I feel like January flew by yet at the same time seemed interminable. In January I was rather productive with respect to bookish pursuits. I posted eight book reviews, which is more than my norm. Most importantly, I finished HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH! If you want to learn more about what I did in January, including blog stats, then continue onward to my January book blog wrap-up!
Book Reviews
I posted eight book reviews in January. From earliest to latest they are:
- Feeding the Soul by Tabitha Brown
- The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
- The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
- That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
- The Stars Within by Alex Arch
- Hot Button Issue by Catrina Bell
- Dust and Lightning by Rebecca Crunden
- The Woman In Me by Britney Spears
Blog Statistics
Every month I share some statistics from Google Analytics because I think it helps put expectations into perspective for other micro-bloggers like me who are out there. These statistics are from Google Analytics 4.
As of the evening of January 30, my top five posts for total page views are:
- Arthurian Retellings Reading List: 743 views
- Book Review: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Maehrer: 614 views
- Book Review: Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer Armentrout: 500 views
- Book Review: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake: 460 views
- Book Review: Spare by Prince Harry: 403 views
I hit another personal blog record with views for the month. (I wonder if I should stop reporting this because it makes me feel like I’m showing off? Even though it’s just a fact.) Again, I attribute this to the power of SEO. A few more people subscribed to my blog for a total of 169 subscribers.
#BeatTheBacklog
I read three books that I had on my TBR prior to 2024: HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas, WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez, and ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Finishing HoSaB was a big win for me because the third book came out yesterday and I needed to catch up!
Other Bookish Items
I read 11 books in January. A fair number of them were novellas that I read for the SFINCS competition.
- THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON by Kimberly Lemming (ARC)
- FINDING ME by Viola Davis (audiobook)
- HOT BUTTON ISSUE by Catrina Bell (SFINCS)
- THE STARS WITHIN by Alex Arch (SFINCS)
- HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas
- DUST & LIGHTNING by Rebecca Crunden (SFINCS)
- DRAGONMEAT by Angela Boord (SFINCS)
- A WOLF IN THIEF’S CLOTHING by Lily Anne Crow
- WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez (ARC)
- ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson (audiobook)
- DON’T THINK, DEAR: ON LOVING AND LEAVING BALLET by Alice Robb
Though I didn’t officially review FINDING ME by Viola Davis, I encourage everyone to read it. Better yet, listen to the audiobook. Her narration is fantastic and it’s my first 5-star read of 2024. The only downside is I couldn’t easily bookmark some insightful reflections she included. While I’m glad I finally read ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY, I think I would’ve retained more physically reading it than listening to it. I don’t often say that for nonfiction audiobooks, but that’s how I felt for this one.
I started tracking my spending on books, which is a 2024 goal of mine. I’m already surprised at how much I spent in January, so I want to be more prudent with my spending. However, I know February will also have higher spending because there are a couple of Fairyloot special edition sequels I’m eager to get my hands on. Including tax, I spent ~$136 on books for myself. This doesn’t include a couple I bought as gifts from eBay. I haven’t decided if I’ll include books I gift to people in my spending record.
January marks another completed round of SFINCS reviews. Personally, I have found this competition way more manageable than BBNYA. Both have great folks, but I’m not a fast reader, so a competition that focuses on novellas is a better fit for me. My team’s finalists are here.
I posted a discussion on How To Ask For A Book Review. Review requestors, take note!
I also made a list of 2024 bookish goals and posted my 2023 Book Blog In Review.
Non-Bookish Items
I didn’t make any 2024 non-bookish goals like I did in 2023. However, one goal is consistency with work outs. I’m still working on this. One thing that helps is that I started going to ballet once a week. It’s a nice way to incorporate a different form of exercise.
We had about 7-8 inches of snow (with some pretty frigid weather). It was amazing! Then, one week later, we hit nearly 80 degrees. Weird, but it felt nice!
In not-so-great news, my personal health issues continue. Two rounds of treatments didn’t end with the desired result. So I’m thinking about taking a break and getting a second opinion. Physically I’m fine, but at times it’s difficult mentally. I oscillate between wanting to shout from the roof tops and not wanting to say anything. I’m thankful that I have this bookish community as a nice distraction.
Looks like you had a productive reading month! I think I have Viola Davis’ memoir on audiobook already but I just haven’t got around to reading it yet cos I rarely pick up NF. You’ve sold me on it though so maybe this year I will read it. ???? I’m sorry to hear about your health issues but I hope you find some good answers soon and feel better. I totally agree about this community being a great distraction ???? I hope you have a great February!
I like to mix up my SFF reading with nonfiction every now and then. Seems like I got to a good number of nonfiction books this month…I must’ve needed a change of pace. If you want to change up what genre you’re reading, definitely give Viola’s memoir a go. I just love her voice, though be aware she absolutely had hardships early in life.
Reporting your stats isn’t bragging, imo. You should be proud, and also it’s nice to see growth. Looks like a really good month! I didn’t end up reading as much as I usually do but I did post a lot of reviews (from books I read in December) so I felt good about my month too.
Thanks, Tammy, I appreciate the support! It is nice to see growth. I’m glad you had a good month of posting reviews and such!
Looks like you’ve had a great month. The Viola Davis book sounds fantastic, and it’s always a pleasure to get a very well-done author-narrated audiobook.
It’s really too bad about your treatments not working as well as expected. I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying ballet, though. I’ve been trying to find a studio that does adult classes in my area at a time that works with my schedule, but no luck so far. Hopefully you’ll continue to have good experiences with that.
I did have a surprisingly good month of reading! If you like reading memoirs, definitely check out Viola Davis’s!
I appreciate your kind words–I hope I make some progress in that regard. And it is nice to get back into ballet after so long. I just did a series of foot-strengthening exercises, which are much needed right now! I hope you’re able to one day find a studio with a class that works with your schedule! 🙂
Yeah, I’d agree that reporting on your stats isn’t bragging. When I read it it just feels like you’re trying to capture the reality of how your blog is moving each month. I guess I could see how others could read it as bragging but it certainly doesn’t come off that way to me when I read it. And I’m sorry your health issues continue. I’m sending all the love and brightness I can your way. Know I’m thinking of you, my friend, and holding you in my heart during this time.
Thanks, Michael, I appreciate the support, both with respect to stating my stats and the health stuff. I’ll take all the love and brightness I can get! Thank you! ^_^
You’re very welcome :). You’re a wonderful human being, Celeste, and your friendship is one of those beautiful gifts to come out of my blogging.
January was such a weird one, hey? I felt the same way about it! I will second the comments about sharing stats isn’t bragging – it’s just a number and it is clear you have been putting in the work to achieve new heights ???? Sorry to hear about your health issues. I hope books and blogging continue to bring some comfort while you figure out next steps.
January was weird…I think part of it, at least for me, was dealing with personal health things; it made January feel kind of stagnant at times. I hope books and blogging continue to be nice distractions, too; it’s a nice creative outlet to connect with like-minded people. Thank you for the kind words. <3
January is always such a weird month! I’m sorry to hear about your health issues and I do hope they find something to help soon. <3 It's so cool to see blog stats and they should be something you are proud of!! 🙂 I like to think we lift each other up and cheer everyone on! I need to update my readathons!! I hope you have a fabulous February!
Thanks, Leslie! <3 I like seeing others' blog stats, so I'm glad you (and other) do, too! Although, it's been a quiet month for me as I haven't posted much, and so this might be the month where my "new record" streak bites the dust, lol. That's ok, though!
Yeah, I have tried so hard to keep my January momentum going but I definitely dropped the ball all of February. I have not engaged as much but life sometimes gets crazy! Don’t let the ending streak make you feel anything at all, still impressive! 🙂