Stacking the Shelves: The Out with the Old Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

It's still January. Yeesh. Only a few more days left, though. I'm both looking forward to it and dreading it. Work is going to suck, but February is one step closer to warmer weather. Which I desperately need right now. But, I digress, it's time to talk about books.

I went to my local used bookstore to get rid of a bunch of books. They ended up taking 23 out of 26 for trade credit. Woohoo! With my trade credit, I was able to get three Jennifer L. Armentrout books I didn't have physical copies of: Half-Blood, Apollyon, and Fall With Me. Fall With Me isn't in the greatest condition (a cracked spine and the remnants of a Walmart sticker on the cover), but it'll do for now. I'll get a newer version one day. But I've been wanting to buy the new covers of JLA's Covenant series for quite a while now. I'm glad I waited, since I got all three of these for only $9.

Up next, I have an order I made from A Touch of Magic Designs. I needed the Serpent & Dove bakery pin, so I went ahead and made a large-ish order. I also got the Throne of Glass bakery pin and two Plated Prisoner prints. And then ATOMD gave me a free Feysand print. I will be selling it. I'm not a Feysand fan. As for the pins, I wasn't sure that I'd like them, especially as I'm not super into some of the fandoms that have been represented lately, but these things are so cute and small. I kind of want to collect all of them now!

Last, I have the long-awaited Munro by Kresley Cole. I picked this up via Kindle, so e-copy for me. I don't know when I'll get to this, but I'm hoping to start it in February between my re-read of FBAA and reading the second book in the Crescent City series. I'm sweating just thinking about reading all four of those chunky fantasy romance books. At least I know Munro will be a quick read. Kresley's books usually are.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The Light Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

It's still January. Wow. This month has crawled by, but I'm honestly not ready for February to get here either. I have some major work deadlines and a couple of personal ones next month that I'm not looking forward to. However, we're here to talk about books, a decidedly more cheerful conversation.

I have two books that arrived this week. Yesterday to be exact. They barely made it into this post. I had pre-ordered Dana Swift's Bound by Firelight sometime last year from Barnes & Noble. I enjoyed the first book, so thought I might as well pick up the second. As for A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, I really, really enjoyed this book when I read it back in November via a library copy, so I picked up my own hardcover when Barnes & Noble was selling them for $13. Also, my Funko Pop pre-order of Yennefer from Netflix's The Witcher arrived.

I have some more risque fan art to share today. Heehee. All of it is from FBAA. Of course. The two art board prints are from Redbubble and the joining sticker is from Prettygal Pins. Oh, and my Arya Stark Funko Pop arrived from Amazon. So...

What books have you bought/received lately?

My Most Anticipated 2022 Releases

There are quite a few 2022 book releases I'm looking forward to, and my top 10 changes each day based on what genre I'm in the mood to read. But I also noticed a lot of my most anticipated books are by authors I've read before, so I made two separate posts for my most anticipated books. This is the list of books by authors I've read before. Last week, I posted my list of books by authors I haven't read before.

For your reading pleasure, here's my ten most anticipated books of 2022, all by authors I've read before. There are a few honorable mentions that I couldn't fit in the list. They include Bound by Firelight, Dark Rise #2, The King Will Kill You, A Marvellous Light #2, A Cruel and Fated Light, and From the Grave.

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Court by Tracy Wolff

I haven't read books two and three in this series yet, but I, for some reason, have been obsessing over a certain relationship that I've heard whisperings about on the web. The relationship may or may not happen, but it has me very intrigued.

The Inadequate Heir by Danielle L. Jensen

I enjoyed The Bridge Kingdom duology, though it wasn't my favorite. I'm still excited for this one, and I hope it improves on some of the things the original books lacked.

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan

I enjoyed the ending of the first book in this duology, so I'm looking forward to reading the last book. I don't really have any major hopes for any of the characters, as I think they're all kind of terrible, but I'm hoping for a good finale.

Glow by Raven Kennedy

I think this is the last book in the Plated  Prisoner series. I just got caught up in December, so I'm ready to finish out the series and see what happens to Auren and Rip.

Vows of Empire by Emily Skrutskie

I wasn't expecting to like the second book as much as I did, so I'm actually very excited for book three. I'm hoping to get a review copy of it so I don't have to wait as long. We shall see if it pops up on NetGalley. This series reminds me the Aurora Cycle with more romantic tension. Yay!

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

I didn't like the ending to book one, but I'm finding myself anticipating the sequel more and more as the release date gets closer. If SJM pulls another Tamlin/Dorian/Chaol with this series, I may end up quitting her books. It really bums me out to change love interests. Plus, Hunt doesn't deserve the hate.

Reign by Cora Carmack

Is this book actually going to be released in 2022? Probably not. Will I hope it comes out anyway? Yep. I really want to finish up this trilogy, but I see no point in reading book two until book three comes out. If I wait, I only have to re-read the first book instead of two.

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty

I am so ready for this. I really want to dive back into the Daevabad world. Plus, I hope FairyLoot does a special edition to match their others.

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Loved the first book. Am I scared book two won't live up to the awesomeness? Yes. Do I still think it'll be a good time? Yep. This also comes out during my birthday month, so yay for me!

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I was very disappointed with book three in this series, so I'm crossing my fingers TWOTQ fixes my meh feelings. The ending of book three was fantastic, while the beginning was very bad. So at least the leaping off point for this installment won't bring the book down.

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Alright, there you have it. My most anticipated 2022 books by authors I've read before. What 2022 books are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments section.

My 2022 Reading Goals

I'm so ready to read some good books in 2022! 2021's reading year was a little meh quality-wise. Quantity-wise was fine, but I only had two 4.5-star reads, so the goal is to get more fantastic books in my reading life.

 

In 2021, I had my reading goal set to 30 books. I ended up reaching that goal fairly quickly. I believe during the middle of the year. I didn't change my goal because 1) I didn't want too much pressure on myself during a year of moving, finding a new job, etc., and 2) I think I'm over setting my goal to higher numbers. Even with that lower goal, I ended up reading 66 books. For 2022, I've already set my Goodreads goal at 30 again. I know I can do it, since I have a steady life/schedule now.

My Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge being set at 30 allows me the opportunity to chillax and just read for fun. But like the past two years, I have some additional goals. Sadly, I only accomplished two of six goals for 2021, so the goal for 2022's goals is to actually do them. Haha.

Here are my smaller personal reading goals for the year:

#1. Read 15 books I already owned physical copies of prior to 2020. This was actually a goal I had last year that I failed, so I revamped it a little. From 20 to 15 books, as I only read 10 pre-2020 releases in 2021. I still have a very large TBR backlist with roughly 200 physical books on my TBR shelves. I'd like to drastically cut this down, but I'm starting small with 15.

#2. Read at least 10 books bought in 2020 and 15 books bought in 2021. With goal one and goal two, I'm already up to 35 books, so we'll see if I accomplish this one. I hope so, as I bought 91 books in 2020 and 89 in 2021. I only read around 80 of them altogether, and this includes duplicates. I don't want my TBR to get further out of control, so I would like to bridge that gap. Oh, and this includes catching up on the 2020 and 2021 FairyLoot books I've received in my subscription box.

#3. Read A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. I finished the first two A Song of Ice and Fire books over the past two years. Originally, I started trying to read the ASOIAF books again after the final season of GoT disappointed me. I'd like to finish ASOS before the end of 2022, and it'll probably take me an entire year to read this sequel, as I read a chapter at a time. I'm hoping by the time I finish the entire series, and maybe some spinoffs, The Winds of Winter will be out.

#3. Read more new adult and adult books. I'd prefer roughly half of the books I read in 2022 to be new adult or adult. I had this goal last year, and it didn't happen since I'm attempting to also read my backlist, which is mostly YA fiction. Some adult books I'd like to get to include The Poppy War, Jade City, Nevernight, The Ruin of Kings, The Wheel of Time series (at least book one), and Malice by John Gwynne.

#4. This isn't a reading goal, necessarily, but I'd like to purchase fewer than 66 books in 2022. (Again, a similar goal to 2021.) Because I only read 66 books last year and I bought 89, I need to cut down on my purchasing. Therefore, I can only buy 66 books. I already know that 22 will be FairyLoot books, so that brings the total down to 44 books. I also have to unhaul 23 books (89 purchased books minus 66 books read) since I didn't read as much as I bought in 2021. I'd like to spend less than $1,000 on books in 2022. I'm crossing my fingers no expensive special edition sets pop up.

#5. And one of my major goals is to read all of the books I owned prior to when I moved to NYC in 2017. I've had some of these books, pictured above, for 5+ years, and that's just not cool. If I don't read them before the end of 2022, they go bye-bye. This goal will also help me with Goal #1. Title options include The Immortal Rules, An Ember in the Ashes, Legacy of Kings, The Last Namsara, Blood Red Road, The Young Elites, Eon, Miss Mayhem, and more. I hope I can do it.

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Well, those are my 2022 reading goals. What are your reading goals for the year? Let me know in the comments below!

Most Anticipated 2022 Releases By New-to-Me Authors

There are quite a few 2022 book releases I'm looking forward to, and my top 10 changes each day based on what genre I'm in the mood to read. But I also noticed a lot of my most anticipated books were by authors I've read before, so I wanted to highlight some of the titles I'm anticipating that aren't by authors I've picked up previously.

For your reading pleasure, here's my ten most anticipated books of 2022, all by new-to-me authors. Some of these I'm seriously hoping are my favorite books of the year. Oh, also, these are mostly just the titles with covers and official release dates. Who knows what intriguing books will release towards the end of the year...? Publishers can be sneaky sometimes.

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Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Witches hired by one of England's queens? I am intrigued.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

While I don't fully understand the synopsis for this one, I've heard fantastic things.

A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy

The only contemporary book on this list. While I don't really care for country music, this book intrigues me. A boy who wants to become the biggest gay country superstar and a boy working at an amusement park set to fall for each other. Sounds very cute.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

I'm solely excited about this one because of all the buzz it's getting. Normally, I wouldn't be so excited for what seems to be a very dense fantasy story with little, if no, romance. But I am intrigued. Plus, the cover is pretty.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

You'll notice a theme in this list. Lots of gay fantasies. I'm getting a little bored of the m/f fantasy romance. I want a variety of relationships. And this one seems like it will live up to that. Yay for gay fantasy stories! Please, publishers, release more!

The Atlast Six by Olivie Blake

I don't know much about this book other than that it's about six magic users, one of which will die, and it's been compared to the Magicians series. Oh, and it was indie published originally, but, it got picked up by Tor. I'll be waiting for the well-edited version to release before I dive in. ;)

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

I know very little about this one except it's fantasy with multiple POVs and some queer characters. That sounds like enough to read it, right?

A Strange & Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Fantasy romance? Fantasy romance with an arranged marriage? Fantasy romance with an arranged marriage between two gay protagonists? Yes please! I need it.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

This one is giving me Daevabad vibes. I need it. I love a good desert fantasy.

Silk Fire by Zabe Ellor

For some reason, Silk Fire's been really calling to me lately. All that I really know about it is there's a polyamorous relationship and magic. And that's all I want to know.

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Alright, there you have it. My most anticipated 2022 books by new-to-me authors. What 2022 books are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments section.

My 2021 Wrap-Up

Wow! 2021 is over! It's been a crazy year. Between moving, starting a new job, and just having a lot more stress in my life, I'm ready to put this year behind me. However, before I get into the future, I need to discuss the past. Specifically, all of the books and book-related stats associated with my 2021 reading year!

Books Read in 2021

This year, I read 66 books! Now, this isn't as great as last year, which was 75, but it's a good solid number. Especially since I did end up moving to a new city, starting a new job, and having a lot of stress about buying furniture, a new phone, etc. Now that I'm all settled, I expect I can reach 75 or more in 2022, though I'm not holding myself to that number. I'm setting my 2022 reading goal at 30, like always.

I'm not going to list out every single book I read in 2021, but I do have some fun stats to share.

In 2021, I read:

📚 40 fantasy books
📚 12 paranormal/urban fantasy books
📚 10 sci-fi
📚 4 contemporary

📚 42 young adult
📚 24 new adult/adult

📚 46 physical books bought/received
📚 16 ebooks bought/received
📚 2 physical library books
📚 2 library ebooks

📚 2 graphic novels

📚 37 books owned pre-2021
📚 29 books acquired in 2021
📚 13 rereads

📚 Finished reading 5 series that I started pre-2021.
📚 Started 17 new series in 2021 (some of which I don't plan on continuing with).
📚 Started and finished 2 series in 2021.

📚 My highest rated books at 4.5 stars each: The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes and Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin.
📚 My lowest rated book at 1 star: The Covenant by Aron E. Coleite.

Books Bought in 2021

In total, I bought 89 books in 2021. Eight were ebooks and 81 were physical books. This came out to under $1,900. This is a lot more than last year, but to be fair, I bought quite a few special edition boxes for FBAA in 2021, so hopefully, this won't be repeated. However, FairyLoot is coming out with an adult subscription, which is going to definitely hurt my wallet. But the real issue is my swag spending. I have a fan art addiction that I need to quench, as $1,500 on mostly FBAA art is just too much for one year's sum. I'll be cutting back a lot in 2022. Oh, and because I bought 89 books but only read 66, I have to get rid of 23 books in early 2022. I already have a whole bin ready to go, so I'm not too worried about it. I just need to find the time/energy to make it to a used bookstore.

My 2021 Reading Goals

Other than reading 30 books, I had a few small goals set for the year. They weren't major goals, because I didn't want to overwhelm myself while I was trying to find a new job, but they were goals I'd been thinking about for a while. (See my 2021 reading goal post for more info.)
 

My first goal was to read 20 books I owned prior to 2020. I totally failed that goal, as I ended up reading 10 (not counting rereads). The next goal was to read 10 books I bought in 2020. I ended up reading seven, so another failure. But it was pretty close. The third goal was to read A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, which I did. So success! The fourth goal was to read more new adult/adult books, which I failed at. I wanted roughly half to be adult. However, I ended up trying to read a lot of my TBR back list, which, unfortunately, is mostly YA. My fifth goal was to purchase fewer than 75 books. Completely botched that one. But the sixth goal was to re-read more, and I did! I re-read 13 books, so yay! I'll try to hold myself to more of my yearly reading goals in 2022. But really, I'm just trying to get through those backlist TBR titles.

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Okay, well, that’s the summary of 2021, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last year? If so, share in the comments! Also, stay tuned for my 2022 reading goals post!