Hello everyone! I can't believe we're here celebrating my 3rd blogversary. It's been a crazy journey and I'm so grateful to be here today and for all of you here with me, reading this post and just supporting me in general. I'm sorry I'm going to get emotional if I continue, I just have a lot of feelings, so let's just dive into the post!
Most and least favourite things about blogging?
My favourite thing is definitely the community and all the friends I have made. I am so grateful for everyone I have gotten to know and I don't know what I'd do without all of you. I love talking to everyone and buddy reading a lot and how all of it has helped me come out of my shell and not be shy anymore.
My least favourite thing is probably my own expectations about how much I should be posting and what my posts should look like. I can be hard on myself and this is another aspect in which I hold myself to unattainable standards which makes blogging significantly less fun. I'm trying to be easier and to be okay with mistakes, because it isn't possible for me to get everything perfect always.
What has blogging taught you so far?
Blogging has taught me so much and I talked about some things that blogging changed about me earlier this week which can also be taken as a compilation of things I learnt. I've learnt to pay more attention to things around me, be more confident in my own abilities and to have my voice heard.
Goals for your blog in the next year?
I am actually quite happy with where I am right now. I've grown into the blogger I wanted to be, discussing various things about books in general and I love doing that! I'd like to learn to go more in depth and also discus some of the harder issues which I haven't really talked about yet because I've still been coming into my own.
And, of course it would be great to hit 1000 followers! As of right now, I have 868 followers and reaching that milestone feels possible and in reach and I can not believe that!
One thing you'd love to learn? (something unrelated to blogs/books/writing!)
I'd love to learn another language! I am very interested in learning Spanish and I hope I can start learning it this year!
If you could read one book for the rest of your life what would that be?
Why would you ask me such a hard question? I will go with The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake because it has such complex character dynamics and an intricate plot with so many twists and turns and little details I absolutely adored reading about and there is just so much potential for what happens next that I could probably just soothe myself day dreaming about it all day long and then rereading it to find more such tiny details.
Favorite color!
Blue and purple! And honestly, I love all pastel colours too.
If the world was ending and the only way to save it was by getting your parent(s)/Guardian to read your favorite book--what would it be and how would you convince them to read it?
I have multiple favourite books and one of them is A Spark of White fire by Sangu Mandanna which as it turns out, my mom has already read (and loved!) so rest assured, the world is safe.
But how I convinced her to read it? It is a sci-fi Mahabharata retelling which is very fast paced and beautifully written and if you haven't read it yet, you absolutely should!
The longest book you've read is?
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. That book is a beast but it is one I loved and maybe even want to reread sometime soon because it's been around 3 years since I first read it!
Most anticipated book for this year?
Again with the hard questions! It's Jade Legacy probably? I am absolutely terrified of what may happen and at the same time, I really need to know what happens and how it ends so I can not wait for it to destroy me.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I'll be 23 and probably be getting my post graduation degree? Or maybe I'll take a year or two off between my undergrad and postgrad to work and explore what I like.
What's your reading routine look like? Do you like candles, listen to music, etc.?
It really varies a lot for me! I usually enjoy some music when the book isn't high fantasy but then I get very irritated when a song that doesn't fit the vibe of the book at all comes up and so then I have to make playlists for the book and it's too much work. I really like to burn a candle when I'm anxious so depending on how I was feeling before I was reading and what is happening in the book itself, I may have a candle burning.
A hill you will die on
Okay, so time for controversial opinions. I didn't like Eliza and her monsters. It is not a good book. It has problems that are not addressed. The mental health rep was good, for the most part, but it doesn't excuse everything bad you do and it is not okay if you don't understand where you were in the wrong and I am just very frustrated with that book.
Also, the relationship was toxic. I am sorry, the ending was not cute and omg she did it for love. It was toxic. I won't say anything to spoil you but just going to repeat it again, it was toxic. You mental health comes first. You come first.
What makes you pick up a book?
There is so much to put in here that makes me think that I might just make a post out of this (thank you for the idea!) but some main things are: if the book has sapphic or desi rep, if it has any of my favourite tropes (fake dating, enemies to lovers, slow burn romance, etc.), if some of my friends whose recommendations I love have liked it.
Things that blogging made you realise?
A big thing that blogging made me realise is that I am loud, and I mean this in the best possible way. I have pinions that I want to share and just feelings I want to tell everyone about and all my platforms on social media are a great way for me to do this and over the years as I made more friends and came out of my shell and allowed myself to freely express my thoughts, I realised I had a lot of them and now, I just keep screaming about them into the void, hoping they resonate with someone else too.
What are your favorite tropes?
I adore the found family trope, enemies to lovers and fake dating! I also rwlayly like slow burn romances - I am here for all the pining and the longing.
A popular book that you simply didn't want to read?
There are so many! On top of the list are any new Cassandra Clare books and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I also don't really care about reading From Blood and Ash if I'm being honest. I might read them? But I mean it won't be anytime soon, that's for sure.
Which fictional characters are your favourites/do you relate to the most?
I'm going to give you all the top two characters I relate to because if we start talking about my favourites, we'll be here all day!
Grace from Honey Girl. I really related to her being lost and her mental health not being so good and the pressure to do everything right and I felt so seen when reading it. Honey Girl was a beautiful yet hard read for me and I am grateful that I got to read it!
Ishu from Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake dating. Ishu is also an Indian sapphic like me and she doesn't have a great relationship with her parents and isn't out to them. We also cam have quite a similar personality - I am friendly online but if you meet me irl, I can be standoffish and rude and quite bad at socialising like her, and I think my friends would agree.
I'd also like to include my favourite character - Fang Runin from The Poppy war. She just gives me comfort and I don't know how to explain it and I'm going to run now, okay bye.
Favorite fictional couples?
My top couple is and always will be Percabeth (Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase). I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may not have read Percy Jackson (what are you doing? go read it!) but everything they've done for each other and with each other, I love them.
Some honorary mentions:
Hani and Ishu from Hani and Ishu's Guide to fake dating
Yumeko and Tatsumi from Shadow of the Fox
Darcy and Brougham from Perfect on Paper
Laila and Severin from The Gilded Wolves
Tell me something that makes you happy
Books, obviously. They've been such a great support for me whenever I am feeling down. I love just getting lost in reading and not care about anything going on outside.
Journalling also really makes me happy. I don't always keep up to date with my journal but I always feel so relaxed when I am making my spreads.
Describe yourself in emojis
What do you when you're in a slump?
I take a break. Usually when I am in a slump, it's because the book I just finished was very heartbreaking or it's because I have a lot going on and I can't focus on the book and thus, am not very invested in it. If I just take some time for myself and read again when I have the time to do so, I can easily dive back in.
Thank you to Clo, Sam, Gauri, Niharika, Cherelle, Sim, Sam, Jamsu and Prachi for the questions!
When I made this blog 3 years ago, it was under a different name and my plan for it was completely different. I cringe thinking of what I had thought I wanted to do on here and I am glad I have come so far to reach this point. Maybe in 3 more years, I will look back at this and call myself naive once again but for now, I am happy with where I am and how I have reached here.
Blogging was the first book community I was a part of and over the last 6 months, I have expanded to being active on Twitter and Instagram as well but nothing will ever beat my blog. I have met so many great people because of the and I am extremely grateful for all these friendships. You are all probably my best friends because the blog is an integral part of me and I reveal more and more of me to you in each post. This is just a collection of me stripped down to my bare, raw thoughts and you all, the ones that read it, know me best and how could it be any different?
Thank you to everyone who's been here with me since the start and thank you to everyone who has joined along the way. You're all so important to me. Every comment makes me smile and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my posts and like them.
Okay, so that got really emotional. Anyway, tell me about yourself! How long have you been blogging? What are some of your goals? What would your answers have been to these questions? Let me know in the comments below.
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