Happy New Year Everyone!!!
Thank you all for following me on my literary lifestyle. It’s grown far more than my wildest dreams could have imagined. Really, I’m still very new; I began this blog a year and one week ago. So thank you! May we continue our journey for many years to come. This community I have become a part of through my blog, Bookstagram (Instagram), Twitter, Litsy, GoodReads, and more has expanded my life in so many ways. Part of me wishes I would have started doing this years ago. Better late than never!
Looking back at 2017: WOW.
I moved to Houston in October, 2016 with the intent to risk so much and dedicate myself completely to freelancing. I quickly realized: a) I lived in a city where I didn’t know anyone b) I had never not worked in an office or some job outside of the home, so what would I do with my c) I needed a hobby aside from reading and baking d) I was very bored and lonely. My best friend had been bothering me for years to start blogging about books. I was reading a lot in my new home. I posted a couple pictures on Instagram about my late night reading garnering far more likes and interaction than the previous four years had ever seen. The idea hit. I would start a blog and social media presence dedicated to books, which would give me something to do with my free time and all those darn books I read.
Here we are.
I spent 2017 reading, blogging, traveling, and spending time with my dog. I read a whole bunch of books with the intent of rereading books on my shelf and exploring authors of diverse backgrounds. I did very little rereading but a whole lot of diversity reading. My bookstagram took off like wildfire, and I started receiving books from authors and publishers, which is a bookworm’s dream come true really. I was able to travel all over the country seeing friends in Chicago, Iowa, Minnesota, Los Angeles, San Diego, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and more. I may be tired of road trips for awhile. I did a bunch of freelancing (shameless plug: I’m always open for more!). I adopted my dog, Beauvoir, in February naming her after the author and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. I tried to explore my new home, Houston, but I have so much more to see. I had some serious downs in 2017 specifically health troubles, but I have done everything in my power to keep it from holding me back from living a spectacularly exciting life.
With a little bitter sweetness I am saying goodbye to 2017 looking forward to 2018. After such a wonderful year, it’s hard not to be a little apprehensive of the year to come. I am looking ahead with optimism. My reading list is long and ever growing. I already have a few trips planned. I am going to start blogging with a new found vengeance because I love it, and I have a bunch of ideas!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you for following along, supporting, and enjoying this bookish thing I love so much. I look forward to another year full of adventures, books, friends, and new experiences.
RaeAnna Rekemeyer
Founder of Bookish Liaisons