Tag: January 2022

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Monthly Wrap-Ups

2022: January Wrap-Up

January 2022 Wrap-Up logo

New monthly wrap-up image woo-hoo (⇑)!

Happy Tuesday, book people! What was your most memorable bookish moment of January?

A very belated January wrap-up. I considered combining this with February’s wrap-up because I found time I didn’t think I had to fit this in now than later.

2022 is off to a different start than I’d planned but I’ve adapted and remain hopeful for the months to come. Life plans are progressing, new books are being released. What more could I ask for?

Here’s a bit of what went down in January:

Reviews Posted

The first month of the new year was a slow but admirable start given how busy I was. I read and reviewed 6 books, mostly arcs and children’s fiction but all either 4 or 5 stars.

Operation Sisterhood | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Home Again | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bend Toward the Sun | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Just Right Jillian | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Read

Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier
Image via NetGalley

Hands-down no questions asked what my favorite January read was. Just Right Jillian was amazing and heartfelt and so relatable and moving. I loved this book with all my heart!

Great Posts From the Book Blogging Community

Book Review & Giveaway: The Brazen Bluestocking by Tracy Sumner | Julie @ One Book More

5 QUICK AND EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT BOOK BLOGGERS IN 2022 (by Briana) | Briana & Krysta @ Pages Unbound

HOW TO WRITE COMPELLING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE–INCLUDING YOURSELF!–WILL WANT TO ANSWER! (by Krysta) | Briana & Krysta @ Pages Unbound

New Shelf Arrangement

Thanks again for helping me rearrange my shelves! They look great!

Read detailed tour here.

Miscellaneous Accomplishments

I posted my 100th writing prompt (view more here), finished my UX Design program after seven long months, and added the finishing touches towards re-branding the blog.

One month down. Eleven more to go. I think February will probably move at the same pace for me in terms of reading and blogging. My goal is to finish up arcs and read at least 1 backlisted title from my tbr.

Have a great day, everybody! Until next time!

AS ALWAYS, HAPPY READING!!!
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TBC Happenings

2022: January Happenings!

January Happenings at The Bookshelf Corner blog

Hello, again! I hope you all had a good weekend and you’re ready to kickstart the new year into high gear. I know I am. Here’s what’s happening this month at The Bookshelf Corner:

Eyes on the Prize: 2022 Bookish Goals

Hello, 2022! There are several goals I want to accomplish this year, but today I’ll just focus on the ones of the bookish variety. I want to:

    • Visit the library regularly
    • Be a more active blogger
    • Donate books I’m no longer interested in reading
    • Reduce the number of unread owned books on my shelves
    • Read more back-listed titles
    • Finish the first draft of WIP
    • Participate NaNoWriMo for the first time
    • Read and/or acquire my very most anticipated 2022 releases
    • Buy more books

The 2022 Reading Challenge I Almost Got Carried Away With

Feeling energized after last year’s success I was toying with the idea of challenging myself to read 200 books this year, but at the last minute decided 150 is more reasonable given my overall 2022 plans.

I don’t have a tbr for this month – there are certain books I should really get done this month, but for the most part I’m just continuing with the winter tbr and going with the flow.

To start the new year, I’m currently reading Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon and Starlight by Olivia Wildenstein. The former I’m hoping to finish this week. The latter is around 600 pages so that’ll be a month long read unless I totally becomes unputdownable (which is 100% likely).

Rebranding the Blog for a Better Experience

Lately, I’ve been working on major rebranding for the blog. Some changes have already begun to be implemented, but there are still additional things to figure out, such as choosing a fresh, more modern theme, changing my approach to writing posts, creating a new logo, and designing for accessibility. More on that later once it’s all complete.

Have a great first full week of 2022!

 

 

“Everybody needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.”
– Betty White,
If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t)

 

AS ALWAYS, HAPPY READING!!!
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Books of the Month

[January 2022] Book of the Month: Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Book of the Month blog post logo

It’s the first Book of the Month post of 2022! I chose Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. I chose this first of a series because it was an incredible fantasy story with a likable and relatable main characters, a bunch of supernatural beings, and unique world building. I was so captivated by this story. It was one of my top top favorite reads of 2021. I can’t wait to read what is sure to be a thrilling sequel, Amari and the Great Game.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston cover
Image via Goodreads

Title: Amari and the Night Brothers
Series: Supernatural Investigations #1
Author: B.B. Alston
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Recommended?: Yes

ABOUT: Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why isn’t his story all over the news? And why do the police automatically assume he was into something illegal?

Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.

Amari must compete against some of the nation’s wealthiest kids—who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives and are able to easily answer questions like which two Great Beasts reside in the Atlantic Ocean and how old is Merlin? Just getting around the Bureau is a lesson alone for Amari with signs like ‘Department of Hidden Places this way, or is it?’ If that all wasn’t enough, every Bureau trainee has a talent enhanced to supernatural levels to help them do their jobs – but Amari is given an illegal ability. As if she needed something else to make her stand out.

With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

AS ALWAYS, HAPPY READING!!!
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