Another year in the books (literally and figuratively)!
At the midway point of this year, I made a post recapping the books I had read so far, the things I wanted to work on for the rest of the year, and goals for the future. I want to build off of that as we discuss my thoughts on this year, the rest of the books I've read, and my goals for the blog in 2024.
"We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws but for potential."
— Ellen Goodman
Back in July, I talked about how my biggest goal for this year was simply to read more, and I definitely think I've achieved that in more ways than one. While I did smash my numerical reading goal, the more important objective was simply investing my time more wisely—using the time that would normally be spent mindlessly scrolling on my phone, or watching TV, on reading instead.
The biggest distraction I found myself struggling with was YouTube—more specifically, YouTube Shorts. You probably know what I mean: you open YouTube to look up something specific, but then a Short starts to autoplay, so you watch it, then you scroll down to the next one, and the next one, and so on, until you forget why you even opened the app in the first place and get stuck in the infinite loop of scrolling. It's a problem.
My solution? I simply uninstalled YouTube from my phone.
Now, don't be fooled: I still use YouTube nearly every day, but I use it from my computer. The desktop site makes it much easier to bypass Shorts than it is on the mobile app, and I can still watch the videos I want to watch while remaining mindful of how I'm spending my time—a concept that has been made nearly obsolete because of apps and social media.
(Sidenote: YouTube channel Kurzgesagt made a beautifully done video about how social media has changed society, and highlighted the beauty of the pre-social media/smart phone internet where we could simply turn off our computers and be done for the day. I strongly recommend checking it out, as it puts what I'm trying to say here into words better than I can)
“All time spent reading is time well-spent.”
― W H Auden
Another goal of mine was to remain consistent with blogging. While there have been some vacant weeks, and my scheduling hasn't always been perfect, I think I've achieved that. I've gotten to share some of my favorite books, met some wonderful people, and even developed a small community of folks who love books as much as I do, and share my vision of making the world a better place through the power of reading.
I want to continue that 2024, hopefully by building a larger audience and community. This may be difficult since I don't use social media, but I'm not interested in becoming famous or making an income from blogging—I simply want the message of this blog to reach those that need to hear it.
That being said: if you're reading this, and if you know anyone that loves books, be sure to share the blog with them! If any of my posts have resonated with you, please feel free to share them with your friends and family. It would help me tremendously in reaching this goal, and could inspire someone else along the way. At the end of the day, that's all I really want.
“The stars of the night inspire you; and then you write poetry and inspire others; this time others create new things with the inspiration they get from you! You see, thousands of beauty are created with a simple inspiration!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
Last but not least, I wanted to share my updated reading list from where we left off in July. Some of these are books that I've reviewed in detail, so I'll be sure to link to those, as well as including a simple rating for each one on a 1-5★ scale.
Jamaica Inn, Daphne du Maurier 3★
The Italian, Ann Radcliffe 3★
The Hangman's Daughter, Oliver Pötzsch 5★
The Dark Monk, Oliver Pötzsch 5★
The Beggar King, Oliver Pötzsch 5★
The Poisoned Pilgrim, Oliver Pötzsch 3★
The Werewolf of Bamberg, Oliver Pötzsch 5★
The Play of Death, Oliver Pötzsch 4★
The Council of Twelve, Oliver Pötzsch 5★
Looking Glass Sound, Catriona Ward 5★
Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia 5★
House of Roots and Ruin, Erin Craig 5★
The Maidens, Alex Michaelides 4★
The Rainmaker, John Grisham 4★
Book of Night, Holly Black 3★
The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave 5★
Hang the Moon, Jeannette Walls 4★
Untamed, Glennon Doyle 4★
Final Girls, Riley Seger 5★
The Housemaid, Frieda McFadden 5★
The Housemaid's Secret, Frieda McFadden 5★
The Gifted School, Bruce Holsinger 4★
John Dies at the End, Jason Pargin 5★
The Retreat, Sarah Pearse 5★
Palindrome, Stuart Woods 5★
Sword Catcher, Cassandra Clare 5★
Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno-Garcia 3★
The Christmas Murder Game, Alexandra Benedict 5★
Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury 4★
The Reformatory, Tananarive Due 5★ (review coming soon!)
Now, it's your turn! I'd love to hear your thoughts, your reading list from this past year, and your goals for 2024. Please, if you haven't already, join my Discord so we can chat about these things and encourage each other toward our goals in the coming year.
Wishing you all the best, and I hope 2024 is full of new blessings and opportunities!
“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”
― Brad Paisley