December was a busy month for me, just like I’m sure it was busy for a lot of you. It was also a time to evaluate what worked for me in 2023, what I wanted to carry with me into 2024, and what I wanted to leave in 2023. For me personally, focusing on a set number of books I want to read per year is being left in 2023. I set my reading goal at 52 books, a book a week, which is easy for me to accomplish, and focus my attention on things that really need it. I’m also going to change the way that I track my reading for the year, relying on Storygraph instead of a complicated spreadsheet that my very kind bookish friend has been sending me each year. I mean, the fact that she also decided to stop making the spreadsheet factored in, as well. 

I seem to have gotten off the struggle bus, and finally started getting back on track in December. So I made good progress on my ARCs, especially with catching up on the overdue ones. I didn’t quite get through all of the overdue ones, but I only have 6, which is awesome progress. I’m currently working on 1 past due ARC and 3 current ones, so I’m on track to stay caught up. That’s going to be a main focus of mine in 2024. 

Here are my December updates:

• I reached 560 followers, and am hovering at 561, so if you’re enjoying my blog, spread the word!
• I only have 5 publisher ARCs that are overdue, and I’m currently reading the one that is latest. I only have 1 late NG ARC, but I’m currently working on my January ARCs to stay up to date.
• Of the 22 books that I read in December, 3 were nonfiction, and they were all paranormal/new age.
• I didn’t read any of my owned books this month.
• As far as diverse voices, I read 1 book by a Black author, 2 by Jewish authors, 1 by an LGBTQIA+ author, and 1 by a SWANA author.
• For reading out of my comfort zone, I read 2 horror books.
• I didn’t complete my 12 in 12 or PopSugar challenge.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly/cumulative totals for December:

December Totals:

• Books read: 22
• Books DNF’d: 0
• Pages read: 5,781
• Hours listened: 2 days, 16 hours, 37 minutes
• Average pages: 385.4
• Average hours listened: 9 hours, 13 minutes

Cumulative Averages:

• Days per book: 3.96
• Pages read per day: 153.42
• Books read per month: 27.50
• DNF’d books per month: 1.42

Genres Read in December:

• Fantasy: 10
• Folklore/Fairy Tales: 1
• Historical Fiction: 1
• Horror: 2
• Mystery/Suspense: 5
• Paranormal/New Age: 3

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 5
• 2023 releases: 15
• 2024 releases: 2

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 19
• Nonfiction: 3

Format Read:

• Print: 9
• Digital: 6
• Audio: 7

Age Range:

• Adult: 21
• YA: 1

My favorite book of the month was The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers.

Here’s what I read in December:

• Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (The Shepherd King #2) (NG and Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• Practical Candle Magic: Witchcraft with Wick & Wax by Rachel Patterson (NG ARC) | Amazon
• #CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne (ALC) | Amazon
• The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9.5) (NG ARC) | Amazon
• The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick (Rook & Rose #2) (Publisher ARC) | Amazon

• Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros (Bookish First ARC) | Amazon 
• The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner (ALC) | Amazon
• Hemlock by Kiersten Modglin (ALC) | Amazon
• The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick (Rook & Rose #1) (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale (NG ARC) | Amazon
• The Natural Home Wheel of the Year: Crafting, Cooking, Decorating & Magic for Every Sabbat by Raechel Henderson (NG ARC) | Amazon
• The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (NG ARC) | Amazon
• Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• Anything But Yes by Joie Davidow (EW ARC) | Amazon
• The Poetic Edda by Jackson Crawford | Amazon

• A Victorian Grimoire: Enchantment, Romance, Magic by Patricia Telesco (NG ARC) | Amazon
• Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham (Kithamar #1) (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (The Nameless Republic #1) (Publisher ARC) | Amazon
• Rouge by Mona Awad (ALC) | Amazon
• You Can Trust Me by Kiersten Modglin (ALC) | Amazon

Yearly Totals:

• Books read: 330
• Books DNF’d: 17
• Pages read: 56,306
• Hours listened: 83 days, 9 hours, 39 minutes

Format Read:

• Print: 63 (19%)
• Digital: 86 (26%)
• Audio: 181 (55%)

Fiction vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 293 (89%)
• Nonfiction: 37 (11%)

Age Range:

• Adult: 281 (86%)
• YA: 46 (14%)
• MG: 2 (0%)
• Children: 1 (0%)

Genres Read: 

• Biography/Memoir: 6 (2%)
• Classic: 1 (0%)
• Fantasy: 108 (33%)
• Folklore/Fairy Tales: 3 (1%)
• General Fiction: 25 (8%)
• General Nonfiction: 1 (0%)
• Historical Fiction: 27 (8%)
• History/War: 1 (0%)
• Horror: 20 (6%)
• Mystery/Suspense: 64 (19%)
• Paranormal/New Age: 8 (2%)
• Romance/Erotica: 42 (13%)
• Science/Nature: 3 (1%)
• Science Fiction: 3 (1%)
• Self-Help/Inspiration: 2 (1%)
• Social Science/Current Affairs/Politics: 5 (2%)
• Travel/Food: 4 (1%)
• True Crime: 7 (2%)

Rating Breakdown:

• Half Star: 0
• 1 Star: 3 (1%)
• 1.5 stars: 0
• 2 stars: 13 (4%)
• 2.5 stars: 2 (1%)
• 3 stars: 41 (12%)
• 3.5 stars: 12 (4%)
• 4 stars: 114 (35%)
• 4.5 stars: 20 (6%)
• 5 stars: 91 (28%)

Page Breakdown:

• Less than 100 pages: 8 (5%)
• 101-200 pages: 7 (5%)
• 200-300 pages: 19 (13%)
• 300-400 pages: 51 (34%)
• 400-500 pages: 36 (24%)
• 500-600 pages: 24 (16%)
• 600-700 pages: 5 (3%)
• More than 700 pages: 0

Audiobook Length Breakdown:

• <2 Hours: 0
• 2-4 Hours: 3 (2%)
• 4-6 Hours: 12 (7%)
• 6-8 Hours: 27 (15%)
• 8-10 Hours: 37 (20%)
• 10-12 Hours: 40 (22%)
• 12-14 Hours: 33 (18%)
• 14-16 Hours: 14 (8%)
• 16-18 Hours: 3 (2%)
• 18-20 Hours: 5 (3%)
• 20-22 Hours: 3 (2%)
• 22-24 Hours: 1 (1%)
• >24 Hours: 3 (2%)

Where I Got My Reads:

• ARC: 137 (42%)
• Gift: 1 (0%)
• Kindle Prime Reads: 2 (1%)
• Library: 90 (27%)
• Libro.FM Influencer: 86 (26%)
• Other: 5 (2%)
• Purchased: 4 (1%)
• Read for Review: 5 (2%)

How did your December/2023 reading go?