Ah! 2021--A Clean Slate! What I'm Reading in January

 It never fails-each late December I put away my decorations and decide I want to clean up, declutter, get in shape, eat healthy, and get organized. That lasts about a week, and then falls apart. I've been doing this all my adult life, and I feel the urge rising again. Calendar? Planner? Weekly meal prep? An excel sheet with all my books, alphabetized and color coded, with reading goals for each month? A plan to clean out closets, a basement, a garage? Plan a garden? Organize paperwork? Geez, I'd have to be a wonder woman to get any of it done. 

Oh, I can feel it, rising like sap in a tree. But this time I'm beating it all down. Nope. Not going to do it. I'm going to enjoy the heck out of 2021, and that means setting realistic goals in everything I do so I'm not setting myself up for failure. That means, (although it pains me!) that I'm not going to set a reading goal this year. And I'm going to read whatever I like and whatever interests me. No pressure to read what everyone else is reading; no pushing through a book that just doesn't capture my attention. If it takes me two weeks to finish a book, then so what? Life seems to be busier, somehow, and I just don't have the ability to fly through 3-4 books a week like I used to. Now it's 1-2. Let that anxiety go! 

I hope you also start off 2021 fresh and excited, too. I've got a lot of books calling for me this month. January is usually my best reading month, and right now the snow is coming down hard outside and we're in the middle of a winter storm warning. I'll be shoveling a lot of wet, heavy snow later on tonight. So January, yes it is my month where I read a lot. We'll see what I get through this month. Here's what's on tap:

Looks like I'm making up for my lack of historical fiction in 2020 this month. I've had The Arctic Fury and The Lady Brewer of London sitting at home for weeks now with the aim of reading them in January. The Children's Blizzard I've read about in David Laskin's non-fiction book from 2005--which was amazing! This is a fictional account of that terrible disaster and I can't wait to read it. The Wife Upstairs I just received for my December BOTM. Another domestic thriller with shades of Jane Eyre. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is a fictional exploration of the strange disappearance and re-appearance of Agatha Christie that has stumped people for decades. 

Right now I'm finishing up Jolene by Mercedes Lackey, and The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler. I haven't made it through my stack of holiday reads, and I may need to set them aside. I fall rapidly out of holiday read mode once December is over. 

That's my January list. I'm excited to start another year of blogging. This will be my eleventh year! Oh my golly. I think I'll be pulling up some of my past posts throughout the year, and I'll be doing something special in March to mark my eleventh year as a book blogger. I've got to admit, my 10 year anniversary slipped by in the crazy days of March 2020, and heck, I didn't even realize 2020 was my tenth year until just now. So we'll celebrate eleven years instead. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year! 

Sending you all a big socially distanced hug-

The Bookalicious Babe

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Ah! 2021--A Clean Slate! What I'm Reading in January

Thinking About Reading Challenges, TBR Piles, and All the New Books of 2020: What's in Store for January

Is it wrong that I've already ordered two new paperbacks, and two hardcovers, all new titles that are out in January? See, this is why I tell myself I won't limit myself on how many books I can buy each month. I'd last about 10 minutes before I broke that promise, so I'm not going to try, and heck yes, I'm not even going to feel bad about it!

However, I'm happy to say I am still checking books out at my library. And I have been thinking and pondering for days just what to do with all of my TBR piles sitting around at home. Brilliant breakthroughs have not made an appearance, so in the spirit of not putting ridiculous pressure on myself, I'm just going to make an effort each month to grab a few books off my bookcases and my piles on the floor and read them, then pass them along to friends and family.   So for every new book I buy, I've got to read that much out of my piles at home. HOLY HECK.

January is usually one of my big read months. The weather may turn nasty at any given moment, and I usually just spend most of my time reading at home when I'm not working. I expect that to happen this January, too. It's my official hermit month. It begins at midnight tonight. 

Here are a few of the books I plan on reading and reviewing in January:

This is a TBR book; also fills a requirement for my book club theme this month. 

Another TBR book--I started it very early this morning and already cried. Better get the tissues out cause I know there's more to come. 

New in January--I can't wait to read this! The latest from the author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend.

Just checked this out today from the library, already started it, and was immediately  sucked into the story. Two women living in the same house 50 years apart; marriages, secrets, and trying to be the "perfect wife". 

I'm planning on a few other titles for January but haven't landed on exactly what just yet. I'm still wrestling with the idea of signing up for the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge when it's available. It does give me an easy and quick look at what I've read over the year, and I do like to have a goal. However, sometimes it can make me feel panicky when I haven't had time to read at a steady pace. So is it worth it? I don't know. I think 2020 will be a year when I will be more patient with some of the books I read and give them a fair shake before I DNF and pick up something new. It's a TBR pile knockdown kind of year and I can't wait to rediscover some of the books I bought a year or two ago and never read. So while I'm excited for the year of 2020 in reading, I'm being cautious about goals and strategies and working on just rediscovering and discovering some pretty fantastic stories. 

I can't wait to share it all with you! 

Happy New Year!  

The Bookalicious Babe

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Thinking About Reading Challenges, TBR Piles, and All the New Books of 2020: What's in Store for January

January Reads and Setting a 2019 Goal: Clear the Bookshelves Because They are Out of Control

Here it is...the last day of 2018. I'm going to spend the evening with my boyfriend at his house, watching a remake of Overboard (I have a deep fondness for the original with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell), sipping Prosecco, and nibbling on roasted shrimp dripping in garlic and butter. There may also be a chocolate pie for dessert, too. And bread, because why not end the year right?

I've already signed up for the Beat the Backlist Challenge with NovelKnight (you can, too!) as a tool to help me read from my bookcases and if I'm lucky, the boxes of books I have in my basement. I always start out ambitious and then life says "Oh no, hang on. Here's a few other things you need to do first" and then I hit a snag that slows down my reading. The only thing I really enjoy about January is having plenty of time to be home at night and on the weekends to read and chill out. I most definitely become a hermit until around March. However, I remain optimistic that I will go forth and read like mad for the next few months. 

This month I've got a few new books to read, and a few that I've had for a few months that I've plucked from a stack in my bedroom. It's an interesting mix. I'm hoping to dive back into historical fiction again this year--it's my favorite genre and I noticed I didn't read a whole lot of it last year. Luckily, most of what I'm aiming to read this month fits into my backlist challenge and are books I've got at home--double yay for me. Here's what's in store for January:

This is for a January book club: The Scarlett Letter set in the future.

Found this at B&N earlier in December and thought it looked interesting. I can't wait to read this one. 

I've been waiting for this for a few months! Just bought it the other day. Dual timeline; Queen (Princess) Elizabeth's wedding gown and 1947 London. 

I'm reading the first in the series; three kids search for the Grail in a battle with the dark.

I'll probably have a few others that will pop in for reviews, but for now, I'm starting off with these. I'm excited for a new year in books and hope to have a good balance of new and backlist titles each month. 

Have a wonderful New Year's 2019! 

The Bookalicious Babe

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January Reads and Setting a 2019 Goal: Clear the Bookshelves Because They are Out of Control