2016 Wrap Up

Well 2016 is wrapping up with farewells from everyone! It was a great year for some and not so great for others, but now it’s time to take one last look at 2016 before launching into the hopes and dreams I’ve built up for 2017!

Reading

My reading goals for 2016 were vague and without a set number of books to read. With that said, I did keep to my goal of only reading things I enjoyed. Looking back on the year, I enjoyed most of the books I’ve read and I never wasted time powering through a mediocre book. During 2016 I also branched out a lot and read things I wouldn’t normally read. I found myself reading (and enjoying) a lot of indie and less popular books and it was nice. While I’m now going to have to go back and catch up on some of the more popular books and series that came out during the year, I don’t really mind.

Notable Reads

Bad Bloods: Shannon Thompson’s novels have yet to disappoint. Both November Rain and November Snow were great parts to a fast-paced story full of suspense, humor, and heartbreak.

If You’re Gone: I picked up If You’re Gone for a blog tour and I’m SO glad I did because it was full of realistic characters and a quick plot. It was truly a breath of fresh air in the middle of a summer otherwise filled with boring required school novels.

A Gathering of Shadows: Victoria Schwab’s novels are AMAZING as ever! AGOS is an incredible, quotable novel, full of characters of so many personalities and you will get attached to all of them! The plot is nonstop and will keep you reading into the night! Highly recommend!

Lady Midnight: It took me a while to get to this one, so I never read it until this fall, but WOW I loved it! The Blackthornes (plus Emma) are all adorable, interesting, and tragic characters. I want to know more about all of them, their life, and their troubles. Emma and Jules’ relationship is perfect and heartbreaking! I just want them to be happy but… Cassie disagrees.

Salt to the Sea: Salt to the Sea snuck up on me at the end of the year. I picked it up on a whim at Barnes and Noble and I’m really glad I did. I was not prepared for how emotionally wrecked I was by the end of it. I fell in love with all the characters making the ending twenty times more depressing. Everyone should check this book out.

Movies and TV

I didn’t actually watch that many movies in 2016, at least not many that were memorable. I’ve tried to watch a lot more TV shows on Netflix and have branched out more in that area. This year I’ve seen a lot of new shows, caught up on some old ones, and dropped the ones I wasn’t enjoying.

Notable Watches

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: EDDIE REDMAYNE! Nuff said :)

Stranger Things: Stranger Things was SUCH a fun and adventurous show! I didn’t even know what it was when I started hearing about it, but I’m glad it got popular and I’m glad I watched it.

Doctor Strange: I wasn’t expecting much from this; just another Marvel movie, but I REALLY enjoyed it! It was full of so many cool visuals, ideas, and the amazing Cumberbatch! I’m glad I saw it and will hopefully see it again one day!

Rogue One: I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan *gasp* I know, but I loved Rogue One! Even though the outcome was known to the audience going into the film, it still found a way to make me worry for the safety of these characters and the outcome of their mission. Rogue One made me both laugh and cry; I highly recommend.

PLUS… caught up on Supernatural and American Horror Story

Personal Life

I had a busy 2016… I spent a lot of the year getting a portfolio together and applying to colleges. I was recently accepted to a private arts college that I had my eye on and I’m really excited about that. Of course, this now means that I’ll be spending 2017 applying for scholarships so if you have tips PLEASE TELL ME! XD Another milestone for 2016 has been my first job. This has been… meh, but money is money and I’m excited that I now have an income before going to college. During 2016, I also to a trip to Disney World with my family and it was SUPER FUN! I’m a huge Disney and theme park fan and it has now become a kind of secret goal of mine to become a Disney imaginer. I’ve also begun planning my senior trip when next year I’ll be going to California (Disneyland) and I’m incredibly excited!

Looking back, I had a pretty great 2016. I wish I could’ve read more, or posted more, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Now is the time to look back and be proud of my achievements and plan to improve where I faltered.

Stay AMAZING…

Elise