As I’m sitting here thinking back about this month, nothing special really stands out. I honestly can’t believe it has already been a month since the last wrap-up post. It seems like it was just the other day. I’m excited the weather is finally getting at least a little cooler. Although, I’m sure we will still have several last gasps of summer before fall really arrives. I do live in Louisiana after all. I don’t really have anything else to say about September. So, let’s just move on to my updates about reading. lol.
Where did August go?! Seriously. The month flew by, but at least I can say I got a lot done. I had tons of doctor’s appointments this month. Those aren’t really ever fun, but at least I can now confirm I’m still free of any metastatic disease (AKA no signs of cancer recurrence)! I also got quite a bit done around the house, bought a new dryer that I love and makes laundry go so much faster, and helped my in-laws haul off my wife’s old clunker of a car that has been sitting in our garage for a year. So, I’d say that’s a pretty great month. With all the activity, I haven’t been in the mood to blog as much, but I’m going to try to do better in September. Without further ado, let’s jump to what I’m sure you all came here for – my reading progress!!
It has been a while since I’ve done a monthly wrap-up. Two months to be exact. I’m not sure why but I just couldn’t be bothered to do one last month. I just wasn’t feeling it even though June was a pretty great month. I’ve been in a bit of a funk, and some new meds made July a rough one. I’m finally feeling a bit better, though. So, I thought I’d wrap up my reading from the last couple of months and check in on how I’m doing with my goals.
Well. Another month has come and gone. It has been a pretty great one with all the Star Wars stuff (Celebration, Star Wars Day, etc.) going on. New books, shows, and LEGO sets were definitely welcomed into my home with open arms. lol. Other than that, though, this has been a pretty dull month in my household.
Hello, everyone! How is it already May? April was a pretty good month. The first week or so I was still recovering from oral surgery, but I’m grateful there were no complications. I’m feeling better now and am all healed up. I also went on a short vacation over the Easter holiday, which was nice. I haven’t left the house much since COVID started. So, it was nice to have a change of scenery even if it was only for a few days. Unsurprisingly, the other major thing that happened this month was that I read A LOT. I participated in two readathons and ended up reading even more than usual. Scroll below to see all the details!
Hello, everyone! We have reached the end of March and the end of the first quarter of 2022. Where has the time gone? Personally, I’m happy to see this month go. It’s just been a weird one with lots of random stuff happening. It has just left me feeling out of sorts, especially this week. I had oral surgery on Tuesday, and I’ve felt pretty horrible since. I’m on a soft food diet, which is the bane of my existence, but I’m sticking to it because chewing is out of the question due to the pain. On a brighter note, I read A LOT this month, and most of it was really great. How great? Read on to find out more!
Hello, everyone! I know we are already a week into March, but I still haven’t wrapped up my February yet. So, here we go… Better late than never! February is always the month of birthdays, mine and both my parents. This meant lots of cake, as well as some new books. Other than all the celebrations, it was a pretty quiet month filled with dreary weather and lots of reading. Not a whole lot has changed in my daily routine. So, despite getting a year older, everything is still rolling on as usual.
Hello, everyone! I can’t believe the first month of this year is already over, but at the same time, it seems like it lasted forever. I’ve spent most of the month in isolation because the latest wave of COVID has been wreaking havoc in my area. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid getting sick so far, and I’m trying my best to keep it that way. It has been a relatively uneventful month. I’ve done a lot of blogging and reading, which has helped me stay at least sort of sane. 🙂 I didn’t quite reach all of my goals when it comes to reading, but I came pretty close.
This has been such a huge year for me when it comes to reading. My reading habits have changed drastically from previous years, and I read 43,584 pages from 139 books, which is far more than ever before. My average length was 313 pages and my average rating this year was 4.0. I’m lucky to have not read many books I didn’t like this year. I love looking at numbers and data…so, here’s a ton of other stuff I learned from my Goodreads and Storygraph stats pages.
This year I read many books that were adventurous, dark, and emotional. I’m sure I probably craved adventure due to being stuck in the house most of the time. I tended to read books of medium or fast pace more than slow-paced books. A majority of the books I read fell between 300 and 499 pages in length, which I can definitely say is my preference. If a book is too long, I tend to lose focus before the end and find myself just wanting them to be over. Most of the books I read this year were fantasy, YA, LGBT+, science fiction, or some combination of those four genres. I wasn’t surprised to see that because they are my favorites. This year has been especially exciting because of all the LGBT+ books/characters I’ve been able to read since I didn’t really read this genre much before this year. I’m incredibly happy to have found such great stories and representation. I’m curious to see what the next year will bring and discover if my preferences change at all as the new year progresses.
Blogging Review
When I started blogging, I didn’t really have any goals in mind because I had no idea what I was doing. I was mostly writing reviews for myself to help keep track of my thoughts about what I was reading. I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing (LOL), but there are a few accomplishments I’m proud of this year. First and foremost, I reviewed 26 books on NetGalley and earned the 25 reviews badge. I set that goal pretty late in the year, and I’m happy to have achieved it. I’ve also had more views, likes, and comments than I ever anticipated when I started out. My total views for the year are approaching 7,000, which I still can’t really believe. So, thank you to everyone who has stopped by the blog and interacted in any way. I really appreciate it.
Most Popular Posts of the Year
Wrap-Up posts are typically the most viewed posts that I write, but I’m not going to include them in this list because that is all it would include if I did. Here are my top 5 posts of the year (not including monthly wrap-ups):
Not all of my posts were super popular this year, especially toward the beginning of my blog. I think many of them had so few views because I didn’t have a lot of followers then. Check them out and see if they truly deserve the honor of least popular post. Here are my 5 least viewed posts of the year:
I hope you all have a great holiday, and I wish everyone the best for the new year. I’m excited about what is to come in the new year, and I’m looking forward to continuing to share my thoughts about great books with you all in the year to come!
Hello, everyone! My semi-hiatus is finally over, and it was a really great couple of weeks. I’ve read some really great books, had a wonderful holiday, and bought/received a ton of new books. Today I’ll be briefly wrapping up the last couple of weeks, giving an update on my reading progress, and showing you all the new books I’ve gotten.
