Hey everyone! I hope you’re all doing well!
So I’ve seen some things around the blogging community called “monthly wrap ups”, and I’ve decided that in 2022 as part of my blogging goals, I will try to do one of these for one of my weekly blog posts! I will do them for both my reading and my writing.
My Month in Reading
So as some of you may know from previous posts, I am doing a reading challenge with a friend where I must read one book a month. However, this month, I was able to read three books! Now, I won’t be going as in depth with these as I do on my book reviews, but I will be providing a brief review of them.
Book #1: For Freedom: A Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Bradley
This is a middle-grade historical book about a teenaged girl who was a spy during World War 2. I was able to read it all in one sitting, and it was definitely an interesting read! It was a little slow at first, as it takes a little while before she actually becomes a spy, but once you reach that point, its hard to put down! There is one gruesome scene at the beginning of the book, but the average teenager probably won’t be bothered by it, though younger kids might. I rated it four stars on Goodreads.
Book #2: To Birmingham Castle by Alicia Willis
Yes, my second book was my January read, To Birmingham Castle. You can read my in-depth review here.
Book #3: Manga Classics Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
I got the modern English version on this book, because Shakespeare’s poetic way of putting things always confused me. And I am super glad I did, because I understood the story much better in this version! The manga pictures are beautiful, and the story is classic. I rated it four stars for two reasons, however. In one of the pictures, one of the characters is drawn making a thinly veiled obscene gesture, which I was not expecting. You have to look close to catch it, as it’s very small, but it’s still there. The only other thing were a couple pictures of a girl showing a little more skin than I thought necessary.
So those were the three books I read in January!
My Month in Writing
So as some of you may know, I’m an avid writer. I love writing, and I spend as much time as possible doing it! I’m actually pursuing a degree in Creative Writing, which is how much I love it.
But anyway. Usually I do a yearly summary of the writing I do just in my work-in-progress, a large epic which needs some serious editing. However this year, since I decided to do these monthly wrap ups, I will be trying to add most of my “fiction writing” word-count. This won’t count the writing I do for school, for this blog, or anything non-fiction.
So without further ado, here are my stats for January of 2022!
My Main Work-In-Progress: ~ 30,767 words
Other Side Stories: ~ 16,600 words
Total: ~ 47,367 words
So nearly 50,000 words isn’t too bad for the first month of the year! I hope to keep this up each month, or at least stay close, to keep my writing skills honed and sharp!
Thank you all for reading my first monthly wrap-up post! How was your January? If you’re a reader, how many books did you read in January? Are you on your reading challenge track? If you’re a writer, how much did you write in January? Let me know in the comments below!
Have a blessed rest of your February! ~ Kay Leigh
Kay Adelin 