december wrap up + 2022 wrap up
By Brooke Riley - December 28, 2022
I can't say much about the month of December. There's a lot of stress that comes with the holidays. I got sick at the beginning of the month and struggled to catch up with everything I needed to do with the rest of the month.
However, here we are, in the final moments of 2022.
(and thanks to Faith for letting me steal the format of her wrap up posts!)
music of 2022
For some reason, Spotify won't allow me to share my Top Songs of 2022, but if you were wondering, it was a lot of Starset and PVRIS.
Music is a big driving force in my life. But I have to be able to Vibe with both the music and the lyrics to connect to a song. So a lot of these songs had lyrics and vibes that hit deep to me.
artist shoutouts:
-Starset. Always and forver
-PVRIS. Always a comfort to listen to
-The Arcane Soundtrack BECAUSE IT IS SUPERIOR
-Munn for deep lyrics
-Shy Martin for that one song that keeps hitting me in the feels
-Tate McRae for speaking the truth about growing up
-Halsey for those two songs that do hit me deeply (Thanks, Faith!)
A lot of my music looks like I've been going through it. And that's because I am, lol. JKJK I'm okay, I just connect with sad music a lot. IDC it hits different.
favorite lyrics from the year
winter in your soul//you've got no love in your bones//tryna find some heart from you is like draining blood from stone ~ Winter, PVRIS
in my mind//endless sea//calling from the bottom but you don't hear me//send your line//down to me//meet me on the surface I will never leave ~ DIVING BELL, STARSET
when I feel like this//when I get so into myself//I lose track of where I'm going//then lose track of how to get going again~ are you ten years ago, PVRIS (this is actually a cover, but it is the only acceptable version of the song okay!!)
I don't wanna be someone who loses all their faith//and who their family hates because they're changing//God give me a sign right now//before my time runs out//because my faith and hope are ever-fading ~ religion's epitome, Munn
books of 2022
so my Goodreads goal was 23 books. I had a personal goal of 50 books, but I can assure you that I did not read 50 books. HOWEVER, I did reach 23 books! It required a late night of reading despite having to get up early the next day for work, but so be it!!
- 23 books read
- 8,675 pages read
- average rating of 4.2 stars (as an author, I can't really write bad reviews anymore, so this isn't that accurate, but the protocol for being an author is not writing bad reviews, haha.)
favorite books:
Okay, okay, these books are so so good and I love how EASY this fantasy is to get into. I hate complicated fantasy where I can't understand anything going on. This book is simple, yet so amazing for all the details. READ IT!
A buddy read with Faith, my bestie! But also, Caroline George can honestly write anything and I will read it in a heartbeat. She is an amazing author and her work is perfect. I have no notes, I love this book and can't wait to reread it in the summer of 2023. I will be rereading this annually.
Okay, so I am not one for contemporary fiction all that much. I need something more, like magical elements or dystopian universes. But this book was something else. I don't know how to describe how much I loved this book. I usually can't follow contemporary, but I felt like I identified with the main character. It's so good. Please read it, even if contemporary is not your thing, it's really gripping.
Another buddy read with Faith and YES I GOT THE OWLCRATE FOR THIS ONE AND I AM SO HAPPY I DID!! LOOK AT THAT COVER!! This book is creepy in a way, and because I know some readers are sensitive to that, I will warn you now that this does have some occult themes. Think Raven Boys. But as a fan of Hadestown, the Orpheus and Eurydice vibes in this were IMMACULATE. I loved this book. Kelly Andrew is an instant buy author for me.
And this series. I read books two and three this year. This series is so good. If you like mysteries that aren't about murder, you'll love these. Also, I am #TeamJameson and I am not ashamed. Grayson is fine and all, but JAMESON HAS MY HEART!! I can not begin to tell you how excited I am about the spin-off books.
What can I say? It's The Blood Race spin-off. I loved these books. The Blood Race series holds my heart. I'm so excited for the future of Kate's and Abbie's books. I need more of it in my life.
writing of 2022
-I published the third book to my trilogy
-I've decided what will be next for my post, HWR trilogy publishing plans
I didn't write much this year. I edited Here We Stand a lot, went over the edits my editor gave me, formatted it, and published it, and that was my year. I had a lot of plot bunnies, but I couldn't really focus on anything but getting this book out. It was the only project I worked on due to the tight deadline.
life in 2022
-january: lots of goals being made, but definitely not met
-february: i don't recall except valentine's day exists
-march: getting pretty tired of my job and struggling with new management issues
-april: left my job, went back to my old one since it's new management, current hiring date managed to be my old hiring date, so if you needed proof of God...
-may: 23rd birthday, How We Rise is two!
-june: summer was actually really hot this year
-july: kind of hard, super hot, lots of heat warnings
-august: lots of work, editing
-september: my grandmother passed away, traveling to Kansas for the burial, driving 14 hours from Kansas back to Texas, lots of emotions, taking a break from my book
-october: favorite month, quickly working away on edits, halloween
-november: Thanksgiving, emotions, finishing the edits, formatting, and getting Here We Stand ready for preorder
-december: got pretty sick, and published Here We Stand while sick, kind of a bummer
It's been a long year. Yet it feels like I blinked and it was all over in an instant. I guess that's kind of how things feel when you're in your 20s trying to navigate life.
But enough about me! let's talk in the comments. tell me all about your year, the highs, the lows, the in-betweens. I want to hear about it!
3 comments
I'm so sorry this year had a lot of rough days, but that is SO admirable you pushed through and got Here We Stand published despite it all! I do hope 2023 proves to be a year utterly brimming with beauty and blessings. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Happy New Year! <3
ReplyDeletethank you so much <3 <3 happy new year <3
DeleteI love this <3 Thank you so much for sharing your year with us. I can't wait to face 2023 with you <3
ReplyDelete