January 2016 Wrap-Up!

Hey readers! Happy Sunday! Today is the very last day of January and with that, 2016 is already 1/12 over. Can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday was Christmas, am I right? Since one of my biggest resolutions for 2016 to be more organized and on top of things on the blog front, I wanted to start a new month-end tradition where I wrap up everything for my readers. These wrap-up posts will include my reading list for the month with links to each review where you can find my thoughts and purchase links for each novel, any exciting bookish news, and a little about what I've been up to behind the scenes!

Let's get going!

Reads & Reviews

• Seven by Casey L. Bond, Jo Michaels, Tia Silverthorne Bach, Kelly Risser, and N.L. Greene

• The Vampire's Dreadful Read (The Vampires of Transylvania Texas #0.5) by Piper Alexander

• The Vampire's Fake Fiancée (Nocturne Falls #5) by Kristen Painter

• Kindling Flames: Burning Nights (Ancient Fire #5) by Julie Wetzel

• Hear the Crickets (The Gibborim Series #1) by BJ Sheldon 

• 1980: You Shook Me All Night Long (Love in the 80s #1) by Casey L. Bond

• Heartless (Heartless Series #1) by Kelly Martin
  

Not really a read/review, but earlier this month I hosted a very special episode of bookish podcast A Daily Cup of Jo where I interviewed all five authors of Seven. It was an incredible experience for me and I highly recommend giving it a listen. Check it out by clicking the image below.

Announcements

Okay, I am really excited to finally be able to let you guys in on some big announcements I've been holding in that I hope you are excited about as well. Here we go:

• I have been invited to speak as a special guest panelist at this years UtopiaCon, this June in Nashville. As you guys will well-remember, I have attended UtopYA for the last two years and have had the absolute time of my life in doing such. Last year I was a Best Blog of the Year nominee and it was an incredible experience. Getting the opportunity to actually speak on a panel is quite a huge honor for me, especially sitting next to some of my biggest blogger inspirations as we speak on all things book-blog! 

About the Panel:

The role of Bloggers and Book Tubers has changed in recent years. They aren’t just reviewers anymore. They have taken their “tastemaking” status and created a whole new world of authority AND entertainment for readers.

They get invited to big movie premiers. They get boatloads of swag and books. But the demand to create high standards and deliver high-quality and trusted content not just regularly, but obsessively, means that becoming one of the top bloggers and book tubers out there does come with big expectations from fans, authors, publishers and other media outlets.

If you’re a blogger or want to be — Discover new ways to reinvent your own content, and attract a bigger audience.

If you’re a writer — learn what you need to do to get your stuff at the top of the pile of your favorite bloggers.

Don't worry guys, there is so much more info coming on this soon, I cannot wait to share even more excitement about this trip with you all. I've already got my days off work approved so I'm rearing to go. Nashville is one of my absolute favorite places on the planet, I can't wait to get back!

• There are HUGE changes coming to the blog that I am so excited to get under way. I have been in touch with web developers and hosts pertaining to moving this very site to a new self-hosted site and changing platforms. I know that all sounds boring, but I am so pumped about it. I love what I've been able to do under Blogger for 2 years now, but I'm ready for a change and a new look. Included in that change will be the purchase of my own URL and hiring someone to create a new logo and banner for One Guy's Guide to Good Reads. 2016 is a year for change and I hope I can make my vision a reality!

All About Ethan

So how did January 2016 treat Ethan? 

As several hundred of you read in my Mandatory 'Where the Hell Have I Been?' Post, 2015 didn't end on the greatest of notes for me and I was really expecting big changes on all fronts for 2016. I'll be honest, I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but I'm getting there more each day. This month has been heads and tails better than December was for me, but like most things in life, I can only take it one day at a time. Bringing myself back into the book world that I was missing has really helped out tremendously. I've immensely enjoyed catching up with all my bookish friends (authors, bloggers, and readers alike), consulting on new projects, and even beta'ing for a few friends. It's been nice.

January has left me with a lot of personal memories that I'll be taking with me. As part of my new 'stay organized' initiative, I purchased a super awesome day-planner that I've been utilizing to the fullest. It's so cool to see my life on paper instead of all in my head.  I'm not only documenting my work life and book schedule, I'm documenting my trials, my triumphs, and the thoughts I want to carry with me throughout the rest of 2016. 

January also featured me taking some time off work to make a trip home to see the family and finally celebrate "Christmas" (I had to work on Christmas and couldn't go home). It was a great trip and something I definitely needed to recharge my batteries. On the work front things have finally started slowing down, giving my mind time to finally relax a bit so I can focus on the more important aspects of my life. I'm falling even more in love with my friends than ever before, I am so thankful for my 'family' I've created here. Every day they make me happy. It's because of them I have the strength to carry on most days. Be it late night movie nights, racking up a ridiculous bar tab, or morning-after Avengers Waffles parties (no seriously this happened), these peeps show me every day that I'm loved and help to calm the crazy in my life. They've shown me that life is so much better when you don't have to face the demons alone. Every day is a battle and I finally feel like I'm winning a few here and there!

I told you guys it really happened...

I've spoken with several authors this month regarding my future in the industry and have been given lots of ideas and opportunities that I plan to take full advantage of. I'm also planning to buckle down and put some serious thought into writing some on my own. As many of you know, I've been writing off and on since before I even started the blog. I'd like to finally finish one of the crazy ideas I have in my head so hopefully I can get something off the ground soon. 

Anyway... One thing that was mentioned to me is that my readers would like to know more about me! I know, odd, right? But I've received several odd requests from authors and readers who want to know more about the guy behind One Guy's Guide to Good Reads. So... I'm going to throw out 5 random facts about me and I encourage my readers to share something about themselves in the comments! Here we go:

• While literature remains my deepest passion, it's followed closely by a deep love of theatre, I've never studied it professionally (aside from GenEds in college), but I absolutely love all things theatre. The music of Broadway has been the soundtrack of my life. From a very early age I fell in love with plays and musicals. Not many guys will admit their love of theatre, but I have the deepest respect for the Arts in all forms. It takes guts to perform in front of a crowd, regardless of what you're doing.
• I am slightly obsessed with Sia. I mean really, really obsessed. I may or may not have had This is Acting on repeat constantly since release day. She's definitely one of my all-time favorite artists. 
• At any given time you will probably find me with a small pharmacy on my person. I'm a planner to the max. I may feel fine in the morning, but who knows when I may get a random headache at 3PM? Hello Tylenol. 
• I hate milk. With a passion. Not the taste or anything, I just literally get sick watching other people drink milk. I don't have this problem with any other food/beverage, but watching someone consume milk makes me ridiculously uncomfortable. My siblings drink milk like it's going out of style so when I'm home or when I'm around them I have to ask them to drink out of colored glasses so I don't have to see it. I know, I'm a weirdo. Funny thing is I actually drink milk in cereal and cook with it. Oh and flavored milk doesn't bother me. Just white milk. I'll show myself to the padded room. 
• I'm a bit of a germaphobe. I take more showers than anyone I know and I hate shaking hands with people. I'm a hugger. Only because hands are disgusting. Anyone else with me? If I have to shake someone's hand, my immediate next action is germ-x or a sink. Imagine the anxiety attack when you're in a place where neither of those are available. It's an issue, to say the least. 

Well folks, there you have it. January has come and gone. Eleven more months left in 2016. I'd say all-in-all I had a fairly productive month. I don't have any plans for February and will continue to roll with the punches as they come. On the personal front, I'm hoping to take care of some issues within the next month so I can get some peace on the home front, but I've got good news in the form of a new shift at work coming up soon so that'll free me up on the weekends so I can devote more time to sharing new content with you guys! 

Goodbye January, thanks for the memories! Hello February, may the next 29 days be full of all the awesome I can handle! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoying another month of bookish awesome here on One Guy's Guide to Good Reads! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan