And... I'm Back (Again)

 I hate New Year's resolutions. The whole system seems set up for failure - all that pressure to suddenly become the best version of yourself via a series of new rules or promises - it's all just too much for me. Always has been. My resolution for each year for around the last decade or so has essentially been to make no resolutions and, I have to say, it's made me a less stressed person in general, especially this time of year. 

All that said... this year, I'm dipping my toe back into the promise-making waters and resolving to re-start this blog. While in the past the abrupt changes in lifestyle that resolutions tend to bring have been proven to be beyond me - going from being a happy little couch potato to promising myself I'll work out every other day, come hell or high water; cutting out whole chunks of my regular diet to meet some kind of ultimately unhealthy caloric goal in pursuit of my 18-year-old self's body; swearing that this is the year that my introverted ass is going to accept every invitation and put myself out there more - I think that my resolution this year is going to be a little easier to achieve. 

So, here it is: I'm going to keep up with the little changes I've made over the past year. That's it. That's the resolution. I resolve to stick with the habits I've been carefully and steadily building. Habits like "do skincare," "read daily," "write daily." I'm already doing this stuff ever day, all I'm planning to change is what I do with it when it's done. Well, the reading and writing, that is. The skincare isn't something I can exactly share, right? I'm no dermatologist. I'm just a 44-year-old who wishes she'd started using retinol a decade ago. Hardly an expert and, believe me, I've got the frown lines to prove it.

The writing though... after a long break, I've gotten back into the habit of journaling and one of the things I write a lot about is what I'm reading. How it makes me feel, what a story reminds me of, why I connect with a character, all of that. So, it's not going to be much of a stretch to tidy up those bits and pieces a little and post them here. This is a resolution I think I can stick to. In the past when I've written one of these, "hey, y'all, I'm posting again and I'm going to keep posting, I swear!" entries, I wasn't already actively sitting down and putting (digital) pen to (digital) paper on the regular like I am these days, so it was a lot easier to fall right back out of the habit of posting.

So, here I go. Let's see if I can keep it up and stick to some kind of weekly schedule. I've been reading a ton and I've had a lot of thoughts which I plan to share with anyone who's interested. A sneak peek at what to look for over the next few weeks and months is here, in my TBR pile, which I've started fresh for the new year:

                             

and here, in my currently reading pile:

I've also been reading quite a few ARCs lately, so look for those to show up on publications days. First up for those will be Book People by Jackie Ashenden

and We Could Be Rats by Emily R. Austin.

 

Both come out on January 28 and both were good but one was among my favorite reads recently and I can't wait to tell you all about them a little closer to publication day. 

For now, I'll just say Happy New Year and thank you for reading. I can't wait to talk more soon.