Winter break is almost here…

And I’m giving myself one too.

Soon my kiddos will be on school break but we don’t have many plans for those two weeks. Family time, holiday movies, rest, and long walks with the pup will likely fill our days.

While I will likely pull out my laptop during those two weeks just for funsies, I don’t plan to write/edit with purpose. I will not give myself goals or feel bad for decompressing and resting. I do plan to read a bunch of books though!

My December TBR list includes five ARCs/author gifts and lots of books to complete some 2023 reading challenges from my bookstagram account.

For challenges, I tend to pick a blend of books that I really want to read and ones that continue to fall by the wayside because I’m a mood reader. While I don’t think anyone has an obligation to finish a reading challenge—read what you want!—I personally feel a helpful amount of accountability when I set these goals for myself. I want to read the books I selected within the timeframe provided and report back with my ratings/reviews.

I have 10 books left to read before I can mark these three challenges done: New Releases I’m Excited About, 23 in 2023, and my fall 6 Books Soon stack.

I expect to fail on my 10 Before the End list—because I haven’t even started it!—but I think I can knock out the other challenges. Since I don’t mind quitting a book that’s not a good fit for me, I might not have to finish 20 books this month to mark all my 2023 challenges done. No matter what, I plan to enjoy the books I pick up and not turn reading into work.

I wish everyone a happy and restful holiday season!