2024 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?

Twenty twenty-four felt like the first fully normal year since COVID. The kids started martial arts and have already made it to orange belt. The first half of 2024 we were finishing our first year of homeschooling. We went to the Georgia Aquarium in January. The big kids played baseball/softball for the third year. Little Girl ended up playing All-Stars over the summer as well. Both big kids went on the annual mountains trip with my parents for spring break. We helped my parents move closer to us. It has been so nice having them only about 10 minutes away. We finished our first year of homeschool. By summer we were swimming nearly every day. And then come August, we started our second year homeschooling with Big Girl for 3rd grade and Big Boy for 1st Grade. At this point, Little Girl is more than halfway through her curriculum and Little Boy has already moved into 2nd grade math and is 10 lessons away from 2nd grade language arts. Little Boy also doing another year at Mother's Day out 3 days a week for half a day. And he's enjoys that. We joined a co-op which has limited our field trips and trips to the park compared to last year. But we have done a few--the most memorable one was the Alabama Safari Park. We also tried fall softball/baseball this year, and we quickly realized that adding this into our fall schedule was too much for us. We won't be doing that again in the future. In October we took a family trip to Fort Payne, Alabama to stay in a cabin. We also went to Rock City and DeSoto State Park. Then, of course, we entered the holiday season and before I knew it the year was over. 2024 was even busier than 2023, but we are soaking in the days of our children being so young. Our family is maturing, and seeing it happen over time is beautiful. Husband is still working from home which we all love. We have finally settled into knowing what to expect from the days for the most part.

I continued to incorporate more audiobooks into my "reading." This helped me boost my overall books read for the year. And that helped me get ahead enough to look at doing almost two book reviews a week. I have been even more lax on writing book reviews which is really embarrassing. Last year I thought 6 books behind on writing reviews was bad, but this year I'm 11 reviews behind. And I can't seem to catch up and stay caught up. In large part, this is due to the limited amount of time I'm actually sitting at a computer. But I've got to find a work around for this. I do have a major (to me) blog change coming up in 2025, and I'm a little sad about it. But we can't force things to stay the same when they're obviously changing with or without us.

I don't have any new year's resolutions for 2025, I'm continuing my focus on homeschooling my kids and whatever I can do to keep my reading and blog going in the process.

EOM Wrap Up Posts for 2024

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

Blogging Highlights from 2024

Holly and I successfully hosted the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge for the 11th year.

I celebrated my 13th Blogoversary.

October was my 12th annual All Things Halloween event of Halloween-ish book reviews and such.

I didn't review any movies this year.

I listened to 22 audiobooks.

I re-read 4 books this year.

I completed my Goodreads books read challenge with 112 out of 65 books read (including some children's books).

I completed my Bible-in-a-year reading plan for the 13th year in a row.

I completed my Series Enders goal of 5-10 books with 9 series enders.

Books Read in 2024

*These qualify for the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
The Duke and I (The Bridgertons, # 1) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 1) by Nisha J Tuli
Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 2) by Nisha J Tuli
Rocky Mountain Promise (Sister of the Rockies, # 2) by Misty M Beller
Appointment in Bath (Somerset Stories, # 4) by Mimi Matthews
How to Plot Playback by Melissa Ferguson
Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad, # 1) by Scott Reintgen
The Viscount Who Loved Me (The Bridgertons, # 2) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
All's Fair in Love and War (Miss Prentice's Protegees, # 1) by Virginia Heath
Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach, # 2) by Marissa Meyer
The Design of Us by Sajni Patel
These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows, # 1) by Lexi Ryan
An Offer from a Gentleman (The Bridgertons, # 3) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910 (I Survived, # 22) by Lauren Tarshis
To Love the Brooding Baron by Jentry Flint
I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
Queen of Roses (Blood of a Fae, # 1) by Briar Boleyn
Court of Claws (Blood of a Fae, # 2) by Briar Boleyn
Empress of Fae (Blood of a Fae, # 3) by Briar Boleyn
Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key, # 1) by Jen DeLuca
Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science by Louie Giglio
*These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, # 2) by Lexi Ryan
An Unsuitable Suitor by Sally Britton (review coming soon)
Lost Crows and Fallen Stars (Bonds of the Imnicus, # 1) by Abelia Sumpter
The Gentleman's Confession (Matchmaking Mamas, # 3) by Anneka R Walker
I Survivied The Great Chicago Fire, 1871 (I Survived, # 11) by Lauren Tarshis
Fate of the Sun King (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 3) by Nisha J Tuli
*A Proper Facade by Esther Hatch
*The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, # 4) by Mimi Matthews
Highcliffe House by Megan Walker
Going Rogue (Stephanie Plum, # 29) by Janet Evanovich
The Lady Glass by Anneka R Walker
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (The Bridgertons, # 4) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, # 1) by Peter Brown
A Game of Hearts (The Cartwells, # 1) by Joanna Barker
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, # 4) by JK Rowling (re-read)
To Charm a Lady (The Cartwells, # 2) by Joanna Barker
Nymph Totem by Brittni Chenelle
Kingdom Cold (Kingdom Cold, # 1) by Brittni Chenelle
Vows and Ruins (Legends of Thezmarr, # 2) by Helen Scheuerer
Fairest of Heart (Texas Ever After, # 1) by Karen Witemeyer
Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, # 1) by Stephanie Garber
*A Provincial Peer (Georgian Gentlemen, # 6) by Sian Ann Bessey
Serpent Sea (Spice Road, # 2) by Maiya Ibrahim
The Court that Bleeds Gold (The Gold Weaver, # 1) by Zara Storm
Lady Anna's Favor by Karen Tuft
Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry
The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats, # 1) by Mary E Pearson
So True a Love by Joanna Barker
To Sir Phillip with Love (The Bridgertons, # 5) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
Twisted Knight (Tangled Hearts, # 1) by K Bromberg
ADHD is Awesome by Penn & Kim Holderness
*Knight of the Goddess (Blood of a Fae, # 4) by Briar Boleyn
The Death King (Death, # 1) by Penelope Barsetti
Beneath a Crescent Shadow (The Balkans, # 1) by AL Sowards
When He Was Wicked (The Bridgertons, # 6) by Julia Quinn (not reviewed)
The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, # 1) by Peter Brown (re-read)
*A Dawn of Gods and Fury (Fate & Flame, # 4) by KA Tucker (review coming during "All Things Halloween" 2025)
The Art of Us by Julie Wright
The Giver (The Giver, # 1) by Lois Lowry (review coming soon)
*The Rules of Matrimony (Matchmaking Mamas, # 4) by Anneka R Walker (review coming soon)
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
Beyond the Crescent Sky (The Balkan Legends, # 2) by AL Sowards (review coming soon)
Not In My Book by Katie Holt
Better Than Revenge by Kasie West (review coming soon)
*Running Wild (Wild, # 4) by KA Tucker (review coming soon)
Shield of the Mighty (The King's Men, # 2) by Connilyn Cossette (review coming soon)
Let's Call a Truce by Amy Buchanan (review coming soon)
Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe, # 4) by Alexandria Bellefleur
Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe, # 1) by Ali Hazelwood (review coming soon)
The Serpent and the Wolf (Dark Inheritance Trilogy, # 1) by Rebecca Robinson (review coming soon)
The Wonder of Creation by Louie Giglio (review coming soon)
The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart, # 2) by Stephanie Garber (review coming during "All Things Halloween" 2025)
*A Curse for True Love Once Upon a Broken Heart, # 3) by Stephanie Garber (review coming during "All Things Halloween" 2025)
The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, # 1) by Caroline Peckham (Not pictured/will not be reviewing)
The Candymakers (The Candymakers, # 1) by Wendy Mass (review coming soon)
Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, # 1) by Callie Hart (review coming soon)
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, # 30) by Janet Evanovich (review coming soon)
Committing to the Cowgirl (Colorado Cowgirls, # 1) by Jody Hedlund (review coming soon)
Fate & Furies (The Legends of Thezmarr, # 3) by Helen Scheuerer (review coming during "All Things Halloween" 2025)

Books DNF'D

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing (DNF @ 18%)
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke (DNF @ 12% - This book literally made me sick to my stomach.)
Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams (DNF - Hard to read on kindle or computer, need physical copy) The Getaway List by Emma Lord (DNF @ 62%)
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith (DNF @ 35% - DNF review coming soon)
Lady Helen's Misalliance by Jessica Spencer (DNF @ 34%)
Princess of Air (Elements of Royalty, # 1) by Natalie Cammaratta (DNF @ 20%)

How was your 2024? Are you exciting about moving on to 2025? Let me know!