2018 is Here!

I'm never really one for making a great deal of New Years'. Sure, I celebrate it in some quiet, comfortable way, but I don't really wish anyone a "Happy New Year" unless they make a thing of it. Yesterday, I rang in the new year with my mum's friends, watched Kingsman for the first time, switched over for the fireworks on BBC1 for like a second, hugged the other three people in the room, then sat right back down and finished watching the film.

So, a pretty quiet evening/night. New Year and Christmas are probably the only times I am ever free of comparing myself and my life to other people. I don't really care for this time of year, so I revel in the smaller nature of how my family spend it. For once, I'm not jealous of those friends of mine who party way too hard for me to comprehend or have loads of family around them.

BUT, 2017 was just god-awful. Usually there have been parts of a year that have been bad for me but never a full year. This year, I was happy to see this rubbish year go, and welcomed 2018. Maybe nothing will change; maybe everything will. I have a permanent job now, just catching that in the tail-end of the last month to improve the year, and I adore it so much.

I have less materialistic goals for 2018. I want to expect less from people; I want to reign in my bad feelings so they evaporate instead of fester and erupt; I want to return to Waterstones at least once in my city; I want to be stronger and conquer myself. I cared a little too much in 2017 and I fell behind. I became a bad, needy, demanding friend, a distant family member, and just everything I didn't even recognise in myself. I want to fix myself this year, undo the damage 2017 wrought upon me.

To kick off my lists, here is a definite list of books I want to read in 2018 that are published this year:

Hero at the Fall, Alwyn Hamilton
A Court of Frost and Starlight, Sarah J. Maas
Legend, Stephanie Garber
Flame in the Mist, Renee Ahdieh
(Whatever new book Katherine Webber brings out because I am thirsting for her writing so much)
Goodbye, Perfect, Sara Barnard
These Rebel Waves, Sara Raasch
THE SEVENTH THRONE OF GLASS BOOK.

Aaaand, my current TBR pile stands as such:

The Star-Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi
If Birds Fly Back, Carlie Sorosiak (BIG MOOD)
Alex, Approximately, Jenn Bennett
Letters to the Lost, Brigid Kemmerer
The Start of me and You, Emery Lord
Truthwitch, Susan Dennard
One Dark Throne, Kendare Blake
And I Darken, Kiersten White
Wintersong, S. Jae-Jones
Cruel Beauty, Rosamund Hodge
Lady Midnight, Cassandra Clare
Posion Study, Maria V. Snyder
Vendetta, Catherine Doyle
Stealing Snow, Danielle Paige

SO, I have a busy reading year already! On top of that, I want to write and write and write, and work, and find myself again, so bring it on, 2018.