Taking a page from those Weekly Wrap-up and Sunday Posts I've been seeing around, I decided to hop on the bandwagon with my own variation of a "This is what I'm doing and this is what I'm planning next" type of news post.
In this case, I'd like to do a monthly version instead since my weeks don't seem to be as exciting as everyone else's. (I probably average a review post approximately once or twice a week with very little other bookish activities going on if I even post during the week at all.) I'm a very, very casual blogger with no schedule.
Anyway, this time around, I will recap everything since the beginning of the year (just because). Future posts, however, will probably be simpler as single, Monthly Wrap-up posts. So as a warning, this is going to be a long post, but I promise the next few wrap-up posts will be shorter... at least unless I decide to do a quarterly thing instead.
Moving along...
In January
- Books Read:
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Leave the Window Open by Victoria Schwab -- short story
The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard
Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard
Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Seraphina: The Audition by Rachel Hartman -- prequel short story
Feel the Heat by Cindy Gerard
Risk No Secrets by Cindy Gerard
Leave No Trace by Cindy Gerard -- novella
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
With No Remorse by Cindy Gerard
Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard
Dying to Score by Cindy Gerard -- short story (Previously published in Love Is Murder anthology)
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis
SEAL of My Dreams -- anthology -- editor Robyn Carr
- Reviews & Notable Posts:
-- Reviews --
Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard
Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Risk No Secrets by Cindy Gerard
Leave No Trace (novella) by Cindy Gerard
-- Top Ten Tuesdays --
1/6/2015: Top Ten Most Anticipated Debut Novels for 2015
1/13/2015: Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read But Didn't Get To
1/27/2015: Top Ten Books I'd Love to Read With My Book Club/ If I Had a Book Club
-- Other Posts --
Stitching Snow -- Reading Progress Update: Halfway Through
- Wrap-Up:
January was a good month for me. On top of taking a much needed personal vacation with the family to Las Vegas (and seeing an excellent Cirque du Soleil performance while there), I also got some much needed R&R to do absolutely nothing but read and blog and get better from a bad cold I sported for over two weeks.
Between a few select short stories, an anthology, and several full-length novels, this has been my best reading month so far in 2015. 18 books total (if we also count all the novellas and short stories): 11 full length novels read; 2 audio books listened to (one of which was a "reread"); 1 anthology with 18 different short stories/novellas; and 4 short stories/novellas.
On top of all of that, I still managed my weekly Top Ten Tuesday posts as well as completed and published 12 book reviews... some of which are more like extremely brief opinion posts.
My favorite reads this month were, of course, the Cindy Gerard Black Ops, Inc. series, select few short stories from SEAL of My Dreams anthology, and Victoria Schwab's short Wesley Ayers piece Leave the Window Open that you can find at her blog.
In February
- Books Read:
And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper
Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden
Mercy by Julie Garwood
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Untraceable by Laura Griffin
The Little Android by Marissa Meyer -- short story
Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
Unspeakable by Laura Griffin
Unforgivable by Laura Griffin
Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier
The Caller by Juliet Marillier
- Reviews & Notable Posts this month:
-- Reviews --
And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper
SEAL of My Dreams (anthology) -- editor Robyn Carr
With No Remorse by Cindy Gerard
Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard
The Little Android (novella) by Marissa Meyer
Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier
The Caller by Juliet Marillier
-- Top Ten Tuesdays --
2/3/2015: Top Ten Fantasy Novels I Want to Read
2/10/2015: Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes to Romances in Books
2/17/2015: Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have
2/24/2015: Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books (Or you could pick movies/tv)
-- Other Posts --
Frostfire -- First Impression: Prologue / Reading Progress Update: Chapter 1
Wildwood Dancing -- Starting
- Wrap-Up:
February was a slower reading month for me wherein I totaled 13 books. It's still a pretty good average, but less than what I had planned on reading. To be fair, February is a short month and I came upon a few select books I couldn't quite get into. One read was a short story and one was short story compilation.
It looks like February was a bit more productive per my blogging/reviewing, though with 16 reviews posted alongside the Top Ten Tuesday weekly posts.
My favorite reads this month includes Juliet Marillier's Shadowfell trilogy and The Little Android by Marissa Meyer. I enjoyed Marissa Meyer's Scarlet, but I can't say it was the best thing I read this month. I was pleasantly surprised by And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper and Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden.
It seems like I wish I could unread certain books or get my time back, but to be honest, there weren't very many terrible books, really.
In March
- Books Read:
Zodiac by Romina Russell
Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers
Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper
Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper
His Every Need by Terri L. Austin
Sleeping With Fear by Kay Hooper
Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace
Deadly Heat by Cynthia Eden
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Unstoppable by Laura Griffin -- novella
The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien
- Reviews & Notable Posts:
-- Reviews --
Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Myers
His Every Need by Terri L. Austin
Sleeping With Fear by Kay Hooper
Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
-- Top Ten Tuesdays --
3/10/2015: Top Ten Books For Readers Who Like _______
3/17/2015: Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List
3/24/2015: Top Ten Books From My Childhood (or teen years) That I Would Love to Revisit
3/31/2015: Ten Books You Recently Added to Your To-Be-Read List
-- Other Posts --
Inherit Midnight: Progress Update
Book Cover Illustration for Winter
- Wrap-Up:
I feel like March was also a fairly slow reading month, although I've probably reviewed every book I read, almost. Still, I only totaled about the same number of books I'd read in February. On days I had off from work, I really didn't read as much as I had planned to be reading. And at least three of the books I chose either had really slow starts or were just boring all-around (one was boring, aggravating, and frustrating).
That's a bummer. But I DID keep up with Reading Challenges and I DID visit the library a lot (books listed below). Unfortunately, that didn't help with putting a dent in my already bulging bookshelves.
In fact, pretty much every book I read this month was a library check out, except for Wildwood Dancing. Unfortunately, that book does nothing to further my Mount TBR Reading Challenge since it's a book I bought last month.
My favorite reads this month included the three Kay Hooper Bishop/SCU books. The Storyspinner was also quite an exciting book for a debut author and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I was slightly disappointed by Wildwood Dancing, but am still determined to read all the rest of Juliet Marillier's books I can get my hands on--she's an excellent writer with magical attention to world-building and character creation.
Currently Reading:
Coming Up Next:
- Tentative TBR for April: (basically what I would LIKE to be reading this month)
- Tentatively Planned Posts/Reviews:
Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Review: Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire
Review: Legend by Marie Lu
Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu
Review: Champion by Marie Lu
Review: Killing Time by Marie Lu
Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
-- April Top Ten Tuesdays --
4/7/2015: Top Ten Characters You'd Like to Check In With (from previous reads)
4/14/2015: Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books
4/21/2015: Top Ten ALL TIME Favorite Authors (top 20 or narrowed genre optional)
4/28/2015: Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who ________
Book Haul/TBR Additions (since January):
I... might have gotten a little overboard in book shopping these past three months...
- Amazon Kindle Deals (free books):
- Amazon Kindle Deals (discounted):
Pre-ordered An Ember in the Ashes for $2.99!!!
- Used Book Buys:
- Bought as New (Barnes & Noble):
- Audible Purchases:
Audible books bought with credits and coupon cash balance.
- Checked Out From the Library:
But going to the library a lot makes up for all the money I've spent... right?
January
February
March
Reading Challenges Update
Original 2015 Reading Challenge Post
- General Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge -- GR list/shelf
BookLikes Reading Challenge -- BL list/shelf
My Goal: 150 books
Progress: 44/150 books read
- Outdo Yourself Challenge
Hosted by Book Vixen
My Goal: Getting My Heart Rate Up: read 1 - 5 more books
(I read 154 books for this challenge in 2014 / My goal will be 155 - 159 books in 2015.)
My Progress: 40/155
See Also: 2015 Outdo Yourself Challenge shelf for list of books
- Romantic Suspense Challenge
Hosted by Book Vixen
My Goal: SWAT: read 21+ romantic suspense novels
My Progress: 19/21
See Also: 2015 Romantic Suspense Challenge shelf for list of books
- Men in Uniform Challenge
-- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 3/17/2015
Hosted by Book Vixen
My Goal: Chief: read 16+ men in uniform novels
My Progress: 18/16
-- 16 books read -- COMPLETED -- 3/17/2015
See: 2015 Men in Uniform Challenge shelf for book list
See: 2015 Men in Uniform Challenge post for detailed list
- 2015 TBR Pile Challenge
Hosted by Roof Beam Reader
My 2015 TBR Pile Challenge Summary Post
My Progress: 4/12
See Also: BookLikes shelf / Goodreads shelf
- 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge
Hosted by Because Reading & Fantasy Is More Fun
My 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge Summary Post
My Goal: Reading Level 5: 48 books (4 books/month), 4 Extra Credits, 1 Pass
My Progress: 12/48 (No Extra Credits or Passes used)
See Also: BookLikes shelf / Goodreads shelf
- Mount TBR Reading Challenge
Hosted by My Reader's Block
My Goal: Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile/s
My Progress: 16/48
See: 2015 Mount TBR Challenge shelf for book list
- The Series That Never Ends Challenge
Hosted by Delighted Reader
My 2015 The Series That Never Ends Challenge Summary Post
My Goal: Surviving the Book Tsunami -- 5 - 9 books
My Progress: 7/9 books
-- 0/3 chosen series completed
See: 2015 Series Never Ends Challenge shelf for book list
Final Wrap-Up
First of all, I'm testing new ways to format posts and hoping what I come up with will be pleasing to the eye. Second of all, there is no guarantee that I will continue to post wrap-up posts if only because I tend to get really lazy when I'm blogging--last year I managed to get as far as March in monthly progress reports before I stopped altogether because I got frustrated and bored and lazy. Of course, there's the possibility that instead of an April Wrap-up, I'll end up with another quarterly wrap-up post for April, May, and June.
Who knows?
Anyway... My reading progress so far this year has been a little bit disappointing. I typically average about 14 books read a month, but if a book tends to not catch my attention, I will let the reading drag on as I seek out other sources of entertainment, or try to start a new book while feeling guilty that I haven't even finished the three books I started.
Sometimes I have more than one book I can't seem to get into and so I find myself looking for other things to do because I feel guilty starting a new book before I've finished the three or four I'm already reading. It happens.
Also, I made the decision to start collecting freebies. It never hurts to give those indie projects a go, and if I'm lucky I'll come across a gem. It hasn't necessarily happened yet, but it doesn't hurt to check out new-to-me authors of the non-traditional publishing arena.
Otherwise, there may be more library trips, a few possible used book store visits, and a more disciplined attempt to read books for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge. Although I already know there are several books I'm meaning to purchase...
2
0
)
