I haven’t done a Month in Review since I month in review’d January. The first half of 2023 was a bumpy ride, being off to an inauspicious start after the events of Dec 2022. Things went way off the rails in March 2023, and finally got back on track in June 2023. I am referring entirely to work related happenings, but as they occupy a substantial chunk of my time, they impact all of my time. The short story is I left libraryland at the end of May and went back to the job I had earlier in 2022. I am very happy with this arrangement. But that sort of talk is more suited for my ‘Wrapping Up, Looking Forward’ post in the New Year.
This post is to set my blogging habits back on track, and give a quick sum up of what I’ve been up to this year, in terms of reading and posting. Occasionally, I batch two or three months together for these month in review posts. Since in 2023 I have essentially made only two or three months of content, I’m running with this post format, lol.
I have made a full posting schedule for December, so let’s just see if I can write full posts to publish as well 😬 It’s been hard to stay connected, feel involved, and be a part of the online book communities without Twitter. I am still clinging to Bluesky so hmu if you need an invite!!
Books Reviewed
- Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extroardiny Happiness by Ingrid Lee Fetell (adult non-fiction)
- Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen (adult historical mystery)
- And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (adult speculative fiction)
- Ritual: How Seemingly Meaningless Acts Make Life Worth Living by Dimitris Xygalatas (adult non-fiction)
- Assorted middle grade titles in my Bit About Books Summer Reading Challenge Wrap Up:
- Where the Lost Ones Go by Akemi Dawn Bowman (speculative)
- Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald (ecological)
- The House That Whispers by Lin Thompson (contemporary)
- Season Most Unfair by J. Anderson Coats (historical)
- The Song of Us by Kate Fussner (romance)
- Seance Tea Party by Reimen Lee (graphic novel)
- Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper (contemporary)
- The Gray by Chris Baron (contemporary)
Additional Books Finished
- Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk by Buddy Levy
- Let’s Talk About Race in Storytimes by Jessica Anne Bratt
- Sir Callie and the Champions of Heston by Esme Smith-Symes
- Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally by Emily Ladau
- The Theory of Crows by David A. Robertson
- Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings by Matthew Dickerson
- Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
- Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko
- The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill
- The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World by Robert McGhee
- Hazel Hill is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne
- Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
- Devotion by Hannah Kent
- Letter for the King by Tonke Dagt
- The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
- Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore
- Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee
- She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
- White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
- Speculation by Nisi Shawl
- Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys #1) by Seanan McGuire
- The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura by Waka T. Drown
- The Last Hope in Hopetown by Maria Tureaud
- The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
- Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
- The Takeout by Tracey Badua
- Black Powder War (Temeraire #3) by Naomi Novik
Wouldya look at that! I have read quite an assortment of books this year. Perhaps I’ll do one of those “all the books I didn’t review in 2023” posts later this month…
Posts Written
- Encouraged folks to join Bluesky, a Twitter alternative (leave a comment if you need an invite!)
- Checked in on my goals back in July for my 2023 Mid-Year Check In post
- Several installments of “I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read that Yet”
- A couple installments of Family Reads
- My sister and I discuss Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
- My dad and I discuss Nosey Parker by Lesley Crewe
On My Radar in December
Not much! I think a lot of us keep busy this month by wrapping up and reflecting on our reading for the year while also enjoying some holidays. I am looking forward to lots of reading on my week off around Christmas and New Year’s. If I can’t enjoy winter activities due to a severe lack of snow (😒) then I shall at least enjoy some cozy reading time….
How was your November? What new books, or bookish events, are you looking forward to this month?
Sorry about the job stress! I get it, though. It’s hard to disconnect when you spend so much time in one place. Sometimes I think I probably see my coworkers more than I see my family! I hope you’re doing better, though, and I hope you get around to some great reading this winter!
Thanks very much! So far, so good – I have already spent several hours today lounging around reading by the Christmas tree 🙂
Isn’t it irritating when Life gets in the way of Reading? Sometimes, it’s just like that. I hope the new job is going well, and glad that you are getting some cozy time by the tree!
It’s true! Thanks very much! 🙂
Ugh at the lack of snow! They’ve been shouting snow here for a week and a halve but we barely get any and when it is falling it is in the evening or night so I can’t even look at it. (And now it is warming up again so no snow at all, booo)
Oh you read The Book Eaters. I really need to read that one soonish. How was it?
Also, the all the books you didn’t review post sounds like fun. Just quick thoughts. I might need to do that. There is so much that I don’t review. (But I already have a full schedule for december and january blogging haha)
I have to admit, I’m glad someone is commiserating with me about lack of snow! It’s supposed to be 5°C on Thursday 🙁 Curse this El Nino year…
The Book Eaters was quite different from what I expected. It was more of an action/thriller than the dark fantasy I hoped for… you may still enjoy it, though!
It can be hard to squeeze in little reviews when there’s so much else to write about! I think I’ve only done it a few times in the past but I often think about it as a way to at least give a little boost to books I enjoyed yet never posted about…
By Sunday its apparently going to be 10C here. Like how?
Oh thats interesting. I think its good I know that before going into it. I had the same expectation about that book.
I think for 2024 I need to make a set up in drafts where I write a bit about each book that I read that I don’t review, instead of doing it months after haha. And then after 5 or 10 publish it.
10C is too much 😫 I think that is a good plan for 2024! I think part of my issue is that I never know if I’m actually going to write a review or if I should just drop a tiny one… it’s a struggle haha. Maybe just committing to publishing /something/ would be a good thing to try in the new year…
It snowed here, but then rained on top of it, the most dreary weather imaginable. A good time to sit inside and read … I’m glad you’re enjoying the Temeraire books! I read them as they came out, and it was quite an adventure. This month I’m participating in Dean Street December at Liz’s blog, some cozy midcentury fiction, and of course starting my own Ozathon with The Book Stop. I hope your new blogging intentions work out well! It’s always nice to hear from you.
Ack, rain in winter is definitely miserable – mucking up all that nice snow! I am feeling quite lucky that I can pick up the Temeraire books one after the other, although I think I should maybe slow down – I have started the fourth book… Those sound like some nice events to wrap up the year! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’ve heard so many people mention the lack of snow all over! We don’t have any here yet which isn’t all that surprising but I’m hoping if it does come it doesn’t interfere with my family’s flight plans this year
It is devastating! Half the reason I moved back home is to see snow again hahaha. It looks like this is as good as it’s going to get for Christmas… but still, 🤞 for no flight interference!!