I need to read a minimum of 17 books per month to reach my goal of 200 books. *Sigh* Okay then let's do this! Twenty books placed on the list to ensure I hit 17. I won't know if any book works for a prompt for the BR Read Harder challenge until I read it, so none are being assigned to that challenge in the beginning of the month.

1. Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

          - 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge (Professor Author Luv)

2. Anchor in the Storm (Waves of Freedom #2) by Sarah Sundin

         - 2020 Reading Assignment Challenge (Professor Genre)

         - Finish That Series Already 

3. The Astronauts Wives Club by Lily Koppel

         - IRL book club pick

         - 2020 Library Love Challenge

4. Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope/Voices from the Women's March

          - 2020 Library Love Challenge

5. The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward

          - 2020 Library Love Challenge

6. This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins

         - From the 24 Festive Tasks game, this is what the dreidel chose for me to read as my first book of 2020

        - COYER

7. An Extraordinary Union (The Loyal League #1) by Alyssa Cole

         - Finish That Series

8. Breathless (Old West #2) by Beverly Jenkins

          - Finish That Series

9. The Darkness Knows (Vi and Charles Mystery #1) by Cheryl Honigford

         - COYER

10. Appetites and Vices (The Truitts #1) by Felicia Grossman

            - COYER

11. Her Perfect Partner (Matched to Perfection #1) by Priscilla Oliveras

          - COYER

12. Copycat Killing (Magical Cats Mystery #3) by Sofie Kelly

          - COYER

13. The Scandalous Suffragette by Elizabeth Redgold

           - COYER

14. Tycoon (The Knickerbocker Club #0.5) by Joanna Shupe

          - COYER

          - Finish That Series Already

15. Year One (The Chronicles of the One #1) by Nora Roberts

         - COYER

16. Smooth Talking Cowboy (Gold Valley #1) by Maisey Yates

          - COYER

17. Opposites Attract (Nerds of Paradise #1) by Merry Farmer

18. The Preacher's Promise (Home to Milford College #1) by Piper Huguley

          - COYER

19. That Healing Touch (Cutter's Creek #1) by Kit Morgan

        - COYER

20. Once Upon a Wedding: A Fiction from the Heart Second Chances Anthology by Various Authors

     - To dip in between books

*bookish series created by Moonlight Reader

Recently went through and updated my Planning to Read shelf here on BL and my Want to Read shelf on GR. This includes both my physical and digital books; it also includes a few books I plan to read from the library.

My TBR's number is *Drum Roll* 299.

UGH. Double UGH. Triple UGH.

So for one, I am putting myself on a no spend quarter. No more impulse buys because a blogger like the book or everyone is raving about this new author. Also, NO MORE FREEBIES FROM THE NOOK STORE - not even to find a book to fit a prompt for a challenge/game. This also means staying away from physical book stores and library sales for awhile.

For two, I am going back to TBR Thursdays.* When I made these posts I realized I much more in control of the TBR pile I had and liked seeing the books read versus what was added. I am in the beginning stages of building my reading goals for next year and want a clear view of where I am starting and how I am (or not) progressing; TBR Thursdays are my tools. 

Print additions

1. Lab Girl by Hope Jahern (for book club/gifted)

NOOK additions

2. Dalliances & Devotion (The Truitts #2) by Felicia Grossman (historical romance set during the Gilded Age)

3. Short-Straw Bride (Archer Brothers #1) by Karen Witemeyer (historical romance set in the west) - I checked my libraries' catalog and OverDrive and no dice

Kindle additions

Nothing

Library Borrows

Physical:

4. Well, That Escalated Quickly by Franchesca Ramsey

5. A Colony in a Nation by Chris Hayes

6. Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb

Digital:

Nothing

NOOK read

Nothing

Kindle read

Nothing

Library Returns

Nothing

*Total TBR #: 299

This was a brilliant sequel that was just as funny and clever as the first book. It was nice getting to see things from Julia's point of view, and comparing her character arc with Quentin's. In fact I ended up liking Julia more than Quentin, though I do still like Quentin.

I loved Julia's online family/support group, and how it "wasn't a meatspace thing." Julia "opened herself up to them in a way she never had to anyone...She poured out her broken heart to the Free Traders, and they took it and cleaned it up and fixed it up and gave it back to her fresh and bloody and pumping again." It's great to see the the value of long-distance relationships being taken seriously. I can relate to feeling like the only people who really know and accept you unconditionally are people you'll probably never meet in person and who live across the globe. There was a time when I was like Julia, carrying around my "pocket friends" and living in my own digital world with them all day every day. It was great to see that kind of situation represented in a narrative.