Instead of participating in the Monthly Rewind meme, every three months I’ll update the world on my life from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

Through the Lens

October through December was a busy whirlwind. In October we had our engagement shots taken, in November Tasha’s debut Empire of Sand released, and in December I made a roundup of my favorite books of 2018––all seven of which were five-star reads!

Life Highlights

Part of the whirlwind of the fall months was all the wedding planning we accomplished. I found my dress and veil, we found the photographer and immediately took engagement photos about two weeks after, and we picked our DJ (three of the four things I needed last season!). November brought on Thanksgiving in town, and we had relatives from Ohio and Arizona come in to celebrate in a relaxed and fulfilling way. December was chaotic with all the music commitments, but by the time Christmas Eve rolled around I felt the joy, peace, and wonder of the season. My family also flew out to Nebraska to visit my future in-laws, and we came back in time to ring in the new year with friends. In agent life news, I’m super thrilled to share (again) the sale of KayLynn’s YA fantasy––we worked so hard to make the magic happen, and I can’t wait to share her world with…well, the rest of the world!

Bookmarked in the Community

1. “November 2018 Recap: On My Shelves” @ So Obsessed With — I admire Hannah’s ability to be a mother and still find the time to enjoy her personal hobbies. In this month in particular, she didn’t blog much but she read 30 books (*gasp!*)! It took me half a year to get to 30 books!
2. “On Playing Catch-Up” @ BookmarkLit — On the flip side is Lauren, who talked about all the reasons she’s fallen behind on her usual reading, and the ways in which she’ll try to catch up or improve her reading. Plus, I admire a good spreadsheet and goals list!
3. “My 2018 Retrospective” @ Alexa Loves Books — Alexa compiled a heartfelt post looking back on 2018 and all the ways in which she grew, discovered, and improved. It’s so wonderful especially when you have fantastic people surrounding you and supporting you in your hopes and endeavors.
4. “Most Anticipated Books of 2019” @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie compiles lists of anticipated adult books (this one highlighting the first half of the year) and I love scrolling through them! There are plenty on this list I’m looking forward to myself, including Priory of the Orange Tree (even though I haven’t read any of her other books) and The Au Pair (even though suspense/thriller is not at all something I like to read––this one looks really good nonetheless).

Popular Posts on Scribbles

Ignoring my MSWL post, which gets hundreds of hits a month…(yay!)

1. Book Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield — Setterfield is one of my favorite authors, purely for The Thirteenth Tale, and it was so great to see that storytelling style happen again in her third novel.
2. End of Year Book Survey V — I love doing this round up! It really helps you look back on your reading year and realizing which books stand out most to you. Apparently a year goes by and I’m still in awe and anguish over The City of Brass, haha!
3. 2019 Bookish Resolutions and Reading Challenges — All in all, 2018 was a difficult reading year for me, so I made my resolutions as a way of reminding me what reading is all about: enjoyment. Read what you enjoy. Life is short. No one needs to spend time doing something they don’t like, so I’ve given myself permission to set books aside even if they’re just meh.

Cherished Reads

The Romanov Empress by CW Gortner ★★★★.5

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce ★★★★★

Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris ★★★★★

Progress Update on Reading Challenges

Required Library Books: 15 / 17

The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
Saga Volume 1 || The Night Bookmobile || Sweetbitter
The Psychopath Test || Planetfall || A Long Way Home
Ocean at the End of the Lane || Small Great Things || The Innkeeper at Ivy Hill
The Glass Castle || The Circle || Goodbye, Paris

Fun Library Books: 16 / 5

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me || Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
My Oxford Year || Malice at the Palace || The Bird and the Blade
Save the Date || Radio Girls || Kings of the Wyld
The Lost Queen || The Romanov Empress || Dear Mrs. Bird 
The Glass Ocean || Meet Me at the Museum || Empress of All Seasons
In Your Dreams

Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

Fantasy:

The City of Brass || Spinning Silver || The Queens of Innis Lear
A Secret History of Witches || The Bird and the Blade
Kings of the Wyld || The Girl in the Tower || Empress of All Seasons

Historical Fiction:

Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie || The Clockmaker’s Daughter
Radio Girls || The Lost Queen || The Romanov Empress
Dear Mrs. Bird || Once Upon a River

Rock My TBR: 11 / 16

Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
Between Two Fires || Now That You Mention It || Slightly South of Simple
The Queens of Innis Lear || Royals || China Rich Girlfriend
A Secret History of Witches || The Girl in the Tower 

Overall Challenge: 47 / 45*

*It was clear I wouldn’t be able to reach 50 books, and I was bummed about that. So I adjusted it to 45 and felt much better about my accomplishment. (Yes, that’s how this year has been.)

Random Obsessions

On TV/Netflix: New GBBO episodes––for New Beginnings, the two new seasons with Pru, Sandy, and Noel, as well as the holiday episodes––kept me busy during the holiday season. I was also vegging out in front of The Office. It all began with wanting to watch Christmas episodes, and turned into a full-blown multi-season rewatch…

On Film: Finally saw The Family Stone and Die Hard on New Year’s Eve. One because it’s totally my kind of movie and I hadn’t seen it before; another because everyone’s trying to convince me it’s a Christmas movie (it’s not; it’s set at Christmas with Christmas music but it is not a Christmas movie).

In the Shopping Bag: Old Navy’s 50% sale in November burned a hole in my wallet, but other than that I’ve kept things on the down low. Girl’s gotta pay for 2019 health insurance.

Miscellaneous: I swear, I swear, this is the last time I will binge chips and queso. I SWEAR.

Looking Toward the Future

Clarissa’s Bear No Malice came out January 1, the Beau’s birthday is coming up, followed by my birthday, and lots of further wedding planning (hotel blocks, transportation, rehearsal dinner, save the dates, cake, and attendants’ outfits). Wish me luck!

What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts!