
When I looked back at my EOY post from 2023, it was a lot different. Both of these years have gone by fast, but while 2023 had some of my best times, including my trip to Scotland, 2024 will go down as the worst year of my life so far. Losing my stepdad back in May has made this a year that I’m so glad to have over. On top of that, work was hell, worse than any other year even at this same job. I’d equate it to my last couple years when I was teaching, as well as the second school I ever taught at. My finances didn’t get any better. Probably worse. My mental health took a downturn dealing with all of these things. I’m only hoping that maybe 2025 has some positive things coming. For one, I already am excited for our family Disney Cruise in July.
December wasn’t actually that bad of a month. I’d basically adopted an “It is what it is” attitude at work, which helped me a bit. I spent lots of time with family. And the week of Christmas my sister and her boyfriend came to visit from Scotland, so I got to spend lots of time with her as well. Only 3 weeks of school then winter break was almost a full two weeks. It was also a good time, really a good year, to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan.
My reading was again down this year, but I anticipated that early on and set my Goodreads goal at only 150, knowing I could meet that without a lot of stress. I really am liking StoryGraph, even tried another book app for a while, but just didn’t have the time to keep up with it, even though it had some cool graphics for wrap-up posts. Which StoryGraph is starting to add more of those too.
I got 18 books finished, that’s only 1 less than last month.
Here is my fun monthly wrap-up image I like to make in Canva. I am loving Canva, I could sit and play around with it all day!

Here are my StoryGraph stats for November 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! I thought they’d have a similar wrap-up for the year, but when I went in, they didn’t have the same graphic all set up, so won’t be sharing that unfortunately.

My December Reviews
Of the 7 specific titles listed last month, I got 5 read and reviewed, and 2 DNFs. I did get 2 audiobooks for the Gateway nominee list finished – and a bunch of short holiday novellas. I did get 4 Beat the Backlist titles read as well.
- [2 Dec] Naughty & Nice by ★★★★★
- [2 Dec] Kiss Me in the Snow by Rich Amooi ★★★★½
- [2 Dec] Christmas Games by Evie Alexander ★★★★★
- [2 Dec] Studmuffin Santa by Tawna Fenske ★★★★★
- [2 Dec] Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood ★★★★★
- [3 Dec] Grouch-ish by L.B. Dunbar ★★★★★
- [5 Dec] Forever the Highlands by Samantha Young ★★★★★
- [9 Dec] Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson ★★★★★
- [19 Dec] Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros ★★★★★
- [20 Dec] Christmas Cliche by Tara Sivec ★★★★★
- [20 Dec] Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey, Connor Crais ★★★½
- [20 Dec] All by My Elf by Olivia Dade ★★★★★
- [20 Dec] Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur ★★★★
- [20 Dec] Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria ★★★★½
- [20 Dec] The Stocking Was Hung by Tara Sivec ★★★★½
- [30 Dec] How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe
- [30 Dec] Double Pucked by Lauren Blakely
- [30 Dec] If the Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair
- [31 Dec] Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley ★★★★★
- [31 Dec] What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez ★★★★★
- [31 Dec] Stealing Second by Michelle Sodaro ★★★½
- [31 Dec] A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis ★★★★★
- [31 Dec] Hot Winter Nights by Codi Gary, James Patterson ★★★★
Final Challenge Wrap-Ups

My goal was 24 for the year using the prompts that are listed, and I didn’t quite make it. Although I did get a few more done this month, and I think more than I’ve gotten done in years past maybe? I will do a similar challenge again next year. One thing I liked was this was on StoryGraph, so I was able to keep track of my books there, and so I’ll probably choose a similar one from there. Look for my Challenges post coming tomorrow to see which one I pick!
- Prompt: On your TBR 5+ years – Five Minutes Late by Rich Amooi
- Prompt: Anthology or omnibus edition – The Natural History Novellas by Erin Mallon
- Prompt: We all scream – horror – The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Prompt: Walk through history – Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
- Prompt: Writing about writing – The Nerd and the Neighbor by Lainey Davis
- Prompt: STEM stan – Co-Wrecker by Meghan Quinn
- Prompt: 4 Word title – Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
- Prompt: Coffeehouse Reads – Cleave by Boyd Bauman
- Prompt: Creature Feature – Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix
- Prompt: These Woods Hold Secrets – Dating and Dismemberment by A.L. Brody
- Prompt: – Door on the cover – Buffy the Vampire Slayer (picture book) by Jason Rekulak & illustrated by Kim Smith
- Prompt: Share the Love – Naughty and Nice by Helena Hunting
- Prompt: Small town vs. big city – Kiss Me In The Snow by Rich Amooi
- Prompt: Character name is a color – Studmuffin Santa by Tawna Fenske
- Prompt: Title contains a body of water – What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
- Prompt: Recommended by a newsletter or podcast – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Prompt: We have so much in common – Stealing Second by Michelle Sodaro
- Prompt: Author and character share an initial – Hot Winter Nights by Codi Gary

My goal was 6 for the year and I completed that in November! I will probably do this same challenge next year. We will see!
- [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?
- [8 Oct] Lisa Loves to Discuss #3: Do You Talk About Personal Stuff on Your Book Blog?
- [7 Nov] Lisa Loves to Discuss #4: Do you keep track of what blogs you visit and who visits your blog?
My Goodreads and StoryGraph Goals were met in November as I passed 150 books, and I finished the year with a total of 182. I set my goal lower this year, because I just want to reach it and not be stressing at the end of the year if I don’t, I will probably do the same next year. I’m also still trying to keep my Netgalley percentage above 80%, and I did that! I added up how many DNFs I had as well, and for the year I had a total of 32 DNFs according to StoryGraph.
I decided to do the Chapter Break Bingo Challenge for December, and here are my books that fit each spot, I did not get all the squares this month, only 24 because I did not read any nonfiction. The bonus this month was spicy holiday reads, and I had 7 of those!

- The Stocking Was Hung – Holiday colors on cover
- Under Loch and Key – Presumed but not dead
- Cruel Winter with You – Audiobook
- Stealing Second – next book in a series after taking a break
- Forever the Highlands – read an ebook, book club read
- A Long Stretch of Bad Days – library book
- All By My Elf – food on the cover, elves/gnomes/dwarves
- Merriment and Mayhem – in a series
- Christmas Cliche – not in a series, dreams/wishes,
- For One Night Only – cheating
- Fourth Wing – shelf love, read a physical book
- What the River Knows – royalty/kingdom/queendom, not a new release
- Merry Ever After – holiday romance
- The Song of Orphan’s Garden – set in winter
- Warrior Girl Unearthed – indigenous
- Only Santas in the Building – presents
- Hot Winter Nights – finish in time to count for 2024
- After Life – Free book
What to Expect in January 2025
Well, let’s just say I scheduled a lot of review books for the start of the year, bad on me! I’m going to try a lot harder though this coming year to stop that.
Here is my proposed TBR for December
- The Path to Loving Him by Meghan Quinn – I’ve got the e-galley for the author’s review team and my review should go live on the 7th
- Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz – I got a finished copy early from the publisher to read and review. Should post the review around the 8th probably
- No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally – I got a last minute ARC of this from the publisher. I really liked the audiobook by this author I listened to this past year for a possible Gateway, so I will see if I can get this read and posted sometime soon. But only if I’m not behind on the review books I already had signed up for. So maybe on the 18th?
- Chase Lovett Wants Me by Helena Hunting – I have an e-galley of this for the author’s review team and plan to post my review on the 9th
- The Queen’s Spade by Sarah Raughley – I have an e-galley of this from the publisher and hope to read and post a review on the 11th
- Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart by Eric Geron – I think I have an e-galley of this from the publisher and should be posting my review on the 13th
- Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon – I got an ARC of this a while ago, and hope to read and post a review on the 14th
- On the Edge by Ilona Andrews – plan to listen to the audiobook of this for another Read Along with Anne from Books of My Heart. Plan to post my review on the 17th. Will hopefully have started this before the end of December.
- Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee – got an ARC of this from the publisher, and hope to post my review on the 20th
- How Do I Tell You by Nicola May – an e-galley review, I think from the publisher, should post on the 25th
- If the Ring Fits by Camila Isley – an e-galley blog tour review for Rachel’s Random Resources on the 27th
- Not Your Biggest Fan by Sara Ney – e-galley for author’s review team should be posting the review on the 28th
- A River Connects Us by Allie Winters – the author sent an email to sign up to hopefully read this one and post my review on the 30th.
- I will also have other audiobooks possibly as well as if I try to catch up on any of the Gateway nominees I didn’t get read that get chosen possibly for the awards next year. Also I have my BTB challenge all set up for 2025, so might hopefully get at least one of those read!
Final Thoughts
So how was your December? I hope you were able to get some joy out of the season if you celebrate any holidays. And I hope your new year starts off as well as it can! Did you complete your reading/blogging/personal goals in 2024? What are you looking forward to in January 2025? I’m getting switched over to my new planner this weekend! I’ve had to have both with me for the last few weeks, ready to be just down to one again. If you remember I mentioned creating my own this year using Canva. It’s basically the same size as the Day-Timer one I used, and I decided to go ahead and put it in the same Mead 3-ring binder too. I set up extra pages the way I wanted them for each month in Canva too. Here’s the covers of them and then the calendar pages right by each other.



I don’t really make any New Year’s resolutions, although I do want to start walking when it warms up to maybe get in better shape and lose some weight? We’ll see. What are you looking forward to in January? Or in 2025? Of course I’m looking forward to the family Disney Cruise in July. Do you make any resolutions? I’ll talk about my blogging/reading resolutions/plans in my Challenges post tomorrow!
Giveaway
Still have a big ARC pile, so this month I think I’ll do a bigger giveaway, 6 winners who will get to pick 3 books each! Of course it still has to be US winners so I can afford to ship. Sorry about that. I try to do other giveaways during the year with international gift cards, but not for this one. There may be a few more books available at the end of the month, and some of these will have been picked by the end of the November wrap-up giveaway. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below the picture.

I’m sorry that 2024 was such a rough one for you. Here’s to hoping 2025 brings you more joy! I personally am looking forward to traveling a bit more this upcoming year, now that I have secured a job that’s supportive and flexible with working with me and my needs.
I didn’t do much traveling last year either with the way things were, but this year I should get at least one fun trip in. I’m glad you’ll be able to do some traveling too!
I really like Storygraph too. I still use Goodreads because I have so many friends there and would miss the social aspect (not that I’m all that social there). I will have to look into Canva more closely. I have heard of it but don’t know much about it. I rely on my husband so much for my graphics and it’d be nice to be able to do it myself. Do you just use the basic service? I hope your 2025 will be better in all ways, Lisa!
Same, I still use Goodreads because so many publishers and authors use it too. I have an educator’s account on Canva, so I get to use a lot of the premium level stuff for free. But there is still cool stuff on the free accounts too.
I am sorry to hear this year was such a struggle with your dad dying, your work being so tough and your mental health doing worse (no surprise with everything you had going on). I hope 2025 will be a better year for you and that cruise you have planned sounds very exciting. Glad to hear you got to see your sister in December and have a two week vacation. That prompt challenge you did sound like a fun one and I enjoyed your discussion post. I might try get a few top ten list type posts done in 2025. Here’s to a great 2025!
I’ll be sure to keep my eyes open for any top 10 lists you post too! Having some traveling plans this coming year definitely helps. Might even go to New Orleans over spring break with my mom!
I hope 2025 is a much better year for you, I know last year was tough. Congrats on doing well with your challenges! I always feel optimistic in January about the coming year, and I hope that feeling lasts😁
I hope this January/optimistic feeling lasts for me too! I really need the just going to work and not expecting it to get any better feeling to just hang on and not get my hopes up about anything there, lol.
December was a really good month for me. I read some excellent books, got to see Les Mis for my birthday, and my daughter graduated from college. We have everyone home now and it’s good to finally have family time. January will bring my wedding anniversary and three family birthdays. This time of year is always a struggle for me mentally because of the cold, dark, and lack of sunshine even during the day (overcast most days). I hope you have a much better year for 2025.
It sounds like a great month for you! And January has lots to help you with the dark days for sure! I just have one of my dog’s birthdays in January to celebrate.
Happy New Year! December was good around here. We visited my sister’s family (and my folks were there) for Christmas. I spent NYE with our friends in the neighborhood. However, I didn’t walk much at all and ate a lot and ended up gaining 5 pounds. I plan to stick with my weekly goals starting next week. Hopefully I can take some of this weight off. As for reading goals – I made most of mine (I did reduce the numbers mid year). I also lowered them for 2025 to make it more manageable.
Sounds like a nice holiday even if it wasn’t great for working on the eating and exercising goals! My mom and I want to work on those so we can get in shape for the cruise. She needs it more for stamina than I do, I want it more to hopefully lose some weight. I set my reading goal lower again just because it was nice to actually meet it in November and be able to not stress for the end of the year!
Well your reading year was a good one. I loved having you do the WTZ Read-along with us. And I’m so glad you are on the Ilona Andrews series this year. I hope this year is a much better one for you.
Reading is probably a lot of what got me through some of the horrible times this year. And unfortunately, I think I’m not going to join into the challenge. I tried listening to the first book and gave it a full hour of listening, but I’m just not getting into it. The 3rd person POV and the way there is so much description is not good for what I can pay attention to during audiobooks. And I have no time to fit it in reading wise for the beginning of the month with all the other review books I have scheduled. I might try to pick up a physical copy and read it, and then jump back in for the second one if I like it that way.
ok and don’t forget the newer series is Innkeeper after the first four. But yes these tend to be more plot and more complexity than most romance books.
Ooh, those are fighting words! More plot and complexity than romance novels? I quit this one because it wasn’t a lot of plot that was bothering me, it was too much description of plants and forests and what things looked like, after an hour of listening I knew more about what the forest looked like than much of a plot other than they had magical powers and there was a world in between normal and weird worlds. No plot, all world building. Nothing wrong with world building, but I need more plot than that. Pretty sure most of my favorite authors have complicated and complex plot lines and worlds in their stories, even the romance authors.
I see your point. It isn’t plot really. It’s more the world-building complexity as you described. But it’s also expectations. If romance has an expected HEA one knows where it will end up. And I do expect that. But with some other genres nothing is as expected. People die or get hurt or really various kinds of twists. The thing I appreciate about Ilona Andrews is that even though the plot and world-building are more complex I find them very readable. But it’s also true that nearly every series I have read in print first. The audio was only for rereading. And I’m finding that print works better for more complexity. Unless there are lots of hard pronunciation then it’s audio all the way. So you might do much better with print. I started these with paperbacks from the library but then digital ebooks. And Ilona Andrews are also romance authors. I’m at a third of the way through On The Edge and it’s just now getting more depth in the character building.
Yes, world building is a really hard thing for me to spend a lot of time with. I can usually read a book better with that because I can skim/skip through that. But with an audiobook it is hard to do that. I might try reading the first one later this month, but it won’t be in time probably for whenever we have the discussion.
So sorry that 2024 was so rough for you. I knew things weren’t looking rosy, but didn’t realize it had reached “worst year of my life” status. I truly hope 2025 is WAY improved!
Thanks. I’m hoping just maybe not getting my hopes up to high at anything changing at work, just being accepting it is what it is can help. And hopefully not losing any more family members!
Happy New Year! Hope this year treats you a whole lot better. I’m also doing the read-along, see you there. Looking forward to it. I loved those Ilona Andrews books so much, but it’s been a while since I read them, so this will be great.
We’ll see if I end up sticking with the read-along as I’ve already DNFed the audiobook of the first one, and will have to see if I can fit the actual book to read in later this month.
I’m sorry 2024 was a terrible year for you, same here. Hope 2025 will be a better and happier year for both of us!
I hope we both have a much better 2025!
I agree about not putting pressure on yourself to meet challenges – they are supposed to be fun. I’ve tried Storygraph but prefer Goodreads and also enjoy Bookmory too. Have a great 2025 in books!
I still do Goodreads, all the books are usually there and I still have to add to Storygraph a lot. But Storygraph has cool graphs that I like too.
I wish I knew how to work Canva better! I muddle through it and not very well. Did you do a tutorial or have a class on it? I’m sorry to hear 2024 wasn’t a great year for you! I know you’ve had so much trouble with work, but it sounds like you’re finding a way to cope with a less than great workplace. Here’s hoping 2025 will be a better one for you, Lisa!
I took a class on it last summer, and I’ve also watched some tutorials through Canva Educator workshops. Which reminds me I never got to look through the last one they did that I signed up for. I’m just trying to get through the last 3 years hopefully and moving on to retire and get more of a “fun” job, or at least a less stressful one.
Hoping this year is better for you. I keep meaning to try StoryGraph.
I’m hoping it will be better as well. So far I’m really liking StoryGraph, although I haven’t given in and become a paid member yet for the extras.