Happy New Year! (+ 2018 Recap)

A new chapter begins.

Happy New Year, everyone! For me, 2018 was rough, but I am looking forward to embracing this new year as a stronger individual. I can't quite explain it-- perhaps it's just a passing, first-day excitement-- but I can't help but think that this year will be a great one. Before I look forward, though, I took some time to look back at 2018: what I read, what I blogged, and what I experienced.

What I Read: My Favorite Books of 2018

• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson / I am a sucker for mystery novels. In this book, Johnson delivers. Although some sections felt unnecessarily prolonged, the heroine enticed me enough that I want to read the next book in the series.

• The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed / I talked about this in my review, but The Nowhere Girls provided me an outlet when sexism especially frustrated me as many women shared their #MeToo stories.

• Yellow by Frank Wu / I read this book as evidence for a researched argument paper I wrote at the end of my junior year on Asian-Americans in politics, and I found Wu's experiences both relatable and insightful.

• I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo / This book offered both a cute, light story and a goal-oriented Korean-American teen I could empathize with. Goo has become one of my favorite young adult authors and I can't wait to read her next release this year.

• 1984 by George Orwell / I'd been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I'm glad I finally did. The ending left me reeling for at least a week and searching for someone to discuss with. I couldn't help but compare elements of Orwell's dystopia to historical dictatorships and even current events.

• Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke / Despite being one of the first books I read this year, I can still recall my enjoyment of Nice Try, Jane Sinner, a quick read with a spunky and humorous main character enduring a college reality television show. 

What I Blogged

•  Early on, I shared my 2018 resolutions.
• I discussed my thoughts on One Dark Throne, The Nowhere Girls, and Your Own Worst Enemy.
• For the Knock blog tour, I talked about what makes poetry universal.
• I stood with the #NeverAgain movement and advocated for change against gun violence. This blog post later became a speech I delivered at my school's walkout.
• In my most popular post of the year, I shared 50 books I hoped to read before 2019 (many of which will be added to my to-read list in this new year!)

• I offered four reasons why public libraries ought to be preserved.
• I shared my experience at West Point's Summer Leadership program.
• In my favorite post of this year, I discussed the significance of Asian-Americans in media to me.
• To celebrate Thanksgiving, I listed seven books I'm thankful for.
• Most recently, I organized 50 bookish creators to share their favorite reads of 2018!

What I Experienced

•  On a whim, I started debate with my best friend. We only attended three competitions, but managed to qualify for states in public forum! I had a lot of fun researching and arguing issues with her.

• I finished another season of musical production team, and this year, managed to coordinate 80 free pizzas for our cast and crew on tech day! This year our show was Spam-a-lot.

• I had the opportunity to speak at my school's walkout and recognize victims of gun violence in schools.

• I went to my first school functions: junior prom and senior homecoming. I actually enjoyed them more than I thought I would.

• I attended West Point's Summer Leadership Experience and the American Legion Auxiliary's Girls' State. Both were demanding camps, but I am stronger because of them.

• I ran my senior cross country season! Although my times were a lot slower than I had anticipated (which I later learned-- I was diagnosed with anemia this year), I enjoyed finishing the season with the teammates I started with.

• I performed with my school's select choral group, the Wildcat Singers, at the Governor's Mansion. I had a lot of fun caroling with them before the holidays.

• I accompanied my school's fall play, The Hounds of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery on the piano to an original score my friend composed himself.

• I received my first physical advanced reader copies. (Thank you Lili!)

• I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art on a language department field trip and saw beautiful pieces we had talked about in class.

• I applied to college! (And now, to wait for results...)

I hope you all had a wonderful new year's day! I am so grateful for your continued support. Here's to more great reads in 2019.