Let’s Rewind: April 2023

So… April happened.

Prior to yesterday, it had been two weeks since I published a post or did anything related to blogging. I simply wasn’t in the mood, probably because I was doing other things. Well, let’s see what I did manage to get up to in April.

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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I guess I needed to take it slow in April to recuperate from all I did in March. I spent the month recovering from slight illnesses (i.e., seasonal allergies), hanging out with friends and family, resting, and indulging in my growing fondness of houseplants (this time last year I was struggling to keep 3 plants alive. Now I own 12 (wow!) and am struggling with 2).

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Let’s Rewind: March 2023

March… It was such a great month for so many reasons, and I’m glad I planned for it in the way I did. It was the best month I’ve had in some time.

Warning: This post is going to be longer than usually because I’m too excited to chat about where I went in March. Feel free to hop around to different sections, or skip it all.

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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Do you remember back in my February wrap-up when I said in March I’d make up for not visiting a museum? Maybe not, but that’s okay. I remembered for both of us. And yes, I made up for not visiting a museum then in spades.

2023 Reading Wrap-Up: First Quarter

Here we are at the end of the first quarter of the year, and what a quarter it was readingwise! Despite starting the year with a disappointing read, my reading slump had so receded that I wasted no time jumping into book after book. And I encountered some great reads too! I enjoyed so many of the stories I read that it was hard to choose just 3 for the Best Story category below.

Well, let’s see just how great my reading went this past quarter.

BOOKS | AUDIO | COMICS | PICTURE BOOKS

Let’s Rewind: February 2023

And another month has come and gone, this time the short one, and it really just flew by. But here we are, in my favorite month of the year. 😄

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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My plan in January to visit a museum each month took a nosedive in February. I made it to a total of 0 museums, but that’s OK. I more than made up for it this month (March, ‘cause I’m posting this late).

Let’s Rewind: January 2023

It’s been such a long time since I’ve done one of these posts (not since mid 2021, I think) that I feel much out of practice. But I’d like to bring it back this year. These posts then to be long (heh, heh), but they let me chat about books I wouldn’t otherwise review (those I reread) and share thoughts on things I wouldn’t do a separate post for.

Let’s Rewind is my version of a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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2021 and 2022 were such stressful, busy, trying years for me that I was surprised when I felt light and unburdened when January 2023 rolled around. I hope it’s a sign for how the rest of the year will be.

2022 End of Year Book Survey

I do this tag every year, so here I go again with it, looking back on all the books I read last year. It was created by Jamie, the Perpetual Page-Turner.

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2022 READING STATS

Number of books read: 35

Physical: 25
E-books: 10
Audio: 0

Number of books reread: 2
(Which, wow! That’s super low for me since I OFTEN reread.)

Number of books I Did Not Finish: 4

Genre I read the most: Fantasy

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Best book I read in 2022

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Elder Race is easily the best thing I read last year. It’s a sci-fi novella about a lonely scientist at a secluded outpost on a planet, where he’s supposed to only study the inhabitants and not interact much with them. And it’s also about a princess seeking help from a sorcerer to defeat a demon terrorizing her people. We read from both characters’ perspectives, one which seems to be telling a sci-fi story and another which seems firmly set in fantasy. I loved the structure of this story and the emotional depths it explores.

2023 Reading Plans

It’s a brand-new year and guess who’s feeling happy about it and refreshed and not slumpy at all (although, let me stop mentioning slumpiness so I don’t jinx myself).

Well, in addition to making “best of” lists and such, I enjoy making reading plans for the year, which is what this post is about. From my 2022 reading wrap up, I learned that making my reading goals manageable and not too ambitious is best. So I intend to repeat the goals I had last year, with a few tweaks thrown in.

Overall Reading Goals

Spend less.
Read more of my own books.

My plan is to read at least 10 of my own books before purchasing a new one (exceptions for series I’m reading and buddy-reads).

Reflecting on 2022: Reading

2022 was quite a year. I suffered through several bouts of reading and blogging slumps that greatly affected my reading, resulting in me reading less books than I’d intended — even though my goal was to read 30 books (my intention is always to read much more than my intended my goal).

Having read a combination of 35 books, comics, and picture books in a year isn’t bad, but (ugh!) in some ways I feel a little dejected, especially since most of the things read were short, quick reads. I just want to one year read a whole bunch and have most of what I read be novels, preferably from my own shelves. Who knows, maybe 2023 will be that year.

Well, one of the great things about 2022 is that my reading slump lifted by the end of the year, so now I am in prime reading mode and have already completed a book! 😊 So since the reading excitement is still coursing through me, let’s quickly (sike, it won’t be quick) look back on my reading in the past year.

ALSO SEE

ZeZee’s Favorite Reads of 2022
ZeZee’s Most Memorable Reads of 2022
ZeZee’s Most Disappointing Reads of 2022

ZeZee’s Disappointing Reads of 2022

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes, I’m making a list for everything, lol. J/k. But since my favorite and most memorable reads are out the way, it makes sense to share what disappointed me too.

I always feel like I have to include a disclaimer of some sort when posting lists like this about books I gave a low rating or that disappointed me since doing so is such a contentious issue these days. But as a reader, lists like this are helpful to me too, and I sometimes get recommendations from them as well. Plus I’m here to share my love of books and reading, which includes talking about what didn’t work.

I only have a few here because a) I didn’t read many books in 2022, and b) I enjoyed most of what I read.

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Wytches, Vol. 0: Bad Egg Halloween Special by Scott Snyder, illus. by Jock ★★☆☆☆

This prequel to the Wytches horror comic book is probably the most disappointing thing I read in 2022. I enjoyed Wytches, which is about a girl seeing odd things in the woods after her family moves to a new town (and much more), and wanted more after completing it. When I learned of this prequel, I jumped at the chance to read it. It’s about a boy learning to hunt Wytches and how that affects his friendship with another boy. The story was a bore for me. I didn’t like the characters, especially the protagonist’s mom, and wasn’t feeling the dialogue either. I still liked the art, though. Jock’s style certainly works for this story. Despite my feelings here, I’m still looking forward to another volume of Wytches.

ZeZee’s Most Memorable Reads of 2022

I can’t help it, y’all: I love doing these end-of-year lists and chatting about what I read and reading about what others read too. It’s such fun for me, which is why the book nerd in me is always excited around the end of December and beginning of January.

I already chatted about my favorites of last year, so now I’ll chat about books that didn’t make that list but that I can’t shake from my mind either. These are the books that stuck with me throughout the year, popping up from my memory in the oddest moments to remind me of a bit of the story or of a character or of a piece of exceptional writing or how much I admired an illustration. These are the most memorable books I read in 2022.

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The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan (Black Iron Legacy, book 2) ★★★☆☆

I was so ambivalent about this series after completing the first book that I’m surprised it has made this list. This is all thanks to Aquavenatus, who convinced me to continue with the series. The Shadow Saint is the second novel in the Black Iron Legacy fantasy trilogy (which might become a longer series), which began with The Gutter Prayer. The first book focuses on a city called Guerdon where a girl is oddly connected to the city’s bells and has visions whenever they ring. In this fantasy world, the gods are said to be mad and are at war. All other countries are caught up in the war, except Guerdon, which is trying to stay out but profit by selling weapons. But in The Shadow Saint, which picks up some time after the first book, the godswar seems to be heading to Guerdon. We learn more about the gods in this and about other countries, which I was glad for. As with the first book, since reading Shadow Saint, I’ll randomly reflect on the story, remembering how much fun I had reading and how fascinated I was by the mad gods and wondering what caused the madness. I look forward to reading the third book in 2023.