happy new year, the beat the backlist challenge is here, and more book recs!

happy new year!

I... absolutely dropped the ball on this newsletter. Three issues in and then life happened and it was just too much going on. I honestly don't know how I managed to run a book blog along with everything else.

But I did a lot of thinking and I want to keep this going, and maybe it doesn't go out every month, or at the beginning of every month, but I can promise you won't hear from me more than once a month unless something big happens. So if you'd still like to hear my thoughts on books, more on my writing journey, and everything in between, I'd love to have you here!

Let's start 2022 off on a positive note and dive in!

In This Issue

• favorite and memorable reads of 2021

• my anticipated January 2022 book releases

• the Beat the Backlist challenge is here!

• some writing and personal updates

Books

favorite and memorable reads of 2021

All book covers are linked to the book's listing on Bookshop.org. These are affiliate links and I do make a small commission off any purchases that go toward maintaining this newsletter!

This year was rough on reading (and rough in general, let's be honest). I definitely found myself gravitating toward books that let me escape everything, most of which were romances that also promised happy endings. The world was a bit too grim to really dive deep into my fantasy TBR, though I'm hoping to change that in 2022!

Of the fantasy I picked up, I have to give a nod to The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick, The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin, and Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir. I read these three this past year and loved them all. A little bit of high fantasy with political intrigue, some eldritch horror urban fantasy that exceeded expectations, and a lovely little fairy tale-esque novella that was exactly what I hoped for. 

For the books that caught me by surprise, I have to mention Plain Bad Heroines by Emily A. Duncan. It's probably the only book in this mix that is outside my usual genres and I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, especially being a thriller style story. Neon Gods by Katee Robert and The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton also had to be in here. The former was again, not my usual for a romance but I was addicted from start to finish. The latter was right up my alley and then gave me fantasy on top of romance?! I'm dying to get my hands on the sequel!

Finally, I offer not one, not two, but THREE historical romance series for you to check out! These books are the first in each series, and I finished all of those series in record time. From Vivienne Lorret is the Misadventures in Matchmaking series starting with How to Forget a Duke. The other two series, both by Lenora Bell, are The Disgraceful Dukes beginning with How the Duke Was Won and Wallflowers vs. Rogues starting with Love Is a Rogue. If you're a fan of historical romance, you won't want to miss out on these!

Here's hoping 2022 proves to be another great year of reading!

anticipated january releases

I think my anticipated 2022 release list right now is 300+ books strong, so it's no surprise that there are plenty coming this month that made the cut!

First in an Indian-inspired duology, The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman (Jan. 4) immediately caught my attention with magic putting the country on the brink of war. Add in a legendary object and I'm SOLD. Just the sort of YA fantasy I go for.

I've been a fan of the Wayward Children series from the first book so it's unsurprising to see book #7 on here. Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (Jan. 4) introduces a new school for children who tend to travel by door and I can't wait to see what this world has to bring next!

I'm not saying I will pick up pretty much any book discussing the death of gods and girls who are more weapon than human. Nightrender by Jodi Meadows (Jan. 11) was a must have for the winter reading list and sounds like one you definitely won't want to miss!

I don't remember when I put Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Jan. 11) on my TBR but I do remember that it was a near instant decision. Inspired by a Chinese legend and featuring a clash of mortals and immortals, everything screams READ ME (and I haven't even mentioned the cover yet!).

Speaking of covers, I love what they did with Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (Jan. 18). This gothic tale pairs mystery and romance, featuring a surgeon and a resurrection man and the agreement they come to that might be more than they bargained for. And yes, readers, I am intrigued. 

As for my last book (and another cover-prompted add), Servant Mage by Kate Elliott (Jan. 18) packs a punch in under 200 pages with a fire mage, a massive conspiracy, and rebels on a mission. I am READY for this journey!

Beat the Backlist is here!

The Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge has returned for its sixth year and I think it might be the best one yet! With very loose guidelines, as well as two different sets of optional reading prompts, there's plenty of any kind of reader to take advantage of.

If it sounds like something you might enjoy, consider joining in! There's even a version on StoryGraph for those who'd like to track their reading there.

Writing

currently writing…

Writing took a turn for the worse these last few months. It was... tough is just one word I would use. I thought I could write my current novel, Project Thistle, with a minimal outline of just the beginning (with plans to continue outlining as I went). Truth be told, it was an absolute disaster and has continued to plague me for months. So I took some time to actually outline the whole project, feeling much better about it, but now need to write it.

goals for 2022

Of course I still found myself setting some pretty intense writing goals for the new year, including:

• finish Project Thistle, my current novel draft (and then edit and query it)

• write 8 short stories (and maybe polish some up to submit to lit mags)

• and draft 2 more projects because... why not!

I have a more detailed version of these (and plenty of spreadsheets, of course) but those are my core plans for 2022. Fingers crossed I can stick to them!

Everything Else

Thank goodness 2021 is over!

Not that I can honestly tell the difference between 2020 and 2021. They've blurred together at this point and time has no meaning. But according to the fireworks that scared my dogs last night, we have welcomed in a new year and I can only hope that it will be better.

On a happier note, since I last wrote, I finally fulfilled my love (from afar) of the York Ghost Merchants ghost figurines and managed to snag one! This clear glass one was my first. In fact, I've picked up a few in the last couple months from online sales and the like and have begun a little ghost army. 

Cute, right? They're so simple yet so easy to collect... not a good combination for me 😅

Beyond the ghosties, life has gone on as usual. Or mostly usual. We had snow for all of one day right before the holidays, during which Gabe was in and out while he assessed his dislike of snow, and Beelzebub chose to snuggle under the covers. He's the smart one.

All in all, I'm ready to dive into the new year and see what adventures await for me. I have a few things I'd love to see happen that are mostly out of my control so fingers crossed there, and in the meantime, just have to keep on moving forward!

I hope you had a wonderful winter holiday and are as excited for 2022 as I am! 

And if you're not, I understand. To that, I offer a Simon post-belly rubs (yes, he does indeed like them, and in fact demands them just as he did right before this photo was taken). 

currently reading…

• reading… Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

• listening… Worldbuilding for Masochists (podcast)

• watching… The Witcher (season 2)

have a safe and joyful new year!

💜 austine