Category: Wrap-Ups

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | February 2023

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | February 2023

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. Still in a great reading place this month! I managed to read the same number of books in February as January, even with 3 less days in the month! I also had a really great reading month overall with the vast majority of books at 4 stars and above. Feeling really great so far 🙂      9 books in February 9 read  •  0 rereads  •  0 DNF Pages read: 2894 •   Average rating: 4 stars Genres: 5 mystery/thriller, 2 contemporary, 1 paranormal, 1 fantasy Formats: 2 paperback, 2 egalley, 2 ebook, 2 mixed format, 1 hardcover Sources: 4 borrowed, 2 library, 2 review, 1 purchased Age Target: 7 adult, 2 young adult      Here are all the books I read this month and the challenges they applied to!      Popsugar Reading Challenge: 34% 52 Book Club: 33% Buzzword Reading Challenge: 8% Must Read in 2023: 8% Romanceopoly: 8% Mystery/Thriller Reading Challenge: 35%      Breakdown: 22 purchased  | 0 free/gifted | 5 review copies | 1 BOTM All review copies were provided for free in exchange for an honest review. For Review From Penguin: Meet Me at the Lake […]

2022 Reading via StoryGraph

Posted February 8, 2023 / Features, Wrap-Ups / 2 Comments
2022 Reading via StoryGraph

I started using StoryGraph this year in addition to Goodreads. I still use Goodreads for the majority of my book updates because 99% of my friends are still there. Goodreads is where I update reading progress, search for new books and add them to my to-read shelves, and follow what my friends are up to. Storygraph, for me, is for tracking when I start and finish books. I also like using it to better browse my shelves, especially because they have moods and pacing as options for filters – something I love! I also really like their auto-populated charts and graphs, so I thought it would be fun to have a quick wrap-up post from 2022 using specifically information from StoryGraph. It’s no surprise that I read the most pages in December lol even though 6 of my books were graphic novels, I still read the most books within that month overall. I was clearly doing catchup to make sure I finished my reading goal for the year! Again, no surprise here. Pretty sure all of the nonfiction books I read were cookbooks as well. Story of my life! I like how this is more specific than Goodreads because I have to tag my own genres via shelves. Storygraph did it for me! Not surprised whatsoever that my top books were contemporary and romance, followed closely by young adult, and then mystery and thriller. This is another fun part of Storygraph! You can assign moods as you finish reading and […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | January 2023

Posted February 3, 2023 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 2 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | January 2023

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. 2023 started and it’s like I’m a new woman (or older version of myself from pre-pandemic days when I read a lot more than I have the last two years…)! I’m off to the races. 9 books may not seem like a lot when you think about my 17-book-January, but I’m currently 3 books ahead on my Goodreads challenge. That’s all I could hope for. Even better? I’m really in the MOOD to read. Like all the time! Books are exciting again!      9 books in January 9 read  •  0 rereads  •  0 DNF Pages read: 3056 •   Average rating: 4 stars Genres: 3 mystery/thriller, 2 contemporary, 2 fantasy, 1 nonfiction, 1 literary fiction Formats: 4 egalley, 2 paperback, 1 hardcover, 1 audiobook, 1 review audio Sources: 12 borrowed, 2 review, 2 purchased, 1 BOTM Age Target: 6 adult, 3 young adult      Here are all the books I read this month and the challenges they applied to!      Popsugar Reading Challenge: 16% 52 Book Club: 15% Buzzword Reading Challenge: 0% Must Read in 2023: 0% Romanceopoly: 5% Mystery/Thriller Reading Challenge: 12%      Breakdown: 10 purchased  | 1 […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | December 2022

Posted January 16, 2023 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | December 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I’m an annoying person that feels like they have to complete everything… so even though we’re halfway through January, here’s my December wrap-up. To be fair, I read a HUGE amount of books to finish off 2022 strong and complete my Goodreads challenge, so I can let myself get some credit here! I read 7 books in November and *17* books in December lol.      17 books in November 17 read  •  0 rereads  •  0 DNF Pages read: 4068 •   Average rating: 3.97 stars Sources: 12 borrowed, 2 review, 2 purchased, 1 BOTM Formats: 9 ebooks, 3 mixed, 2 egalleys, 1 hardcover, 1 paperback, 1 audiobook Genres: 9 contemporary, 6 science fiction, 2 mystery/thriller Age Target: 11 adult, 6 young adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 1 read this month | 33/40 read total Sapphic book Calendar of Crime Challenge  Holiday in the month Breakdown: 4 purchased  | 0 library books | 1 free/gifted | 4 for review All review copies were provided for free in exchange for an honest review. For […]

2022 End of Year Wrap-Up and Stats

Posted January 2, 2023 / Features, Wrap-Ups / 2 Comments
2022 End of Year Wrap-Up and Stats

75 Books Read I managed to absolutely crank through my reading in December – I read way more books in order to meet my challenge. You’d think that would deter me from choosing the same amount of books for 2023 but believe it or not, I’ve added five MORE books to my goal for the year. Regardless, here’s my usual wrap-up for the year! Books Read I continued my path of reading slightly less than 50% contemporary! I’m also thinking of splitting out true romance books but I’m not great about determining what’s truly romance compared to just contemporary fiction, which is why I lump everything together. Either way, 49% contemporary! Not surprised to see my mystery/thriller category around a quarter of my reads for the year. I like seeing a more even split here. Not super even but closer than usual, I’d say. I also did a lot more mixed reading this year because Scribd is a lifesaver when I want to crank through a book in multiple ways. I read more owned/purchased books and ebooks this year but egalleys are still my top format. Not an abnormal split here. Most of my reading happens with my Kindle and/or via audiobooks. If I read a physical book and also listen to an audiobook, I’ll choose the format I utilized more while reading. This chart actually just inspired me to add another category (mixed) for when I read a little bit of each. Not surprising again! Most contemporary romance books […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | November 2022

Posted December 8, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 1 Comment
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | November 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I had a really weird November. I started to get kind of ruthless about DNFing books rather than sticking it out if I wasn’t enjoying myself. I quit two books this past month! I have limited reading time and if I’m not ever in the mood to pick the book up and finish it, why bother avoiding reading? I’d rather WANT to read!      7 books in November 5 read  •  0 rereads  •  2 DNF   Pages read: 2392 •   Average rating: 3.9 stars Sources: 3 review, 2 BOTM, 1 purchased, 1 borrowed Formats: 2 egalley, 1 ebook, 1 paperback Genres: 4 contemporary, 2 mystery/thriller, 1 historical fiction Age Target: 7 adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 3 read this month | 32/40 read total Takes place during your fave season (fall through winter), misleading title (not actually a rewind like time travel), name of a board game in the title (“No Exit” Calendar of Crime Challenge    Word beginning with month’s letter (N), November topic (family relationships) Breakdown: 2 purchased  […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | October 2022

Posted November 16, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | October 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I’m so behind on all the things! This is being posted halfway through November (should’ve just waited and done a combo with November…) and I’m back to being behind on my challenge. Woof. I did manage to read a bit on my honeymoon but really didn’t finish anything in the second half of the month.      4 books read in October 4 new books  •  0 rereads  •  0 DNF      Pages read: 1391 •   Average rating: 4.5 stars Sources: 2 review, 2 owned Formats: 2 egalley, 1 ebook, 1 paperback Genres: 3 mystery/thriller, 1 graphic novel Age Target: 3 adult, 1 young adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 1 read this month | 28/40 read total    Featuring a band Calendar of Crime Challenge     Month-related item on cover (falling leaves), word beginning with month’s letter (“O”) Breakdown: 1 purchased  | 0 library books | 1 free/gifted | 0 for review All review copies were provided for free in exchange for an honest review. For Review From Macmillan: Off the Map by […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | September 2022

Posted October 12, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | September 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I did a great job getting on track in August and let everything go off the rails in September. I read four books – it was a busy month between my birthday and various celebrations and taking off for our delayed honeymoon. I actually finished two books and started a third during our trip, but the latter two happened in October instead. I wanted to finish THE HOOKUP PLAN before we left but I just didn’t get to it. I have a few months to get my shit together and hopefully I’ll have a few strong months with holiday books!      4 books read in September 4 new books  •  0 rereads  •  0 DNF Pages read: 1520 •   Average rating: 4.38 stars Sources: 2 review, 2 owned Formats: 2 egalley, 1 mixed, 1 hardcover Genres: 3 contemporary, 1 mystery/thriller Age Target: 2 adult, 2 young adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 1 read this month | 27/40 read total Found family Calendar of Crime Challenge  Birthday wild card Breakdown: 1 purchased  […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | August 2022

Posted September 5, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | August 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I decided to challenge myself and read 7 books in 7 days (recap/lessons learned coming at some point…) and it was honestly great. I was always motivated to read because I was determined to finish, and really limited my phone scroll time! It’s no surprise that I managed to read 9 books in August as a result of this challenge, which got me back on track (kind of) for my reading challenge.      9 books read in August 7 new books  •  2 rereads  •  0 DNF Pages read: 2641  •   Average rating: 3.67 stars Sources: 2 library books, 2 borrowed, 2 owned, 2 review, 1 purchased Formats: 3 mixed, 3 egalley, 1 hardcover, 1 paperback, 1 ebook Genres: 5 contemporary, 3 mystery/thriller, 1 graphic novel Age Target: 5 young adult, 4 adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 1 read this month | 26/40 read total Set in the 1980s Calendar of Crime Challenge  Pub month, primary action/summer trip, pub month Breakdown: 2 purchased  | 2 library books | 0 free/gifted | 4 for […]

Bookmark Lit Bulletin | July 2022

Posted August 17, 2022 / Bookmark Lit Bulletin, Features, Wrap-Ups / 0 Comments
Bookmark Lit Bulletin | July 2022

The Bookmark Lit Bulletin wraps up the last month in reading and what was on the blog, as well as what’s coming up next. You can check out my book haul, books read, posts shared, challenge updates, etc. You can read past bulletins here. If you’re looking for more personal updates, you can check out my Lauren Lately feature; it highlights my life events and non-bookish fun from the previous 30 days. I felt like I was doing okay during July but there was a big stretch where I didn’t finish anything. I read another cookbook to help keep me on track and squeezed in one more book on the final day of the month. Unfortunately I had another DNF this month, which meant that I wasted a few days during my vacation reading something and not completing it. Oh well, August is shaping up to be way better!      6 books read in July 6 new books  •  0 rereads  •  1 DNF Pages read: 2176 •   Average rating: 3.58 stars Sources: 4 review, 1 purchased Formats: 4 egalley, 1 hardcover, 1 mixed Genres: 4 contemporary, 1 nonfiction (cookbook) Age Target: 5 adult, 1 young adult Check out my 2022 challenge sign-up post for more details, goals, etc.! Popsugar Reading Challenge 2 read this month | 25/40 read total About the afterlife, by a BIPOC author Calendar of Crime Challenge  Primary action in July, holiday in July Breakdown: 1 purchased  | 0 borrowed  | 0 free/gifted | 4 for review All review copies were provided […]