New Year, New Resolve: Monthly Wrap Up for January

January Chat Sesh

Hello friends, and welcome to my monthly wrap up for January!

If you’re new to the blog, this Monthly Books and Blogging Wrap Up is a segment I (try to) do each month. In this series, I share books I’ve read, blogging updates, and any important personal experiences from the month.

So, now, here’s my life and blog wrap up for January.

☆ ☆ ☆

Lets Chat! My Wrap Up for January

New Years

I was lucky enough to spend New Year’s with loved ones this year. John and I saw his family for dinner and then got together with my family for a NYE game night.

Related Read: New Year, New Love Life: 10 New Year Resolutions to Improve Your Relationship

As far as resolutions go, I don’t always make traditional “resolutions,” but I do usually try to set a few goals for myself. This year, I actually decided to make two:

1. Start a Workout Routine again

2. Work on my Writing More

One of my main goals this year is to find a publisher for my novel and to start doing more freelance writing work. There’s been plenty of rejection, but I’m going to keep pushing. Hopefully it’ll pay off.

☆

Blogging Life

Well, earlier this month, I got this fun WordPress notification that my site has officially passed 10,000 views.

It definitely took some time, but lately I’ve been getting over 1.5 thousand views monthly. And hopefully it keeps going up!

My 100th Blog Post

And here’s another big milestone event for the site. This monthly wrap up for January marks my official 100th blog post! (And, yes, I did have to push one scheduled post back until tomorrow to make that happen.) But still! It seems pretty wild to me that I’ve published 100 posts over the last year.

Initially, I thought of trying to do something special or interesting for my 100th post. But I didn’t actually notice it until last week, and I just… got a little lazy I guess. So, I just thought I’d throw it in here as a mini-achievement.

The Badass Bloggers Award

This month I also introduced the Badass Bloggers Award. I’ve actually been wanting to create my own blogging award for some time now, so I was excited to finally see this one through. If you missed my post about it, the Badass Blogges Award is my way of giving some extra motivation and encouragement to all the bloggers out there.

☆

Reading Wrap Up of January

Lately, I’ve been averaging about 3-4 books a month. It’s not as high as it’s been in the past, but it’s not bad. Sometimes, when I finish reading a book, I find it hard to choose what to read next! Do you all have that issue too?

Anyway, here’s what I read for January:

Shoulder Season • Christina Clancy

Genre: Women’s Fiction; Domestic Fiction; Historical Fiction

I started this book towards the end of December and if it weren’t for the holidays, I would’ve finished it way faster. It grabbed my attention immediately and I didn’t want to put it down!

The novel follows 19-year-old Sherri as she begins working at Lake Geneva’s Playboy Club in 1981. It’s a heartfelt coming-of-age story as she develops new friendships, new love interests, and new experiences. And it’s also a heady peek inside the Playboy Club culture.

4.5

★★★★★

His and Hers • Alice Feeney

Genre: Psychological Thriller

I recently read Alice Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors, and while I enjoyed it, I strongly preferred His and Hers.

It’s got the same type of edge-of-your-seat psychological energy, but I found the characters more compelling. The story line, too, was more gripping in my opinion. And finally, the twist. It genuinely did keep me guessing until the very end.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves a good thriller.

4.0

★★★★★

Wish You Were Here • Jodi Picoult

Genre: Literary Fiction; Contemporary Fiction

Jodi Picoult is one of those authors who’s on my auto-read list. Anytime a new book of hers comes out, I’m going to pick it up.

Wish You Were Here is set in early 2020 and takes an in-depth look at how the pandemic impacted our daily lives. It’s nearly impossible to review without giving spoilers, so I’ll just say this: it’s not my favorite Jodi Picoult novel, but it’s worth a read. (You can see my full spoiler-heavy review on goodreads.)

3.5

★★★★★

☆

Monthly Faves

Looking at my favorite products from January, I’m still sticking with the BeautyStat moisturizer. I got to try it out last month in my Allure Beauty Box subscription and it’s become one of my all-time favorites. Every night, I put it on after a serum and it always makes my skin feel incredible.

This month, John actually bought these Foot Peel masks for us to try out. It was… different. Initially after using it, your skin feels really dry and flaky. Then, a few days later, you start to peel. And by ‘peel’ I mean that pieces of dead skin literally start to fall off. It’s a little gross, but it does leave you with softer, smoother feet.

And finally, I’ve started using this tinted moisturizer instead of foundation and so far, I’ve been loving it.

Related Read: Science of Skincare: Best Skincare According to a Chemist

That’s it for this monthly wrap up. How was January for you? Let me know in the comments below!

xx
Katie