A look back at 2015

I started this Blog a year ago and cannot believe how well it has taken off! I do no paid promotion, just sharing my reviews and seem to get a lot of hits, so I am happy!

I looked at my stats - and the blog has been viewed over 12,700 from all over the world! These figures fascinate me - who is reading it, where do they live, what do they do?

I took the Goodreads Reading Challenge at the beginning of the year - and targeted myself with 100 books to be read in 2015. Seemed an enormous number! Well I hit that halfway through! And have read 183 books - which is astounding (maybe I DO need to get out more?) I have also read several pre-publication books for Choc Lit, and some authors' drafts, so I think I can safely say I have read over 200 books this year.

I've been very lucky with the books as well. There have only been a few that I didn't like - the vast majority I have enjoyed very much - or even loved!

A bonus that was unexpected is the friendships that I am forming with writers from all over the world - I communicate regularly with authors in the US, Australia and, of course, the UK. In fact, as I mentioned a year ago, it was authors who suggested that I start a blog - so it's all their fault! 

I'm not going to pick A Book of The Year or An Author of the Year. It's far too difficult to even attempt that. Here are my Top Ten Books of 2015 - and they are my personal choices. 

In no particular order:

The Day of The Wave by Becky Wicks
We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman
A Miracle at Macy's by Lynn Marie Hulsman
Next of Kin by Sue Welfare
Moving by Jenny Eclair
Summer Secrets by Jane Green
The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson
Afternoon Tea at The Sunflower Cafe by Milly Johnson
While I was Waiting by Georgia Hill
The Curvy Girls' Club by Michele Gorman

Reviews of all these books can be found in the blog.

As many of you know I wasn't well this year and needed fairly drastic surgery. All is well now, no further treatment and I should like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support. The bonus was that I got a lot of reading done because I was incapable of doing anything else!

I never imagined that in a year I would have all the badges from NetGalley, be Auto-approved by 4 publishers on NetGalley, be part of the Choc Lit Tasting Panel, HarperImpulse Supporters and the street teams of Milly Johnson and Sue Moorcroft! 

I should like to thank the following writers/reviewers/publishers/agents for all their help and encouragement this year: in no particular order: Sue Moorcroft, Milly Johnson, Liz at Choc Lit, Kim Nash at Bookouture, John Jackson, Phillipa Ashley, Trisha Ashley, Jules Wake, Simon & Schuster UK, Sue Welfare, Rowan Coleman - and Georgia Hill for quoting me on the back of the paperback of While We Were Waiting!

And an apology to those authors who have kindly sent me copies of their books, which I haven't got to yet....I will, I promise!

I hope you all have a very Happy & Healthy 2016!