Hello Readers and Happy New Year!
It has been awhile since my last post and we have a lot to catch up on! My lack of updates has been for a few reasons: 1) The last couple months have been absolutely insane (both personally and professionally, I work in eCommerce for a retail website, so the holidays are always chaos), 2) I had a huge “Oh Shit!” moment in November when I realized I was way behind on my GoodReads goal for the year and set out to turn that around and 3) I have just been feeling really burned out. With everything that’s been happening and the pandemic still going on, it all just finally caught up to me.
New Year is always one of my favorite times of the year. I usually create a few resolutions and, generally speaking, I’m really good about sticking with them. I love the idea of a fresh start and having a brand new year ahead of my full of adventures and opportunities (which, granted, hasn’t really been the case the last 2 years).
2021 wasn’t all bad though! I reached more readers with my blog and got to partner with some Publishers on their upcoming releases. If you’re reading this post now, thank you! I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to spend a few minutes with me and my thoughts. Prior to starting this post, I just set my GoodReads goal for 2022 and decided to read 37 books. 37 has always been a lucky number for me and I’m hoping that’s going to carry throughout the year. Last night, when the clock struck midnight, I started my first book of the year and it’s a long one!
For the month of January, I’m going to set the tone of the year. I’m kicking off with a few self-improvement books, most are actually re-reads. I’ve owned “Year of Yes” bye Shonda Rhimes for quite awhile and am finally going to read it. The vibe of the book seems like something I’ll enjoy but only time will tell. Sticking with the genre, I’m also planning re-reads of “Everything Is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I’ve read both of these books in the past, enjoyed them immensely, and thought it was time for a re-read! For my non-self-help books, I’m planning to read “Empire of the Vampire” by Jay Kristoff (which I started last night). I’m about 30 or so pages in – it’s definitely a slow burn but I’m finding it interesting. Hopefully it picks up a bit because this one is nearly 750 pages. After I wrap that up, I’m planning to tackle “All The Stars And Teeth” by Adalyn Grace and potentially the sequel “All The Tides of Fate.”
One other, more general, goal I’m making for myself this year is to 1) finish some of the series I currently have in progress. I made a list and it’s embarrassing! and 2) when I start a new series, stick with it and try to finish it within the same year or within a few months. There have been entirely too many instances where I start a series, read the first book and then don’t come back to it for months (or even years) later. By that time I’ve gotten what I read and either need to do a re-read or try to find a quick summary online to refresh my memory. I’ve never been one to binge read series, I always feel bored after two books, but I think I am going to give that another try. It has been years since I tried binge reading a series and I am, thankfully, not the same reader I was back then.
Keep your eyes peeled this week, I have lots of new content planned including my Top 5 Best Books of 2021 and Top 5 Worst Books of 2021. The worst list is going to be a challenge to whittle down, I read a lot of crappy books last year. I hope you all have a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek
Treat Yo Shelf By Mr Geek 