Hello beautiful people ~
I used to read a lot. I didn’t keep track so I couldn’t tell you exactly, but I was a bookworm I fell out of reading for the most part some time ago. I’m definitely a mood reader. for the longest time my older brother was my library. I read what he recommended or already had on his shelf. Then, I moved out when I got married and didn’t have that. Didn’t have as much time for it.
For the last few years I have made Goodreads challenges in attempts to remedy that. I set it to 24 books in 2018. I read a total of 15 books. Okay, not terrible considering. I had set it rather high for getting started again. In 2019 I set it for 20 books. A little lower but higher than the success of 15 from 2018. Now, in 2020, I set the goal for 10 books. A measly 10. However! This year has been incredibly different. For everyone. A Pandemic. A worldwide spread of a virus with no cure and a high death rate. Yeah, I still only read 2 books from January to September. See, I had a baby in March, so I wasn’t exactly thinking about books 90% of the time.
I discovered Booktube in September. I forget exactly how I came across it. Yes, around 3 months later and I don’t remember already. Can you blame me? I do remember that the first Booktuber I saw was Hailey in Bookland. Must have just popped up my feed somehow. From there I discovered the community of Booktube and Bookstagram. After about a week Iade my own channel!! And an instagram account just for books. After 3 videos I gave up. I live with my in-laws, my husband, and an infant. I also happen to work part-time essentially. (Bakery clerk in a major grocery store, not as exciting as it sounds.)
So I do a lazy instagram for what I’m reading as I go. I’m not one of those fancy photography and question of the day types. I see lots of those, I follow several and love them. I don’t have time or energy or the right camera/props for that. Mainly books. I don’t have access to most of my physical books right now and use ebooks and audio primarily. Those don’t go for great pictures. I do what I can.
Thus I decided a blog was my perfect solution! No video or personal pictures and I can tell you about what I’m reading! I also have a twitter that I tend to do some running commentary of the books at times. So here I am! It’s December and the end of a year. A very globally terrible rotten no good year. And I am wrapping it up in a neat christmas bow.
Back to my Goodreads challenge of 2020. As of discovering Booktube the need and urge to read has (clearly) taken a hold of me again and I have so much more motivation and recommendations for reading! I hit my goal of 10 books and upped it to 15! Not including any re-reads. I hit that mark and I’m just going to see where December takes me for the rest.
I am a big Fantasy reader. Most of what I read is fantasy, be it adult or young adult, or even middle school. I’ve read a few non-fantasy here and there over the years. With my new found motivation, and some inspiration from Booktube videos, I decided to give it a go at broadening my horizons. Try new genres. Get a little dirty in the genre field. (Yeah, that was bad sorry.) I read 7 books with zero magic in it. Some sci-fi, some fiction, and a few urban fantasy (modern world with supernatural/magic). My favorite book this year has been the novella series The Murderbot Diaries. I am still on #3 right now. Also, Dawnshard but I don’t want to add that in as it feels like part of Rhythm of War (though not technically) that I’m currently reading and don’t want to count that just yet.
So that’s my wrap up for 2020 in a sweetened condensed milk version. I could go into the books themselves more, but they all already have reviews of their own. This is already long enough and I’m not even done.
2021 ya’ll!!! I doubt it’ll be much different to be honest. What will be different is my reading! Normally my new year resolutions are the typical exercise. Don’t eat junk. Et cetera. Et cetera. This year my resolution will be to read more genres and more books in general. I will set my Goodreads challenge to *drum roll* 30 books! Just kidding. I read 12 books just since September under the new fire power. At that rate I could do 50! Give or take. I have a list and it currently only has 48 books listed for 2021. Yes, I made a list for the entire year. I might do a drastic change still, however.
My TBR list is a spreadsheet. Google Docs and Sheets is my life. I got bored at a summer job last year and made a spreadsheet of kpop history of events over a span of 12 years for a single group. For fun. It was a bit extensive. Yup.
Right now I have each month divided into genres. January, month of resolutions and the beginning of new things is autobiography/biography. You’d think it’d be self-help. You’d be wrong. I don’t think I’d read a self-help just for fun. Now, I did put in two months for fantasy. Its my favorite so why not? It was hard to choose 12, or 11, different genres that I could actually see myself reading more than one book in. I had planned 4 books each month. Now, my new plan that I will write out and test is to do it by seasons, 4 quarters in other words. I haven’t worked out any other details about it yet. Honestly, I kind of forgot about it. Oops. I will work on that this week and share it when I have it all figured out. If you ever care.
Finally, I want t o make a post schedule. It’ll help keep me organized. I love organization and lists (clearly). So far my idea is to post twice a week. Maybe Monday and friday, not to include randomly timed book reviews. That’s more than I do right now! But I am still in a learning curve and it’s the holidays now so forgive me.
That’s all I have for my 2021 goals right now. Thank you for sticking around to the end. I know it’s so long. I hope you keep sticking around and I will see you guys next time! Oh and Merry Christmas!
Rachels Books 