By the end of the day, July will be over and we’ll be one month closer to the end of the year. I know 2020 was the longest year in history but 2021 really isn’t wasting any time. The end of July also means the end of short month titles. From here on out, it’s long names to spell out. I’m pretty concerned that I won’t manage it but I’ll do what I can. Hopefully, I can just get through with audiobooks and graphic novels.
So June has come and gone. This means another month of my Spell the Month Reading challenge is over. I’m pleased to report that it seemed easier in June than it did in May. I was finished with the challenge quite early. I guess that’s mostly to do with the order that I was reading in but also because I actually gave more time up to reading. Of course, one of my books was only 32 pages long but that was mostly because I was struggling for a Pride book starting with U. I’m also wary that I have a lot of U’s coming up, so I’ve got to be a bit clever.
Ah, May. The 3 letter month. This was such a relief after my recent reading slump. Maybe too much of a relief. I think I got a bit cocky at a few points and should probably have focused on some of the longer books earlier on. Especially as it was another difficult “Y” month. I knew that I already owned a book for that letter but it was a longer one than I’ve read in a while. I’m just not used to books above 250 pages anymore. God knows how I’d cope with Ann Radcliffe of Tolkien these days. Anyway, let’s take a look at the titles I picked out for May.
After feeling like I spent most of April in a slump, I definitely noticed an improvement in May. I still wasn’t quite on top form but I’ve got back into the swing of things. Did I read as many as I had hoped? No but, in terms of quality, this was a strong month. A lot of 4 star reads came out this month, which probably helped with the good feeling. So, what did I consume in the last 31 days?
Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 5
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 2
Number of 5* reviews: 1
Number of 4.5* reviews: 0
Number of 4* reviews: 4
Boy, April was a complete washout for me. I’ve still managed to finish 6 books but there’s definitely been a dip in energy during the pas 30 days. Of course, it doesn’t help that I’ve had my second Covid vaccine and gone back to working in the office. These two things have caused nothing but exhaustion. Hopefully, a 3 day weekend is going to get me back in line.
Number of books read: 6
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 4
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 1
Number of 5* reviews: 1
Number of 4.5* reviews: 0
Number of 4* reviews: 2
I always knew that I could never maintain my pace of reading 10 books each month but I didn’t expect things to turn around so abruptly. It took me ages to get into the books I was reading this month. Even the ones I was most excited about. I was worried about finishing my monthly reading challenge but, thankfully, I got there. Hopefully, April will be a bit less of a struggle.
Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 2
Number of ebooks: 1
Number of audiobooks: 4
Number of 5* reviews: 2
Number of 4.5* reviews: 1
Number of 4* reviews: 2
After having a slight reading slump this month, I wasn’t sure that I’d manage to make it through a lot of books. I had set myself a TBR list but, inevitably, had to change that around to finish my monthly challenge. The plan is to finish what I didn’t read in February in March. At least there’s only 5 letters to cross off.
Number of books read: 10
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 6
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 4
So, 2020 is almost at an end and it’s not exactly been the year that any of us expected. In terms of general life, it’s been pretty sucky but, in terms of reading, it could not have gone better. I surpassed all expectations this month despite it being quite a nothing month. Second lockdown wasn’t good in most ways but I did get more reading done. Thanks to a late night on Monday, I actually managed to finish one final book in November. It’s such a recent read that it wasn’t even included on my Instagram warp-up post. These are exciting times indeed. So, what were my November stats?
Number of books read: 11
Number of rereads: 1
Number of physical books: 5
Number of ebooks: 2
Number of audiobooks: 4
November is here and we’re about to go back into lockdown, so it’s kind of like it March again. Supposedly for a month but we’ll see how that goes. If I do get furloughed, at least I can use my time getting on top of my TBR. I’m currently reading my 71st book of the year. That’s 21 above my original target of 50. I doubt I’ll be able to double it but I’ll get bloody close.
Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 6
Number of physical books: 4
Number of ebooks: 2
Number of audiobooks: 2
It feels like ages since I last posted something on here. Given how everything has gone in the last week or so, I’m glad that I made the decision to stop posting here. It would have felt weird trying to act as if everything is normal when so many people are fighting for their basic human rights. I’ve always considered myself to be anti-racist but I’ve realised that I’ve been doing the bare minimum. So, I’ve taken the last few days to think about who I am and what I can do to help. That includes reading and learning as much as I can. Meaning my June wrap-up may have a bit of a theme to it. For now, one week late, it’s time to look back on my last month.
