I can’t believe we’re already at the end of the month. In my January wrap up, I’ll provide an update on my reading and writing goals and set new levels/goals for next month. This month has been quite eventful, and the very definition of unproductive. Let’s see in detail what I mean…

 

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JANUARY WRAP UP

 

 

I can’t say this year started off well; I’ve been sick for most of this month, our water heater and dishwasher broke down (the former leaked everywhere in the garage), and I’ve received three rejection letters for my novel. The most brutal part? No hot shower for 10 straight days. Thankfully, we had great friends who shared their shower with us, but I hope February will be kinder.

 

Books read:

 

Unfortunately, the fact that I was sick has drastically impacted my reading. I only read three books this month—or should I say, I manage to read three books despite my sickness. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t remember reading so little before, but the cold got me fair and square. I hadn’t been sick in ages, so this time, it took its sweet time with me.

 

Here is the list of books read this month:

• The Rule of Many (ARC) by Ashley and Leslie Saunders – 4 stars
• Getting Schooled by Emma Chase – 4 ½ stars
• We shouldn’t by Vi Keeland – 5 stars

 

I’m almost done with The Wicked King by Holly Black, but I doubt I’ll finish it today, most likely tomorrow. You may follow my progress on Goodreads. Don’t hesitate to drop a link with your Goodreads or link to your January Wrap up in the comment so that I can check it out.

 

 

Pages Read 2019:

 

As for the Pages Read 2019 challenge, here is an update:

• The Rule of Many (ARC) by Ashley and Leslie Saunders (I won’t have the page count until the book is released in May.)
• Getting Schooled by Emma Chase – 300 pages
• We shouldn’t by Vi Keeland – 316 pages

 

As of now (minus the ARC), I’ve read 616 pages so far toward my Pages Read 2019 Challenge. I definitely need to get some reading done next month.

 

 

Writing Achievements:

 

I haven’t done much in terms of writing. I received a few rejection letters this month, but some of them were personalized, which made me feel a little better. So far I only queried the book to six or seven agents to have a feel, so now I will revise to address the issues and then send it back to more agents.

 

I’ve also started writing another story that I’m really excited about and have written about 10K words so far. Right now, I’m mostly writing down ideas, as I need to finish writing the first draft of book 2 of the trilogy I’m trying to sell (I’m already halfway there.)

 

The positive note though is that I have been more active on my blog this month (almost 10 new posts!), and I’m very proud of this.

I had barely written anything in 2018, so I’m glad to be back.

 

 

Next month’s goals:

 

So, my goal for next month is to read at least 8 books, including a minimum of 2 arcs. I also need to read at least 3 books that are already on my shelf. I have great new additions, which should make the choice tough. Too many great books and too little time.

As for writing, I’d like to write at least 20K words for book 2.

Finally, I want to publish a minimum of two blog posts per week. I have a very busy life, so this is quite a lot for me right now, but I also feel like challenging goals make you move in the right direction.

 

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This month hit me hard, but I’m focusing on the positive side. All things considered, I think this was a pretty good month. It could have been a lot worse if you consider everything I had to juggle. My takeaway for this month: Always keep your eyes on the goal, and when life sends you lemons, make lemonade.

 

What about you? Have you reached your goals? What’s your takeaway from this month?

 

Happy Reading and Happy Writing all!

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