Ahh, happy new year and welcome to another year of reading with me!!
2024 was such an incredible year, I still can’t believe I brought y’all along on my reading journey for the entire year. I spent the last three quarters of the year reading at least a few pages (or minutes) every single day (I’m currently on a 288 day reading streak the day I’m posting this). I’m so proud of myself for doing so much reading but not losing any joy in it!
I also had a really lovely end of the year. I spent the last week of December and first few days in January visiting family in Austin, Texas. I got to spend lots of time outside, visit my favorite library of all time (Downtown Austin Public Library hi I love you I’m your biggest fan) and of course I got some really lovely reading time in. I chatted books with my partners mom and absolutely rushed through an ARC being published this month that I was so excited about. I read two books about climate change (and loved them both) and started on a book I put off all year. Seriously an incredible end of 2024 and start of 2025.
Anyways - I’ve got a few books on my to-read list for January. I tried to keep it relatively small this month because one of those books is LONG, but I still have more books than I can probably finish.. oops! I’m excited to get into these. I’ll let you know how it all goes next month!
December 2024 Reads
- Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx library book ⭐ 5
- Godkiller by Hannah Kaner audiobook ⭐ 4.5
- Zoe Brennan, First Crush ARC, published 21 January 2025 ⭐ 5
- The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren ⭐ 5
December 2024 Numbers
📚 total: 4 books
📖 read: 569 pages
🎧 listened: 19.62 hours
January 2025 TBR
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
- Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
- Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging by Tara Roberts ARC, published 28 January 2025
- That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey borrowing a friend’s copy
- Come & Get It by Kiley Reid library book
Bella is on StoryGraph
If y’all want to keep up with my reading inbetween these monthly posts, follow me on StoryGraph! StoryGraph is a book database and reading tracking app. I use it to keep track of my TBR, the books that I own, and the books I’m reading. I track my daily pages and write reviews as I get through my books. I really love it and highly recommend the app!
I also often share public Buddy Reads on StoryGraph that are open for anyone to join. Right now I’m planning a Buddy Read of the upcoming Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins which comes out March 18. Feel free to join if you’re planning on reading it when it comes out!
Cashew Town Book Club
I host a book club in my Discord server, Cashew Town, that is open to anyone in the community! In 2025 we are working on a little overhaul of the book club to make sure it works well for everyone involved. If you’d like to join stop by one of Bella’s streams on Twitch to get the Discord server invite, or reach out to her via social media.
Bella’s Book Recs
I’ve shared a few different lists of book recommendations (my list of books with queer representation and my list of books that are great for halloween) but I’ve realized I didn’t have just a general list of books that I recommend… so now I do! This is a list that will continue to evolve and grow as I come up with more recommendations so keep in mind it’s not exactly 100% done, but I hope you enjoy!
Great places to get books:
- Audiobooks: Libro.FM (use my referral code: lfm461686)
- Free books: use the Libby app to get audiobooks and ebooks for free with your library card
- Public domain books: use the Project Gutenberg website to view ebooks and digital copies of books in the public domain
- Digital ARC books for reviewers: NetGalley