Book Blogger Hop: What upcoming titles are looking forward to reading in 2018?

Following on from last weeks post on my top five books of 2017, I follow it up with the next semi-obligitory blog post of a new year; what books I'm looking forward to this year! 

This week's Book Blogger Hop question - "What upcoming titles are looking forward to reading in 2018?" - is a nice little prompt for me to do that. 

Most books I'm looking forward to in 2018 are continuations of existing book series. I think the reason for this is that I actively track my favourite series, desperate to get my hands on the next one, whereas with standalones I don't tend to know they exist until they approach release and start cropping up randomly on my radar. 

Therefore, the books I'm most looking forward to in 2018 - at present - are: 

February 2018 

I'm ever so slightly enraged that the Chaos series is returning in the form of a novella - Snapper and Rosalie deserve so much more!!! - but I'm stupidly excited for it all the same! 

March 2018 

Book 5 in the Alpha and Omega series! 

I love Anna and Charles! 

This is a fantastic Urban Fantasy series. 

April 2018 

The BDB! It's becoming an example of the series that never ends but I don't care cause it's awesome! 

May 2018

The conclusion to the Kate Daniels series! 😭 

I don't want this series to end but I'm desperate to get my hands on this book! 

May 2018 

The continuation of ACOWAR series! 

It's only a novella but from what I understand it kicks off the next story arc in this series and I'm really excited to catch up with old favourites and to see what fate has in store from them next. 

Fall 2018 

I'm gutted that this book got pushed back from May! 

After the stonker of a cliffhander at the end of Empire of Storms it's beyond cruel to make us wait until fall for the conclusion to this breath-taking series! 

However, I understand the author's reasons, family is more important than anything, and I'm sure the year will fly-by and I'll have it in my grubby little mitts before I know it! 

December 2018 

Finally! The last installment in The Dark Artifices trilogy. 

Once I have this in my hands I can finally read the first two parts sitting on my shelf for I haven't been able to bring myself to do it until now. I hate the nail biting wait in between them so I wait and then I binge. 

🌻 

I'm sure there are so many I've missed but I'll pick them up as I go on my way. 

Happy reading! 

Book Blogger Hop: Favourite books of 2017

I was contemplating whether I should do one of these posts... 

They seem to be semi-obligatory at this point in the year but I quite often lack the energy to evaluate past books and rank them against each other. 

However, when I saw that this week's Book Blogger Hop question was, "What are your five most favorite books in 2017?" I figured I might as well join in. 

Here are my 'top 5' reads of 2017, in no particular order: 

(Contemporary Romance) 

Mariana Zapata's slow-burn romances NEVER disappoint but I found Wait For It to be the best of the bunch. 

It's full of heart, great characters, love, and life. 

I can't recommend it highly enough. 

(Mature YA / NA Fantasy Romance) 

Okay. I know this one is a bit of a cheat as it's three books but the trilogy was one of my favourite reads of 2017. 

I loved them. 

I inhaled them, one after the other and wanted more when they were finished. 

If I HAD to pick a favourite, I'd choose book three - A Court of Wings and Ruin - but you can't read book three without having read the other two so... I add the trilogy to the list! 

🙂 

(Urban Fantasy) 

Ride The Storm was one of my most anticipated reads for 2017. 

A conclusion to the 'second act' in Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer series and I - being the Cassie & Pritkin shipper that I am - LOVED it. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it certainly isn't something you can just jump into without having read previous books, but if you are/were a fan of this series then you've gotta read it. 

Now for the two/three year wait on the next one... 😭 

(Urban Fantasy) 

I know... This is another series, not a single book, but Ilona Andrews has dominated my reading list this past year. Their stories - all their worlds - are so well written and engrossing and I haven't been able to get enough! 

I've inhaled The Hidden Legacy series, The Innkeeper series, the first two books in The Edge Series and the entirety of the Kate Daniels series, including all associated novels/novellas. 

Off the top of my head, that's 23 novels/novellas written by Ilona Andrews, but the Kate Daniels series is my favourite. 

If that's not enough of a reason to break the rules again and add a series / author to my 'favourites of 2017 list' then you have no soul. 

😛 

Shade

(MC Romance) 

I enjoy Joanna Wylde's Reapers MC series and I loved how this novella continued that series but took place with a different chapter of the Reapers. 

I don't know why I enjoyed this one so much but I did... It's dark and gritty, the romance is a little unconventional, but I really liked it. It's had several re-reads already and I know I'll probably re-read it again in the not so distant future. I only wish it was longer! 

New Year Reflections...

Some might be aware that I had a book blog for three years before I started Sunny Buzzy Books. 

It was called The Book Lovers Codex and I used it as a space to post book reviews and take part in reveals, tours, blitzes and the like. 

I loved my little blog, it didn't get much interaction in the way of comments and communication with readers but it had a couple of thousand followers on twitter and facebook so I like to think it played a part in sharing the book love despite not really being a part of 'the community'. 

By that I mean I didn't spend much time getting to know fellow bloggers. I didn't visit other blogs, or comment, or participate in giveaways and hops... I just stuck to my own little corner of the bloggiverse and minded my own business. 

In the third year of The Book Lovers Codex I didn't post much. 

I didn't read much. 

Life had gotten so busy and I'd fallen into a dark little place. 

I wanted (needed) to reduce stress and decided to simplify my life and eliminate unnecessary drains on my time. 

So I deleted my beloved but hideously neglected blog. 

I deleted it's social media pages. I deleted the associated email account. 

I was done.

This was around last February and it was so freeing. 

The guilt of neglecting my blog and any sense of futility that arose when I did motivate myself to post disappeared. 

It really was a good move...  

Until I wasn't.

I missed my blog. 

I'd made enough subtle changes in my life that I had slowly started moving from the dark place. 

I started reading again.

I missed having somewhere to write up the book thoughts.

It really didn't take that long before I realised I'd been a right berk in deleting everything - it was April - but it was long enough to prevent me from recovering any of the past.

If I wanted to blog again, I needed to start from the beginning.

So I did. 

Sunny Buzzy Books was born in May 2017.

This time, however, I was doing things a bit differently.

I was going to write reviews how I liked reviews and I wasn't going to compare myself - or my reviews - to other bloggers and their lengthy and beautiful book dissections that I read on goodreads. I was just going to be me. 

I wasn't going to stress myself out with constant promo pieces - cover reveals, blitzes, tours, arcs - and I haven't. 

(Much. August was a bit hectic but I pulled myself back after that...)

I decided I wanted to connect more with other bloggers and I have. 

I visit blogs when I have time, reading and commenting on their posts and enjoying it. 

I take part in book memes and hops because I want to post more than book reviews this time around and the meme's and questions always give me something to think about - write about - and writing those posts has uncovered the sassy opinionated part of me that had slowly been smothered to the point of near death. 

I hold a giveaway once a month to give back to readers and, I'm not going to lie, to entice people to read the blog. Sunny Buzzy Books is still a new blog and I need a way of getting it 'out there'. Although, at the end of the day, I'll write the blog regardless of whether anybody reads it because I enjoy it but it's nice to think that it's not all for nothing! lol. 

In the past, I'd agree to read pretty much anything that sounded like it was my type of book. I had a happy request finger on Netgalley. I never had time to read whatever I wanted whenever I wanted as I always had a review copy of something to 'get through'. 

Now I'm extremely picky about my arc's / review requests. 

I'll only request/accept a book I'm desperate to read, and had on my TBR, or something that sounds freakin' amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on... Basically, something I'd be buying and reading anyway regardless of whether I'm granted a review copy to inhale a few weeks early. 

This helps keep me happy, engaged and sane on the reading front. 

This year, I want to continue Sunny Buzzy books as I have begun.

I want to continue writing more than just book reviews.

I want to continue keeping the 'promos' to a minimum and only sharing things I'm genuinely enthusiastic or interested in. 

I want to continue visiting other blogs.

I'm going to maintain my stance on ARCs and Netgalley. 

I'm going to continue to REFUSE to be bullied for reviews by pushy authors - yep, that actually happens! - and I'm going to continue marching to the beat of whatever drum makes me happy.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

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