My apologies on how late this post is- this post is recapping my progress on my Book Goals for the second quarter of the year, ie. April, May, and June. With how busy June was and the hiatus, I had to postpone this a bit. Given that I was packing to move in May and June, I felt like I wasn’t reading as much as I normally do. However, upon looking back, I realised that I was actually able to get through many audiobooks. (And not to mention, a few bigger books from the library, like Queen Charlotte!) Let’s get into Books Goals 2023- Update 2!
Use Library and NetGalley for 60%+ of Books- 71% (22/31 books this quarter)
Well, I have to say, I have turned a BIG corner in using NetGalley and the public library for my reading needs. My default when looking up already published books is to check Libby and the library for physical copies immediately. And if the public library does not have any formats of the book, I put a smart tag on it on Libby so that I am notified when it is available. (You have to put alerts on specific formats, so if you want an audiobook, you need to put a smart tag on the audiobook specifically.) Interestingly on Libby, it seems that I am first or second in line when I use these smart tags, so I think it may place you in line for the book when they do get a license.
This has also been a stellar year on NetGalley. I’ve been approved for some amazing books- fiction and non-fiction, audiobook and eBook, it’s been a bumper crop of books. If you aren’t using NetGalley, I highly recommend it, as you can read/listen to books before they are published!
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Read 10 New to Me Authors- 21/31 books this quarter
At this point, I’m not going to list out each of the “new to me” authors that I read for this quarter because the list is now getting lengthy. However, I am going to highlight a few below that I have really enjoyed (along with their genre)! I do want to take this space to once again recommend branching out in your reading habits and trying authors that you may not normally read from. It is so easy to miss out on some incredible books when we’ve got blinders on for certain authors.
-Sangu Mandanna (cosy, contemporary romance)
-Logan Steiner (historical fiction)
-Samantha Larsen (historical mystery)
-Holly Jackson (mystery)
BookTok
Being very honest, this is still my only book goal that I have not met. Along with the hiatus, I was mostly absent from Tik Tok, Instagram, Threads, and the like. I do have several BookTok videos filmed and I think that I will be sharing the first in the next few weeks. While I will mostly be sharing non-fiction books there, I am still a little hesitant to wade into BookTok. A lot of the BookTok controversy seems to be limited to romance BookTokers but it can carry across all parts of BookTok and I don’t really want to get into that. However, hopefully sticking to non-fiction history book recommendations (along with my history videos) will help me connect with like-minded people! (You can find me on TikTok as @AnHistorianAboutTown !)
@anhistorianabouttown On 19 August 1596, Elizabeth Stuart was born- the Winter Queen! 👸❄️ #ElizabethStuart #RoyalHistory #RoyalHistorian #Historian #HistoryTok #RoyalFamily #OnThisDay
More Genres on the Blog- 1 post published, 2 more scheduled
So I am happy to say that I have shared a contemporary mystery book rec on the blog! I read a lot of contemporary mysteries, and it is a fantastic genre that is ever-evolving. After sticking to only historical books (either fiction or non-fiction), I have decided to also share some contemporary mystery recommendations for a couple of reasons. Firstly, many of you lovely readers have let me know that you are interested in the genre. Secondly, it is my blog and I think that they are still a great fit for An Historian About Town! (You can find my contemporary mystery recommendation here.)
I hope you’ve enjoyed Book Goals 2023- Update 2! What are your 2023 reading habits?
Cheers,
The Historian
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