Hello, everyone!

(Note: I wrote part of this post around the start of January, or maybe even late December, and just never finished it. As part of my self-accountability and intentional efforts, I’m finishing it now… Regardless of how outdated parts of it might be. I also realized, I don’t think I did a Third Quarter wrap-up post last year either… I thought I did, but when I was looking for it recently, I never found it, so…maybe not? I know I was in the midst of a major burnout at the time, and it was a struggle for me to do much of anything… so it’s possible I just completely forgot. Either way, this was also intended to serve as both a Third Quarter and Fourth Quarter wrap-up, along with all the other fun things involved in a December Monthly and Year’s End Wrap-up post, haha… Yeah. XD

Those other posts are still pending/in progress, as I realized that this one was quickly nearing the length of a small book, and some of the info will be repeated anyway between the monthly, yearly, and quarterly posts, so I will be doing two or three separate posts for those. Therefore, this has become a sort of part one. Hopefully, I will be able to get them all up soon, but in splitting them up, I make things easier on both of us, since I doubt anyone wants to sit through reading over 30 minutes’ worth of recap from my 2025 reading adventures, haha. I’ll try to keep them entertaining and concise so that you can come and enjoy the posts without getting bored or bogged down along the way. (^.^)

I shared a wrap-up post in December for the months of October and November, but never got around to sharing my December monthly wrap-up or my yearly wrap-up. And, do we even need a fourth quarter, or are they kind of the same thing? Eh, well, I ended up combining them all, so there’s here, somewhere…haha.

December was going to be the month I took off to work on catching up on…everything I’d been falling behind on since August. Well, that didn’t happen, but as always, God’s way was better, and some amazing things have happened. I finished a reading challenge, read some amazing books, might finally be catching up on a few of those *ahem* things, and in January, I got another exciting side-job opportunity related to books! (I wasn’t going to share January updates, but… I didn’t want to forget to add this one, since it’s still new and exciting.) Speaking of which… It’s already February as I’m working on this…And I hadn’t considered doing my January post(s) yet. I guess I should add that to my list of posts to work on soon, so be looking for that one too.

I also haven’t been sharing ‘hopeful’ and TBR related posts for a few months, and well there’s a reason, but it’s something I’m hoping to work on. For the last few months, I have been behind on nearly everything, including reviews and eARC deadlines. I got tired of sharing the same list of books, and even tried to mix it up, but with the deadlines passing at record speed, it just wasn’t feasible to keep doing the posts, knowing they were just adding to the stress. I’m slowly making progress, and have cut way back on my requests, both of which are helping! I also discovered ARC Library and am curious to try it out and see it helps me get more organized. I have kept a brief list of ‘tasks’ on my Gmail with upcoming events and posts due, and when possible, a direct link to the email with relevant information for those posts. That has helped a lot! But the ARC Library is for this very purpose, so I’m excited to watch it grow!

(Note, I’m not affiliated with ARC Library, I just found them on IG and have been following them ever since. There’s a free version to get started, and upgrade options for those with more than a few ARCs to keep up with. There’s also an app version coming out soon that I’m even more excited for, since I tend to read on my tablet or phone, so I like having the site in a more convenient format to help me keep track of that.)

If I thought I was behind last time, I’m not doing much better now. That said, I’m starting to keep up and get ahead on some things, and have caught up on reviewing the books I’ve read so far. I still need to go back and read a few of the previous eARCs that I was supposed to review, but I’m working on it. Slowly, but it’s still progress.

What I Read in December:

December was even more of a blur than I could have predicted. I found what I had hoped would be a good job option, only to be pressured to make a snap decision, and mocked for not giving the reaction the way they had wanted. Thank God I found out before making anything official! He definitely spared me a lot of grief, and the rest of the month was pretty crazy too. I ended up getting very sick, and it wasn’t a normal cold or even the flu. Instead, it was a throbbing headache that hurt like the flu, but only in my head, and took three days to pass. Then I was extremely weak and could barely get out of bed for a few days afterward. It took about two weeks to fully clear up, and even then, the weakness lingered for a while longer. I was also in the early days of a reading challenge, and wasn’t sure I would be able to finish after the illness knocked me down for most of the month. Thankfully, once more God stepped in and helped me make it to the end.

That whole thing about being drained and fatigued? It apparently came to a head around this time, and between being sick and the mad dash to the end, I spent the next few weeks once more depleated and in a state of… I don’t really know. Not depression, or brain-fog, or even esghastion, but some mix of the three with some other lingering symptoms, I suppose? I’ve had all three, and that paired with the headaches are part of what happens when my autoimmune symptoms flair up and I knew pushing was a sure way to trigger it. But…this time was different. I don’t really know what made it different, but I know God was telling me it was time to rest.

I’ve spent much of January prioritizing rest and trying to take it easy, no rush, no pressure, no stressing about things I can’t control. I haven’t been perfect at it, but it has helped. I’ve spent much of it in prayer, as I seek His will and direction, and trying to get organized and slowly get back into actually enjoying the ability to read again. I struggle with stress, and I know who doesn’t, but my body really doesn’t like it. I’m always thankful that it’s not worse, but also very aware that the fact can change if I don’t take the extra effort to slow down and pace myself, especially when I’ve been pushing too hard.

Now (it’s April), I’m slowly starting to feel the effects of my intentional rest and efforts to get more organized and actually stay on top of things and deadlines better. I’m finally starting to finish some of the tasks that have been put off, and am slowly making my way through the eARCs and book reviews due from that time, as well. (Yay! Praise Yah/God, without Him I’m nothing, and it’s by His help that I’m even able to do any of this. He is so good, and I’m so glad to be able to serve Him, both in the book community and with my life.)

The Curtain Falls In Paris by Victoria Zachheim –

I read this one as part of a reading challenge I was doing in December. It’s not a Christian story, but it is a mostly clean read, although there is some language and innuendo, plus a gruesome murder that happens fairly early on in the story, and is referenced throughout the book. It’s a murder mystery that takes place in a theater in Paris. This one definitely kept me guessing, and while I had pegged the killer before the reveal, it wasn’t until just before that I was certain of who it was!

Echoes of Texas by Laura Conner Kestner –

I had tried reading this one previously, and just didn’t click. So, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth picking it up again in December, but I needed something different and really wanted to read this one (or at least try to) before it expired.

Apparently, it was just a timing issue, as after a few chapters, I was glued to the pages of this one and couldn’t put it down. While this isn’t quite my normal go-to, it was different enough and yet exactly what I needed at the time, and made a nice change of pace, while still keeping me entertained and engaged with the story. I haven’t read any of the other books from the author, so I started this one knowing next to nothing. I might read more of her books I haven’t decided yet, but this was probably my favorite read of December. (I was reading several books at once, and only listed those I finished reading in the month of December here.)

Fatal Invitation by S.F. Baumgartner –

I read this one as part of a blog tour, and I did enjoy it as I was reading, but it’s one of those that I enjoy at the time, but once it’s over…I’m ready to move on. (Do you ever have those?)

It was an interesting mystery and had a good pace for the story. It’s more plot-forward, which clearly isn’t my preferred type of story, if recent experience proves anything, but it was well-written and entertaining for what it is.

(Each title listed is directly linked to the corresponding review post for that book)

The Curtain Falls in Paris and Fatal Invitation were ARC/Review copies. Echoes of Texas was a KU read. As mentioned, I was also reading several other books at the time, some ended up as DNFs or put on hold, and a few I finished reading in January.

December Alpha/Beta Reads:

  • None?

December Book Mail:

December Book Mail:

I’m pretty sure I got some book mail in December, but I’m not sure which ones were from December. I think it was these, but I might have missed one.

Audiobooks:

  • None

Have you read any of the books listed this month?
Are any of them on your TBR?
Or, tell me what your favorite book was in March?

Feel free to comment about them below!

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