Month in Review | January 2015

I've been less than faithful in blogging over the past few months. There's been a lot going on (and I wouldn't have it any other way), but my blogging has suffered. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to help maintain a little more consistency. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm starting today with my monthly recap. I love doing these posts, so they're coming back in 2015! Let's get to it ...

The Stats ...
I read 20 books this month. Of those 20 books ...

• 19 were fiction, and 1 was non-fiction.
• 17 were contemporary, 2 were historical, and 1 was set in the future.
• 7 were physical books, 12 were e-books, and 1 was an audio book.
• 6 were from new-to-me authors.
• 4 earned a 5-star rating. Another 4 earned a 4.5-star rating and 8 earned a 4-star rating.
• Total page count was 4840 pages and 8:52 hours of listening.
• I'm super excited that 6 were from my own shelves (whether physical or virtual) and 2 were from the library. Reading for fun is ... well ... fun!

The Favorites ...
Of all the books I read this month, two were clear favorites. Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay (my review) and The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer (review to come later this week).

If you're looking for a great memoir with practical applications, I highly recommend A New Season by Al & Lisa Robertson (review to come). While it was the only non-fiction book I read this month, I can't imagine another book would take the top spot. :)

The Reviews ...
One of my goals this year is to write a review for every book I read ... even if it's only 2 sentences. I still have a few books to catch up on, but I'll be finished with January this week. If you don't see a review here on i blog 4 books and want to know what I think, be sure to check out my Goodreads shelves.

On a Personal Note ...
This month has been a good mix of resting in order to recover from all the craziness of the holidays and enjoying fun things to keep from going crazy with all this cold weather! Hubs and I have spent lots of time with family, even going to visit my grandparents over the MLK holiday weekend. I finished several huge projects at work, which is a nice relief. We have also started going to a new small group at church; it's nice to have the opportunity to meet new friends. Despite a couple of weeks of both of us battling sickness, it's been a good month and a great start to a new year!

What's Next ?
I'm pleased to say that I have several posts already written and scheduled for the next month. I have at least two reviews per week on the docket and am looking forward to reading at least two books this month for pleasure. Now to decide which two will make the cut!

That's it for me. What have you been reading? What interesting or new things did you do on a personal level? What are you most looking forward to in February?