✱ Hello Again. Happy New Year 2017 ! ✱

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image source: here. edited by me.

Hello there! I know it's probably a little late to say this, but Happy New Year! To be honest it feels a little awkward for me to get back into blogging after being absent for several months. My last post was back in July 2016; and suddenly I found the urge to start writing something again. This might not be a book review or a book haul post, but it's a start. In this (hopefully) brief post, I will update you on what I've been doing these past couple of months, why I haven't been reading or blogging as much, and what my goals will be in 2017.

For the last half of 2016, I can safely say that I spent a lot of my time building and nurturing the relationships that I have in my life. First of all, I am now happily in a relationship and it has taken some of my reading / blogging time away—but I'm definitely more than happy to do it. I also took time to spend more time with my family, celebrating events and just enjoy having quality time with them. If being away from this blog and had less time reading can get my family closer, it's a sacrifice that I'm willing to make. From October through November I also went on 2 different trips. The first one is my trip to the United States with few of my closest friends. It was memorable not because of the beautiful scenery that we get to see or the delicious food that we get to eat, but because I can enjoy their company for two weeks straight. The second one is a long-weekend trip to Bali with my church cell group members. Although there were a few mishaps, the most important thing was that we had fun together. And lastly, I committed myself to reading the Bible 5 chapters every day since November because I want to deepen my relationship with God even further.

image source: here.

I do have to admit that I'm a bit sad because last year I only get to read 31 books. It's a huge drop because for the past 6 years, I never read that little. In 2015, I read 90 books—so you can probably imagine how disappointed at myself I was last year with my achievement. But looking back, reflecting on my efforts to build relationships and how 2016 ended on a good note, I am content. And most importantly, I have no regrets.

Moving on to plans and goals in 2017. Reading and blogging wise, I'm planning to get back into reading books regularly. I know I won't be able to read as fast as before, but my goal is just a constant and persistent routine. For every book that I finished, I'm planning to post a review as usual. The books that I'll be reading these days might not be the newest releases; but they will be books that I really want to read. However, I won't promise book haul posts because it really takes a lot of effort and time to do it. If you have any suggestions on fun book challenges, interesting blog post ideas, or Q&A, feel free to comment below! It might encourage me to start posting more on this blog ;)

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image source: here.

So ending this post, I'd like to say sorry for somewhat abandoning this blog for several months. But I'm in the process of reviving it again. It's still one of my favorite place to be where I can share my love for books <3

ICYMI: ☆ The Inability to Read All the Books I Want—The Future of This Blog ☆

by.stefaniesugia♥ .