The Looooong and the Short of It + a Giveaway: September 2024 Wrap-Up Post and Looking Forward to October

September dragged for me. So much bad stuff at work. I keep saying I’m not going to go on and on about it in my weekly posts and then the next week I can’t seem to write about it. I mean basically I lost my new library clerk to another job in the building, and now I’m waiting to have them do new interviews to replace her because we can’t just hire the person who was my second choice from the original interviews. Spent lots of time with family though, and got lots of time with puppies, so that was always helpful to my mood.

My reading was about the same, maybe a bit more now that I’m driving to work again every day and getting to listen to audiobooks. Although I’ve again been eating dinner with my mom a lot now and that does take away some reading time. Not to mention being so tired at bed I don’t always feel like reading as much. I have been taking my lunch every day at school and just putting a sign on my desk that I’m at lunch and letting whatever happens while I’m on break happen.

I got 16 books finished, that’s one more than last month.

I did stop with Bookly this month, while I liked the whole bit where it kept track of time I spent reading, and then averaging pages with that, it didn’t work when I had to add in books I’d already read and it tried to say I’d read like hundreds of pages in 20 minutes. I am still using both StoryGraph and Goodreads though.

Here is my fun monthly wrap-up image I like to make in Canva.

Here are my StoryGraph stats for September in the graphic they now provide. The only thing it’s missing from what I like to share when I get each graph separately is actually the different star ratings and how many of each, it just gives the average. Which is enough I guess!

My Reviews

Of the 18 specific titles listed last month, I got 11 read and reviewed, 2 DNFs, 1 ARC I didn’t get started till the last two days, 1 e-galley I didn’t get to, 2 e-galleys I thought I might get – but didn’t end up getting, and 1 finished copy sent by the publisher right before it was published that I started but didn’t have time to finish yet. I did get 2 audiobooks for the Gateway nominee list finished, and one audiobook before the author comes to town

• [4 Sep] No More Mr. Chai Guy by J.P. Sterling ★★★★½
• [7 Sep] This Is Not a Holiday Romance by Camilla Isley ★★★★½
• [9 Sep] Fireball by Lainey Davis ★★★½
• [10 Sep] Never Date the Minister by Julia Kent ★★★★★
• [12 Sep] The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs ★★★½
• [14 Sep] Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter ★★★★★
• [17 Sep] Don't You Forget About Tea by Ellie Hall ★★★½
• [18 Sep] My Secret Snowflake by Kathy Strobos ★★★★½
• [19 Sep] Pumpkin Spice Spice Baby by Kerry Evelyn ★★★★½
• [24 Sep] A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone ★★★★½
• [25 Sep] You Belong with Me by Mhairi McFarlane DNF
• [25 Sep] Casket Case by Lauren Evans DNF
• [25 Sep] The DM Diaries by Teagan Hunter DNF
• [26 Sep] Ex Marks the Spot by Hazel James ★★★★★
• [27 Sep] Salty Pickle by JJ Knight ★★★★★
• [27 Sep] Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay ★★★★★
• [27 Sep] Dating & Dismemberment by A.L. Brody ★★★½
• [27 Sep] That's Not My Name by Megan Lally ★★★★★
• [27 Sep] Starter Villain by John Scalzi ★★★★★
• [28 Sep] The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of The Choice by Edith Eger ★★★★★
• [30 Sep] Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen ★★★★½

Challenge Check-In

My goal is 24 for the year using the prompts that are listed, I got one more done this month. I’m still behind! Need to be at 12 by now.

1. Prompt: On your TBR 5+ years – Five Minutes Late by Rich Amooi
2. Prompt: Anthology or omnibus edition – The Natural History Novellas by Erin Mallon
3. Prompt: We all scream – horror – The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4. Prompt: Walk through history – Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
5. Prompt: Writing about writing – The Nerd and the Neighbor by Lainey Davis
6. Prompt: STEM stan – Co-Wrecker by Meghan Quinn
7. Prompt: 4 Word title – Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
8. Prompt: Coffeehouse Reads – Cleave by Boyd Bauman
9. Prompt: Creature Feature – Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix
10. Prompt: These Woods Hold Secrets – Dating and Dismemberment by A.L. Brody

My goal was 6 for the year, didn’t get any more done this past month, but I’m still on track. I did have one kind of planned, but then things got busy and I had to reschedule a review post, so I am saving that idea for next month.

• [6 Mar] Discussion Post: Just Can’t Get Enough or Do You Also Want All the Special Editions and Book Boxes?
• [22 Mar] Discussion Post: Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now, or Do you still host giveaways on your blog or enter on other blogs?
• [14 May] Lisa Loves to Discuss #1: Do you listen to podcasts?
• [16 Jul] Lisa Loves to Discuss #2: Do You Dog Ear?

My Goodreads and StoryGraph Goals of 150 books are on track with 130 books read so far, putting me ahead of schedule. I’m also still trying to keep my Netgalley percentage above 80%, and I did get it back up to 81% this month, but then I dropped to 80% again.

I decided to do the Chapter Break Bingo Challenge for August, and here are my books that fit each spot, I got all the squares this month!

• Dating and Dismemberment: Shelf love, Read a physical book
• My Secret Snowflake: Pirates – believe it or not, there was a pirate as a Christmas tree topper!
• Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour: Abstract Design on the cover
• The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Historic, Non-fiction
• Never Date the Minister: In a series
• No More Mr. Chai Guy: Read an ebook
• Becoming a Queen: Life lessons, Self help
• That’s Not My Name: Library book, Twisty plot
• Don’t You Forget About Tea: Sunshine, Police
• This is Not a Holiday Romance: Book club (tour) read
• Nothing Like the Movies: Set in a school, Favorite author
• The Unfinished: Fate/Destiny, Not in a series
• Starter Villain: Audiobook, Secrets
• Pumpkin Spice Spice Baby: Cover is a drawing (as opposed to being a photo?)
• A Jingle Bell Mingle: Plants on the cover
• Ex Marks the Spot: Free book

What to Expect in October

Once again I seem to be overbooked with review books. My job is still sucky. I had to quit going to see the therapist because insurance wasn’t paying really any of the fee, so since it wasn’t helping that much, I stopped. I had upped my antidepressant, but I think I might actually ask to switch to a new type because of some issues I’ve had with the one I’ve been on for a while. My mom thought she’d finally got the Branson house sold, but there were a ton of issues with the horrible real estate agent and the people buying it, and the sale ended up falling through. I’m hoping to enjoy October though with my birthday coming up, my friend’s birthday, and just I like this month. Also have a couple library events that I hope to do some networking about getting a new job for next year.

Here is my proposed TBR for September:

1. The Nightmare before Kissmas by Sara Raasch – I have an ARC of this that I had thought I’d get done in September, but did not, I did get it started at the end of September, and hope I’ve got it done to post a review on the 2nd.
2. The Fate of Magic by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis – I didn’t get an ARC, but downloaded an e-galley since I loved the ARC I read of the first one. Had planned to read it last month, but didn’t, so we’ll see when I can get it done, hopefully the first week of October.
3. Write or Wrong by Heidi Hutchinson – another SmartyPants book, egalley review should be posted on the 3rd
4. Haunt Your Heart Out by Amber Roberts – egalley from publisher, should be posting my review on the 5th
5. Christmas Eve Love Story by Ginny Baird – egalley review should post on the 7th
6. Spiced Chais and Secret Spies by Meg Easton – should be for the Coffee Loft series and I’ll post the review on the 8th
7. A Cafe Au Lait Kind of Love by D.E. Malone – another Coffee Loft series, should post the review on the 10th
8. Past Tents by Stacy Travis – another SmartyPants Romance book, this review is also due on the 10th
9. Fix Me When I Fall by Zoe Forward – I got a copy from the author, and will be doing a review for the Xpresso blog tour on the 11th
10. If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens – an e-galley review for the 12th
11. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn – e-galley review for the author’s review team on the 14th
12. Snow is Falling, Cocoa is Calling by Kimberley Montpetit – another Coffee Loft egalley reviewing on the 15th
13. All Fired Up by Allie Winters – another SmartyPants Romance egalley, review on the 17th
14. The Smell of Smoke and Ash by Patty Blount – egalley review for the author on the 19th
15. Eleven Houses by Colleen Oakes – maybe an ARC review on the 21st if the publisher sends it – but I might have told the publisher not to send it? So maybe not.
16. Wild Goose Chase by Kilby Blades – another SmartyPants Romance egalley, review on the 23rd
17. Pity Present by Whitney Dineen – maybe a blog tour review of an egalley on the 24th
18. All Folked Up by Penny Reid – maybe an e-galley review for the author on the 28th?
19. Wolf and Bare It by Anne Marsh – the last in this group of SmartyPants Romance releases – will read the egalley and post my review on the 31st. Perfect Halloween review I’ll bet!
20. Still not sure when/if I’ll get any BTB books in, so I won’t list any for sure.
21. I’m working on audiobooks of the possible Gateway nominees for next school year, so will probably have a few of those as they become available through my library’s digital audiobook source Libby.

Final Thoughts

Still waiting to get my fence fixed and a new shed, kind of like I was at the end of last month, lol. With the sale of my mom’s Branson house falling through, not sure if she’ll have more time to help me with that like I’d hoped.

October is my birthday month. And my friend’s as well. I’m hoping to be able to afford to buy some things from the Penny Reid Winston Brothers Kickstarter, just disappointed we can’t just buy one of the hardcovers this time like we did with the Knitting in the City series. If you want them, you have to buy them all, and I can’t afford that sadly.

What are you planning or looking forward to in October?

Giveaway

Still have a big ARC pile, so continuing another giveaway this month. Will keep it basic again, only open to US since I’m going to have to ship. You can pick 3 books from my giveaway pile in the picture below. By the end of the month there might be more or different ones. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below the picture.

a Rafflecopter giveaway