HELLO! I hope everyone had a fab Christmas and New Year! How is it 2016 already?! 2015 went by in a flash! I was planning to all all sorts of reading and blogging over the Christmas period, but I was super lazy and relaxed, and spent most of it with my sister pondering the meaning of life. So now, with 2/3 days before I have to go back to work (panto-style boo, please), I’m going to get scheduling and get January off to a great start.

The Books:

So, this month I did a trade on Twitter under #booksfortradeUK and got my hands on Full Frontal Feminism, Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, Looking For Alaska, Half Bad, Half Wild, and Angelfall.

My sister also attended a Cecelia Ahern book signing for me because I was working and couldn’t go, so I got a signed copy of The Marble Collector and PS I Love You. You can read more about how my sister became BFFs with Cecelia.

And finally, my #OTSPSecretSister outdid herself with a Harry Potter Colouring Book (which I’m kind of afraid to do in case I ruin it!), colouring pencils, a Gryffindor friendship-style bracelet, Yankee cinnamon tea lights (yum!), a (hand-knitted?!) maroon snood, some Butterbeer bath salts, and a Gryffindor necklace. Of course, I forgot to take a photo once I’d opened them all, so check out the pretty wrapping paper instead! 

 Movies and TV Shows:

I actually didn’t watch a whole lot over the Christmas period, but stand-outs for me were The Best of Me, Southpaw, and Making a Murderer. As always, if you’ve any suggestions, let me know!

Wrappin’ It Up!

• Trish @ Between My Lines chats about escapism through reading and book blogger confessions, shares do’s and don’ts for blogging, and advises how to burst through a reading slump
• Lauren @ Bookmark Lit wrote a fantastic piece on Slut-Shaming, Relationships and Feminism in YA
• Hannah @ So Obsessed With advises how to recover from the blogging blues
• Lindsey @ Bring My Books shared an adorable post about her and her Beau
• Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction shares a full list of 2016 challenges, tells us why reading and blogging are the best hobbies, and asks do you read novellas?
• Ceilidh @ Bibliodaze shares the most influential people in publishing in 2015
• Dana @ The Unprinted Protagonist discusses the pros and cons of caring about appearance
• Rinn @ Rinn Reads doesn’t “get” book boyfriends
• Becky @ A Fool’s Ingenuity gushes about the works of Neil Gaiman
• Megz @ Barefoot Whispers wrote a great post titled Sometimes I Don’t Want To Know
• Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf shares why she doesn’t tag authors in negative reviews and talks about how she responds to hate online
• Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner discusses the pros and cons of a numbers based reading challenge
• Dani @ Dani Reviews Things responds to Ruth Graham’s article, Against YA

In Case You Missed It:

This month I reviewed Uprooted (4/5), The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender  (3.5/5) and Not That Kind of Girl (1.5/5). I have lots of reviews I need to catch up on for books I’ve read in 2015, time to get typing!

I wrote a discussion about The Death of the “Buy” Link and took part in 25 Days of Blogmas, which I kind of failed. I think I managed 17 days, which wasn’t too bad, but next year I think I’ll try for 12 days instead! Posts included: Christmas Songs I Love, The BEST Christmas Movies, The Transatlantic Book Project Stop 1, Crazy and Best Search Terms of 2015, Do Publishers Actually Hate Us?, Bookish Gift Guide With Exclusive Discount Codes, and The Christmas Tag.

I also took part in Top Ten Tuesday with Authors New To Me In 2015 and Favourite Books of 2015. My most popular post in December was Pop Sugar Reading Challenge.

How was your Christmas? Are you ready for the New Year? Let me know what you’ve been up to!