It’s almost the end of the year, I know we’re all still reading away. But I just wanted to think about some of my successes for the year.
1) I hit 500 posts for the blog
This is one I’ve been going after for awhile, so to finally hit it was a good feeling. I’m really looking forward to going after my next goal of 1000 posts.
2) I’ve got almost 200 followers for the blog I’m at 197, so if you know someone who would like to follow please send them my way. But seriously that is way up from the 163 followers I had at the start of the year so I’d definitely call gaining more followers one of my successes.
3) I successfully completed several readathons throughout the year and manage to read lots of books due to them. I’m also looking forward to part two in some of these readathons which will take place in 2022 next year.
4) The fact that I was able to get my reading books per month up to the teens. This is the first year I’ve been able to do that. I read 16 book one month this year and 12 and 13 in other months so I’m really proud of myself about that. I’m hoping next year I’ll be able to to reach 20 a month.
5) The fact that I’m going to hit my reading goal, even though I thought it was going to be a stretch in November I managed to read a 30 books in 2 months and I’m going to read the most books I’ve ever read in a year at 100 despite the fact that I was out of the reading game for three months recovering from my broken ankle.
What are some of your successes from this year? Let me hear about them in the comments!
Yesterday I put up the Chopped tag but I didn’t fill it out, you guys deserve to read my version of the tag to see how I want it done. I was just was too tired yesterday to fill it out. I’m going to do part of it everyday because it’s the end of the year and I’m tired so today I’m doing the appetizer
Appetizer
Needs to be light but still impress the judges.
Light Book:A Book under 300 pages
This book would Just Pretend a graphic novel that has that is sweet and focuses on the power of the written word as the protagonist focuses on her own version of reality through her stories, to deal with her parents divorce.
Protein: This section of books still needs to have some impact. A book that hit you in the heart or a meaty book
For this book I’m choosing American as Paneer Pie, because it really hit me in the feels and was overall just a good meaty book, and not just because it was about food, it dealt with important issues in unique ways and showed the main character’s strength.
For this prompt I’m picking a book I’ve been trying to read all year Five Things about Ava Andrews. I kept wanting to read it but I could only find it in audio book form and I really don’t have the patience for audio books.
Amazon: Five Things about Ava Andrews
Wild Card: An book that surprised you or was unique.
I picked this book because it’s the first published indie I’ve read and actually liked. It’s plot was very good and the worldbuilding and thriller aspects were used very well to make the story well rounded and and believable.
So how did I do goal wise for December? What was the takeaway? Did I learn anything new I can apply in the new year? Let’s take a look and see.
Try to finish 100 books
I turned into a book goblin and read 13 book so far in December so that’s only two for the last week, which is totally doable. I might even get in more than 100 so that a nice bonus.
Post Regularly
I’ve been posting almost ever day every day except for a few days around Christmas I took off to spend with my family. I think one takeaway from this month is posting regularly, as in everyday really pushes my blog numbers to where I want them to be. That’s going to take stamina to maintain but I think it will be worth it in term of followers and hopefully ARC opportunities over the next year.
Work on my readathons
My own readathon kind of fell through due to me having to be on some strong medicine in early December, but I’ve almost completed the Reindeer Readathon I’ve only got two prompts lefts.
Start making plans for the new year
So I’ve spent December about what readathons I want to do next year, the first one is going to be Pondathon 2, a year long readthon where you can add items to your garden it’s very cute and sweet and you can find more information here.
I know I’ll be doing lots of follow ups to readthons I did in the fall that promised to have second parts in the spring such as Orillium. Now as for number of books I’m going to try for, I think I can do 125 I did 100 this year and that was with 3ish months cut out for recovery for a broken ankle. I think back at semi full strength all year long I can read the required number of books it would take to do 125.
Of course the eventual goal is to be reading 200 a year but I figure you do that incrementally, so I’ll do 150 next year and so on. Any super readers out there with tips on reading more per month?
I’ve also done Bookmas pretty well and enjoyed it. So I’d say December was pretty successful.
So I’m back, I just wanted to take awhile off but I can’t stop blogging for long lol, so since today is Christmas I’ve been thinking about Christmas trees and what character’s Christmas trees would look like.
A Chance to Fly
I can see Nat twisting her family’s arm into a musical based tree after she did the show during the summer. Or maybe the whole cast did one together to commemorate their first show together. I can see the cast doing trees every year for every musical that they do.
Assuming someone told Clementine about Christmas she’d probably want to put up a tree but to stay loyal to her father she’d probably keep it dark and foreboding even if she wanted something more traditional and sparkly. I think she’d maybe keep a small traditional tree in the area where she does her magic, I think it would have multicolored lights and and a jumble of ornaments that she made herself.
If the Revenant found out about Christmas one he would first possess Artemisia so he could wear a Santa hat but after she shook off the possession and the hat. I’m sure he would demand a Christmas tree. I’m sure Artemisia wouldn’t love the idea but would give into the Revenant because he’s kind of a pain, I think the Revenant would want a sparkly Christmas tree and that Artemisia would shoot that down quickly. I think they would fight over decorations but eventually agree on skulls.
I imagine if there were Christmas in Liora and Evran’s world they would have a white tree with stars decorating it and white lights. Partly to celebrate Liora’s power and partly to celebrate the role of falling stars in her life.
Happy Yule to everyone who celebrates! To everyone else enjoy the Winter Solstice or the shortest day of the year. I want to envision what some of my favorite characters are doing Yule.
Sweet and Bitter Magic
I think Tamsin and Wren are with the Coven preparing for a huge Yule celebrate. I think they are going to have some kind of dinner with Tamsin’s mother and that Wren is enjoying the work she wanted to do at end of the book, so they might be celebrating her progress on that front. I just see a sweet happy meal and maybe some rituals to celebrate the day.
The Tea Dragon Crew is totally celebrating Yule, everyone is having tea and all their friends have visited. Greta is blacksmithing gifts for others with her new apprenticeship and Minette is making special tea for everyone. Hesekiel and Erik have welcomed everyone in town to the teashop for special celebration
I can see Cassidy celebrating Yule and Christmas, but I think her Yule celebration is quiet, just her and Jacob and maybe she calls Laura for for non corporally challenged company, I see her just kind of reflecting and honoring the work she does all year. Though I see Jacob making her do a gift exchange, not sure how that would work since he’s a ghost and can’t go pick out gift but I think he makes it work. I think she cleanses her mirror on this day.
I can see Zee celebrating both Yule and Christmas, for Yule I can see her building some kind of memorial to her mom, and maybe having her friends over and drinking hot chocolate and telling not too scary stories in front of a roaring fire. Because I think even though she lived through a ghost story she still likes to tell the occasional tale. I think her friend chime in with their own stories, I think her dad and sister are around and maybe even Nellie’s aunt.
They have already announced some wonderful titles for 2022. I know I’m going to have plenty to read to try and hit my goal of 125 books for the year but here are some that I need to read the moment they become available.
Keeper 9
This book isn’t out till November but it got delayed a year because the author had a baby. Which I totally understand, she deserved a year off to get used to all that, however the last book was left on a terrible cliff hanger. So I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens.
This book was from a new to me author, but it was addictive and now I really want to know what happens especially since the author put a teaser at the end of the first book and now I really want to know what happens in book two. Luckily it comes out I believe early 2022.
The Genesis War
This is the second book for The Infinity Courts. After the way the first one ended I need to read this book, luckily it’s coming out early in the year so I want have to wait long so I’m really looking forward to reading this one. The author is a master of twist endings.
I loved Ally Malinenko’s Ghost Girl this year so I can’t wait to read her new book, which is a haunted house book turned on it’s head with emotion, growth and friendship, along with your traditional scares. Believe me she is good at the scares too.
I’ll be honest, I want to read this book because I loved the author’s last work so much. The plot for the book sounds good, illegal music, magic and conspiracy. I’m sure this will be another hit from this author.
Have you already got your presents under the tree or are you last minute shopping like me? If you are anything like me in your Christmas presents you hoped for some books under the tree. Here are my top five books I hope I see under the tree.
1. Pie Academy
In addition to being a blogger I also love to bake and pies are one of my favorite things. My pies however aren’t perfect, they are tasty, but not as technically perfect as I would like. I want this book to help me with some some of the technical aspects. That’s why it’s my number one present.
2.Disclose
I read Verify in 2020 and would love to finish up the duology. This would make a great Christmas present plus I love Joelle Charbonneau’s writing.
I’m a huge Gail Carson Leivine fan and some how I haven’t gotten to this during the year, so it would a great present under the tree and to read on Christmas morning to help me finish out my 100 books for this year.
I really like the concept for this one I have been able to find it at my local library so it would be nice to see under the tree. I really love fantasy books and could use a whole bunch of them to read in the new year.
Another fantasy book I want to read that hasn’t shown up at my local library. I’d love to get a hardback or kindle copy because well dragons. I’ve also enjoyed Jessica Cluess’ other work.
This is my list of works already out that I want under the tree, you’ll see my list of pre-orders I want under the tree up soon. Believe me there are plenty of those too.
It’s going to be winter soon, coming up on the 21st. I’ll have a separate post on Yule itself but since it feels like winter here I thought I’d do this tag.
One: What book is so happy and so sweet that it just warms your heart?
Séance Tea Party, it’s just a sweet story of love, friendship and growing up. The protagonist is a young witch, Lora making friends with a ghost. Lora wants to avoid growing up and recalls the ghost because she was a younger ‘imaginary’ friend.
Two: What’s your favorite book with a white cover?
A nun and a warrior try to stop to end of the world. It’s exceptionally and beautifully written and the religion is well done too. Two of my favorite YAs have been about nun’s in the past few years, am I sensing a trend. Or are people just writing really good books featuring religion. I need to read this book again this winter.
Four: It’s snowing outside and you decide you want to have a snowball fight. What fictional character do you want to have this snowball fight with?
I want to get in a snowball fight with the crew from Skin of the Sea, just because I’d love to see them during the winter Simi can use a frozen river if she needs to stay in her Mami Wata form so she won’t be at a disadvantage.
Five: Sadly, your campfire is dying. What last few chapters of a book would you throw in the fire to revive it and keep yourself warm?
Newsprints while good ended up being too political and confusing and strayed from the characters that made it interesting in the first place, for a political subplot that was tough to understand.
Six: What book do you love so much that you would buy another copy of it to give to someone as a Christmas gift (or any gift really) to inspire them to start reading?
Starfish by Lisa Fipps, who I promise you I’m not trying to annoy. I just think everyone needs to read her book.
So if you’ve been reading here long, you know I’m a fan of readathons, memes, book tags any kind of fun communal that the bookish community puts on. But there are always events that stick out as particularly awesome. The organizers did a good job or the concept was particularly good. So I thought I’d highly the ones I particularly enjoyed. While there are many great bookish events here are some of my personal highlights.
1) Trope-ical Readathon
I always get a ton of reading done when Trope-ical Readathon rolls around. So I’m going to call it most productive. It has another round coming up soon, in which I’ll happily participate, because it always helps me reach my book goals.
2) Autistic Pride Readathon
I really enjoyed this one because it focused on an important aspect of my personality that I got to spend time reading about, it also changed my view on indies so that was cool too. We’ll call this the most social justice focused readathon.
3) Path Or Pantheon
This vies with another for most elaborate readathon. It’s a great readathon that mixes books and mythology and I really hope to see it again next year as I was dealing with too much personal drama to really get to enjoy it this year. I’m also looking forward to the other readathon by @MythTakeReads, since I’ve never done a round of Make Your Myth Taker.
4) Orillium Readathon
This is the one that is vying for most elaborate, the readathon creator, created a whole world around the readathon including several species, and they are planning to do another round in the spring which I’m looking forward to. Readers choices also lead to several final schools within a larger school, so I have to give it most elaborate readathon. I can’t imagine the time they put in.
5)IndigAThon
Finally IndigAThon is one of my favorites towards the end of the year because it makes me reach to most in my reading. While I try to read Native books all year round this readathon just shows me how woefully behind I am. I like that it pushes my reading to where I’m reading more authors who should already be on my list.
As for all the Christmas readathons, of course I love them too. But with this I’m trying to reflect more on the readathons I’ve done throughout the year.
Sorry to have missed you all for a few days, that steroid was a pain and I didn’t feel like doing anything. Thankfully it actually did make me feel better, I’ve got one more medication after this then I’m done. But at least I’m back to blogging. So I’ve read a good bit this year, 92 books at the moment. But I’m going to make it to 100 by the end of the year, I’m putting this out into the universe. So I’m going over the best books of each month. Picking the best books is tough because I’ve read so many good books during each month.
January
A Place at the Table was the best read from this month, due to the the characters, the descriptions and the food. The description of the food made the book my favorite I wanted to be in there making the recipes myself.
A Chance to Fly had to be the best piece I read in February, it was a wonderful awesome story about disability and theatre and looking at casting in a non-traditional way. I really liked the whole cast of characters and their friendships.
March
Alone was the best book for March, I really enjoyed the look at a survival tale from a girl’s perspective since most of the books written about this topic are about boys. Her tenacicity was inspiring as were some of the things she did to survive. I’d never think of them. So that made this my best book for March.
Oh man April was tough I had to pick between two favorites, Sweet and Bitter Magic and Starfish. But Sweet and Bitter Magic won out in the end, only by a hair, because of worldbuilding, it’s still one of the best fantasy books just in general not just in this year. So it kind of had an edge but Starfish was right behind, if there could be a tie it would be those two.
My obvious best pick for this month was The Sea in Winter. A lovely book from Heartdrum Publications about a girl who is dealing with depression after recovering from an athletic injury. Recovering from an injury was a theme I strongly related to this year. So this book stole my heart especially with the way the main character’s family supported her. Plus I love that I got to read a Native book.
Again we have tie between another Native book Ancestor Approved and the great sequel and Shakespeare retelling, Much Ado about Baseball. I love them both for different reasons, Ancestor Approved is heartfelt and transported me to another world I was familiar with but Much Ado about Baseball made me felt like I was sinking back into a familiar world with some new friends. Oh and it made me laugh, a lot. That’s why even though it’s really a tie, Much Ado About Baseball wins if I have to pick one.
So much good horror this month, but my favorite had to be the first book in the Mortal Coil series. A whole new approach to zombies really made for an awesome story.
The best book I’ve read so far this month has been Skin of the Sea, from epic black mermaids, to an amazing quests, and awesome gods. This book’s worldbuilding make it my best pick for the month.
![American as Paneer Pie by [Supriya Kelkar]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fygKA+aoL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Five Things About Ava Andrews by [Margaret Dilloway]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CRxUy7UfL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Sweet & Bitter Magic by [Adrienne Tooley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kHpQA2BVL.jpg?resize=324%2C497&ssl=1)
![Bridge of Souls (City of Ghosts #3) by [Victoria Schwab, V. E. Schwab]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41b4UfIDCeL.jpg?resize=371%2C558&ssl=1)
![Ghost Girl by [Ally Malinenko]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BOZi+PiAL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Genesis Wars: An Infinity Courts Novel (The Infinity Courts Book 2) by [Akemi Dawn Bowman]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xYUwVUhUS.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![This Appearing House by [Ally Malinenko]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51N-ppM1-iL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Sofi and the Bone Song by [Adrienne Tooley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XSMBGGi5S.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by [Gail Carson Levine]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cwhydmD+L.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![House of Dragons by [Jessica Cluess]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kZ4LWWV3L.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Soulswift by [Megan Bannen]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514O994DAjL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Skin of the Sea by [Natasha Bowen]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xKQpbaepS.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Starfish by [Lisa Fipps]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BMt4aGhML.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![A Place at the Table by [Saadia Faruqi, Laura Shovan]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51roVt7gfCL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Chance to Fly by [Ali Stroker, Stacy Davidowitz]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cgzeiOiTS.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Alone by [Megan E. Freeman]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41JrwVmY1TL._SY346_.jpg?resize=290%2C438&ssl=1)
![Sweet & Bitter Magic by [Adrienne Tooley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kHpQA2BVL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Sea in Winter by [Christine Day]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51jMwQcmtsL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Infinity Courts by [Akemi Dawn Bowman]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41du57a31oL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![This Mortal Coil by [Emily Suvada]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZnXCJLyVL.jpg?resize=276%2C415&ssl=1)
![Vespertine by [Margaret Rogerson]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41jan1VC5bL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)