DECEMBER WRAP UP

Happy New Year’s Eve! It is crazy to think that there are only a few hours left of 2020. It was a year that changed so many things in everyone’s lives and it felt as if it would never end but at the same time, it went by in a flash.

I have rambled on and on about this but I will say it again as it is the only thing keeping me content with where I currently am in life: I achieved so many little things this year that I would not have had any other year.

This time last year, I was scrambling to figure everything out for this blog and now, a year later, look at it. I am proud of what it has turned into, although it’s not much in comparison to others’, but I did it on my own after years of thinking I would not be able to.

I wrote 150 blog posts this year after launching White Rose Stories on the 19th of January, my bookstagram turned two, I read 70 books, learned more about myself and my mental health, redecorated my bedroom, decluttered our entire house, created a full skincare routine (that works quite well for me so far), set myself new goals and healthy routines, and applied to university for 2021. All these little things may not sound like an awful lot to most people but they kept me going this year and in the New Year, I am hoping to be even more productive.

White Rose Stories is a blog and bookstagram that I do not know what I would do without. I love what I do for it and how it keeps me and my mind busy. There are quite a few times where I find myself wondering if I should stop, if there is even a point to all this but then I think about what I did before I started it all, and I realise that I do not know who I am if I do not talk about books.

I am not nearly as active and social on my social media platforms as most bloggers. There are times where I wonder if I even am a true book blogger/bookstagrammer but even if I am not, I will still come on here and write a review or two and post a photo here and there. My blog and bookstagram are not paid jobs and I should not have to stress about posting schedules and followers (even if the numbers have been sitting still for quite some time). WRS is a hobby I am proud of and excited to have and I do not want to taint my love for it just to fit in more and get higher numbers. We book bloggers have busy lives behind the scenes and coming on here and posting when we can and want to should be something we look forward to in order to unwind.

In 2021, I will work harder on the promise I made to myself—to not ever worry about the numbers of likes, follows, views and subscribers. To truly just do what I love whenever I can and to not worry when I cannot/do not want to post, even if it is for weeks on end.

There I went again with all the rambling but I find myself feeling more focused on the path in front of me when I talk about my goals and feelings. My mind feels more at peace whenever I share what I am feeling and I think what I wrote above will resonate with someone out there, worrying about the same things I do.

Thank you for all the love and support throughout the year. I am so happy to have launched this blog and for all the amazing people I have met. It all started with my bookstagram and I am so happy to have expanded White Rose Stories with a blog this year. Taking photos of books and planning out my theme will always have a special place in my heart but sitting down to write blog posts have turned into something I ended up loving more than I thought I would.

Here is to a, hopefully, better 2021! Happy New Year!

The Toymakers
by Robert Dinsdale

R A T I N G :

This book is one I have been wanting to read for years and I am immensely happy that I finally got to it after hearing only good things about it.

It was such a magical read and I am so happy I got to it this year especially. The Toymakers is the perfect book to get you into the Christmas mood. The author also described everything so vividly; from the star-like lights to the different smells that reminds one of the holidays. It was a delight and I will definitely reread it when the Christmas season rolls around next year.