Monday, February 3, 2020

January 2020 Recap


Happy February! The general consensus from people all over my social media channels is that January was the longest month ever. Who else felt that way? It was cold and dreary here, which is typical for the first month of the year, and I went through spurts of being super productive and doing all the things to feeling completely unmotivated and exhausted for days on end. Overall, January was a good month, but I’m hoping February brings more sunshine and more energy.

Writing and reading
I published a new book in January! Hung Up on You - a sweet and sexy slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, fake-dating romance - was my fourteenth publication. The reception it’s received so far has absolutely blown me away, and I'm grateful beyond words.
I managed to write the first several chapters of a Christmas book that'll be published later this year. I’d hoped to write more, but the lead-up to publication is no joke. I spent countless hours making graphics, scheduling posts, seeking out reviewers, and doing a-million-and-one other tasks both big and small. I’m pleased with what I accomplished, but I want to ramp it up this month.
I read a total of six books in January. I participated in the Lunar New Year Readathon on bookstagram from January 24th-26th, and I’ve joined a variety of 2020 reading challenges, including Romanceopoly, Tackle My TBR, and Read Diverse Romance

Books read in January:
Getting Hot With the Scot by Melonie Johnson
Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday
One Bed for Christmas by Jackie Lau
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

If you want daily updates on what I’m reading and loving, be sure to follow me on bookstagram.


On the blog
I reviewed Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday, Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, and Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
I celebrated the release of Hung Up on You
I shared some of my favourite things from last year in a 2019 Edition of Friday Favourites

What I watched
Toward the end of last year, I decided it was finally time to watch Star Wars. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested all these years, I was just overwhelmed by how many movies there were and didn't know where to begin or where to watch all of them...then came Disney+. Also, I’ll be perfectly honest, I started crushing on Oscar Isaac and wanted to see him in the new Star Wars movies, but figured I might as well do it right and watch all of them. I started watching on the first day of the new year and made it through all eight movies; The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens are my favourites. I still need to watch Rogue One, Solo, and The Mandalorian, and I need to see Rise of Skywalker, but I wasn’t able to catch it in the theatre.
My Oscar Isaac obsession continued through the month and I watched Ex Machina (it’s official: movies about artificial intelligence are not for me), Life Itself (somehow depressing and hopeful at the same time), In Secret (also depressing, but sexy af before the depressing stuff), and Inside Llewyn Davis (also - you guessed it - kind of depressing, but Oscar sings and plays guitar, so it’s worth it for that alone).


And the rest...
I didn’t go out much or do much else in January, but I did kick ass with my step goals through the month. My bestie invited me to participate in a Workweek Hustle group challenge on Fitbit with her and six other people, and it was exactly the motivation I needed to get me moving again after weeks of sitting at my desk way too much. The first and second weeks I made it to second place, and last week I made it to first place with about a 10,000 step lead over the person in second place.
On bookstagram, I entered a rep search for Always September Shop and was chosen as a rep for February and March! Carly specializes in book sleeves but also makes fabric bookmarks and scrunchies; I bought three of her sleeves last year and I’m so excited to have the chance to represent her business for the next two months. I love supporting small businesses, especially ones run by women, and especially ones owned by fellow Canadians. If you’re in the market for some beautiful, high-quality book sleeves at a great price, be sure to check out Always September on Etsy and you can use the code SWEET10 to save 10% until the end of March.

That pretty much sums up the first month of the new year - and the new decade - for me. How was January for you? Did you read any great books? Do any writing or anything else creative? Accomplish something you’re really proud of? I’d love to hear from you!

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Thanks for visiting Ramblings of a Daydreamer! I love hearing what you have to say, and I appreciate every single comment. I hope to see you here again soon! ♥
~Marie

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