Writerlust

  This year is starting off so much better than 2021, and my voracious reading habits reflect that. It's often hard for me to read when things around me are in shambles. Reading is a self-care activity for me, and as much as it pains me to admit, self-care is one of the first things to go out the window when I am truly stressed, feeling down, or out of sorts. I'm writing this introduction super early in the year, and in fact, today is my 33rd birthday (February 7). So far this year I have already read 6 books, plus I'm halfway through a seventh, and I started the New Year about 85% through "The Once and Future Witches" by Alix E. Harrow. See last year's blog post to see my review of that book. I digress. I'm already reading a lot this year and I hope this momentum can carry through 2022.  We'll see! Update: December 28, 2022. So I didn't even mention it in the introduction to this year's literary recap, but I decided about 2/3 through the year ...

  Here we are again, fellow readers, where I recap the books I've read over the past year. This year has been trying, to say the least. But I've fit in fiction where I can, some inspiring non-fiction, and books on craft, and I've found some great reads! I started out the year with a challenge to myself to only read books by female authors. Don't ask me why, I'm not that sure. I just wanted to expand my horizons and support women in writing! But I got a bit discouraged when I discovered that one or two of the books I'd read had actually been written by men with female pennames. Ugh. And then when the horror bug bit me, as it always does around autumn and Halloween, I read more male authors than I initially intended this year.... But anyway! Here are my thoughts on the books I read this year. Total Books Read: 33 Thrillers: 6 Horror: 11 Non-Fiction: 7 Female-Driven Stories: 8 Romance: 1 The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn A.J. Finn snuck onto my list, I actually ...

  I started a blogging practice in 2018 where I kept track of the books I'd read the whole year and wrote out my thoughts on them as a blog post. I enjoyed it so much, here I am continuing the tradition into 2020! This year has been insane, and I tried to keep up with my reading as best I could despite handling Covid-19, the intense US presidential election, BLM protests, civil unrest... it's been hectic. Emotionally, physically, psychologically draining to say the least. Not to mention I bought a house, moved out of state, had a big health scare, got a dog... it was an eventful year and I'm glad it's over! But I am very happy that I still managed to read quite a few books that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I read 11 Fiction Novels, 1 Graphic Novel, 1 Craft Book on Writing, and 3 Non-Fiction Books. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon The third installment in Gabaldon's Outlander series, Voyager was quite unique in that we get to see Jamie's life without Claire. I enjoyed that, a...