January 2020
It’s the start of a new decade and new resolutions! I always start with the best intentions and things get put to the wayside. So I’m keeping it simple this year and keeping things both flexible and somewhat generalized.
January wasn’t totally the start I wanted for my reading. I got a little behind on ARCs and that put everything else behind. But I’m hoping February will right everything on course. As I write this in February, I’ve had a great few days and I’m optimistic going forward.
Total for January 2020: 8 Books Read + 0 Novellas Read + 0 DNF’d
Last January: 10 Books Read + 1 Novellas Read + 0 DNFs
Standout Read (★★★★★)
Watching Rocketman got me super pumped for this book! I’m a huge Elton John fan (I’m finally going to see him in March after years of trying to get tickets!) and I immediately got sucked into his story. This is by far one of the best autobiographies I’ve ever read!
Biggest Let Down (★★)
I had some high hopes given the ending of the first book after a slow start. But I struggled to get into this and zoned out for most of it. Just a whole lotta blah for me.
Once again for Black Friday, Kindle had a promotion for new Kindle Unlimited Subscribers where you got 3 months of reading for only $0.99!!! I was hoping this deal would return after I had such a blast taking advantage of it last year.
Like I always do when I resubscribe, I wanted to see if I got my money’s worth and so I will be keeping track of all the books I read via the service. (Just like I did when completing the free trial.)
- Transfer by Aly Martinez – $6.99
- I Hate You by Winter Renshaw – $6.64
Despite only getting two books in, I definitely got my money’s worth!
Every quarter I take a look at my Kobo stats to see how I’m doing. My Kobo is my main reading device, used for personal and library books. My Kindle is used for ARCs but it lacks the statistic features of my Kobo.
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As of: |
January 31, 2020 |
January 31, 2019 |
| Total % of Library Complete |
27% |
25% |
| Total # of Books Finished |
324 |
296 |
| Total # of Reading Hours |
2738 |
2598 |
Previously posted series reviews that got updates:
You can always get the full details on all my challenges on my dedicated page but here is a quick update:
5 Year 5 Book Challenge: 3 books added | 3 of 31 Titles Read – On Track!
Goodreads Challenge: 8 books added | 8/155 Books – 4 books behind
Tackling the TBR Challenge: 0 books added | /24 Books – 2 books behind
View my Challenge Progress Here!
My main mission for 2019 was bringing my “Want to Read” shelf (new to me books) on Goodreads to a number close to 400—and I was pretty darn close (422!)! I also set my “Sequel” shelf to be below 250 titles and I did do that (238)!
So this year, I’m aiming for a “Want to Read” shelf that is less than 400 titles. I’ve also set a goal to get my “Sequel” shelf below 200 titles.
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Currently |
December 31, 2019 |
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Want to Read (New) |
416 |
422 |
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To Read (Sequels) |
232 |
238 |
This has been such a success for the last two years that I just had to bring it back for another year! The idea is to go through 5-10 books on your Goodreads TBR list chronologically and decide if they should stay or go. My 10 titles consist of 7 “new to me” titles and 3 “previously started series” titles.
This month:
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Pass: 4 | Keep: 6
Grand Total YTD: Pass: 4 | Keep: 6
Did I give up on any too soon? Let me know in the comments below!
While this is a monthly meme hosted by Avalinah’s Books, I usually only update every quarter.
My Progress for January to February 3, 2020:
ARCs Read: 2 | ARCs Overdue: 2+1* | Upcoming: 4
(September State: ARCs Read: 35 | ARCs Overdue: 3+1* | Upcoming: 1
*Titles given to me as a member of an author’s street team to read ASAP.
Going Forward:
It’s a part of my Reading Plan for 2020 to only read 2 ARCs a month. So far, I have a few more than I should on the go but I’m blaming my Kindle Unlimited Subscription and my desire to get those titles in for being slightly distracted.
February is going to be a mix of sequels (the first “sequel only” month of 2020), Kindle Unlimited Reads and some ARCs (which two are sequels!). I have a tall order for the shortest month of the year (though we do get an extra day this year!) so here’s hoping!
What were your biggest reading or personal accomplishments of the past month?
Leave a comment below!
