Photo Credits: Monika/monicore (pixabay), Tamalee drabbitod (pixabay) Edited by Vaishali C O M B I N E D W R A P U P N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R R E A D I N G ! We've lasted another year around the sun, the moon and the planets, another lap secured on earth's stomping ground. It's strange to say that this is the last time you'll be hearing from me this year. 2022 Vaishali becomes 2023 Vaishali in a short timeframe. I wonder how different she'll be, but I'm positive she'll still remain a passionate lady of the story. Since we diligently live by calendar, schedule and season, of course winter's here! In full swing of the season, it all seems to be happening. Everything always seems to be happening at once. Another year has almost happened, and if I've been reflecting on anything this month it's that life doesn't function via linear pathways or rapid transformation. For me, this has been a year of alternative education, gentle transformation, solution-seeking, big wellbeing learnings and acquiring the integrative knowledge needed to hopefully reverse my long-term health conditions. It's been an educational learning curve, not without soaring levels of overwhelm. Sliding down this rabbit hole has been so eye-opening, and it was 2022 that taught me how empowering knowledge can be. I'm slowly embracing a healing path. I've carried more hope with me for this year for that reason, believing I can gradually bring myself and my body back from complex chronic sickness. In some ways, I feel like I've been born again, and I haven't felt like that for the longest time. While I'd like to say I've been up to something merry and wonderful, in preparatory mode for the holiday season, where I actually find myself (as I write this) is bed-bound, heading through another disturbing health low and trying to gently recover from this latest cyclical health crash. I've been unable to read, review, work on blog updates or to even keep up with the mindful practices I've been experimenting with. As I lie here watching the Bocelli family perform a Christmas tune on a popular morning show, I'm reflecting on how I didn't expect to spend it bed-bound, immobile and feeling defeated. I can tell my body's going through more than its usual chronic illness burden and this height of chronic illness burnout has wiped me completely off my feet. I could use Santa's gravity-defying sleigh to cart me through this last month. There's been some strong, combative emotions working through me. I'm trying to remain stress-free for now but this latest dip has pushed me further away from the joy I wanted to feel. And it reminded me that to pursue the route of expectation for a celebration that typically champions a cheery mindset over an authentic one can feel like pursuing artifice. Our feelings are as moving and as cyclical as our very lives, to fit life itself within our own ideal is wishful thinking in its prime so I truly hope you're taking time to feel what you feel without being expected to fit within the shape of happiness. I was really looking forward to maintaining myself enough to enjoy the season but In true bookish fashion I'm going to quote someone, because Talia Hibbert said it best when she said 'The world wasn’t split into unhappy endings and happily ever afters. There were blessings everywhere and a thousand shades of joy all around him.' So in this final parter to our year the joy has looked like this: gazing out my window often, embracing the small things I can smile at, using comedy relief to lighten the load, thinking about magical stories and some of my favourite books, watching lots of Christmas films (and have been since October) and trying to shift into a more grateful and accepting mindset when I'm able to corral enough energy to do so. As I mentioned, I haven't been giving my bookish life any attention and I'm definitely behind on updating my current GR reads. I'm not even sure I'll get my backed-up reads published for the remaining year but a delay in all things blogg-ish there will likely be. It's ok though, there's always next year. Looking back on my reading year, I'm sad that bar my A Court of Mist and Fury re-read my only other 5 star book was Kelly Siskind's New Orleans Rush (which I fully recommend). We all want every book we pick up to be that five star read, and while that didn't happen it never lessens the truism that all stories are cherished by someone. And written with passion, tenacity and commitment, I believe all books have some kind of magic, even if they aren't for everyone. I've had a lot of experimental blog ideas for blog features that I wanted to put into practice this year. Clearly, they didn't come into fruition, but I'm reserving them for a time when it will happen, which I'm hoping will be the right time for me. I'm very excited for them! But my priority has to be my health for now so a waiting game it is. When I created my blog I had no pressing project goals or milestones to meet. It just seemed like the next logical step to make a ways into re-discovering a passion for reading during the most difficult period of my life. I only wanted to find more books like the one that brought out the reading beast in me and experimentally try my hand at reviewing. When I re-engaged in the world of literary adventure after many years, I made a Goodreads account to log my progress. I remember feeling lonely on the platform to begin with. Everybody had hundreds and thousands of listed friends, so much engagement, piles upon piles of comments and a lot of admiration for the thoughts and insights they shared for the stories they loved. It took a while to get there for me but I've met a wonderful reading crowd that I talk to often and share good books with. Community goes a long way in feeling supported and I'm thankful for the bookish friends I've made. I'm happy to share that I did hit a blog goal this year, however! I had my first beta-reading experience, and granted, I only reported feedback on a handful of chapters, not the full-length reworked manuscript but it was an experience and I definitely feel more confident with the process and trusting the value in my assessment and observation. Since this is the season of gratitude and giving, I want to publicly thank every author who somehow found their way to my blog and generously shared their work with me this year. Just like every year. It's an amazing feeling to know that out of the many book bloggers out there, you chose mine to service you and that means so much to me. I have limitless respect and admiration for creative communities and even though I have to decline more than my fair share of review requests, I'm honoured that you trust me with your hard work and share with me the fruits of your unique and fertile imaginations. But even more than that, I'm heartened by the personal health struggles you felt comfortable enough to share with me. I hope to come across more of you talented bunch in the coming years and I hope to love more of the stories you've written. I have another big thank you to freely give and that's to the generous authors who have sent me physical copies of their work obligation-free. I know how hard the indie-publishing pursuit is - which is why I see indie writers as some kind of superstars, heroes and heroines of their own making - and the kindness in understanding that I'm not always in the best place to make good on bloggish responsibilities makes me feel seen. I hope I make you feel seen too and I do my best to respond with commitment to each and every one of you. And though In brief, I've had some of the warmest exchanges with authors of every kind. Making a quick segue, I was really excited about a certain interview with a certain romance author that I hoped to publish this December, but with the state of my health being what it is, I've pushed the project back and will likely share it after the new year. This interview was one on my wish list and I'm thrilled it gets a big tick next to it. There's a lot I had hoped to have underway with my blog this month but I hope you (as I've been telling myself) avoid measuring yourself by how you perform on the final calendar month of the year. We're so much more than our ability to produce and perform. And finally, I'm so excited for a new year of fresh reading experiences, a new year where I get to 'meet' more of you, talk to more of you, pass by like virtual phantoms of the web and share in the connection between story writers and story readers. Irrespective of how much we want to change, either ourselves or the situations we're in, getting there is a bigger battle, and with it comes a lot of frustration and stuckness in finding our way through it. I'm hoping to create conditions where I can thrive and get out of my own way. I wish the same for all of you: strength in your healing journeys, courage through your personal difficulties, acceptance for the you you are today and everyday after and of course radiance in your reading lives. I hoped to edit a quick graphic to look at my 2022 reading year in review but since that isn't likely to happen, I hope this incredibly lengthy end-of-year rigamarole is enough. I deliberately set my goal to five books this year but my secret secret target was to hit 40 books. Technically, I didn't do it but I did get close. Novellas and short stories helped me through it but it's no less an accomplishment. And finally again (finally finally, this time), I can't wait to see what this encouraging community brings with it come 2023. Obviously more amazing books, hopefully more bookish friends and fictional chat, hoping to entry-point my way into the backlists of new authors. I'm not a traditional goal-setter, end-of-year reflector nor a resolution maker so I hope you ring in the New Year in a way that lights you up from the inside out, I hope you turn the corners you want to turn and that your existence is all the 'resolution' you need to head into the coming year. Happy New Year, and may 2023 be a personal page-turner! Happy New Year ! My Final Reads of the Year 1) The Sailor in Polynesia by Liz Alden - Rating ★ ★ ★ ★
I had the most wonderful time with this sweet, slow-burning, gently-moving sailor/sailor romance set at sea and one that spans a quietly moving personal adventure in the South Pacific. I wouldn't expect an overcomplicated storyline with complicated interrelations in The Sailor in Polynesia. It's attraction is softer, sweeter, slower, cooler, sails itself on milder waters with balmy scents on the wind and the arrival of a tentative romance in paradise awaits our heroine like an unbeatable view. Content Listing/Warning: Mentions a family death from dementia. Very minimal swearing, if any. Few bedroom scenes. Also mentions a past emotionally abusive domestic relationship. MY FULL REVIEW of The Sailor in Polynesia here - 4 S T A R S to The Sailor in Polynesia 2) Billionaire Lumberjack by Gwyn Mcnamee - Rating ★ ★ ★ 2.5/3
As an introductory experience for me, I did feel at odds with my first Gwyn McNamee romance. But I let other doting readers do what I couldn't do, feel what I couldn't feel and find some joy in this reclusive romance. A story of uncomfortable cabin companions with secrets they don't want to share. A flawed, misanthropic wilderness dweller with only his quiet cabin, his animals and the snow-white conditions to keep him company and a stranded heroine who always feels a step away from another misstep and doesn't get the cabin experience she hoped for are pushed into the fates of the other in this snowed-in romance. For better or worse, stuck with each they are. Unwanted guests, uncomfortable silences, viscous conditions, it's a merry little time. Content Warning: lots of salty language from both MCs (from the outset). Some violence and blood. Drinking. PTSD, grief, panic. Past physically/emotionally abusive relationship. Past episodes of domestic assault. Past shooting. Past parental deaths. YOU CAN READ MY FULL GOODREADS REVIEW here - 2.5/3 S T A R S to Billionaire Lumberjack 3) Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy - Rating ★ ★ ★ 3/3.5
I wanted something romance themed with end-of-year energy and this was fit for a wonderful purpose. It's a lovely little festive romance about a flame that never got to burn, and after a missed opportunity that didn't have its chance, the season of giving is open to spreading out a second one for one who enforces the law and one who breaches it with a public performance of misconduct. Seasonal timing reconnects a young crush but there's a bigger picture of belonging for a heroine who doesn't typically play well with this time of year. Content Warning/Listing: childhood parent separation. Parental abandonment. Some smut scenes. Some swearing. Mentions a previous heart attact. There's also a scene where both protagonists visit a pediatric ward with child cancer patients. MY FULL GOODREADS REVIEW can be found here - 3/3.5 S T A R S to Meet Me Under the Mistletoe4) Nanny for the SEALs by Cassie Cole - Rating ★ ★ ★ 3/3.5
With a generous paycheck and an offer her starving artist self couldn't refuse, Heather accepts a proposition from her kidnappers, which involves taking care of highly misbehaving makers of mischief. No one can say Heather Hart's life isn't excitement central. Bolstered by her father's mantra, a fake ring and a convincing performance Heather - and fellow actor bestie Maurice - find themselves at a privately owned suite where she puts a life lesson into practice and shoves for elbow room where she can get it. I rarely run into RHs that synthesise comicality and light entertainment with action, and Cassie Cole unionises the fusion in a way that invites and emulates the setup of some of my favourite action/comedy screenplays (only without the polyamory). Still committed to moving my way through her backlist, more do indeed cometh! Content Warning/Listing: smut scenes with a bit of kink (food play). single partner and two-partner bedroom scenes. Profanity. Violence. Mentions child deaths, stalkers/stalking and multiple death threat mentions. MY FULL GOODREADS REVIEW can be read here! - 3/3.5 S T A R S to Nanny for the SEALs 5) Wishing For You by Lea Coll - Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 4MY FULL REVIEW of Waiting For You will be available soon! - 4 S T A R S to Waiting For YouUnfinished Books The two remaining books which conclude my November and December reads were unfortunately DNFs. I rarely leave books incomplete but both Lili Valente's Hot Ghosthunter For Hire and Ayla Asher's His Holiday Pact didn't quite meet the reader needs of the moment. While I may have discontinued, I fully incentivise curious readers to pick up either book at will or preference. Ayla Asher's short story is perfect for a Christmas pick me up and Lili Valente's spin-off to the Big O Dating Specialists will excite fans of her work (and the series). If you'd like to find out more on my thoughts for each, publish links can be found below! I hope you've enjoyed my November and December reads, but more than that, I truly hope you've enjoyed your own. Stay safe and well reader friends, Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2023 very shortly! I love interacting with fellow readers and hearing about reader opinion, so if you'd like to talk books or about your own recent reads, get in touch and comment below! H A P P Y R E A D I N G --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● September/October Reading Wrap Up 2022 ● July/August Reading Wrap Up 2022 ● May/June Reading Wrap Up 2022 ● March/April Reading Wrap Up 2022 ● January/February Reading Wrap Up 2022 ● November/December Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● September/October Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● July/August Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● May/June Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● March/April Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● January/February Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● November/December Reading Wrap Up 2020 ● September Reading Wrap Up 2020 ________________________________________________ SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk...
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VaishaliBorn in the UK Archives
February 2024
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2019 Reading Challenge
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