New year, new goals, + a book sale!
A better late than never New Year's post
Happy New Year!
(Okay, so I know I’m a little late on that, but there’s been a whole newsletter THING for the last couple of weeks and my timeline got pushed back a little.1 )
I hope your holidays were lovely and that you’ve eased into 2024 with all the hope a new year brings.
Before I get to anything else, I did want to share that For You & No One Else is currently on sale for $1.99! Grab it at your favorite retailer: Apple | Nook | Kindle
“Loren’s protagonists are flawed, vulnerable, and authentic, and it’s a joy to watch them help each other tackle problems. Their obvious chemistry lends itself particularly well to the bedroom in some truly sizzling scenes. Readers looking for mature, thoughtful romance will be thrilled.” —Publishers Weekly review about For You & No One Else
The fresh start of a new year
This is my favorite time of year because I love the feeling of a fresh start. I get a lot of energy from that. Fresh calendars and planners2, new goals, new reading challenges. I just enjoy the whole vibe.
This year, I have lots of new things to be excited about!
The Ones Who Got Away series is getting reissued in trade paperback size with gorgeous new covers starting in March.
I’ve also recently gotten certified as a Gallup® CliftonStrengths coach and will be coaching other authors, which I’m really looking forward to.
And maybe most importantly, after a loooong stretch of burnout, I finally am feeling ready to return to writing. Book ideas are starting to pop up again for me, which is a great feeling. I even bought myself my word count wall calendar, which I used to use every year but had to take a break from last year.
Lastly, on the reading front, I’ve decided to go gentle with my reading challenges this year. I’m going to work on reading daily and will be focusing on backlist/my TBR. (I did a full post on my reading challenges—how I did in 2023 and what I’m doing in 2024—on my blog if you’d like to find out more.)
So, lots to do and lots to look forward to!
What are you looking forward to this year?
What I’m Reading/Listening To
The honor of “first book of the year” in my reading life goes to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
This was the pick for my library book club, and I’m happy to report that it was a delight. (And much needed because wow have the picks for our library book club been DEPRESSING AS HELL the last few months, lol.) If you need a gentle way to ease into your reading year, this book is a warm hug (or maybe a slightly slimy hug because there’s a lovable octopus character who steals the show.)
I highly recommend this one in audio (if you have Hoopla with your library, it’s on there.) Marcellus, the great Pacific octopus, has his own POV/narrator and the narration is *chef’s kiss*.
Here’s a little about the book:
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus
After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.
Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Has anyone else read this one?
What I’m Watching
Beyond finishing the latest (great) seasons of Survivor and The Amazing Race with the fam (along with A LOT of football), here’s what I’ve been watching…
I read the book Lessons In Chemistry last year (another library book club pick) and loved it, so of course, I needed to watch the show. I was nervous going in, but I was so pleased with the adaptation! I think they did a fantastic job. I binged this one in just a few nights. (Of course, even though I’d read the book, I still found myself rooting for the SAD THING that happens early on not to happen. But if the sad thing doesn’t happen, there is no story, lol. My romance writer brain still rebels though.) However, overall, this is a feel-good, empowering story.
I love Bridgerton (and the books that inspired it) so I definitely knew I needed to watch this prequel, which tells the story of how Queen Charlotte became Queen Charlotte. This had more sadness to it than a Bridgerton story would, but there is still a love story at the heart of it. And the acting was fantastic.
What have you been watching?
Alright, I think that’s it for today! I hope you’re staying cozy and warm wherever you are and that you have a pile of great books waiting for you!
Roni
I’m not going to get into it because I know most of you might not even notice where this newsletter comes from since it shows up in your inbox just the same. But long story short, I left Substack at the end of the year (along with many others) because of some decisions they were making. They’ve now reversed their decision so now I’m back because for cost, ease of use, and the commenting ability, compared to other programs, I prefer this platform.
For my fellow nerdy planner people, this year I’m switching back to the Day Designer for my main planner after a few years away. I’m still using a horizontal Cloth & Paper weekly for a weekly overview (mainly because I ordered the C&P before I’d decided to switch back to the Day Designer, lol, and because it’s beautiful.) I’m using the Powersheets for monthly goal-setting. And I’m using a large Plum Paper Teacher planner for my “done” planner (where I record what I actually did divided up by category. I have a post on that here.) I’d love to hear what you’re using in the comments!
I LOVE Marcellus! I had him marked as my 2023 book boyfriend. Happy New Year!
Hi Roni!
I read your blog post about this year's reading challenge and thought I'd chime in with to let you know that you are not alone with huuuuge TBR stacks from BOMC.
Out of the 15 books that were on my BOMC stack, I have only recently read 3!! And, that only happened because I was sick for three weeks over the holidays. Wishing you much more HEALTHY success at getting through your TBR stacks.