Anyone else feels like January just went by in a blur?

So, 2021. What’s new with you? Honestly, nothing much. Sadly, my early blogging motivation and organisational intentions went flying out the window the minute I got back to work. The intention was there, but I need to work on the execution. Nevertheless, I am happy with the content that I produced, just need to get better at the blog-hopping/engagement side of things. If you want to know what I got up to in January, here’s a quick summary below, and please share with me your blogging/life highlights.

Book Review

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Books

• Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors Read in 2020

TV/Film

• Midnight Movies – Best Films Watched in 2020
• TV Talk – Best of 2020
• TV Talk – Reasons to Watch Alice in Borderland

January Highlights

Books: Despite finishing the year with a renewed energy to read, that mood quickly diminished once I got back to the daily grind. However, I did make an effort to start reading The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty and what I’ve read so far is impressive. I have a soft spot for djinn lore and will be making a conscious effort to dive deeper into this world in February.

Music: I’m still riding my Japanese Rock wave, and with good reason since January treated me to 3 LIVE VIRTUAL CONCERTS! I was buzzing. On top of that, I’ve got a slew of new albums to get hyped for in the next couple of month.

Now, I gotta ask, would anyone be interested in an artist of the month feature on this blog?

TV & Film: Alice in Borderland was my TV highlight of January. It was tense, unpredictable, but had room for improvements. It forced the characters to consider the limits they’d go to in order to ensure their survival and face the consequences of such choices. With a second season already in the works, I am curious to see how our characters react to the higher stakes and get some answers behind the masterminds of this game.

I also finished Attack on Titan Season 3, which was a rollercoaster. This season saw some lingering questions answered, but then opened us up to the world beyond the walls and a greater understanding of the Titan’s origins and the conflicts emerging going forward. Of course, there were some crushing losses, but I will say that Captain Levi once again proved to be the MVP of the show.

Looking ahead, I’ve got so many shows I need to catch up on, but I am feeling the pull towards Crash Landing Onto You so maybe I’ll give that a shot.

Life: Admittedly, January felt like a bit of blur. January was a busy month at work, with a couple of snow days sprinkled in to liven things up. Beyond, that there’s nothing much to report. One small achievement is that I’m currently riding a 38 day learning streak on the Duolingo Japanese course. February is shaping up to be a bit more chaotic and I’m never 100% sure I know what I’m doing. 😛 We’re still in lockdown, but at least I can get out and walk. What’s been happening in your life? Let me know.

Favourite Posts in January

• Charvi @ Its Not Just Fiction shares her insight on how she decides which books to buy and discard.
• Stephen @ Stephen Writes looks at how we hear about upcoming releases.
• Krysta @ Pages Unbound spotlights 6 Publishing Trends to bring back.
• Katja @ Life and Other Disasters spotlights the book to screen adaptations coming in 2021.
• The Orangutan Librarian talks about all the positives with negative reviews.
• Tracy @ Truffle Reads looks at how she’s grown as a reader.
• Jenna @ Bookmark Your Thoughts shares her StoryGraph Reading stats for 2020.
• Lashaan @ Bookidote wonders what your reading Modi Operandi is like.
• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books shares an incredibly relatable post on blogging insecurities.
• Nick @ The Infinite Limits of Love shares over 200 romance books to look forward to in the first half of 2021

February Plans

Nothing definitive. I’ve got a couple of webinars/presentations to attend (virtually) with work and a lot of research to do. Some exciting opportunities have risen and, I’m fortunate enough to take part in them.

Regarding the blog, the biggest goal is to BLOG HOP. I always intend to, but then something comes up, or my energy levels crash and, those brilliant posts slip by. So if you have a blog post you’re proud of, drop a link below and, I’ll be sure to check them out. I also want to get back to posting twice a week, with my usual variety of books, TV, film, and music. Hopefully, this upcoming week will give me a chance to get a schedule in place.

Reading plans – Finish City of Brass. It’s a slow process, but I’m enjoying what I’ve read so far. Hopefully, I can finish the book by the end of the month. What are you reading?

If you’re still with me, I’m going to finish this wrap up with my most played song in January courtesy of SPYAIR, who released their new single ‘Wadachi‘ and, it’s been stuck in my head ever since. Be sure to give the song a listen.

What was your January highlight?
Any plans for February?