just finished: I finished Pretty Little Wife, which is a crazy ride of a novel! I’ll be talking about it some more later this week. I need the time to figure out what to say about it. But if you are a thriller fan, add this one to your TBR. It’s insane and also insanely good. I’ve also been spending some time with Bridget Jones. Many years around this time, I’ll feel the urge to dip back into one of those iconic books. Especially if it feels like the year took a lot out of me, I’ll grab one of Helen Fielding’s novels to remember the good in the world. I have been feeling the urge, here at the end of 2020, so I started reading Bridget Jones’s Diary. I ripped through that and needed more, so I went straight into Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Still not enough, I moved on to Bridget Jones’s Baby: The Diaries. I’m still not feeling complete, though, so I’m still going. I will probably make it through all of Fielding’s novels before I’m done.

currently reading: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (see above). I’m also reading cozy Chilled to the Cone, which I am really enjoying. I really like Ellie Alexander’s writing style. It’s very soothing and comforting, so if you’re needing some bakery comfort, try her Bakeshop Mysteries, and if you’re needing some brewpub comfort, try her Sloan Krouse mysteries (like this one). I’m also still reading Ten Rules for Faking It. This rom com has amazing characters, and I’d be finished with this one already except for my obsession with Bridget J. I’ve also started The Wife Upstairs, which I believe is a mix of a thriller and an updated Jane Eyre, and it’s fascinating so far. I can’t wait to find out what happens!

up next: I have set myself some reading goals for 2021. Some of those goals are about how many books I want to read (I set my Goodreads goal for 225), or listen to (60 audiobooks). But other goals are to finally read classics that I missed when I was younger (Little Women, Jane Eyre), to read a Shakespeare play (Othello or King Lear, because I am less familiar with those), and to read Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, because while I’ve read many of his books through the years, I have not ready any of his set in Botswana. I will try to check in quarterly and see how far I’ve gotten. Here’s my full list:

1. Read 150 books through NetGalley.

2. Read 50 books from Edelweiss.

3. Read 50 publisher arcs/Goodreads giveaways.

4. Listen to 60 audio books.

5. Read the following books: Little Women

6. Jane Eyre

7. Howard’s End

8. Othello or King Lear

9. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

10. Cause Celeb

11. The Buried Giant or Never Let Me Go

12. Fever Pitch