State of the ARC is a monthly meme temporarily hosted by Sarah at All The Book Blog Names Are Taken meant to motivate you to finish up your long overdue ARCs (Advanced or Early Reader Copies). This is its original intention, while some bloggers have tweaked it a bit for their own purposes, such as just keeping ARCs in order by due dates. Or you can just be a hot mess like me who sometimes misses publishing dates (or ignores them altogether) and needs a way to stay organized on what has been read, reviewed, or is still begging for attention. Thank you to Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books for coming up with this super helpful monthly meme.

I finished December with 28 ARCs left to be read. 

After months of feeling like I was off my game, I finally started feeling like I’m getting back on track. I finally got answers for my medical issues and began treatments which feel like they are working! That is probably the most exciting news of the month for me, although the family gathering for Chanukah was a close second. We all had a good time, and everyone enjoyed their gifts. I’m finally getting close to caught up on my ARCs, both NetGalley and physical ARCs. I read the same amount of NG ARCs I got approved for, but I focused more on the overdue ones and those that are being released soon. My ratio actually went down for a little, but it’s back up to 92%. While I still have 1 late NG ARC following me into 2024, that’s not too bad. Here’s to a new year that’s more caught up than the last one.

I got approved for 8 new books in December:

• Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
• Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow
• Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh
• The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan
• Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
• The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
• NetGalley Reading Journal by We Are Bookish

These are the ARCs that I read and reviewed, with links to my reviews:

• Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig — see my review here.
• A Victorian Grimoire by Patricia Telesco — see my review here.
• Practical Candle Magic by Rachel Patterson — see my review here.
• NetGalley Reading Journal by We Are Bookish — reviewed.
• The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale — see my review here.
• The Natural Home Wheel of the Year by Raechel Henderson — see my review here.
• The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen — see my review here.
• Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch — see my review here.

Here are the ARCs I still have to read:

1. Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink | Amazon
2. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins | Amazon
3. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes | Amazon
4. A Bean to Die For by Tara Lush | Amazon
5. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett | Amazon
6. The Clinic by Cate Quinn | Amazon
7. The Holocaust by Dan Stone | Amazon
8. Come and Get It by Kiley Reid | Amazon
9. Since She’s Been Gone by Sagit Schwartz | Amazon
10. The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan | Amazon
11. Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita | Amazon
12. An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson | Amazon
13. Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer Chow | Amazon
14. The Therapy Room by Sam Baron | Amazon
15. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange | Amazon
16. Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering | Amazon
17. Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano | Amazon
18. Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez | Amazon
19. Dominoes by Phoebe McIntosh | Amazon
20. The Magic of Tarot by Leanna Greenaway | Amazon
21. Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku | Amazon
22. Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbiké-Íyimídé | Amazon
23. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda | Amazon
24. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth | Amazon
25. Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse | Amazon
26. Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton | Amazon
27. Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber | Amazon
28. Strange Folk by Alli Dyer | Amazon

Which ARCs are you excited about this month? Do we have any in common? Have you already read any of the ones on my list?