Kira Jeanette

Hello! It is that time of the year again when it starts setting in that we are fast approaching the end of the year, and we have to quickly think up a plan to reach our Goodreads goals. It is also time for the End of the Year book tag, which always kind of starts with me reflecting a little bit on the year.

Just like last year, I have struggled with balancing a lot of things. Over the course of the year, what I have managed to balance has changed. Right at the beginning of the year, I was balancing reading and writing really well, but not blogging. Then I was balancing working and exercising and taking care of my body for six months, and reading, writing and blogging weren’t really in the picture. For a brief time in September and October, I managed to get back into blogging, and it had to take a backseat again. At the beginning of November, I was doing really well in NaNoWriMo, but I haven’t been able to work on that recently. I work in an office where my whole day is spent staring at a screen, and I find it very difficult to look at my laptop screen when I get home from work because it is just a bit too much.

That is just the fun thing about life though, isn’t it? You’re constantly trying to figure out how to balance everything and make everything work. It is something I have consistently struggled with in previous years, and it is likely never going to stop. In an odd way that is more comforting than scary.

This is the fourth year in a row that I had done this book tag. It is crazy to me that it has been that long. If you wanted to catch up on the previous years, you can see them here: 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my reading throughout the year, and this year I had an extra tab on it that was for all of the books I started, just to see how many of them I was actually finishing. I didn’t continue it past the beginning of April. Between the 1st January and the 9th April, I started 23 books, and did not finish 8 of them. That is better than I thought it was going to be. The books that I didn’t finish during that time were:

• Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman
• The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
• The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
• City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
• Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
• The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
• Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

A lot of these, I was trying to figure out what would keep me reading and not fall into a slump, but ultimately, I still fell into a reading slump. There are a lot more books since April that I have started and not finished though, so this list should be a lot, lot, lot longer!

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Anything fantasy. Fantasy novels are always what I gravitate to towards this time of year. The book this year that really kicked me into autumn reads was A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley. After that, I have very much stuck in the fantasy genre and I am very happy to stay here.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

There is a book that was newly released which is Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar. It was released at the end of September and is a Swan Lake retelling I believe? I think it is going to be the perfect Christmas read, and I still need to get my hands on it! I read Midnight in Everwood last year by M.A. Kuzniar and absolutely adored it, so I cannot wait to pick up their newest release.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

This list is kind of endless, but I am prepping for Blogmas again this year, so three books I want to read so I can discuss in December are:

• The Wakeup Call by Beth O’Leary
• Love in the Scottish Winter Highlands by Beatrice Bradshaw
• The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

I am constantly being shocked by books, so I definitely think that this is possible. I am currently rereading Caraval by Stephanie Garber so that I can finally finish that series and then move on to the spinoff series Once Upon a Broken Heart. I am seeing so many people love this series at the minute, that I definitely think it has the potential to be a favourite of mine too.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2024?

The only plan I currently have, is a week off at the beginning of February to read House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas. I am so excited for this book to come out and I need to have the time off to dedicate to reading it!

Let me know how your year for reading has been and what plans you’re making for 2024!

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