have them all filed in one category, so feel free to binge read all of them accordingly. (You can go back and look to see if I end up reading a book after featuring it in my Precommendations because I go back and edit the post to say so.)

The Precommendations Archive

Review Copies

       ​In my second year of blogging, I received my first review copy, which was a dream come true! Melanie Schubert was kind enough to contact me and ask me to review Gregory and the Grimbockle as an ebook, and I LOVED it. It is such a cute middle-grade read, and Melanie is such a great person to work alongside. Hopefully, I can get a few more opportunities like this in the coming year of my blogging. (And, of course, I have a review for it, so go check that out if you haven’t already.)

Review of Gregory and the Grimbockle

New Year's Resolutions

       ​This year is the first year that I’ve set bookish New Year’s Resolutions, which was so much fun to do. I made plans to fit more reading into my schedule, as well as a goal to read all of my physical TBR books before I go out and buy more. So far I’ve been almost perfect; I bought Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda so I could see the movie, and that is it! My goal is to finish my physical books by the time school lets out.

2018 Bookish Goals

Guest Posts

       ​My mom had the honor of being my first guest author! She graciously agreed to write about three of her favorite funny nonfiction books as I did the same. It was a blast to write with her. I’m hoping that I can have her write with me more often in the future since we both have different reading styles to offer the world.

Six Nonfiction Books to Make You LOL

Bookstagram Study

       ​One of the most exciting (and unexpected) things that happened to me in my last year of blogging was being asked to participate in a bookstagram study for a graduate student in Canada. I will not give her name, because I’m not sure if she wants it published or not, but she contacted me and asked me to be a part of the research for her grad school thesis on “exploring teenagers’ experiences of bookstagram.” It was fun talking with her. This was my first experience talking to someone I’ve never met, and we could instantly bond over our shared love of book blogging. It was an honor to be asked and to participate!

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       What a year of blogging it has been. I can’t wait to see what this coming year brings. Hopefully, this blog will stick around for many years to come.

Your blogger with a “toddler,”
Ashton

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.

— Bill Watterson