The past few months have been a whirlwind, haven’t they? I feel like I kicked off the year in a bit of a high, and slowly my blogging has started to dwindle with everything that has been going on. But now I’m back, and I feel like I’m kind of in a routine now that allows me to actually work on my blog (and all of my outlets) again. So here’s what went down in May!
My Life in May
Obviously, the lockdown is still going on. I’m not finding it too difficult, to be honest, but it would be nice to not have so much media negativity, drama, and also fewer unknowns. I’m doing fine with staying at home, but I don’t like not knowing what’s coming up and how the world is going to change further.
The company I work for is hoping to have some people back in the office in July, but they have no idea how they’re going to tackle the social distancing problem. It’s just not going to work. But the way they’re talking about it makes it sound like they’re going to just go ahead and get everyone back in regardless. And that’s stressing me out. It would make more sense to me for them to work on helping people to work from home more productively and to a better quality, instead of rushing everyone back into the office.
I haven’t been doing so much running or exercise these past few months, but I did get back into running a couple of weeks ago. I’m hoping to keep it up but often by the end of the day I just don’t want to leave the house.
I have been more consistent on Booktube, though. I’m currently uploading three videos a week, and I’m loving it. I’m still nowhere near monetisation, and the algorithm continues to aggravate me, but I’m loving using Booktube as a creative outlet.
Quill and I have been having weekly date nights since lockdown started. We’ve had a cinema trip, a spa evening, a fancy meal, and a gaming night, all from the comfort of our own home. We’ve got a few more things planned to keep us occupied over the coming weeks too.
How are you coping with lockdown?
Books I Read in May 2020
- One by One by Ruth Ware ★★★★
- The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty ★★★★★
- The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty ★★★★★
- Truthwitch by Susan Dennard ★★
- A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna ★★
- I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan ★★★
- Don’t Tell Teacher by Suzy K. Quinn ★★★
- The Prison Doctor by Amanda Brown ★★★
- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell ★★★
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins ★★
- The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang ★★★★★
- The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson ★★★
- The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park ★★★
Blogging and Booktube Statistics
I decided I wanted to start checking in with my blog and Booktube stats, as I don’t really share them anywhere else and it’s nice to keep track of them. My Booktube channel has been growing since I started back up again two years ago, but it’s still not at the level it was before I took my break. Same with my book blog, really. I’m looking forward to building both back up again and making new friends! Hopefully this segment is kind of interesting. There’s admittedly not much to share in terms of my blogging stats for May because I only got back into it in the middle of the month!
I posted 14 videos on my Booktube channel in May, and 6 posts on my blog. I’m super hyped about making a comeback in the blogosphere and scheduling ahead! I’ve currently got reviews scheduled through to mid-July, so my blog won’t be dead at least.
I gained 76 subscribers on Booktube in May (0 on my blog, but that’s okay since I only came back halfway through the month). I’m not Booktubing just for the subscribers, but it was nice to see the numbers rise!
I achieved 3.4k views on my channel in May, up from 2.7k in April. I’m pretty chuffed! On my blog, the views are low. Things are slowly getting better though now that I’m actually posting!
My Posts in May 2020
- Book Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper – 3 stars
- Book Review: The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty – 5 stars
- Book Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley – 4 stars
- Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – 2 stars
- Book Review: The Wives by Tarryn Fisher – 2 stars
- Book Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord – 4 stars
Looking Ahead to June 2020
I’m really looking forward to June in terms of enjoying summer and the weather being a lot better! I’d like to keep going with the running and to do a few 5K runs. I’ve also been enjoying Blogilates again, so I’d like to do that every other day.
In terms of my reading, blogging, and Booktubing, I’ve been really happy with where I’m at with it. I’m getting through my own books, I’m reading some good new releases, and I’m just feeling really good about everything. I’m probably not reigniting my Bookstagram any time soon, but maybe in July.
It’s been a stressful time for many. I hope your company works things out, so people can do their work while feeling safe. My May was crazy with finals. Now, I’m working on a summer independent study. S. A. Chakraborty’s trilogy is on my TBR.
I’ve held off on picking up Ballad until I see more reviews. It’s definitely getting mixed ones. I’m sure I’ll end up buckling under the hype. 😉
I hope your company finds a way to make sure that employees are safe as we transition back to “normal.” By the way, I followed both here and on Booktube. Loved your post about YA books—and I totally agree with you about the Vampire Academy movies. 🙂 I also loved Poison Study.
They are opening up a lot here too but trying to keep public transport for working people as much as possible and you now have to wear a mask. Schools are almost completely open even though Summer vacation is right around the corner. We’ll have to see.
The job situation would stress me out too! I’m already uncomfortable going out in public especially when people don’t keep apart from me. Here we are partially reopened and it seems to be going well, although this coming weekend will mark 2 weeks after the start of all the protests where people weren’t all wearing masks and were not social distancing, so we’ll know if these events impacted public health here. Your book month was incredible! Awesome job. Good luck with the running! All races here are virtual, so runners sign up online and “race” by themselves on their own courses.