State of the Blog – Updates & News

Posted May 27, 2017 by Emily in wrap up / 24 Comments

state-of-the-blog

I decided to change things up and try out monthly recaps instead of weekly ones, which I’m now calling ‘State of the Blog’. I’m linking this one up to two memes: Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and The Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 🙂

Looking Back on May… oh and April

Oh gosh, it’s been a while. I have so much to say. A few weeks ago, I finished my freshman year of college. It was all kinds of crazy and I have so much I want to share.

Besides school, I’ve also sort of sorted out this blog’s identity crisis. While I think Paging Serenity will always remain as a book blog at its core, it is going to head to a more lifestyle / college-and-school related. You can still pretty much (for the most part) expect:

  • bookish discussions on Mondays
  • Top Ten Tuesday posts on, can you guess?, Tuesdays
  • a toss up of tutorials, blogging discussions, and book reviews on Thursdays
  • and whatever-Thursday-night-Emily-can-throw-together posts on Fridays

But I’ll also be throwing in life and college oriented posts on Wednesdays. And maybe Fridays too (depending on what procrating Emily wants.

All in all, I’m an extremely excited to jump back into blogging. It has been something I’ve missed dearly during my hiatus.

Posts

Books Hauled

Spring 2017 Book Haul

Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

The picture is a bit misleading since I actually got History is All You Left Me a few months ago. But last monthh, I went to a wonderful book signing with all four of those lovely authors and promtly broke my book buying ban. ?
It was totally worth it.

Books Read

  • Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez
  • By Your Side by Kasie West

Looking Forward to June

It’s not really apart of June, but the last day of May so that kind of counts. Right? Anyways, on Wednesday I’m headed to New York City for Blogbound Con and a tour of Bloomsbury. It’ll cut my envy for everyone going to BEA. ?

Goals

I’m looking forward to a relaxing summer but I want to start scheduling posts in advance to prepare for what will happen in September. I don’t want to abandon this blog just because I start school again.

I also want to be more active in the community. I’m been kind of just floating in my own bubble this last year and I want to change that.

And last but not least, I want to tinker with my blog design a little. What says the start of a new era like a new (ish) blog design?

Posts to Look Out For

  • Armchair BEA
  • Review: Proof of Lies
  • Review – By Your Side
  • Investigated – Difference of Opinions
  • Dangers of Social Media
  • My Freshman Year of College – Satisfaction, Regrets, and Everything in Between
  • Dear New High School Graduates?
  • … and hopefully many others! 🙂

Last Words

How was your May?
What are you looking forwards to in June?

Emily

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24 responses to “State of the Blog – Updates & News

  1. I think it’s smart of you to assess where you are at in your blog and make adjustments, as needed. I think expanding your focus will be fun for you and your followers. It looks like you got some wonderful books to read this summer. Have a great week.

    • I hope going out of the bookish niche will go well. I’m a little scared about it, to be honest.

      I hope you have a fantastic week. Thanks for stopping by Ardis! 🙂

  2. I love that your tinkering in design for the blog. I post ahead and it really reduces stress and allows for flexibility. I look forward to your Proof of Lies review.

    • I wish I could schedule posts in advance efficiency. Do you have any tips?

      Thank you for stopping by Kimberly and hosting The Sunday Post! It’s one of my favorite memes to participate in. 🙂

  3. I have to agree, getting signed books is worth breaking your book buying ban. Congrats on making it through your fist year. Enjoy New York and the tour.

    • I love signed books. I just hope I’ll be able to keep the book buying ban in place for now. Or my wallet will really hate me.

      Thank you for stopping by! 🙂

  4. Your new schedule sounds like it will be varied and fun. Good luck pulling it all together. And I love your signed copies, especially how the authors have captured part of the the title in their signatures. I always think that’s clever.

    • I hope I can stick to the schedule. It’s a bit daunting and I’m a bit rusty. I love how authors always do a little personalization, whether it’s capturing the title or adding a little quote or drawing.

      Thank you for stopping by Trish! 🙂

  5. Grats on coming up with your blog’s identity 🙂 You’ve got lot of signed books, wow! Impressive 🙂
    Anyway, welcome back from your hiatus 🙂

    • I’m still working on my blog’s identity. It always seems to change. It’s like it’s forever stuck in its “teenage” years. I’m lucky to get signed books because I live near a major city so authors are always coming by.

      Thank you for stopping by Evelina! 🙂

  6. Yay on finishing your freshman year of collage. I am glad you have found your new blogging identity 🙂 I felt mine has definitely changed over the years with where my life is at. Have a good week 🙂 PS I really wanna read By Your Side

    • I hope my blog’s identity stays put. I don’t know if I can take another identity crisis. I liked By Your Side! I hope you enjoy it as well.

      Thank you for stopping by Megan! 🙂

  7. Congratukations on completing your Freshman year! I think continuing to post a Top Ten Tuesday is a great decision. It’s one of my favorite weekly features. Doing monthly posts for some features takes a lot of the pressure off. I only do Stacking the Shelves and Waiting On Wednesdays once a month. Have a wonderful week. 🙂

    • Top Ten Tuesday is definitely one of my favorite memes! It’s more interesting than some of the others in the blogosphere. I only do Stacking the Shelves once a month too! I feel like I don’t do much on a daily basis to justify a weekly post.

      Thank you for stopping by! 🙂

  8. Glad you are able to find a blogging schedule that works for you! Finding a balance can be tricky! Congrats on finishing your first year of college!