Category: books

What I Read in May

Bridgett MorignaLeave a comment

Wow! I had a couple months of barely having any drive to read at all. Then something just flipped like a switch in my brain and I was reading again. It feels so good to be in a place mentally where I can immerse myself in stories.

Books I finished reading in May:

  • Nona the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir
  • The Princess Bride – William Goldman
  • The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea – Axie Oh
  • The Memory Eater – Rebecca Mahoney

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 4 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • A Day of Fallen Night – Samantha Shannon

I think reading a door stopper like A Day of Fallen Night is going to slow down my reading just a bit. It is about the length of two average sized fantasy novels. Even keeping the same reading pace I have, it will still take me about twice as long to read. It is an excellent story so I’m not complaining about getting to spend more time with it.

What books did you read in May? Are there any books you are looking forward to reading this summer? If my reading pace stays like this, I’m going to need recommendations.

What I Read in April

Bridgett Morigna

I’ve been struggling with a reading slump alongside my writing slump. Words just aren’t my friend these days. Hopefully that will change soon. I’ve missed reading stories even though my brain resists comprehending word long enough to really sink my teeth into a book. The one book I did finish this month was an audiobook.

Books I finished reading in April:

  • The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 4 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Nona the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir

What books did you read in April?

Do you have any tips or tricks for getting past a reading slump? I’m desperate to get back to reading books.

What I Read in February

Bridgett Morigna

The problems I had in January carried over into February. I spent half the month sick. I’d have maybe a day or two where I felt better and then another bug swept through the house. Everyone was miserable. I didn’t feel like reading much.

I can’t remember the last time I had a reading slump that was physical health related. I’ve dealt with being too busy and stressed to settle into a book. I’ve had slumps from periods of anxiety and depression too. Even this slump will end eventually. I know it.

Books I finished reading in February:

  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut

Books I’m currently reading:

  • The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 4 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Nona the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir

What books did you read in February? Are there any books you are looking forward to in particular this spring? I know A Day of Fallen Night just came out. I loved Priory of the Orange Tree so that has definitely been added to my TBR list.

What I Read in January

Bridgett Morigna

Oh boy. A lot happened in January and none of it was conductive to reading a lot of books.

At the start of the month I set a goal on Goodreads to read 26 books this year. That’s a book every two weeks. It sounds like a reasonable goal. January just ended and I’m already behind. There were a lot of factors playing into my inability to read in January. I’m not going to go into most of them now but a big one was having one cold after another for more than half the month. It’s made doing everything harder than it should be so of course reading hasn’t been happening.

Books I finished reading in January:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut
  • The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 4 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Did you set a reading goal for 2023? What books are you looking forward to reading this year? I’d love some recommendations to get my reading mojo back on track.

What I Read in December

Bridgett Morigna

December is always a chaotic month for me. We’re just past Thanksgiving at the start of the month. Christmastime is starting to ramp up to critical levels. It’s my birthday month. There are multiple holiday parties to plan and/or attend.

There are only so many hours in a day and a lot of time had to go to decompressing for someone as introverted as me. I had a lot of fun. It was a good month. It just wasn’t the best time for me to read. This whole year has been a struggle for me reading-wise. I love books. I miss books when I don’t spend enough time reading, but there was a lot to do.

I accomplished so much in 2022. We found a house and bought it. We moved. I’ve been slowly making our home into what we want it to be. Reading and writing, two of my great loves in life, fell by the wayside more than once this year.

I’m looking forward to that changing in 2023. I’ve set a goal to read 26 books this year. That’s a book every two weeks. It’s far from impossible. I’ve done far more in previous years, but it’ll be 9 more books than I read this year. It’ll be just enough of a challenge to push me to read more, I think.

Books I finished reading in December:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut
  • The Two Towers – J. R. R. Tolkien

How many books did you read in 2022? Are you setting a goal for your reading in 2023?

I’d love to hear about any books you think I should check out in the new year. I have some things I plan on reading already, but there’s more than a few empty slots. I love checking out new things and I can’t wait to start some new book adventures!

What I Read in November

Bridgett Morigna2 Comments

November is always a tumultuous month. After all these years I still have no idea how to balance a reading routine with a much more intense writing routine. I can either read a lot or write a lot. I don’t think this is unusual. I’m starting to consider planning “book vacations” from my writing. I’ll read during my allotted writing time for a few days and give myself a bit of a fresh perspective when I’m back at the keyboard.

Books I finished reading in November:

  • Lore Olympus: Volume Three – Rachel Smythe

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut
  • The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien

What books did you read in November? Did you participate in NaNoWriMo and find your reading getting de-prioritized?

What I Read in October

Bridgett Morigna

I’m not out of the woods yet with this reading slump, but I think I’m starting to claw my way out. I’m starting more books. I’m starting more ambitious books. That’s a good sign. Maybe all the writing in November will finally give me the kick in the pants I need to really dig into reading again. My only regret this month is not buckling down and reading at least one non fiction book on creative writing/revising a novel.

Books I finished reading in September:

  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built – Becky Chambers

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut
  • Lore Olympus: Volume Three – Rachel Smythe
  • The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien

What did you read in October? Are there any books on writing craft you would recommend checking out? I might try to read it while doing NaNoWriMo or hold off until December and use it as inspiration to keep going.

What I Read in September

Bridgett Morigna

My reading slump continued this month. I’m starting to see a connection between my reading slumps and my writing slumps. When one starts, the other is sure to follow. My writing slump started first this time and it took a little while for the reading slump to appear. It’s definitely here now. I’m still reading a bit, but it is slow going. The information from the books doesn’t want to go into my brain.

Books I finished reading in September:

  • The Galaxy, and the Ground Within – Becky Chambers
  • Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

Books I’m currently reading:

  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
  • Evasive Winds – A. R. Shellnut

What books did you read in September?

Do you have any tips or tricks for getting past a reading slump? I’d love to try something other than waiting for my motivation to read to come back on its own.

What I Read in July

Bridgett Morigna

July was not a great month for reading. I was trying my best to focus on writing for Camp NaNoWriMo. It was also overall a very hot month. When I’m hot, reading just makes me sleepy. Every time I tried to settle in and read a book, I ended up dozing off. I can read a lot once I get going, but stopping and starting really slows me to a crawl. Maybe I’m a little odd, but my brain needs a couple pages of deliberate reading to get into things so my reading comprehension kicks in and I can pick up the pace.

Books I finished reading in July:

  • Lore Olympus: Volume Two – Rachel Smythe

Books I’m currently reading:

  • The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
  • Record of a Spaceborn Few – Becky Chambers
  • Heaven Official’s Blessing: Volume 3 – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

What did you read in July? Do you have any tips or tricks for staying awake while reading in the summer heat? I’m in desperate need of advice since August will probably be just as hot as July.

What I Read in June

Bridgett Morigna2 Comments

Most of June was dominated by unpacking and getting settled into our house. Then my phone just stopped working so I didn’t have a reliable way to listen to audiobooks while working on things for about a week. I feel like I lost a lot of reading momentum this month. Hopefully there will be some lazy summer days coming up so I can get it back.

Books I finished reading in June:

  • A Closed and Common Orbit – Becky Chambers
  • The Coelura – Anne McCaffrey

Books I’m currently reading:

  • The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman
  • Record of a Spaceborn Few – Becky Chambers

What did you read in June? Is there anything you are looking forward to reading this summer?