Tag: blog

Blogging & Reading Goals 2018

whatcathyreadnext18 Comments

Set Goals

As the old year comes to a close, it’s time to focus on the New Year and, in particular, to set those important reading and blogging goals for 2018. Well, at least it is for me, as I like the discipline of having some targets to aim for.

Reading Goals

Reading challenges:

  • 2018 TBR Pile Challenge (hosted by RoofBeamReader) – Read all twelve books on my list
  • 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge (hosted by Passages to the Past) – I’m aiming for Prehistoric level which means reading 50+ books (but most of the books I read are historical fiction)
  • Buchan of the Month – Read the twelve books I’ve identified and, I hope, participate in some discussion with other bloggers about our reviews
  • Classics Club (hosted by RoofBeamReader) – I want/need to make more progress on this in order to complete my list by the end of December 2018
  • NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge 2018 (hosted by Bookish Things & More) – I’m going for Silver level once again which means reading and reviewing 25 books on NetGalley
  • Goodreads – I plan to set a target of 156 books (same as 2017)

Review requests:

  • Reduce my review turnaround time to two months or under (currently three or four)

NetGalley:

  • Maintain my 80% feedback ratio
  • Attain my 100 Reviews badge
  • Get an auto approval

Blogging Goals

  • Continue to take part in Top Ten Tuesday, WWW Wednesdays and Throwback Thursday
  • Start my own meme
  • Update my blog’s theme and graphics
  • Create a blog page(s) devoted to John Buchan
  • Create a blog page to index author Q&As I’ve carried out
  • Take blog tour breaks in February and December

Personal Goals

  • Start a proofreading course

What are your blogging and reading goals for 2018?

Christmas 4

Blogiversary: The People Who Made the Difference

whatcathyreadnext19 Comments

BlogiversaryI can’t quite believe that it’s a year since What Cathy Read Next was launched into the blogosphere but it is and today is my first blogiversary!

I could talk about how many followers my blog has gained or how many views it’s received. But, if I’ve learned anything over the past twelve months, it’s that it’s the people who make the book blogging community what it is. So, this is my tribute to just some of the people who’ve made the past year such a positive experience.

Authors: Thank you for your creativity and for crafting the books that make us go “Aah”, “Eek”, “Ouch”, “Eh?” or – my favourite – “I wasn’t expecting that!”. Thank you to the authors who’ve entrusted me with their books and waited patiently for my reviews – and for those still waiting! Thank you to the authors who’ve shared my reviews or commented on them with generosity and appreciation.

Publishers: Thank you to the many publishers who’ve supported my blog by generously providing me with review copies or inviting me to participate in blog tours – especially those who took a chance on me when my blog was just a toddler such as Bonnier Zaffre, Head of Zeus and Impress Books.

Book bloggers: Thank you to the book bloggers who’ve provided me with inspiration, acted as role models for the book blogging community and who continue to overwhelm me with their energy, inventiveness, camaraderie and passion for books. You can find some of my favourites in the blog roll on my blog.

Followers: Thank you to each and every one of the people who have followed What Cathy Read Next by email, on WordPress, Bloglovin, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I value your support.

Commenters: Thanks to all those who’ve taken the time to comment on my blog posts. I’ve really enjoyed our conversations and it’s been fantastic to receive feedback on my reviews, learn about other great books to add to my wishlist and chat about those great book blogging preoccupations: TBR piles, NetGalley feedback ratios and reading/blogging slumps! A special shout out to my top commenters: Nicki at The Secret Library Blog, Eva at Novel Delights, Cleo at Cleopatra Loves Books and Lynne at Fictionophile.

Sharers: A big thank you to everyone who’s shared my blog posts on Twitter or Facebook or retweeted my tweets. Oh, and everyone who’s ‘liked’ them as well!

Tour organisers: Participating in blog tours has introduced me to some fantastic books, some of which I would probably never have read or even known about otherwise. I’m always blown away by the organisational skill and professionalism of blog tour organisers.   So thank you to the following for letting me be part of your tour host teams: Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Jenny at Neverland Blog Tours, Giselle at Xpresso Tours, Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources, Sage at Sage’s Blog Tours, Laura at iRead Book Tours and Anne at Random Things Through My Letter Box.

And since I’m in a good mood, I’ll even thank WordPress for randomly inserting extra line breaks at random in my posts (including this one)!

 

 

Here’s to many more years of happy book blogging for us all!

What Cathy Read Next