December's Bookshelf

It honestly feels like yesterday that I sat down at my desk and crafted my list of #simplegoals, which included reading 48 books over the course of the year. And yet, here we are. The year has passed us by, and I ended the year with 62 books read from my TBR shelf (both physical and Kindle). It just goes to show that sometimes you have to set a goal in order to make things happen. Even something as simple as making time to read more books.

Photo by Madara Parma on Unsplash

Since it was the month of festivities I wasn't sure how many I would finish this month, and as it turns out...that number was one. HA! However, the one I did manage to finish was a holiday-themed book from my shelf, which made it fun. 

1. Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories - ★★★ I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I had previously read Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes (thanks to the recommendation in You've Got Mail!) and I enjoyed the writing style, so I think my expectations were a little high for this one. It was simply a series of stand-alone Christmas-y stories, all with happy endings (so I can't complain there), but some of them felt like we'd jumped into the middle of a story and were missing context. This isn't one I would highly recommend, nor will I probably ever read it again, but it was still a super simple book to boost me into my December reads, so I'll take it. Plus, the cover is beautiful (nice for displaying). {Amazon Associates Link}

And now we're in a new month, the first one of the year! And the whole year is before us, ready for new series and new reading challenges. I'm gearing up for 60+ books this year, and looking forward to getting a reward now and then for my efforts. 

What book will you be starting out the new year with? 

An old friend or a new acquaintance? 

The Restart

One of my favorite things about each day is that it's new. I haven't yelled at bad drivers; I haven't overreacted with my kids or spouse; I haven't eaten all the snacks in my secret stash and then regretted my choices. As L.M. Montgomery's famous redheaded orphan quips, "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet?" It's the same reason I love Mondays and the first day of each month. It's a fresh new starting point, an opportunity to begin again and move past the mistakes of last week or the previous month. 

It's why, after 14 years, I pulled the plug on a blog that was no longer working for me. All the promises of writing regularly, finding your niche, and expanding to include social media channels - all the things you're "supposed" to do if you want to hit it big - weighed me down. Not because I was good at them and succeeding, but because I felt the weight of my failure every time I went to the blog. I never achieved the notoriety I once thought I might.

So I closed it down and felt relief. But then I thought about my love of new days, Mondays, new months, and January 1 - fresh starts and no expectations, just possibilities. Why not start a new blog? Not one that is bogged down in 14 years of history, but one that is simply an outlet for me. Whether people find and read it - or don't - is not the point this time. What a novel idea...doing something for the pure enjoyment of it, rather than running after the numbers.  

So consider this my restart. I'm writing for no one but myself. I'm making a record of the things I'm learning and working on. I'm not worried about views or shares or social media tags. If I have something to write about, I will. If I have nothing, there's no pressure. It's Monday and New Year's all rolled into one. Hello, world. 

Look for the following blog posts, coming...whenever I get around to it. 😏

• What's Up With The Name?
• The Bucket List Cleanout
• 24 Simple Goals in 2024