Big Box, Take Two: My Brother Bought Me ANOTHER 20 Paranormal Romance Novels for Christmas

Oh, yeah. It may be 2023 now, but in some ways, it feels like 2021 all over again. 

Sorry if you feel that blogpost title takes away any of the surprise. It does kind of give everything away, all at once, doesn't it? I just feel like we all need to be on equal footing, diving into this kind of challenge again... because not to spoil ANOTHER surprise, but here, there be dragons. 

time machine: christmas 2020

Back towards the end of 2020, the BookTube and Bookstagram communities had a bit of a fascination with mystery boxes of backlist Romance titles on eBay, $25 for a box of 20 mass market paperbacks. The appeal was obvious: Romances are fun, and cheap, and this was a fun-and-cheap way of experimenting with a whole lot of Romance authors at once, in whatever genre you chose. 

I stuck the link on my Christmas list, leading to the Historical Romance options, with the assumption that - because that was the subgenre I typically read - if someone was to actually purchase it for me as a present, it would be an easy, accessible way to dive in further. After all, Romance novels in general were still something I'd only really begun exploring in the summer of 2018. 

I forgot, of course, that my brother - who is eight years my junior - will do just about anything for comedy. And nothing would be funnier, to him, than having the older sister who convinced him to read Twilight for the first time, open a box of vampire novels for Christmas. 

In some ways, he was totally right: it was VERY funny. And in others, we were both wrong: the box contained some vampires, for sure, but it also held the stories of werewolves who fall in love with veterinarians, Celtic gods who decide to be rock stars, psychics who rely on their guns more than their, you know, psychic abilities, and more. It had aliens and demons and a fair amount of ghosts, an unnecessary amount of angels, and in one gut-cringing instance, a Native American shaman from a lost ancient civilization (No, I do NOT want to explain further). 

But of course, while my brother and I absolutely love to make each other laugh, there also comes the expectation that we commit to the bit. I decided that we were going to have to make things into a bit of a challenge: I was going to read all twenty books across the course of the year, and at the end of it all, the one I rated the highest, he was going to have to read, as well.

All told, I had a great time reading through the box over the course of the year. Some were terrible - okay, a LOT were terrible - but that never made the challenge feel too stale or daunting... like those of us who enjoy Hallmark Channel Movies and gossip sessions with friends, sometimes, there's a lot of joy to be found, even when things are just, like, real bad. 

I even had friends who - when getting together for coffee or dinner - would specifically ask how the challenge was going, and would rejoice in hearing about all of the cringey, uncomfy, funny details that I unearthed from the narratives I explored along the way. 

And of course, at the end of it all, my brother read my absolute fave of the bunch: Dream Eyes, by Jayne Ann Krentz, which was not only the second book overall in the challenge, but also, became something we still reference to each other in conversation regularly. (If you are interested in a Paranormal Romance novel that seems to have just about everything - psychic investigators, psychic murderers, crystal mine explosions, cat burglars, shady pharmaceutical companies, scuba diving, cult escapees, khakis - then I heartily encourage you to give it a go. And to be clear, if anyone else can think of a book where the psychic energy generated by wind chimes harnesses enough power to torch a house, please pass the title my way.) 

You can read all of the posts from that challenge here, on my blog, at the following links: 

"My Brother Bought Me $25 Worth of Paranormal Romance" : Preliminary Research and Ranking

"Racist Vampires, Alien Drama, and Psychic Crystal House Explosions" : Midnight Lover, Dream Eyes, and How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 Days

"Celtic Rockstars, Vampiric Chosen-Ones, and Deeply Un-sexy Succubi" : Immortals: The Crossing, Touch the Dark, and My Fair Succubi

"A Summer Fling with Psychics, Werewolves, and Lots of Uncomfortable Staring" : Out of Mind, Dangerous Tides, Master of Wolves, Nico, and The Portal 

"Closing Up the Box: My Final Paranormal Romance Reading Update of 2021" : Stats, Reflections, and a Final Ranking

re-vamping the challenge: 2023

Okay, so we're not necessarily re-VAMPing the challenge... I just really wanted to use that pun. In fact, everything went so darn well last time, that we're just doing the whole thing over again! 

I got a box of 20 books, I'm going to read them all, my brother reads the one I like best, yadda yadda yadda. Of course, I'll be keeping you all updated along the way; if possible, I'd like to share even more of the bananas quotes, wild plot-twists, and *ahem* unexpected narrative choices I encounter. Get ready for a whole new year, and the same old shenanigans! 

That being said, we weren't expecting things to be this similar: somehow, TWO of the books I pulled out of the twenty in the box I received this past Christmas, are two of the same titles I received back in 2021.

Out of Mind (from the Court of Angels series), by Stella Cameron, was one I reviewed within the challenge, about the next generation of families of psychics living in New Orleans, being stalked by a team of malevolent beings from another dimension. 

The romance was alright enough - though their reasons for not being together were so contrived I couldn't help but roll my eyes every time it was brought up - but the real entertainment came from trying to decipher what, exactly, the villains were: they weren't from another planet, but another plane, and could shift themselves into what were, essentially, monstrous animal forms in a way that felt like evil Animorphs. And there was a character named, unironically, Bucky Fist. Also, Dr. Blades. 

It's telling of how the overall challenge went last time, that I gave it points for not having any racist or homophobic slurs within its pages. And I still only gave it a two-star rating. 

All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire (from the Love at Stake series), by Kerrelyn Sparks was one of three books out of the box of twenty I didn't manage to finish by the time the challenge had reached its end, but no worries! I actually ended up reading it this past holiday season. 

Well, at the very least, I tried to: I got two chapters in before I decided to DNF, on account of entirely too much dialogue about whether the main character - a centuries-old vampire who had recently gone through some kind of operation to increase his physical appearance from 15 to 25 - was still a virgin. Or, you know, whether the human woman he was interested in, was actually capable of serving as a daytime bodyguard for a pack of vampires living in a luxury condo (To her credit, she did appear to be capable, but that being said, she also appeared to be a bit of an idiot). 

I mean, I've already made the Book Journal
layout for it and everything! :)

So I bailed after the second time they mentioned "Bleer," a vampire beverage that utilized a vampire-run food-fusion company to combine... well, I'm sure you can guess. 

Which means that's already two books down, and out of the way, for me! 

Of course, that still leaves EIGHTEEN Paranormal Romance novels for me to tackle in the coming year. I've spent a couple of weeks since Christmas looking them over, checking out blurbs and sizzle lines, author histories, and more. Lemme tell you... this might not be our first time at the rodeo, but in 2023, we are riding a very different horse. 

(I prithee, forestall all puns about "riding" until we at LEAST get to the first reading update, mkay?) 

Oh, come on. Aren't you at least a little curious about what else is in store for the coming year's challenge? There's no way for you to find out, until we open the box... 

what's in the box???

Shadow of the Vampire, by Megan Hatfield

Well, a 125-year-old Russian vampire princess feels right enough for the title, but a dragon lord shifter interested in stealing a powerful crystal? Now we're talking! Mentions of "torture" feel like there might be a bit of a BDSM angle to this particular Paranormal Romance, but the Harlequin logo on the spine makes me think differently. At any rate, this 2010 release has a 3.8 rating on Goodreads, out of 1320 ratings, so we'll see how it goes. 

Sleeping with the Entity, by Cat Devon

Hands down, this is my favorite title out of the entire box. It just has such a nice flow to it, you know? It sounds like a title for a made-up movie you'd see hanging in the background theater set of a scary movie or Buffy episode or something. At any rate, if that's not enough to pique your interest, maybe words like "cupcake shop owner" and "Vamptown clan of Chicago" will. I mean, the vampire leader at the heart of this romance is also the head of the local business association, giving her a hard time with her shop opening. That doesn't sound like a rollicking adventure to you? Published in 2013 and with a 3.36 rating out of 650, I'm a little worried about the lower number of ratings for a book that is only a decade old.

Ghost Moon, by Rebecca York

I don't know what about this I find more fascinating... the fact that it's the seventh in its series, the fact that the words "Ruth Glick writing as Rebecca York" are on the cover right underneath the bold-font author name, or the actual contents of the book in the blurb on the back: taking place between "[a] freed slave from a parallel universe" and the ghost of a centuries-old werewolf who has managed to take over a human body, this 2008 publication has a 3.87 out of 480 ratings.

Wizard's Daughter, by Catherine Coulter

One of two different Historical-slanted Paranormal Romance titles in the box, this particular installment - the tenth in its series - takes place during the London Season in 1835, where a mysterious orphan girl, adopted by a wealthy family in childhood, is making her debut. Enter in a duo of romantic interests and a mythical book belonging to a wizard, and as you might have guessed from the title, a certain someone is able to decipher its puzzles with ease. There's a designation of "never before published" on the cover, which feels a little strange, being that Coulter is very much alive, and very much still writing. This particular book - among her 89 published works! - was published in 2008, and has a 3.49 rating out of 2343 ratings on Goodreads. 

Darkling, by Yasmine Galenhorn

I don't know about this one, guys: the style of the model on the front cover is giving me all kinds of "teenage girl just got back from her Winter Break 2007  Caribbean cruise with her parents" vibes, though I will say, there does appear to be some blood on her pants. The third installment in its series, following a trio of half-human, half-Fae sisters, our main character being the one of whom who has also been bitten by a vampire. They're operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency, and the adventure takes place in Seattle, which is a fun enough hometown shoutout to distract me from character names like Shadow Wing and Dredge. Published in 2008, this one actually has a rating of 4.04 out of 7951 ratings, which is much higher than the cover would have me guessing... and the actual written Goodreads reviews seem to be pretty positive, too! 

Dream Chaser, by Sherrilyn Kenyon

It's the 13th in the Dark-Hunter series, which makes sense, because Kenyon's Dark-Hunter and Dream-Hunter series are both prolific AND overlapping: I had another Sherrilyn Kenyon book in the last box I got, The Guardian, which is the 20th of the same (but is only Book 5 in the Dream-Hunter subseries. Dream Chaser, instead, is only #3!). If that's all too convoluted for you, then just get lost in the piercing gaze on the front cover, and strap in: disgraced demigod Xypher is given reprieve by Hades to redeem his soul by way of one good deed, and teams up with psychic medical examiner Simone to open a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight demons. It's got a 4.19 out of over 29K ratings on Goodreads, and was published in 2008. Got all that? 

Undead and Unwed, by Mary Janice Davidson

A shoe-obsessed blondie from the big city is laid off from her secretary job unexpectedly. What's a girl to do? Sounds like the beginnings of any pink-and-green hued chick lit from the early '00s. What makes this 2004 release different, though, is that Betsy then gets into a car wreck, and then, turned into a vampire. Together, with her new friends, she just might be able to overturn the most power-hungry vamp in town... provided she accepts her destiny as the one the prophecy has foretold, of course. Somebody get this girl a cosmo, stat! At 3.81 stars out of a deeply unexpected 55K+ reviews, I am truly confused by the Goodreads popularity of this release... but I guess we're going to find out how all of those reviews got there. 

Premonitions, by Morgan Hayes

A psychic who watched the brutal death of her detective husband is enlisted into the ranks of a small-town precinct, in order to catch the killer in a difficult case. The most appealing thing of this read isn't just the cover - which I LOVE - but instead, the fact that it belongs to the league of Harlequin "Superromance: Women Who Dare," as decreed by its branding. "They take chances, make changes, and follow their hearts!" Evidently not Goodreads reviewers, though, as this 1994 release has an average 3.81 rating across... 16 ratings. Will I become number 17?

Shadow Keeper, by Christine Feehan

This is the author name that made me squeal when I first pulled this novel out of the box. While Krentz's Dream Eyes absolutely won my heart, Dangerous Tides - from Feehan's Drake Sister series - was my second favorite of the last challenge, and I was so excited to see that I had another opportunity to read her writing this year. But Drake Sisters, this is not: instead, it follows a family of "shadow riders," this iteration of which features a mysterious nightclub owner who falls for one of his employees, who is in serious danger. The most recent release of the box at 2018, this has the third-highest Goodreads rating of the box, too, with a cumulative 4.24 out of 5,533 reviews. 

Moon Sworn, by Keri Arthur

The ninth in a series, this 2010 release follows the love between a shape-shifting werewolf-vampire hybrid named Riley, and her vampire lover, Quinn. However, there's a little more to it than that: the blurb mentions of a recently slain soul mate, a mysterious "Directorate" where Riley works, and a ritualistic serial killer. And not to add to the confusion, but a chance opening to a random page revealed the words "nanotechnology," so, you know. I'm thinking more of a thriller than a Romance. With a 4.33 out of 12K+ reviews, I'm thinking it might even be a good one. 

Deadly Night, by Heather Graham

I got a Heather Graham from my last box, too, and both times, have had to search whether this is, you know, Boogie-Nights-and-Austin-Powers Heather Graham (It is not! But it explains why her author webpage is found at the url "theoriginalheathergraham.com"). I DNF'd my attempt at The Summoning during the last challenge, because I just could NOT get into the plot, which feels a little disconcerting, because the plot for Deadly Night feels similar, involving yet another haunted house in the South. However, this is the first in its series, and sound like enough spooky fun that it might make for a good Fall seasonal read. With a Goodreads rating of 4.07 out of 7,255 reviews, it seems like there are plenty of folks who might agree me.

Biting the Bride, by Clare Willis

Speaking of things that look like a fake movie poster in the theater scene of a made-for-TV movie, there is something so specific about the bangs of this man and the neckline of this dress that just scream "ABC Family programming." (Which makes sense, because it was published in 2010, when the ABC Fam channel was still rocking with regular episodes of Pretty Little Liars and Secret Life of the American Teenager.) This novel, however, sees a super-strength gifted lady meddling with her friend's upcoming nuptial bliss to a man she is very convinced is a vampire... one who has a habit of marrying wealthy women, and killing them for their inheritance. With a cumulative 83 reviews, amounting to a 3.33 rating, we'll have to see whether this particular romance novel has bite. Or, maybe, it sucks. Because planning a wedding can be draining... do you want me to keep going? 

Making Over Mr. Right, by Judy McCoy

Last time I embarked on this challenge, I accidentally got a non-Paranormal novel slipped into the mix, and the second I saw this cover, I honestly just kind of assumed it had happened again. However, what might look like a chick lit cover, belies a not-exactly-secret: from the author of One Night With a Goddess, comes the tale of a "Muse of Beauty's" attempts at making over a successful businessman while banished from Mount Olympus. No particular motive is attached to her actions in the blurb, so we'll have to assume she has a good reason for doing so. Zeus better think so, too, because the second this muse falls in love with a mortal, she's stuck! This 2008 release has a 3.58 out of 177 reviews, the third lowest amount in the box. To be fair, maybe they were just confused by the cover, too? 

Never Dare a Dragon, by Ashlyn Chase 

I promised you dragons, didn't I? In fact, this is one of THREE dragon books that are in this box. Between them, though, I think this third series installment is a bit of a doozy: because if you got excited when you heard there was a dragon shifter involved, I cannot wait to tell you that the other main character is actually a phoenix shifter, too... and that the two work for different fire departments. Oh, and the phoenix's surname is Fierro. One of the other more recent releases in this box, you might be surprised to hear that this 2017 publication only has 216 ratings on Goodreads, with a 3.56 average. 

What a Dragon Should Know, by G. A. Aiken

And here's the last dragon! This one, however, feels more deeply enmeshed in a traditional Fantasy world than the urban alternative. An immortal, vainglorious dragon named Gwenvael forms an alliance with the Northlanders by taking on a ferocious creature known as The Beast. The Beast is, of course, a regular human woman with glasses and a grumpy attitude, as these kinds of things are wont to go. But thankfully, the writing seems pretty funny... the sizzle line "Attraction that's off the scale" definitely had me chuckling. And the 4.32 cumulative for nearly 15K reviews definitely has me feeling optimistic about this 2009 release. 

Bustin', by Minda Webber

No, you didn't read that wrong, and no, I didn't write it wrong, either. Bustin', by Minda Webber, is a standalone Romance novel, following two rival paranormal problem resolution companies: Sam's family's "Paranormal Pest Pursuers, Inc.", and Russian hottie Nicolas' "Monsters 'R Us." Will these star-crossed lovers connect without crossing the streams? A 2007 release with a cumulative 3.42 out of 164 reviews, I'm thinking there might be something bad in the neighborhood. But there's no way to know, but to try! 

Carved in Stone, by Vickie Taylor

Okay, gang: I'm going to need you to try and guess which of these books is the surprise gargoyle romance. What, this one? How did you know? Did the gargoyle on the front cover give it away? This romance between an Interpol agent whose parents were killed by a mysterious winged creature, and a gargoyle shifter, already had my attention from jump, but as soon as I read some of the Goodreads reviews for this one, I was hooked. It may only have a 3.61 out of 381 ratings - it was published in 2005, after all - but those who enjoyed it, definitely let you know it... and in particular, the one that said it was good for "fans of the Disney show," had me sold. 

Demon's Curse, by Alexa Egan

The cover may betray the fact that of the books in the box, this is our second Historical Paranormal Romance; specifically, taking place after the Battle of Waterloo, when a member of a shapeshifting military unit that has been placed under a curse is murdered. Their Captain seeks out actress Bianca, friend to the dead man, as one of the suspects, and soon enough, the two are fleeing the killer themselves. A 2013 publication with a 3.42 out of 195 ratings, I honestly thought this one would have been higher, based on how fun I think the cover is. 

So, we've got a grand total of three dragons, six vampires, a wizard, a gargoyle, a phoenix, an animal shifter, and quite a few hybrids. The map spans between London, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, and realms beyond human comprehension. We've got only four standalones, and five as the first in their series, and out of all 18, only six have Goodreads ratings above a 4.0, with nine having been reviewed by UNDER one thousand Goodreads readers. 

Which one do you think I'm picking up first?

What do you think about the return of this particular reading challenge? Which books would you be reaching for first? Let me know, in the comments below!

New Year, Old Shelves: Book-Buying Stats from 2022... and My 2023 Book-Buying Ban

We start with a flashback. 

In a fit of self-imposed expectation -  after gorging myself on bullet journaling content on Instagram at the end of 2021 - I decided to impose some radically different structures on my Book Journal for 2022. Quite a few of these design choices ended up being totally welcome, and honestly, darn helpful... and one, in particular, threw one of my absolutely worst impulse habits into pretty sharp relief. 

I monitored each book I took onto my shelves. I started tracking all of my bookish buys, at the top of each month, on a spread I called "The Receipts." 

(And before you asked, no, I did not manage to spell "receipts" correctly each month. In fact, I got it wrong more often than not. Sometimes, I spelled it correctly, and still second-guessed myself, and had to do it over again anyways.) 

That's not all I tracked, either, as I also made sure to write when I had been given a bookish gift, or checked out something from the library, too. 

Am I positive the numbers are correct and squared away on everything? No, of course not. There's a margin of error for everything human-shaped, and honestly, I feel that mathmatical margin should have a higher allowance when dealing with an English major (Or, at a minimum, just this particular English major). But the fact of the matter is, even if there was some how a chance that I flubbed the numbers a little, the overall effect would still be the same: I spend way too much damn money on books. 

For instance, in January 2022 alone, I checked out ONE book from the library, purchased TEN discounted Kindle novels in ebook format, was delivered SIX books from a Book Outlet order for myself, and purchased SIX additional books for other members of my family. 

Of all those books, only ONE of those ended up getting read by the end of the year, let alone month. 

And it was the library book. 

You see my problem? 

Now I know what you're thinking: what kind of numbers are we talking, here? Well... 

All told, I read FORTY-SIX books in 2022. (Of those, far less than half were from my own shelves as they existed before the start of the year.) 

According to my own (flawed) bookkeeping, the number of physical, in-my-hand-and-on-my-shelves measurable books I either purchased or was gifted and own now, taking up room on my tangible, material shelves, is NINETY-FIVE.

And that's not including the THIRTY-NINE ebooks I also added to my Kindle. 

Nor does it factor in the SEVENTY-SIX books I checked out - be it in person, on audiobook, or on Kindle - from my local library. (That being said, a lot of those are cookbooks, or audiobooks I don't actually end up listening to, so... free pass, right?) 

I also ended up buying THIRTY books for other people - I'm such a giver! - which, depending on which member of my family you are, typically end up making their way onto my shelves, too.

As you can clearly see, that kind of math doesn't scan. Not even a little bit. What's the point of clearing books off of my shelves, like I did in June, if I'm just going to fill them up almost immediately with enough reading material it would take me another two years to clear it all out again, to find my way back to NOT zero, but instead, the over 300 books I had started with? Why do I do this to myself? 

Obviously, something has GOT to give. Which means taking a step back... once more, into a time machine, back to the years of 2015 and 2017. (We were so young back then.) 

By far, my biggest month for obtaining physical books was my Birthday month, back in October. Whether it was due to a self-indulgent Powell's haul, or presents from family, or a splurge at my favorite local secondhand store, I got a total of THIRTY BOOKS added to my shelves.

And of course, three from the library.

book buying ban: we've been around the world, and we'll do it again

First up: 2015. I'm a Junior-then-Senior in college at University of Washington in Seattle, soaring through my term on Panhellenic, living in the city over the Summer for an internship that falls apart almost immediately, and then, moving into an apartment for the first (and so far, last) time. I'm not yet horrifically depressed, and instead, only a gentle sort of semi-depressed, one that comes from being tremendously busy, and seeing a cliff edge in the horizon but not yet being close enough to panic about hitting the brakes.

I don't even mention my Book-Buying Ban until after it's already over, on January 9th of 2016, when I talk about what I learned from the experience. My reasoning behind the decision was basic enough - I was saving money, and reading books I already owned, natch - but I still ended up reading 79 books all-told that year. 

(Ahem. We don't need to talk numbers in the wake of this year's botched Goodreads Challenge... but it's nice to reflect on what you were once capable of, you know?) 

Some of the lessons I learned: how to effectively use every corner of the Tacoma Public Library system, both virtual and physical; understanding the emotional catalysts in play that make me want to buy books; recognizing the benefits of collecting hardcovers; the joys of having friends who lend you things without making you pay for them. 

We take 2016 as it comes - and it seems to be, both personally and socioculturally, kind of a loss all-around - and we stumble into 2017 with the best of intentions. We've done it before, right? Why not make the challenge again? After all, we did it when we were just a poor college student... we're now a poor college grad, and that feels even worse! 

At the time, I head my blogpost announcing said ban with an image, of the 80+ books I have amassed, and not yet read. Oh, no. Eighty? Poor January 2017 Savannah might drop dead of shock if we tell her that we're now well into the four hundreds. (She'd also probably be angry about the fact that we're still single, and maybe even the haircut, but she'll recover.) 

My Word of the Year was "Curate," and I was feeling the editorial spirit; hence, why the intentional streamlining of shelves. More than that, I was having troubles going into bookstores and finding anything I was actually interested in buying, rather than reflecting on all of the unread things at home (Was 2016 just a particularly bad year for publishing, or something?). 

I ended up reading 60 books in 2017 - a steep drop-off from, again, 69 in 2015 - but expressed dismay that I didn't end up clearing as many books off of my shelves as I had originally intended. (That siren song emanating from the local library branch is a beguiling mistress.) 

Both years, though, I gave myself a couple of "outs" for my challenge: I would be allowed to purchase FIVE books on my Bloggoversary, in late July... and in 2017, I budgeted for TWO books on Independent Bookstore Day, as well (which brought the total for that year up to seven). And of course, library books were always a given, and I was open and available to receive books as presents, too. See? Totally doable. 

Which is why I know I'm more than capable of doing it all again. 

what the plan is for 2023

It's a testament to how badly I need this challenge this year, in how desperate my weasel-brain has tried to squirm its way into a couple of exit tunnels already, even before the year had really begun in earnest. "But this doesn't count for the library, right?" it whines over breakfast. "And not cookbooks, either? We love new cookbooks!" 

No, it doesn't count for the library. Or, for that matter, for cookbooks (because I am weak, and extremely susceptible to thrift stores). But I'm being a lot more conscious of why I pick up books in the first place... what makes me feel that desperate, wiggly sensation in my chest that makes me think, "I need to get to Barnes and Noble before it closes!" 

So remember how I said I had those pages in my Book Journal about what books I was buying, every single month, "The Receipts"? (Editor's note: I spelled it wrong again in typing this out.) I'm keeping those pages, but calling them something different: Book Cravings. When I feel those intense emotions in a bookstore, or when I find myself wandering through the paperback aisles in Goodwill, what am I feeling? What am I actually looking for, lusting after? Is it something I can actually find on a shelf? Is it something I can find on a shelf at home? 

Am I looking for an emotional release, some kind of self-soothing technique that's morphed into something transactional? When I use it as a way to celebrate myself on a good day, is it something that could instead be better turned towards a coffee with friends, or a call with my sister? Am I trying to distract myself from something important, that warrants more of my attention? Is there more at play here than just a credit card scan, or that pressed-paper, unbroken-spine, tactile sense of physical grounding when the cashier puts the book back in your hand, along with a receipt? 

You know, Book Cravings. Those things you're feeling when you're Craving a Book. It's not rocket science. 

I think that by tracking the emotions I tie to the act of acquiring new reading material, it will give me greater clarity as to how this particular hobby impact my emotional needs long-term (let alone the financial ones). Chances are, there are other needs here that are not being met when I download a batch of $1.99 romance novels on my Kindle that end up sitting there, untouched, for over a year, and I want to find out what they are. 

So, that's the plan! No Barnes & Noble, Powell's, King's, Thrift Books, or Book Outlet, until the new year... or, you know, July, for my Bloggoversary. Unless I want a cookbook, or to go to the library. 

Come on, guys. I'm being serious. Stop laughing!  

Have you ever undertaken a book-buying ban before? Do you remember when I completed these challenges last time? Let me know, in the comments below!

A Fresh Page: Setting Up My 2023 Reading Journal for the New Year

Out of all of the reading practices I've adopted over the years - withstanding, of course, this personal, venerated platform upon which I am currently inscribing - I think that keeping a book journal has been one of the most rewarding. 

Over the years, Goodreads has fallen out of my favor, while Storygraph never even properly managed to engage my interest; the "BookTube" and "Bookstagram" micro-communities of more active social media platforms quickly fell victim to the poppiest of pop culture crowd (and while I've got no personal qualms against reading what I personally think of as "popcorn" or "blockbuster" fiction, I resent having been vehemently offered Maas as reading material by such aggressive supporters, when I already underwent the same from the blogging faction back in the original 2012-2016 years. I literally reviewed Crown of Midnight on here in 2013! That's a decade ago!). 

In terms of more tangible models, I never really got into annotating my reading material... beyond what was desperately necessary back in my English major years, when you've got in-class essays to write. And nowadays, I save my vast Post-It Note collection for my various cookbooks, instead. 

But a Book Journal? Man, does it go the distance. 

Hands-down, it has been the absolute best for not only collecting all of my handwritten book reviews in one place... but also, for organizing my thoughts and feelings for various blogposts, cataloguing how much I manage to read in a month, tracking things like purchases, library checkouts, new vocabulary, and so much more! 

The first step, of course, is choosing the format that suits you. I knew that I wanted to incorporate bullet-journal-style elements into my Book Journal's construction, so I opted for something that would accommodate a lot of personalization, while being structured enough that I would still be able to write paragraphs in it without issue. I use a personal favorite, the Leuchterm A5 Dot Grid journal. (This year is my fourth year using it for this purpose, but I also have two additional within my personal stationery, as a collector for both recipes and gardening updates.) 

And hands down, what has become one of my favorite mini-rituals to mark the yearly transition to a new installment, is by picking out what stickers with which to adorn the exterior from the ample ranks of Redbubble offerings. I try to find a pretty robust mix that serve as references to not only my personal reading habits and opinions, but hint as to some of my favorite novels and series. (For instance, favorites from my last journal included a "Clue Crew" flashlight in Nancy Drew's signature colors and font, the Goosebumps logo made up of some of its most iconic covers, and a QR code, which led to one of my favorite scenes from the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.) Can you guess the origins for any of the stickers I opted for this year? 

The first couple of pages in my journal, serve as sort of an over-arching, general year-at-a-glance set of record-keeping, in how many books I've set a goal to read in the coming year, and what the best book I read in each month was. 

These are similar in theming to pages that I had incorporated into last year, but one has gotten a minor upgrade: whereas my last book journal simply included a series of boxes to be filled in when each book was checked off my Goodreads challenge, this year, I've taken inspiration from more than a couple of different Bookstagrammer friends, and demonstrated the progress by way of a bookshelf, instead. For every book I read, I'll fill in each boxy shape with a corresponding monthly color... by the end of the year, I'm hoping to have a full, colorful bookshelf! 

I left a little more leeway in filling out my "Best Books of the Year" page, as well, as last year, things got a little bit... chaotic. Due to a couple of reading slumps I suffered over the course of the year, there were months where I was left to select from a meager amount of books, none of which made my personal grade of standard, whereas other months, I managed to read eight or ten, many of which had garnered personal preference or five-stars. Therefore, I left this year's boxes without monthly designation, so I can add them as I move along throughout 2023's literary offerings. 

Next up, my "Stats" and "Goals" pages, reflecting my reading progress the previous year, and what I'm aspiring towards in the coming one. As you can see in my 2021 reflections and 2022 goals, I had some pretty lofty ambitions for what I was looking for from the past year, which came about with... ahem... middling success. (I definitely hit that "three book Bingoes for the SPL Summer Reading Challenge" though, so we'll take it as a win!) 

Trust me, I was a lot more moderate in my planning for this year, with a lot of personal emphasis placed on actually ENJOYING the time I spend reading, rather than holding myself to a lot of self-determined numbers I'm supposed to hit. (Imagine, actually managing to enjoy a personal hobby, rather than feeling strung-out and sad when your Goodreads Challenge resets every December 31st... who'da thunkit?)

What can I say? It's really easy to beat yourself up about numbers when you surround yourself with people whose Instagram accounts regularly boast upwards of 70 or 80 (or in some surprising cases, 120 and 180! And those people are like, real, actual people, who work as lawyers and counselors and engineers, and some of them even have children!). This year, my goals are a reflection of the idea that I should actually be allowed to have a good time, sometimes. 

More planning for the coming year, organized around similar mental pathways, but with very different purposes: "What I'm Trying to Read in 2023" and "What I Want to See on the Blog / Social Media" this year. 

When I say "what I'm trying to read," I was originally trying to generate a space for some direct, tangible titles off of my TBR shelves: a plan I could make for myself, and a list to pull from whenever I was feeling uninspired in choosing a new read. Instead, what ended up happening, was I started writing down genres, like "More Rereads of Books That Have Inspired Me in the Past" (like The Magicians, by Lev Grossman, or So Yesterday, by Scott Westerfield), or "More Thick and Dense Science Fiction" (like The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin, or Leviathan Wakes, by James Covey). As it turns out, I'm such a mood reader, that it extends to my goal-setting, too: I can't tell you exactly what titles I'm intending to hit by the end of the year, but I certainly know what vibes I want to feel. 

Meanwhile, my "What I Want to See on the Blog" and "Instagram Plan" pages are similarly minded. As these have, in the past, served as a concrete space for discrete and specific goals to hit, they are now a space for detailing how I want these spaces to make me feel. Instead of counting comments or daily hits, I used this space for generating aspirational qualitative goals, rather than quantitative. And again, a lot of them are focused on personal enjoyment! 

For instance, from my Blogging goals page: "More proof that I'm having FUN while I'm reading and writing... more jokes, memes, GIFs, and general good vibes, all around." Meanwhile, from my Instagram-focused goals: "Focusing on sharing the things you enjoy about reading communities, and having a good time!" 

And certainly not a mention of follower counts in sight. 

Beyond all that, I've got a couple more pages you'll be seeing on this space in the coming weeks... both tied to other kinds of records I'm keeping for myself this year, and personal challenges I'm striving to meet in 2023. But to be perfectly honest, they're pretty personal, and not the most relevant to anyone else setting up their book journal, so I figured they could find a home in a couple of different blogposts instead. 

And with that, our reading year is off to a great start! 

Do you keep a regular Reading Journal as a part of your bookish practices? Have you already checked off a title or two for your Goodreads Challenge this year? Let me know, in the comments below!

2022: My Year in Books (Reading Stats, and the Best Books I Read this Year)

The more things change, the more things stay the same... we're another year older and wiser, and most likely still carrying a little more extra hand sanitizer and a couple of KN95s in our tote bags. We've made it another rotation around the sun with all our brains, bones, and limbs still intact, and we've got a few more good reads to show for it. Which means, of course, it's time for my 2022 Reading Stats! 

Well, you lose the Goodreads Reading Challenge once (like I did in 2020), you might as well miss the mark twice! For the second time ever, I have once again biffed it on my numerical reading goals... this time missing out on my stretch of 55, by way of a 46 total. That's a nine book difference, but it feels like so much more than that, when I know that the number of books I've been shooting for has only gone downhill over the last couple of years, as well. 

I mean, back in 2015 and 2016 - my last two years of college - I easily handled my 75 and 77 book totals. I tried giving myself a bit of a break in the last few years hence, with goals of 55 and 60, but barring the aberrational year of 2020, I had no problems with handily dispatching those kinds of numbers. In 2021, I barely squeaked by with a shot at 52, ending the challenge on the last day of the year, but this year? I didn't even make it up to the 49 I still managed to make in 2020, the First Year of Failure. What gives? 

To be honest, I think there are a couple of things that ended up shifting around the way I prioritized books in my life this year:

• I'm in the middle of a job search, and my reading record reflects that. I read a lot of job-hunting books, which - while not entirely inaccessible in diction or large in size - required a lot of self-reflection and play-along activity sheets while reading. It's not every book you read that makes you completely rewrite your resume or create a Pinterest board whilst in the middle of a chapter. (And yes, I'm still searching around for a new métier.)
• I went through some health drama that really changed my perspective on the regular Care and Keeping of Me. After living for over six months with severe brain fog, daily migraines, occasional vertigo, and sinuses that felt like they could explode inside my head at any moment, I finally got to the doctor in May. An allergist had some explanations for me at the end of July that not only rocked my world, but set me on several routine kinds of daily medication. (Without getting into it, let me just overarchingly say that I am allergic to "The Outside"... aka, severely allergic to the grass, moderately allergic to most of the weeds, and slightly allergic to a lot of the flowering trees, all in Washington state. Because this is hashtag so my life, naturally these revelations didn't come to pass until AFTER I had already suffered through two camping trips last year. One of the first things my mother said in response to the news was call me "bubble girl.") 
• As you might be able to surmise as a relational aspect to both of the above, I spent a lot of this year in pretty severe mental health flux. I hold up as proof, the fact that I spent all of yesterday rereading my journal from 2022 before I cracked open the front page of 2023... and lemme tell ya, I certainly made sure my first read of the year was a major downer. 

Hopefully, I'll be able to get a better handle on each of these aspects of my daily life in 2023, so they won't spend another whole year mucking up my ability to focus on the words on a page. 

But while my Total Pages Read was THOUSANDS of pages lower than in recent years, it seems that my propensity for average scores is still pretty on target: I'm holding at around a 3.5 to 3.6 ratings for cumulative scoring, which feels pretty right to me, as I'm a little more discerning in my reading habits nowadays. I might not be racking up the point totals like I used to in my peak performance years, but I still have a pretty good idea of when I'm looking at something that just isn't quite up to standard.

I also ended up reading a whole lot of Romance and Memoir - of the 46 books I read, a total of nine came from each of those two categories alone - as well as a significant amount of Fantasy and SciFi (ten total). These kinds of escapist categories go far in representing a year where I clearly spent a lot of time trying to get out of my own head... routine reaches for unrealistically witty banter, celebrity insider scoops, and worlds where magical creatures and high-functioning technology exist are the Savannah equivalents of having an extra glass of wine at dinner (or in some extreme cases, a Long Island Iced Tea at lunch). 

And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the amount of writing I also did this past year... not in the "consistent and dedicated focus" kind of way, but more in the "I wrote 100K words for Camp NaNoWriMo in April and kind of blacked out for a little while there" kind of way. I squirreled away a few different drafts into my Word docs and drew up a couple of other outlines here and there, but while I don't have a lot of content to show for it, I promise, there was a lot of writing going on.

(Just not on this blogging space. Sorry.) 

books of the year

But I did manage to read something! In fact, a few somethings. Not consistently enough to merit a "Fave Book of the Month" out of the twelve in the year - being that some months, I read only a few two- or three- star reads, and some months, I didn't manage to actually read anything at all - but enough to merit a Top Ten, at the very least.

Sounds Like Titanic, Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman 

As it turns out, your second read of the whole year, can also be one of your favorites! 

A young woman's account of her unexpected post-collegiate journey, in a traveling orchestra that didn't really play music, conducted by a man whose compositions sounded a little bit like... well, you can guess from the title. Her writing is remarkably free of moral judgement of the people she traveled and played with, and instead offers a unique perspective on coming of age in the early '00s, in a tense political and cultural sphere, and in the inherent questions of value - or devaluing - of commodified art. 

Working on a Song: the Lyrics of Hadestown, Anais Mitchell

As a theater fan, I'm a huge Hadestown girlie, but particularly, in a "I've Been Following This Since 2016 New York Workshops and the Concept Album Was My Most-Listened On Spotify Before It Ever Hit Broadway" kind of way. 

This detailed, behind-the-scenes perspective not only allows for the deep dive into the lyrics that this evocative storytelling deserves, but also, shows exactly how much effort - from all quarters - goes into getting something ready for the stage. Mitchell shares lyric drafts and and cast-and-crew developments alike, in a way that fans of the show will greatly enjoy. Highly recommend just taking an afternoon to get cozy with the Broadway album, and read along, whilst getting lost in the music. 

The Spiderwick Chronicles series, Holly Black and Tony Diterlizzi

One of the best parts of my Summer, was getting back into some of my childhood favorites: after a Summer Book Bingo slot back in August called for a reread of a past page-turner from the elementary years, I picked up some heavily-loved hardcovers from the children's section of the library, and got to it. It instantly transported me not just into the fantasy realm I remembered... but also, those amber-colored afternoons, coming home on a Thursday (aka, "Library Day," in the fourth grade) with something new checked out, and trying to squeeze in a few chapters before Mom called you down for dinner. 

My brother ended up getting me a minty-fresh softcover boxed set for my Birthday, and they made for some of my final reads of the year. 

Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse

Roanhorse had been on one of my most-anticipated stacks of books last Summer, but unfortunately, this book's brutal opening two chapters sent me skittish, and I didn't end up picking it up again until THIS Summer, when I was in a less squeamish place. What followed was in no way less brutal, but also rich, vibrant, gritty, and fantastic, and called forwards mythology not typically seen in Fantasy novels, in a way that felt inherently true and real. 

As soon as I put the book down, while on vacation with my brother, I told him that, despite my aversion to so much bloodshed, I was still thinking of picking up the sequel. 

This is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay

Speaking of squeamish, nothing like the memoirs of an OB-GYN doctor within the British NHS structure to make you rethink the idea of owning a uterus. His unflinching, heartfelt, and humorous diaries from his time dedicated to the healthcare system is infinitely moving, be that your belly shaking with laughter, or your eyes wincing in empathy. It is a proof that doctors care for every kind of patient, while also demonstrating the foibles of a tendency-towards-broken system that has a tendency to break down doctors, too. 

It was one of my most surprising favorites of the year, for sure, and one prompted by a Book Bingo square, too. After the past few years we've experienced, I feel like it should be semi-standard reading... even if some of the pages therein are dedicated to the myriad of things people are willing to shove up their rectum. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy

Talk about a pop culture moment. I feel like I've seen this book on almost every "Must Read" list of published works from 2022, and I absolutely add myself to that number: it is a smart, well-written, vivid and evocative reflection on what pains come from not only growing up in the spotlight, but loving someone whose love to you brings its own kinds of grief. 

McCurdy - best known for playing Sam in Nickelodeon's late-'00s iCarly series - is a damn good writer, and if the past year has brought her anything, I hope it is the knowledge that she is incredibly talented, and very clearly loved by a whole lot of people. For fans of Hollywood tell-alls, or anyone who's ever watched a "Where are They Now" special on child stars, it's an incredible peek behind the curtain at a very easily corrupted system; for those who enjoy earnest and authentic memoirs, written by those willing to speak with candor about difficult situations, it is a heartbreakingly honest work. 

McCurdy describes her past without judgement or censure towards those involved in her pain, but allows the observer the room to engage emotionally without direction. It might not seem like it from the frank title, but to be clear: she loved her mom. It's just that sometimes, the love people show us ends up cutting deeper than hate ever could. 

The Best Cook in the World, Rick Bragg

Speaking of loving your mom, this book is a thick brick of a love letter to the women in Bragg's mother's side of the family. Chock full of mouth-watering descriptions and enough butter and lard to put a warehouse full of Crisco to shame, this book invoked in me a deep appreciation for modern grocery convenience... as well as an understanding that sometimes, you've just got to steal the pigs feet hanging up in your rich uncle's smokehouse. 

Drawing from an oral history that spans a century, Bragg spins his grandmother's endless yarns about food and family, into a thick, comfy blanket of Southern culinary history. Biscuits, bacon, and beans abound, with garden tomatoes and chitlins and corn worked in there, too, and the whole thing makes you hungry enough to chase down a rural, wild pig, even when reading a chapter about how that's an abominably stupid idea. 

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers

I told my brother sometime in middle of the year, that I was on the hunt for some more slice-of-life speculative fiction. Fantasy quests and magical swords are cool and all - and who doesn't love a remote space station or difficult-to-understand made-up mechanics? - but honestly... I was looking for something that felt a little more comfy. After all, if you suddenly got the chance to be transported to a fantasy world, are you looking for a monster to slay, or are you heading straight to the nearest tavern? 

I've also been super burnt out on apocalyptic Science Fiction for a few years now - an eternal screw you to Bacigalupi's Water Knife, I hate you forever - and only recently discovered the concept of Solarpunk, so I figured when I saw the Monk and Robot series on several friends' recommended lists, that I would give it a go. 

And that's as much as I'll say about it; I want you to go in with zero-to-nil expectations or assumptions. I just want you to take a quiet afternoon, to read, sip some tea, and reflect. You'll enjoy it, I promise, and hopefully leave feeling a little lighter than when you came. 

The Blacktongue Thief, Christopher Beuhlman

There are certain things in this world I enjoy as some of Life's small pleasures, and within its ranks, "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Swearing" among the tops. I can guarantee that if you, like me, have these as some of your personal favorite extracurriculars, you will also enjoy this hilarious, violent, deeply weird Fantasy. 

Taking place in a richly-detailed and engrossing High Fantasy world, the standout aspects of this work are truly the level of care put into the universe's construction, as well as the voice of Kinch na Shannack, the main character, both of which are - bar none - some of the best I've read in Fantasy in recent years. As a result, you will have to take your time reading, truly... it's like having Deadpool narrate a comprehensive history of Western Europe. And I mean that with the highest amount of praise, and no small amount of fictional obscenities. 

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith 

There was a bit of a movement, a couple of years back, where the aesthetic-obsessed netizens of Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram got really into sharing screenshots of the '90s Matt Damon / Jude Law / Gwenyth Paltrow movie as a part of their "Summer Inspo" collections. I think they were angling more towards the "sun-soaked Italian vacation" part, and a little less towards the "homoromantic murder" part, but who am I to judge? 

In truth, this book is so much more than what is possible to portray through a screen, and quickly became a favorite read of the Summer, one that I've only been reflecting on more fondly the more months I travel away from August. Ripley is one hell of a character, and while I'm not surprised that Highsmith managed to carry on his exploits in many more printed adventures, I'm shocked that more of them are not popularly read. 

While I strongly advocate for you adding all of these Top Ten to your own personal TBR, here are the ones in particular I think you should pick up first, as a Top Four: 

Sounds Like Titanic, Jessica Chiccetto Hindman

This is Going to Hurt, Adam McKay

I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jeanette McCurdy

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers 

Well, that's a wrap on 2022. At least, for now... after all, there's a lot more bookish thoughts to wrap up than just what I actually managed to read. Just wait until you hear what I DIDN'T manage to read... but more on that later. 

Let's just say, there are two pretty distinct ways that 2023 is going to look a lot like 2015, 2017, and 2021. Tune in next time! 

What were some of your fave reads of the past year? If you could add one book to everyone's 2023 TBRs, what would you choose, and why? Let me know, in the comments below!