Six for Sunday: Bookish Wishes

We’re nearly two weeks into 2019 already and I still can’t quite get my head around it…how has 2019 been treating you so far?

I have though a little about my goals for this year in my 2019 Goals and New Year’s Bookish Resolutions but this week the theme for #SixforSunday is asking us to think of bookish wishes….I can definitely think of a few!

Personally, a few of my bookish wishes for this year are:

1) To get my home library set up

We put an offer in on a house at the end of October and had that offer accepted but we have yet to move in. We are hoping to get a moving date by the end of this month and, despite the fact that the house needs a LOT of work to be livable, I have already staked out where I want my ‘library‘ to be. I mean, who really needs a dining room, when it could be a library? (We will still have a table in there for actually having dinner! Or, more likely, board games…)

2) To continue reading lots of books outside my comfort zone

Since I started reviewing books I have read a lot of books that I might not otherwise have picked up, either due to Netgalley, Book Twitter or fellow bloggers. This has been the most amazing experience as I have found new favourites and really figured out what I like and dislike as a reader. I am hoping for lots more brilliant reads this year!

3) To read more diverse books

I have always made a special effort to read diverse books, especially those with bilingual or biracial protagonists as bilingualism really is the norm in most of the world, but I feel like publishing didn’t begin to reflect that until recently. 2018 was a great year for diverse books being published and I hope that 2019 will be even better, particularly with lots of ‘own voice’ books coming up!

I am excited to take part in Multicultural Children’s Book Day for the second time at the end of this month and to showcase diverse books from various publishers, including Lantana Publishing, whose mission statement is all about diversity and inclusion in their books.

See some of my diverse book reviews here: A Fish in Foreign Waters, A Different Pond, Violet, London Hat Hunting Mission, Running from the Sky, Ten Cents a Pound, Starfish, Do you speak chocolate?, Love, Hate and Other Filters, Mirage, etc.

4) To attend some more bookish events

As I live fairly near London, I have been making a special effort to go in and attend some bookish events in the last year. Invariably, I have enjoyed them all and got to meet some fantastic authors, publicists and bloggers. I also found that booking the tickets in advance was a really nice thing to look forward to, particularly if I was having a tough day.

5) To meet up with some bloggers

I have talked with so many fun and friendly bloggers online and even met a few in real-life, but I would love to meet a few more…or even just have the nerve to go and say ‘Hi!’ when I see someone I know at an event

6) To continue exploring worlds within books

Books have been there for me in every situation and I have read them to escape, to commiserate, to learn and more. I can’t wait to see which worlds I have yet to discover in new books or to re-visit familiar places in old favourites. I am going to make time to read this year, as it is reading that allows you to travel without even leaving the house!