Reflections of 2011

It feels like 2011 has whizzed by as far as blogging is concerned. I look back now over twelve months of posts and part of me feels a little disappointed. There are several months where I did not post as regularly as I would have wanted, and some months where  the number of reviews posted is so small it is embarrassing. Just as shameful is the pile of books I have read and enjoyed greatly, but are yet to have a review posted on The Book Zone. Friends say that they are amazed that I have time to blog at all, considering the demands of my job, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to set the bar high for myself. My mantra for 2012 will be: MUST TRY HARDER!

Aside from the disappointments there have been some massive highs for me during 2011. One of the biggest of these was having the opportunity to listen to Anthony Horowitz deliver a lecture for the National Literacy Trust, and the great man signing my copy of Scorpia Rising before it was even available in the shops. Other high points have been (in no particular order):

• my review of Department 19 being quoted on the spine of the paperback edition;
• Rick Riordan doing a Q&A for The Book Zone about helping kids with ADHD and dyslexia to read;
• the various blogger events I have been so fortunate to be invited to by overly generous publishers
• meeting more and more authors whose work I have loved (Robin Jarvis, Andy Mulligan & Will Hill in particular);
• the Orion summer party where I met Michelle Lovric, an author whose work I completely adore.

Finally I must express my thanks to everyone who has helped keep The Book Zone running this year: first of all the publishers who have so generously sent me books throughout the year - I am living the dream of my 13 year old self; authors who have yet again been so happy to give up their time to write pieces for The Book Zone, or come to events to meet us bloggers; the handful of bloggers who I now call close friends - you know who you are; and last, but by no means least, all you readers who visit The Book Zone - more than 110,000 hits for my ramblings still leaves me feeling more than a little humbled. I hope you all have a Happy New Year and a truly fantastic 2012!