December was an absolutely crazy and hectic month: my youngest son had ear surgery (outpatient, he’s fine!) and I’m still recovering from a cold/mild flu I had over the holidays. I hosted another round of Cozy Mystery Reading Week. Finally, one of my posts was syndicated on BlogHer. Whew. I’m getting tired just thinking of all the things that transpired this month!
So, while I knew I wanted to do a wrap-up for December to capture everything, I also wanted to focus on 2015. So first, the traditional “Month in Review” stuff!
Books Reviewed
- Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn (I loved this book so much that I edited my Horror/Thriller Favorites of 2014 to include it!)
- Before I Go by Colleen Oakley
- Save Me by Kristyn Kusek Lewis
- Woman with a Gun by Phillip Margolin
- The Unimaginable by Dina Silver
Cozy Mystery Week!
- 2014 Cozy Mystery Week: The Kick Off
- 2014 Cozy Mystery Week Wrap-Up
- Home of the Braised (White House Chef Mystery) by Julie Hyzy
- The Silence of the Llamas (Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries) by Anne Canadeo
- By Cook or by Crook (Five-Ingredient Mysteries) by Maya Corrigan
- Paging the Dead (Family History Mystery) by Brynn Bonner
- Murder at the Book Group by Maggie King
- 2014 Cozy Mystery Week Wrap-Up
Unlike many months, picking my favorite read of the month was easy (and came it at the last minute!): Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn
See the January books I’m exited about!
- Winter Book Preview: January 2015, Part I
- Winter Book Preview: January 2015, Part II
- Winter Book Preview: January 2015, Part III
Posts of Value:
Product Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 NOOK® 7.0
2014 Favorites:
A Year In Review: Shining Stars
A Year in Review: Series Favorites of 2014
A Year in Review: Horror/Thriller Favorites of 2014
Looking forward to 2015
Not to worry. This isn’t one of those long resolution posts. As a point of fact, I don’t actually do resolutions. I personally reflect upon my life and myself personally and make changes throughout the year. Making it “official” and calling it a resolution, in my opinion, adds more stress and pressure to complete it. What if you don’t finish or accomplish it? Does that mean you are a failure? Or what about those people who make resolutions and never accomplish them? Using my method, I can opt to look to change or improve something in my life and, if for some reason I’m not successful or it’s not going well, I stop. That’s it. Easy peasy.
That’s not to say I don’t have goals. In 2015, I hope to continue with a goal/desire to read more outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been doing it here and there, accepting pitches for and reading books I typically wouldn’t. I would say the result has definitely been mixed. Sometimes it goes very well, other times it is a huge colossal failure. To challenge myself further, I’m going off the deep end of my comfort zone and reading a genre I haven’t read since I was a teen: Romance! I’m kind of scared, to be honest. I’ve received quite a few recommendations both from those very familiar with the genre as well as those who have just started to read it themselves. I’ll keep you apprised of my progress.
Also in 2015, I want to continue with what works well for me in my reading life. I read primarily on my iPad and it works for me. I find myself actually reading more, for it’s far more convenient for me to take out my iPad mini and start reading in a waiting room, in line at the store, or at home, than to pick up a print book. This is not meant as a sign of disrespect, just a simple fact. I’m never going to stop reading print books, but when it comes to reviewing and reading for my blog, ebooks just work for me.
So, before this post gets so long it’s unreadable, let me wrap it up with this: What about your reading life in 2014 worked for you? What are you looking forward to doing in 2015? It could be something differently than you currently are doing, or maybe you are keeping things the same? Tell me about it!
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