December Recap

Hi! So I'm trying something new this month. For a long time I've posted Stacking the Shelves weekly, but I've found that those posts don't necessarily work for me any more. Part of my hopes for 2017 is that I'm going to get fewer books to keep--whether that be books I've bought or been given for review. I have so many books to read already, so I'm hoping to whittle down those piles, as well as actually keep up with the review books I do get.

And so, because I won't normally have new books to show off, I figure STS wasn't the way to go. I'm also finding it more of a chore to put together, so I'm hoping a once monthly recap will better suit me now! I'll be covering what books I got, what I posted, what books I read, my tentative TBR for the coming month, and anything else I might like to share.

What Books Did I Get?

For review:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This works out so well, because I was mourning not having an ARC and I'm going to her signing in New Orleans in February--and then this showed up! Hoorah!

From trades:

Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier

Zodiac by Romina Russell

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Such great trades with Alyssa, CJ, and Liz! I've actually never had a truly bad trade on the hashtag, if you'd believe it (also, KNOCK ON WOOD), and always managed to get exactly the things I'm looking for--eventually. It may help that most of the stuff I actually collect isn't the stuff everyone else wants... :)

What Did I Read?

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (Started end of November, but I finished in December!)

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Four Weddings and a Sixpence by Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, & Stefanie Sloane

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt

Currently reading: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

What Did I Post?

Truthfully, not a lot. I'm working on it!

Review: The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray
Books I Waited Too Long to Read
Review: Do You Want to Start a Scandal? by Tessa Dare
Picture Books You Should Definitely Read--Even If You're Not a Kid

What Will I Read?

I've put together a January TBR, but we'll see how well I do with it. Like I said, I'm trying to catch up on some of the older stuff I've had for a while, as well as keep up with my review books--so hopefully what I'm doing will help. I don't expect to get to all of the books, but I'm determined to pick by books from this.

Most of January is review books, because apparently I have more than I anticipated--but as the year goes on that'll get better. I'm also trying to limit myself on romance books, so I only have three I'm allowed to read--and if I finish all of those, I can't read any more! There are a couple on here I am pumped about and I think choosing my first book of 2017 is going to be hard!

What Am I Doing?

December started off rough because I had a couple of big assignments to finish off my semester, but I got those done and then classes were over! That was quite the relief--and I'm excited to have finished my first semester of grad school with A's in both classes!

Then, of course, was Christmas, and with work being a little bonkers crazy, it's been quite a time. Problem is, with work, that now that the holidays are over, they want us to do a changeover (It was all due the day after Christmas! EEK!), a huge list of returns downloaded (I'm the kid's lead, and between kids and teen, I probably had 4000 books due out?) that I have to pull before inventory--which is mid-February, along with doing all of my projects and shelving. It's a lot, so we'll see how I cope with work, school, and blogging.

Otherwise, life is good! We're going to Disney World over Mardi Gras break, and I'm, of course, thrilled. I've got every day all planned and perfect, and I seriously can't wait.

However, part of why I'm trying not to get more books (buy them, in particular) is money. I live with my parents for free, but I also pay for school out of pocket. I have a scholarship that covers the out-of-state portion of my tuition, but that still doesn't make grad school cheap. With that and taking a trip to Disney, I've realized just how tight my money is going to be. Cutting out buying books, as well as anything else unnecessary, like new clothes and stuff, and going out to dinner, is the necessary step. I'd rather have an education and a vacation than more things I don't need. 

Whew! This had been kind of fun! I like not having any rules to follow on this, so I can imagine keeping this for a while. What do y'all think? Maybe I'll make myself a graphic for next month and make it official! :) Happy New Year!