Recent Reads Roundup, Achievements, Quirks, and Imaginary Cupcakes

HOLY SHIT GUYS, IT'S APRIL, WHUT AND WHUT AND WHUT.

(I turn 26 on Saturday. Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahagodwhyyy)

2017 has been an...interesting year *purposefully avoids saying why* *YOU KNOW WHY* Let's stick to the reading/blogging front. For me, it's been the best reading year I'd had in...well, i don't know how long, because this is the first year I've really been proactive about tracking my reads (*thunks Past Gillian on the forehead*). But while this is the best reading year I've had in time untold, it's probably the worst blogging year I've had since I started blogging (*thunks Current Gillian on the forehead*). So I'm reading all the books YAY but not finding the time or energy to review them BOO. Let's all throw things at Current Gillian. Preferably very soft things. Like teddy bears, or cupcakes, or accolades.

ANYHOO, because life has been *insert drowning/explodey volcano/screamsobbing/stressed out/panic naptime/seriously-i-need-cupcakes emoji here* (WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT IS NOT AN EMOJI, WE ALL NEED THAT ONE, HAVE YOU SEEN 2017???), I'mma do a quick little catch up on not all, but MOST of the books I've read in the first third of 2017. I'm still hoping, optimistically, to do longer reviews for some of them, but I'm too busy AGING and PANICKING ABOUT AGING to do it at the moment, so a babbling roundup is what you get.

Also, some of you may have noticed I've basically not been on Twitter this year. I plan to go back! I miss you peeps! But life has been...well, you saw that emoji. So Imma chat with you through this roundup. <3

Here are all zee books I've read this year! NGL, I'm damn proud of how maaaany there are. I am not one of those people who can read a book a day. I AM BUSY. I HAVE 16 SEASONS OF AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL TO REWATCH AND IMAGINARY CUPCAKES TO EAT AND CEILINGS TO STARE AT.

2017 Reading Highlights:

Favorite shoutouts, starting with the genius sequels
THE DARK DAYS PACT OH MY GOD YOU GUYS IT WAS SO GOOD, LIKE RUIN-YOUR-LIFE-AND-PUNCH-YOU-IN-THE-THROAT GOOD, Windwitch by Susan Dennard, and These Ruthless Deeds by Kelly Zekas and Tarun Shanker. They were all even better than their predecessors, and I loved the first books in those series a whole bunch.

Other faves so far include Princess Academy by Shannon Hale and THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED AKA THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE YOU GUYS IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ, STOP READING MY BLOG POST AND READ THAT INSTEAD

YOU'RE STILL HERE, WHY, WHY ARE YOU NOT READING THAT BOOK OR PREORDERING IT IDK WHEN DOES IT COME OUT

okay it's not out yet, you can keep reading my very scintillating blog post hey where are you going

I'm reading a whole bunch of 2017 Releases! Celebrate! 
aka I AM ACTUALLY...A LITTLE BIT...SORT OF KEEPING UP WITH MY ARCS? I mean no, I'm not, not even a little bit, but I'm doing decently yay Gillian have a teddy bear/cupcake/accolade!

I've been indulging in fun early cheat reads
Like Song of the Current by Sarah Tolscer (PIRATE-ISH FANTASY WITH BOATS AND A BANTERSHIP AND BANTERING ON A SHIP) and What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum, my current read, both of which I quite love. I'm keeping my TBR FRESH, YO by jumping ahead in ARC order to read things that don't come out for months.

(I don't have a schedule--I REJECT AUTHORITY, EVEN SELF-IMPOSED AUTHORITY--but I do organize my physical shelves by release month, and there's something so free about just being like FUCK DAT and seizing a book from JULY, even though all the ignored Febrary ARCs stare at me mournfully and wonder where they went so wrong and why I treat them so and was it something they said)

I HAVE GATHERED NEW OTPs!
Like Catherine and Andevai from Cold Magic. Dudes. My guys. My sweet fantasy shipperlings. Get thee thither posthaste. (But only if you can handle high fantasy with a shit metric ton of worldbuilding, because the first 100 pages of this clunker are a grade A mess) (But after that...SHIP CENTRAL OKAY)

Adult romance is my current happy place
Especially historical with lots of banter and hotchacha sexytimes. I read the ENTIRE Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, and I loved it! I plan to do a series review, but I've been reading a ton of adult romance this year, including Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, and Jennifer Crusie, and I ain't mad at it. Nothing lifts the mood better than a good frothy romance between people who can legally drink (sometimes reading nothing but YA can get you in a WEIRD PLACE).

I'm actually reading unread books I OWN on my SHELVES that STARE ME IN THE FACE AND SHAME ME
Books like Starflight, Brightly Woven, and the Claire LaZebnik books. It's an ongoing project, but I'm determined to lessen the number of unread books I've bought with my own moneys.

I have a wretched habit of buying pretty brand new hardbacks and being like OBVIOUSLY I SHALL READ THIS EXPENSIVE VELVET-COVERED MASTERPIECE WITH SHINY LETTERTHINGS AND ENDPAPERS AND DECKLED EDGES AT ONCE and then I at once don't and it just sits there, shaming me. But it's my impossible dream goal to read all the books I own, and, well, I'm nowhere near it, but I'm closer than I was, so CUPCAKE TIME IT IS

I've started to do some rereads! 
Which I'm soooo happy about, because I love rereading almost as much as I love reading. it's the ultimate comfort activity for me. I very often go and reread my favorite (kissy) bits in my favorite (kissy) novels when I need an instant HAPPINESS BOOST, but this year--the Year of Shite and Being 26 Hahahasobdrink--I felt the need to actively reread MOAR. Because there are so many books I LOVE and I just want to PULL THEM CLOSER TO ME AND HUG THEM UNTIL THEY STOP BREATHING I mean whut this got weird and bookicidal

I've been reading more contemporaries
I like the stuff with dragons and magical lands and castles full of attractive lying royals in fancy outfits, you know me (or maybe this is he first post you've ever read from me. If so...sorry oops why are you running away). But for some reason, this year I've been drawn to more contemporary reads than I normally am (and grief ones at that, which is usually a topic I avoid like the PLAGUE, but uhhh I guess I feel like ugly crying a lot? IDK. Can't explain why, because I'm really not enjoying it, but also all the grief books I've read have been REALLY GOOD, so, IDK again. This aside had a point, I swear.)

ANYHOO. That's enough babbling for one blog post, I think. I clearly miss talking with you guys! Tell me how your reading years have been, and I'll try to fling some teddy bears or cupcakes are you or maybe just a DRINK because we are all OLD and 2017 is making us OLDER hahahadrinksobu

unlessyou'reanactualYAthendon'tdrinkjustsobKIDDINGHAVEACUPCAKEANDBEYOUNG