Wow, it’s been a long time since I wrote one of these posts – I think my last monthly recap post was for November 2019. 2019! Which is funny since 2019 felt like both yesterday and also a lifetime ago. I’m planning on posting these monthly recap posts more regularly this year (fingers crossed) and linking them up to The Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. Now on with the recap.
Looking Back on January
January was a weird month for me. Despite all the prep I did in December I was still overwhelmed by all the things I wanted to do this year. And the feeling of being overwhelmed leads to procrastination, which just ends up with me feeling even more overwhelmed. One month into the year and I already made a mess of some of my goals for 2022. To be fair, some of them just need some revision, but others I don’t really have an excuse for.
Posts
I can’t believe I actually have content for this section this time. Hopefully, it won’t be as bare in future months.
Books Hauled
So this is where one of my 2022 goals is starting to go a little sideways. Near the end of January, Barnes & Noble very generously had a promo code to take 25% off preorders. Discounts off preorders are rare so of course, I had to take advantage of the sale. And promptly blew through half of my book buying budget for the year. Whoops? To my wallet, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.
I also managed to “haul” a couple of my anticipated books from my library’s ebook catalog. Honestly, my library’s elibrary is a lifesaver, especially since I haven’t physically been to my local library since… well, let’s just say my last monthly wrap-up post is more recent than my last library visit 🙈.
B&N Preorders
- An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
- Strike the Zither by Joan He
- Jade Fire Gold by June C. Tan
Library eBook Borrows
- The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
- The entire Dark Elements series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The entire Harbinger series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Books Read
Reading went surprisingly well this month. My goal for the year is 26 books, so roughly two books a month. I ended up reading eight, so I might need to rethink my goal. To be fair, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to replicate this success in February – five of the books I read were because I was binge (re)reading two interconnected series, the last book of which was due back to the library on February 2nd. And unlike physical library books, ebooks return themselves so I really had no choice but to read all the books asap or else wait 9 weeks to borrow it again.
My new “read at least 15 minutes a day” goal might have also helped too. That goal is going surprisingly well.
- Echoes & Empires by Morgan Rhodes
- These Deadly Games by Diana Urban
- The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
- Bitter Sweet Love (The Dark Elements #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Storm & Fury (The Harbinger #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Looking Forward To February
What’s Happening
I don’t really have any specific plans for February beyond sorting myself out. I really need to revise my 2022 goals and systems, as well as come up with a more solid plan for this blog & my bookstagram. March will for sure be a hectic month for me at work so I need to spend February preparing and getting everything in order.
Goals
- continue reading at least 15 minutes nearly every day
- post consistently on my #bookstagram account
- post at least two other posts on the blog
Posts to Look Out For
I don’t really have any plans except for a couple of reviews for the books I read in January.
To be honest, I’m still figuring out how to blog. I haven’t been blogging regularly since like 2016 so I’m sure I’m doing a lot of things that are now outdated. If you have any blogging tips or tips on how to get back into blogging after a long hiatus, let me know in the comments.
How was your January? What are you looking forward to in February?
I hate having to return library books when I haven’t finished them. Good on you for getting through!
Look like you have a good reading month and a big book haul.
I recently swatch blogging platforms and still trying to figure out how to work WordPress.
I love Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books! Great job at your reading goal! Happy February!
Sounds like you did great in January. I’m not sure how blogging goes out of date. It is always interesting to see what is going on in other bloggers’ reading and real-life worlds. No library books for me.
I like to share reviews on my blog to help other readers…eventually, I get some of them to Goodreads, Amazon, or Audible.
I use the Sunday/Monday Reading and Mailbox Monday post to share progress with other bloggers. That is where I get to stay in touch with other bloggers. It also helps me keep track of what I have purchased and what I have read.
I hope you have a good week and good reading in February. Happy blogging!
I always loved it whenever Barnes and Noble had their sales. I managed to buy a couple of books during their sale!
Nice that you are back to a regular reading schedule. The nice thing is that you can slowly build up, maybe adding 5 minutes next month, etc?
We don’t have TV, so my husband and I read for several hours every evening after work, cooking, and dishes (well, I actually listen to audiobooks while doing the dishes)
Here is my post: https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/02/06/sunday-post-52-2-6-2022/
I definitely understand that feeling of being overwhelmed and then procrastinating and getting further behind because of it. That can be incredibly frustrating!