2020 EOY Wrap Up

At the end of every year and the beginning of the next, I go into contemplative mode. I think about the past year. What happened? What changed in my life? What were the big things that I accomplished? What did I spend my time doing or thinking about? And then I think about the upcoming one as well. What do I want to see happen? What do I want to change in my life? What big things do I want to accomplish? What do I want to spend my time doing and thinking about? What things about last year do I really want to see change in the upcoming one?

2020...oh 2020. I think most of us are in a similar situation. 2020 was just hard. All around. We started the year with a miscarriage. My 2nd. We went from being really excited to share the news to devestated pretty quickly. My mom retired at the end of January which was super exciting for us because it meant we'd be able to spend more time with her. And we quickly developed a routine of alternating weeks. One week she would come to our house on Thursdays, and the next week we would go to her house. March came and brought with it marriage struggles along with COVID-19. We were pretty strict about the initial stay at home order and realized Little Girl would not be going back to school. At first, I wasn't too bothered. We're natural homebodies, and it felt to me like just an extended summer vacation. May came and brought with it a surprise. I wasn't ready emotionally to start trying again for Baby # 3 even though we originally said we'd start trying again in May. We spent every day of the summer in the swimming pool. Both kids learned how to swim without assistance. On top of the water, under water, jumping off the diving board, diving for toys in the shallow end. They turned into fish. School started back, and we had to make the decision whether to keep them home or send them. Ultimately, we decided to send them. I think we handled the initial lockdown and summer fine, but we were reaching the point where social isolation was beginning to have a toll on the kids. Fall came, and we relaxed a good bit. October was busy as usual with 3 out of our current 4 family members having birthdays. We started pondering the idea of adding on an additional bedroom to our house and by November we were taking specific steps to move forward. The end of November and beginning of December was full of appointments, stress, extra expenses, car trouble, and generally a lot more stress than normal. As December wrapped up, we're only a few short weeks away from adding our 5th member of the family and most of my time is spent focusing on preparing for that as well as soaking up what little time I have left with my older two kids, who are now 5 and 3, being a family of four. We're excited about 2021, but it's certain to bring with it joy and stress as well.

As for reading and blogging, I'm still doing the best I can. I exceeded or met all of my goals for 2020, but I imagine that 2021 will have it's struggles in this area. Having a new baby significantly cuts into my time to read or blog. So I'm reading when I get a chance and reviewing everything I can. I have continued DNF'ing the books that aren't connecting with me in 2020 because I've become more confident in my reading preferences. I have a limited amount of time to read, and so I'd prefer to be able to read books that I will enjoy. I'm past the point of forcing myself to keep reading a book that I'm not enjoying just so that I can say I finished it.

EOM Wrap Up Posts for 2020

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Blogging Highlights from 2020

Holly and I successfully hosted the 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge. This was our sixth year. We are returning for 2021 also.

Celebrated my 8th Blogoversary.

October was my 8th annual All Things Halloween event of Halloween-ish book reviews and such.

I didn't review any movies this year.

I listened to 1 audiobook.

I re-read 4 books this year.

I exceeded my Goodreads total books read challenge with 92 out of 52 books read (a portion of these were children's books).

I completed my Bible-in-a-year reading plan for the 9th year in a row.

I completed my Series Enders goal of 5-10 books with 10 series enders read.

Books Read in 2020

*These qualify for the 2020 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
The Start of Me and You (The Start of Me and You, # 1) by Emery Lord
*The Map from Here to There (The Start of Me and You, # 2) by Emery Lord
A Convenient Fiction (Parish Orphans of Devon, # 3) by Mimi Matthews
On Wings of Devotion (The Codebreakers, # 2) by Roseanna M White
*The Winter Companion (Parish Orphans of Devon, # 4) by Mimi Matthews
Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington
A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, # 1) by Darynda Jones
The Betrothed (The Betrothed, # 1) by Kiera Cass
The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ship, # 2) by Jody Hedlund
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Not Another Love Song by Olivia Wildenstein
The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
Maybe This Time by Kasie West
Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
The House at the End of the Moor by Michelle Griep
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
*Hidden Knights (Knights of the Realm, # 3) by Jennifer Anne Davis
Making the Play (The Field Party, # 5) by Abbi Glines
The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape, # 1) by Suzanne Park
*Selah (The Sugar Baron's Daughter, # 3) by Lisa T Bergren
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel
His Lady in Hiding by Jennifer Geigle Johnson
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
More than Maybe by Erin Hahn
Transforming Emma (Lockets and Lace, # 20) by Linda Carroll-Bradd
At Love's Command (Hanger's Horseman, # 1) by Karen Witemeyer
The Lost Lieutenant (Serendipity & Secrets, # 1) by Erica Vetsch
Little House on the Prairie (Little House, # 3) by Laura Ingalls-Wilder
A Single Spark by Judith Miller McCoy
A Gilded Lady (Hope & Glory, # 2) by Elizabeth Camden
The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha
Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker
A Proper Charade by Esther Hatch
All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
*Vow of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, # 2) by Mary E Pearson
Finding Perfect (Hopeless, # 2.6) by Colleen Hoover
Love's Mountain Quest (Hearts of Montana, # 2) by Misty M Beller
A Bride of Convenience (The Bride Ships, # 3) by Jody Hedlund
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 1) by Sarah J Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 2) by Sarah J Maas
The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court, # 1) by Richelle Mead
A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 3) by Sarah J Maas
Girl Gone Viral (Modern Love, # 2) by Alisha Rai
Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson
A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 3.1) by Sarah J Maas
Vying for the Viscount (Hearts on the Heath, # 1) by Kristi Ann Hunter
Moment of Truth (Love, Life, and the List, # 3) by Kasie West
Secrets & Suitors by Joanna Barker
Colors of Truth (Carnton, # 2) by Tamera Alexander
Fable (Fable, # 1) by Adrienne Young
Fair as a Star (Victorian Romance, # 1) by Mimi Matthews
Wild at Heart (Wild, # 2) by KA Tucker
You Have a Match by Emma Lord (review coming soon)
Betwixt (Betwixt & Between, # 1) by Darynda Jones
*Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness, # 2) by Robin LaFevers
Midnight Sun (Twilight, # 5) by Stephenie Meyer
Miss Adeline's Match/a> by Joanna Barker
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
Otherwise Engaged by Joanna Barker
The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, # 1) by Gena Showalter
The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter by Mimi Matthews
The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, # 2) by Gena Showalter
Line by Line (Love Along the Wires, # 1) by Jennifer Delamere
*A Portrait of Loyalty (The Codebreakers, # 3) by Roseanna M White
Storm Born (Dark Swan, # 1) by Richelle Mead
Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, # 2) by Richelle Mead
The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson (review coming soon)
Bewitched (Betwixt & Between, # 2) by Darynda Jones (review coming soon)
The Bad Boy and the Tomboy by Nicole Nwosu
Lost on the Way (West Side, # 4) by Isabel Jolie
A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright (review coming soon)
The Knockout by Sajni Patel (review coming soon)
Iron Crowned (Dark Swan, # 3) by Richelle Mead
*Shadow Heir (Dark Swan, # 4) by Richelle Mead
First Comes Like (Modern Love, # 3) by Alisha Rai (review coming soon)
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, # 1) by Jennifer L Armentrout (review coming soon)
The Duke Meets His Match by Karen Tuft
*Namesake (Fable, # 2) by Adrienne Young (review coming soon)
Faith's Mountain Home (Hearts of Montana, # 3) by Misty M Beller
A Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys, # 1) by Roseanna M White (review coming soon)
Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M White

Books DNF'D

Devil's Ballast by Meg Caddy (DNS)
All the Water in the World by Karen Raney (DNS)
Sherwood by Meagan Spoooner (DNS)
The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne (DNF @ 13%)
A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier (DNF @ 13%)
In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk (DNF @ 6%)
Every Reason We Shouldn't by Sara Fujimura (DNS)

How was your 2020? Are you exciting about moving on to 2021? Let me know!