Hello friends! Welcome to the first wrap up of 2024! How did your month go? Here is all we wanted to highlight from January:
January Reading
Reading in Numbers
| Kriti | Ariel |
|---|---|
| Total Books Read: 11 + 1 DNF Personal picks: 7 Review copies: 4 Fiction: 8 Non-Fiction: 3 (Indie) Backlist Bingo Books: 2 | Total Books Read: 10 Total Pages: 3,227 Most read genre: Fantasy Average Rating: 4.33 Top Three Storygraph Moods: Dark, Mysterious, Reflective Backlist Bingo Books: 3 |
Buddy Read of the Month
Ariel and I were hooked to The Scarlet Alchemist for a week in January. If you are looking for a fast-paced Fantasy or have enjoyed Kylie Lee Baker’s books, this will be enjoyable! Our discussion will be out on the blog later this month.
Non-Bookish Noteworthy
Ariel – Video Game: Lost Nova (short and colorful indie game about making friends in space and taking time to relax and not rush through life)
Kriti – I am back to art and this time, I am enjoying some botanical drawings. Check out Peggy Dean’s Botanical Line Drawing on Goodreads.
Writing & Blogging
Reviews on the Blog
I wrote reviews for 9 books this month and posted 10 to the blog.
- Considering how impactful Braving the Wilderness was, it was the first non-fiction feature of the year.
- Some of the books I shared were long pending – I read A History of Burning and Eight Strings mid-2023.
- I reviewed two novellas: A Sorrow Named Joy by Sarah Chorn and Overlap: The Lives of a Former Time Jumper by N. Joseph Glass. I have been meaning to read more from Sarah Chorn and am excited to pick up her latest, The Necessity of Rain, mentioned above. It is a finalist for Indie Inked Awards 2023.
- I got to tour for Jill Mansell, one of my favoite authors growing up with her latest The Wedding of the Year.
Reflections
In the latest in TBR Tales, I shared about the practice of Did Not Finish. For this article, I had chatted with many readers and it felt great to hear from so many more after this was published. I feel so loved. Thank you for reading my words. 🙂
As my journaling practice grows, I am starting to compile how I manage all aspects of my life. Weekly Planning With Journaling: A Step-By-Step Guide To Transform Your Routine was my first time sharing insights after many years.
Inheritance Cycle Reviews Completed! 🥳
I finally wrapped up the Inheritance Cycle along with the latest addition to the series, Murtagh. I was initially worried if I would like this series I adored from a decade ago. Late teens/early twenties feel so different (and far away) from early thirties. Would I still enjoy the books? I shouldn’t have worried because this series is even more phenomenal now that I am older.
I have originally started with 5 books in mind. After finishing Inheritance, I wasn’t ready to dive into Murtagh. Realizing that The Fork, The Witch and the Worm is between the two books, I read and reviewed it (a short story collection, an extra book) along the way. Here is how this project went:
I have learned the importance of having a few days buffer between finishing the book and posting about it. I will be giving myself more days going forward. I savor the time I spend writing and I never want to rush it.
Important Links for You
Do you have book recommendations or a book you would like to see reviewed? Use this form to send book names to Kriti.
The Backlist Bingo Community read 17 books across 14 prompts.
📖Oldest book read was published in 1962
📚Most books read were published in 2023
Check out our January update here. This is a year long challenge I’ll be posting about here so feel free to join us anytime your reading allows.
Did you have a favorite book in January? What are you reading in February?
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