Sunday Musings #34: The One Where I ramble about everything that ever happened Aka #JanuaryWrapUp

Hello y’all

I know I have been MIA for the past two weeks but lets not dwell on that because I am back. And I come bearing good news.  And let us call it my January Wrap up!

I am gonna have to start off with the cliched how is it already February and one month into the new year, but seriously how!? But I think my January seemed good enough, I guess. 

Quick update

1. I read FIVE books people, which is 5 more than what I would have read a few months ago. 

2. As I was saying in my last Sunday Post, I travelled back to India where I got to meet some amazing people. 

January wrap up

3. I attended a book event hosted by the Australian Consulate and Starmark where I met Markus Zusak, author of the Book Thief, and even got a signed copy of his book.

January wrap up
Totally ignore the frizz ball my hair decided to be

4. I met these amazing huge gang of bookstagrammers and book bloggers, with whom I had a blast even after the event. 

January wrap up
January wrap up
That is me and Shruti from This is lit being crazy

5. On other news, I have been confirmed as a volunteer for the Emirates Literature Festival 2019, which I have been looking forward to since the last year’s event.

What I read

These are the books I read during January 2019

I am currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, which I will be finishing in an hour or two. 

What I watched

This is where I try to be funny, and maybe show off-y. 

I have not watched Television or Netflix in almost three months and I am relieved to say the stint is coming to an end. I will update you on that pretty soon.

What I received

Thanks to Medina Publishing Inc, Middle East for sending me these adorable set of children’s books for review. Aren’t they adorable? 

January wrap up

And guess what? The stories are all native to Middle east and the illustrations are soo good.

January wrap up

And: I might be meeting the author at the Emirates LitFest. I am so excited about the whole deal.

On my blog

During my visit to India, real life interfered with my blogging schedule. My WordPress bungled and my scheduled posts were not posted. So after almost a two-week absence I have just two posts this week.

Indie Guest Post: From Author to Marketer – Four SIMPLE Ways to Promote Your Book by Susan Barton

Author to Marketer Susan

Flyaway Friday: A trip to Philippines with a Filipina blogger by Jennilyn from Rurouni Jenni Reads

Philippines guest post

Around the blogosphere

While I understand my absence in the blogosphere was inevitable, I am still surly about that. Anyway I am back and I am trying to catch up on all your blogs.

Here are some awesome posts that I found and loved this week.

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.

Pin me!

January wrap up

Let us chat

Did you guys miss me? Don’t you love it when your scheduled drafts don’t get posted for no reason? What else is happening with you all? Let us talk. 

42 Comments

    • Gayathri

      Fingers crossed. I feel like a slump is fast approaching.

      Reply
  1. Sam @ Sharing Inspired Kreations

    Sounds like such an awesome month!!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Yes it was a productive month.

      Reply
  2. Olivia-Savannah Roach

    I am glad you were able to go back to India and visit and have fun there. The Book Thief author event sounds amazing and I am so glad you got to meet a lot of bookstagrammers there too. That sounds so fun, community like and cool. And yay for reading so much. I recently read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and absolutely loved it 😀

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Thank you and I loved Eleanor Oliphant as well.

      Reply
  3. Aleen @ Lampshade Reader

    I envy your traveling, but so glad you had fun!

    I had some technical issues on my blog this week, so yea, not fun. I don’t know why scheduled posts don’t work sometimes, I’ve had that issue myself in the past.

    Hope you’re having a good week!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I still can’t believe that schedule posts fail!

      Reply
  4. vidya

    That book event truly looks like fun – Zusak and other book bloggers!! And definitely you have earned the right to be showoff-y with not watching TV for so long 🙂

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      My TV ban is almost nearing its end. And it will be 3 months since I watched TV.

      Reply
  5. Anne - Books of My Heart

    How great you could travel! I love the photos. I haven’t watched any tv either; I always seem to choose audiobooks instead. You reads look like an interesting mix, not all one genre. Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I am a moody reader and I can’t stick to one genre.

      Reply
  6. Whispering Stories

    Wow you have had a busy and exciting month. Loved reading all about it.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I am glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  7. Lashaan Balasingam

    Oh my! That book event sounds amazing! I mean… You got to see GREAT authors and check out so many great books too. Hope February will be just as amazing! 😉 Happy reading!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Thank you and wish you the same.

      Reply
  8. DJ Sakata

    Looks like you had a busy month – thanx for sharing your adventures with us

    Reply
  9. the orangutan librarian

    Wow sounds like you had an awesome month! And your trip back to India sounds great 😀 And that’s incredible that you met Zusak as well!! 😀

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Yes it was fabulous. Thanks

      Reply
  10. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    Glad you had such a wonderful time in India and got to meet some fantastic bloggers IRL! And how exciting that you’ll be volunteering at the Emirates LitFest. Congrats!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I am so excited for the ELF really.

      Reply
  11. Literary Feline

    The book event you attended looked like so much fun! I am glad you got to go. And it sounds like you had a good reading month in January. I didn’t read as much as I had hoped, but that was partly my fault. Congratulations on being selected as a volunteer for the Emirates Literature Festival 2019! How exciting! I hope you are enjoying The Picture of Dorian Gray more than I did.

    Here’s to a fantastic February and a great week ahead for us all!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I liked Picture of Dorian Gray and from the sound of it, I am guessing you didnt.

      Reply
  12. Greg

    Ooh I’ve heard good things about the Book Thief- how neat that you got to meet the author! Looks like an awesome event.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      It was a great event and I loved meeting the fellow bloggers.

      Reply
  13. Sam@wlabb

    That book event looks like it was a blast! I loved looking at all your pictures. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do watch at least 2 hours each week. I have never gone 3 months without any TV. Wow, impressive.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      3 months is up and I am back to watching Netflix a bit.

      Reply
  14. Laura Thomas

    The author event looks exciting and how fun to make some blogging friends! Those children’s books look awesome. I love reading books for younger readers. It charges my imagination and wonder for reading:)

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I have started reading children’s books just a short while ago.

      Reply
  15. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I never trust that WP or any platform will deliver scheduled posts. I have control issues. LOL

    I loved Eleanor Oliphant.

    Enjoy your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Ugh.. I usually run behind posts and almost never have a draft scheduled. But when I do, this happens. Lucky me!

      Reply
  16. Rachel

    It is so much fun to meet fellow book bloggers and readers at book events! No one gets our passion for reading quite the same way. Looks like you did have a blast!

    I love Agatha Christie and I’ve read almost all of her catalog, except for the non-fiction. It’s been a while so I can’t even tell you what happens in Murder on the Links, lol. Hope you enjoyed it! There’s a discussion post asking if book bloggers are too organized? Like you I would not be part of that group, lol!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I won’t be able to recall many of her stories as well, too many to remember I guess.

      Reply
  17. DB

    That’s so great that you’re getting books from publishers! And that they’re stories relating to the Middle East. I don’t use scheduled drafts (I just…don’t feel comfortable with them, I think?) but that is definitely annoying.
    Hopefully, this month involves some reading, but we’ll see how that goes.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I hope your month is going on well.

      Reply
  18. Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks

    Dude, I’m not even jealous you got to see an author. I am jealous you got to meet the bloggers 😀 how I wish I could meet at least SOME of you!!!! ARGH ARGH ARGH I probably never will either T_T the world is so big. But I can still hope 😀
    And I’m super jealous CAUSE I’M SEEING SHRUTI YOU GUYS MET WHY AM I NOT THERE!!!????!!!!

    Okay, vented. Fine now 😀 (mostly XD)

    Also we should totally take care of the Eleanor Oliphant thing before Sim is whisked away by a smaller citizen and completely forgets us xD

    Ooh, the childrens books look amazing 🙂

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      You made me laugh! And meeting Shruti or anyone else was not even in on my agenda. But the world is small, we might meet someday. Fingers crossed until then. And YES to the Eleanor point.

      Reply
  19. Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books

    Glad you had a lovely trip and got to meet an author you’re interested in! It looks like it was a lot of fun.

    I can’t believe it’s February either but January wasn’t so great for me so I’ll be glad to see the back of it.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I hope February is going on better.

      Reply
  20. Fanna

    January seems to be a really good month for you! And I remember seeing the stories when the Chennai blogger squad met at that meet up and I was fangirling because OMG, that’s so cool! Everyone look so happy and cute and WOW <3

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      YES! It was great meeting them all.

      Reply

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Gayathri

Gayathri

Gayathri has been reviewing books since 2010. When she is not reading books or creating online content, she works as a writer and a digital marketer. Head over to meet me!