month in review: november 2022 reading wrap up

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Happy December everyone! How is it already the last month of the year? I haven't written a wrap up in a very long time, but since I got more into blogging in November again, I figured I'd revisit the old tradition. It's hard to believe that this corner of the Internet has been mine for almost seven years. Seven years. And yet here I still am. I definitely took some major breaks from blogging this year and over the last few years. I've thought about closing the door on Reading, Writing, and Me so many times. But I always come back eventually, and I love that I've always had this anchor here no matter where the current moment is taking me. 

I have plans to write a post soon about getting back into reading and what's changed in my life that's made reading and thereby blogging more of a priority. I'm glad I'm finally finding the joy in blogging again, though, because for a long time, even if I did finish a book or two, I didn't want to write about it. I've learned that I just need to give myself space and the permission to take breaks and fall back in love with my pursuits again. I'm learning to trust that I always come around eventually. And it's wild to see how many people have stuck around and continued reading the old reviews and interviews and followed the Instagram even when I disappeared. It makes me feel like I've built something really worthwhile.

Anyway, that's enough sappiness. All of that is to say that I've been really enjoying hanging out here and in the book community more. Expect to see plenty more of me on here now that I'm wrapping up my last few finals and will have a month to do nothing but read and exist on the Internet. I'm planning a holiday gift guide, an epic 2022 Best of List, many more reviews, a recap of my 2022 reading and 2023 goals, and a post about how I quit TikTok for reading. In the new year, I'm hoping to even get back into talking to authors! But that's more for later. 

Also, I just wanted to throw in a quick note that if you're not aware of it, the Harper Collins Union is on strike at the moment. They're fighting for a much needed pay increase to simply survive in NYC, and they're putting in the much needed hard work to try to make publishing a viable career. Everyone deserves a living wage, and you can learn more about their efforts and how to help from their Twitter.

I finished four books for the month of November, which is equal to what I managed to finish in October. In September, I only read one book total, so finishing one a week has felt like a pretty big win. I also got to read a fun assortment of books this month finishing an essay collection and a short story collection (two kinds of books I don't read very often) as well as two novels. Interestingly, it was Cazzie David's essay collection that wound up being the only standout book of the month, but I'm learning to really enjoy the sentences and small moments in books that might not be spectacular in their totality, so I still really appreciated the reading that I did this month. 

I purchased two books during a brief trip to one of my favorite little bookstores in LA, Stories in Echo Park. On my way home from the Silver Lake Flea Market, I couldn't resist the chance to browse at an indie, so I popped in. There's a pretty limited selection at this store, and it gets crowded quite easily, but I always enjoy looking around here. They also have a full coffee shop inside and a great outdoor patio, so it's a great spot to get some work done if you're in the neighborhood. Another thing I love about the store is that their back wall of fiction seems mostly focused on paperbacks which is a bookstore rarity, and it's very well curated. I picked up 2 millennial pink paperbacks from that trip–Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory and The Idiot. 

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