February 2022 Wrap Up

Hello! Today I have my February Wrap Up.

February was still not a great reading or blogging month for me. However, I was reading a lot more during this month, but I am just reading very, very slowly. I am finding it harder and harder to sit and focus on a book these days, in between work and socialising, but I am sure that balance will come back soon.

Reading Statistics:

• Books read: 2
• Pages read: 1,203
• Format:
  • Audiobook: 1
  • Physical: 1
• Genre:
  • Contemporary: 1
  • Fantasy: 1

The Shelf by Helly Acton

The Shelf was unlike any book I have ever read. In the best way. I went into the novel expecting a romance novel – I feel like it is kind of advertised this way, but there was very little romance, if any at all. It follows Amy who thinks that she is about to go on holiday with her boyfriend, and she is convinced that this is the moment he is going to propose. However, instead of a holiday, her boyfriend drops her off in a studio (blindfolded) and dumps her on national TV. Amy is then given this opportunity to take part in this reality TV show, that is similar to Big Brother, that aims to make her ’the perfect catch’. It was such a good read! It was so funny, and heartwarming and there were definitely moments where my blood boiled! I highly recommend. I am hoping to get a review up of this book very soon to give you all my full thoughts!

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

I then reread House of Earth and Blood in preparation for the sequel coming out. I loved this book so much – maybe even more the second time around. I am always so in love with the characters and I was able to pick up on a lot of the foreshadowing this time, which is one of the main things I love about rereading books. If anyone is on the fence about this book, I think it is worth it!

In February, I also started House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas. I am currently on page 547 out of 805 which is 68%. This is the first time for a very, very long time that I haven’t finished Sarah J Maas’ book the month of its release (or even first couple of days after the release). However, I just haven’t had a lot of time, and this is a huge book! I am also liking that I am taking my time with this one. Although it is killing me not knowing how it ends yet and it is also very difficult dodging spoilers – but thankfully I have been successful so far! So please no spoilers!

I also started Gild by Raven Kennedy – this is one that I have been seeing a lot on TikTok. I am currently listening to the audiobook for it, but haven’t been able to properly dedicate time to it, so I haven’t made too much progress since I got to the 50% mark. And the final book I started was Love, Locked Down by Beth Reekles. I have only just started this one, so don’t have too much to say on it, but I should be finishing this soon and getting a review to you very soon!

When it comes to blogging in February: I didn’t do much of it. In fact, I only got two posts up in the last few days of February. Lets hope March is a better blogging month for me.

January 2022 Wrap Up

Three Bookish Things Book Tag

I had a bit more of a productive writing month than I did blogging and reading. So, although I didn’t work on my main projects much (only 143 words, towards my Rapunzel Retelling, on the 1st February), I did commit to writing at least one poem every single day of the month of February. And I was successful!

In February, I wrote a total of 62 poems! Which is the most that I have ever written in one month! Towards the end of the month, especially the last week, I only wrote one poem a day. But there were quite a few days where I wrote multiple poems – in one day I wrote 11 (!!!!!) poems! In just one day! I have written some of my best poems last month and I am really looking forward to going back to them, editing them, and then hopefully doing something with them.

With poetry, it is obviously a lower overall wordcount than it would be if I were to work on my Rapunzel Retelling every single day. But, sometimes I need a quicker form. Poems can be quickly tapped into the notes app on my phone which is what I do a lot. However, in February, I tried to make time in the evenings to properly sit down with my notebook and scribble out some poems. It sounds a little silly, but until late January and February as a whole, I cannot remember when I just sat down in front of my poetry notebook and scribbled in it. It was really good and productive. It pulled out a lot more poems than usual and it is something I am hoping to continue in the future. Poetry for me has always been away for me to document changes in my life and patterns in my mental health, and to personally document some big changes, such as Covid19 or now the war in Ukraine. It was wild, returning to me notebook to type them up, to see how much change happened in just the 28 days of February.

Additionally, I wrote seven entries in my journal. One of my goals for 2022 was to journal at least once a week, and so far in 2022, I have exceeded this. I had forgotten how beneficial it is for me to write in my journal and get out my thoughts and anxieties – particularly before going to bed. It allows me to unload from the day and the news. Like my poetry, it also allows me to have a running documentation for what I am going through. On the last day of February, I wrote in the last page of my journal. I have had that journal since August 2019, and I felt so accomplished to finally have filled enough pages for the entire notebook. During February, however, I knew I was coming to the end of the notebook, and I would flick through old entries and it was a wonderful experience to read how I first felt when Covid19 was just a rumour or how naïve I was thinking that the lockdown would only be for a month. It is just a nice feeling to have lots of life changes and life events written down. A lot of the things in that notebook, I would have forgotten about if it hadn’t been for me journaling during those days. I recommend journaling to anybody!

That is all for February! How did your February go?

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