I’m 21 (???)

Hello, lovelies! I’m Marta and it’s that time of the year again. The time when I think about how I’m getting older and get more frequent existential crises than usual. Yay!

I’m 21 years old and it’s all very surreal especially since this is also my last year of college. Next year I’m going to be a licensed psychologist (wow), time flies so fast.

Most of these days I’m very uncertain about everything in my life from my career path to the major I chose three years ago, it all comes down to how everyone expects me to become a person who has everything figured out while all I truly want is to move in the mountains, in a beautiful cabin with a lake nearby and read all my life. Probably write a few (bad) books as well just to torment you all.

But apparently that’s not how life is and because of that, you might see me complain about those things from time to time. I’m sorry in advance, but you know how I am.

Enough of my complaints, let’s talk about happier things!

Things I’ve Done This Year: 

• I’ve started a Google Sheet with international book reviewers and send it out to quite a few authors. If you’re an author and you see this, you can always contact me about the sheet, I’ll happily email it to you!
• I’m organizing a read-a-thon called Smash Your TBR, that’s going to take place from Tuesday to Sunday (23rd October to 28th October). I’m going to post my TBR list later today and I hope more of you will take part in it. It doesn’t have many rules, you just read the books that have been on your TBR for a long time or books that you really have to read soon and you’ve been procrastinating (ARCs, for example). I’ll do status updates on Twitter and then a post on here on Monday. I just want a chance to spend my birthday week with you all and have fun doing what we all love – read.
• I’ve started a beta-reading service that you can check now, it’s dedicated to the writers who want to receive a full feedback on their manuscript and I’m currently accepting manuscripts for feedback.
• I’m seriously considering doing a Christmas giveaway where I create a blog header for the winner. Tell me if you’d like something like this because I want to give back something to you all, but right now I’m not able to do a book giveaway, sadly.
• I’ve had great months for blogging and some not-so-great months for blogging with reading slumps and mini-hiatuses that came out of nowhere.
• I’ve met so many amazing people through this community that I now have the honor to call my friends.
• I grew a lot as a reader, as a blogger and most of all, as a person. I’ve had lots to learn from letting myself be vulnerable on this platform. I’ve written about somewhat-controversial subjects without being afraid of getting hate or not being liked anymore.
• I’ve completed my second year of college and chose a subject for my thesis, now I’m currently trying to make myself write something for it. But we’re getting there. Send your love, please.
• I’ve started to think seriously about writing again – which means I’ve gotten 3 WIP ideas while I was trying to do research work on my thesis. Don’t you love my brain?
• I’m also freaking out about how I might be failing my reading challenge, which is the worst thing ever. I don’t understand why I’m reading so slow. ugh.

Things I want to do next year

• I want to travel more, hopefully abroad because I really miss that. Lately, I’ve only traveled in Romania and I just feel the need to see other places, to meet different people. I wish I could meet all my internet friends, to be honest.
• Be more constant with my reading and blogging. I feel like I’m still getting used to having to accommodate both reading and blogging in my life. They both take a lot of time and sometimes I become a bit overwhelmed especially with college on the side. I don’t know how you all juggle everything. You’re all heroes.
• Blog-hop more!!! My WordPress Reader is very crowded because I love following and supporting many of you, but that usually means I have too many posts on my reader and have no idea what to read first. And then give up and blog hop only from my laptop. I’ll have to figure out a way to effectively blog hop.
• Try to get to know more of you, seriously if you want to talk to me, send me a DM on Twitter or something because chances are I think you’re super cool, but I’m very bad at actually doing something.

What are your objectives for the next year?

Tell me if you’re going to join the read-a-thon and attempt to smash your TBR with me.