End of the Year Reading Plans

I have a LOT of writing that needs to get done before the end of the year, but there are also a lot of books that I want to read (aka: the story of my life). If I can manage to get back into that “deep work” groove I had going back in April, this won’t be a problem. But I have been really struggling to resurrect whatever it was I was doing before.

October has (so far) been a better reading month than September. But I’ve only finished two books so far this month. I have another three in progress, but I’m only making slow progress because I’m still spending too much time messing around on the internet when I could be chilling with a book.

I need to get my focus back on track because I have eighteen (!!!) books that I’d like to try to read (or DNF) before the end of December. Here’s what’s on my list:

I have put these in a reading order that I may or may not stick to once I get started. In general, the list alternates between Kindle and paper reads. There’s a reason for that. My plan is to always be reading one hardcover and one Kindle book because I read on my ereader before bed when I don’t want to be bothered by having a reading light, and I have a growing stack of hardcovers I need to get through if I want to justify keeping my book box subscription.

What’s left on my October TBR:

• Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie — This is one of my Fairy Loot hardcover editions from back when I was subscribed to their YA box. It’s also one of the nine books I wanted to either read or DNF and donate this year. This one is up next because it fits the October prompt for the Adventure in Aeldia route I want to take (book with a map). Ideally, I’ll have it finished (or DNFed) by the end of October.
• The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — This is a short story written by an author whose books I enjoy. I saw it on the Amazon Prime reads monthly email (I think) and grabbed it. This one has a bit of a horror vibe according to the blurb. It seemed seasonally appropriate, so I think this will be what I pick up after I finish my current Kindle read (A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking).
• A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli — Since The Lover is only about forty pages long, I picked another seasonally appropriate book on my Kindle to read after that while I finish up Bone Crier’s Moon. I was searching for A Holly Jolly Ever After (more on that one below) at my library and stumbled on this one. It looked cute, so I thought I’d check it out as well.

What I have planned for November reading:

• This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria — Another one of my Fairy Loot YA hardcovers that was on my “read or DNF and donate” list for this year. This one was a good fit for the November Adventure in Aeldia prompt (book at risk of an unhaul), so I’m planning on reading it in November.
• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend — I’m late to the party on this one, I think, but I have a young reader in my life who loves magic schools as much as I do. She’s probably a little too young still for the Scholomance Series, so I’m planning on getting her the box set of this series for her upcoming birthday. But I want to read at least the first book in the series before I do. So I got this on Kindle from my library and plan to read it after I finish A Holly Jolly Diwali.
• The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi — Another Fairy Loot hardcover, but this time an adult fantasy novel by an author I know I like. I’m really hoping I have time to read this in November, because December is looking a bit packed…
• Jade War by Fonda Lee — This one will probably take me most of whatever is left of November to finish, based on my experience with Jade City. But that’s fine. I’m really excited to continue with this series, and November is NaNoWriMo. So, I’m perfectly happy to have a slow read to enjoy while I’m trying to write almost two thousand words per day.
• The Homecoming War by Addie Woolridge — I am so excited to read my friend Addie’s first YA contemporary romance! I plan to gift a copy of this to my Jenny-Han-loving tween niece and want to be able to gush about how awesome it is with her when she reads it.

And my December reading plans:

• Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez — This is the last of my Fairy Loot YA hardcovers, and the last one on my list of “read or DNF and donate.” I’m planning on reading it for my December Adventure in Aeldia prompt (owl or cat on the cover).
• Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez — I’m slotting this contemporary romance in to read on Kindle after I finish Jade War in case I need a lighter and faster read. Plus it sounds like it’s got some witchy vibes, so I want to try to read it during witchy season (aka fall), if possible.
• Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao — This is also a Fairy Loot hardcover, and one that I started earlier this year but had to put down to read other things. I enjoyed the first chapter, though, so I’m hoping to get back to it as soon as I finish Woven in Moonlight.
• A Game of Hearts and Heists by Ruby Roe — This one is a Kindle book I pre-ordered but haven’t gotten around to reading yet. It looks like a really good fantasy romance, and I’ve been hearing some positive buzz about it. So I’m excited to read this after I finish Full Moon Over Freedom.
• Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares — This is the next Fairy Loot adult fantasy hardcover on my list. If I don’t finish it before the end of the year, it will just end up on my “read or DNF and donate” list for 2024. And I’m hoping to keep that list as short as possible.
• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher — I started this book and put it down, then my hold expired at the library, and it got returned. I’m hoping I can get it back on my Kindle and finish it before the end of the year.
• Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong — Same as Sun of Blood and Ruin, this is a Fairy Loot adult fantasy hardcover that I want to try to finish before the end of this year.
• A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone — I had to throw at least one Christmas novel on the list, and this is the follow up to what turned out to be a book I recommended the heck out of last year after reading it (A Merry Little Meet Cute). Really looking forward to this!
• Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun — This is the last of the Fairy Loot adult fantasy hardcovers that are on my list to read this year. If I can get this one read as well, I’ll be almost completely caught up with my subscription!
• Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett — I have wanted to read this book for a while now because I really liked her other mystery series, but I keep forgetting it’s on my Kindle. So I am officially adding it to my end of year TBR.

You may have noticed that this list doesn’t leave a lot of room for spontaneity. I know. It’s true. If it wasn’t for trying to catch up on my Fairy Loot subscription, it wouldn’t be that bad. The problem is, I really need to figure out if I should continue my subscription into next year or not.

I thought that reading all the really old YA box stuff would be good enough. But all that did was clear off some shelf space for the new books coming in. Meanwhile, I’m really enjoying all the adult fantasy books I’ve been receiving. At least the ones I’ve managed to read so far. Some of them have been serious contenders for top five favorite books I’ve read this year.

That would suggest I should continue with the adult fantasy book box subscription. But, I’m not sure. I am REALLY struggling to fit reading actual paper books into my life. E-books are just so much easier. But for the ones I’ve read and loved this year, I’m really happy I have the hardcover special edition.

I think I need to get a better sense for how many of the books I’ve received this year are “hits” for me vs. “misses.” To do that, I need to get through more of the ones that I received so far this year.

My hypothesis is that trying to stay off the internet during the day will really help my effort to read more of these hardcovers. So, I’m going to pull the plug on the distractions and try this little end of the year reading experiment. Starting this week!

Updates to come on that. But first, I think I need to do a post on what’s changed in my planner system. Every time I link to that 2023 reading goals post I cringe because I’m reminded that the Passion Planner plus BuJo setup for this year did not work for me (again). Except this time, it wasn’t just the Passion Planner. I’ve ditched both the Passion Planner and my bullet journal! (I know. Shocking!) I have been experimenting with an entirely new planner system since July, and I’ve yet to mention anything about it.

But this post is already way too long to be getting into that now. I’m going to leave you on that cliff-hanger, but stay tuned for a planner update soon. Plus my October reading wrap-up. (Will I finish everything?) And progress reports on this end of the year reading plan.

Until next time, happy reading!