TBH I'm Glad January is Over

ramblings and my monthly reading wrap-up

I blinked, and between one thought and the next, January was over. For some reason, I hold a grudge against January and March, the former because it’s so cold and the latter because it simply isn’t spring when I feel it should be. (February receives a free pass because Valentines and my birthday, you see.) All this to say, I’m happy to turn a page on the calendar. 

Aside: Does anyone keep a wall calendar anymore? You know, the ones that our grandmothers loved, with the softly-glowing scenes of snowy cottages and fluffy sheep? A psalm floating above a white-steepled church?

My seasonal grumpiness aside, January was a pleasant month in the Hobbs household. Our local library began children’s storytime after a two-year hiatus. We (finally) binged House of the Dragon… I have thoughts about all those traumatic birth scenes, but that’s not the point of today’s post. My husband and I successfully ate no processed carbs and no added sugars, which resulted in a good deal of grouchiness on my part. And… 

I SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A MONTH-LONG BOOK BUYING BAN. My friends, I have never achieved this, and I am rather absurdly proud of myself. I completed this goal, even with two of my favorite authors releasing titles this month. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back. I’m even *gasp* considering extending the buying ban into February. It’s the shortest month so surely I can do it, don’t you think?

Books I Read in January (or, the Month of Maas):

1. Daughter of the Sun by Amanda Auler. This indie pub YA novel was a fantastic way to start the new year. Auler deserves all the praise for crafting a unique wholesome fantasy novel that will entertain adolescents and adults alike. Heartily recommend. Agents, you need to email her because this author has writing AND marketing talent and you’re sleeping on it. Or, maybe don’t email her so she can continue to bless us with independent work. 

2. Phantom by Greer Rivers. Talk about an about-face from the first read of the year. I dipped my toe into the romance-craze currently rocketing through BookTok and Bookstagram… This is not for me, friends. However, I concede that this novel is likely a great example of its genre. 

3. Crescent City by S.J. Maas. A re-read. I think CC may be one of my winter comfort reads. In my humble opinion, it’s the best of Maas’s books.

4. A Court of Mist and Fury by S.J. Maas. (audiobook). Because I loved Crescent City so much, I decided to revisit her other books. Past Abi was correct; I still don’t like them a much as CC. Will this stop me from listening to them? Nope.

5. Villains of All Nations by Marcus Reiker. This book is research for my current WIP, a pirate fantasy novel. I have nothing to say about it other than it’s been very helpful and informative.

6. Ithaca by Claire North. AHHHH this one was lovely, another 5 star read for me. The premise is similar to Circe by Madeline Miller. I think I may have to devote an entire review post to this book. 

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by S.J. Maas (audiobook). AND now I recall why I don’t like this series as much as CC. Feyre annoys the devil out of me with her internal monologues about her own general badassery. But, I ask again, did this stop me from consuming it like an entire box of Godiva chocolates? Nope.

Writing Updates:

1. Scythe and Pen update. I received news of the editor with whom I’ll be working. I have to say, I’m mildly intimidated by their resume and also exceptionally grateful that they’re working on my novel. I actually love the editing process and crave critique, so I can’t wait to see what they suggest to make Scythe and Pen a strong book. Please remind me of this when I’m weeping on the edge of a cliff after receiving their feedback.

2. New projects. At the end of last year, I successfully outlined and began a new project, completely unrelated to Scythe and Pen. It’s a pirate-themed fantasy novel. Fast forward to the end of January and I’ve completed about 40k words in the first draft. My goal is to complete half of this project before moving to Scythe and Pen edits/rewrites. I would love to have a marketable draft I can circulate to agents by the end of 2023. We shall see. Scythe and Pen took six years for me to write…

3. Interviews. Earlier this month, I was asked to give an interview for a South Carolina lifestyle magazine. At first, I assumed the email was spam… because aren’t they always spam? But after some research, my disbelief turned into flush-faced surprise. So I did the thing and received my first hearty helping of Imposter Syndrome. I don’t know if the interview will be published, but I hope it will. 

Goals Going Forward:

I hate the phrase “going forward” and yet here I am using it. So many of my past bosses beat this phrase like a kettledrum.

1. Possibly extend my book-buying ban through the end of February. Can she do it?

2. Update my Substack regularly. I don’t write short-form stories, so often I find myself at loss as to what to post here. But with the demise of static and long-form posting on Instagram, I now feel galvanized to create content for Abigail Writes Too Much. Rather an ironic title right now, since I do all my writing elsewhere. I aim to change that.

3. Read a Dostoevsky novel. If I continue my buying-ban, this goal will require a trip to the library, one with many renewals I am sure. But I can’t imagine there are too many holds on Crime and Punishment. I could be wrong and end up pleasantly surprised by my fellow Greenville citizens. Also… I just spelled Dostoevsky without double-checking and without a rogue y inserted into it. *drops mic* … *doubts self and makes sure she spelled it right… she did *

4. Continue my no-processed-carbs-blah-blah nutrition goal. Or at least, drastically reduce my intake of processed foods. My husband and I avoided processed foods (i.e. bread, pizza, noodles, fried foods, etc) throughout January. All I did the entire month was crave pizza. I have the palate of a twelve year old boy. However, I will say, I lost six pounds and the dark circles under my eyes drastically diminished (why I have no idea). Let’s be real, the world in which I NEVER eat pizza and pasta does not exist; but I quite like feeling good, so I plan to continue eating predominately whole foods and avoiding added sugars/carbs.

So enough of me. What about you? How was your January? Did you do anything fun? Complete any goals? Read or watch anything good?