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January 2025 Book Blogger Posts Round Up

A collection of blog posts by book bloggers

Welcome to the first Book Bloggers Round Up post of 2025! Let's see what book bloggers posted about during January.

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I introduced this feature here on the blog in May 2021 to showcase blog posts by other book bloggers and as it continues to be a popular series I've decided to continue again this year too.

Each month I'll include a wide variety of content so there's something for everyone. You'll find book reviews, interviews, discussion pieces and more...

So if you're looking for new bookish content to read and/or want to discover some new book bloggers to follow, look no further!

Why I do this feature:

Scanning through various social media feeds to find suitable content can take up valuable time and so I figured I'd make it easier and put together a collection here on the blog.

It's also a way for me to highlight some of the other great book bloggers out there and help promote books and reading at the same time.

How it works:

Each month I do a post via my Twitter, where I offer the opportunity for book bloggers to submit posts published during that month for inclusion in this round up. I do this every month.

Want to be included in future round ups? Follow my Twitter profile and keep an eye out for the submission tweet.

January 2025 Book Blogger Round Up

@ReadingLadiesBC in her post Books About Baking shares some book reviews related to the topic of baking. Looking for cookbooks, foodie memoirs, or books about baking competitions... Carol has you covered!

@DanSamEnd took part in the blog tour for Fallen Knight by Ceril N. Domace by sharing a review. "A captivating read that has something for every reader – action, suspense, magic, sacrifice, it’s hugely entertaining and emotionally engaging, crafting a fascinating world with complex, likeable characters inhabiting it." Read her full review of Fallen Knight here.

@WorldsUnlikeOO did an ARC review of Heir by Sabaa Tahir. "I’m very glad I decided to read this book and even gladder for the ARC – I certainly couldn’t have waited until my library got a copy with how great the early reviews all were! I’m counting down the days until the sequel is here, hopefully it won’t be too long a wait! If you enjoyed the Ember Quartet, Heir is a must read! Highly recommended!" Read her full review of Heir here.

Looking for a simple reading challenge to do in 2025? Check out The Clock Reading Challenge

@SifaPoulton took a look back over 2024 in her A Year in Review post. Pie chart graphs, stat comparisons... she delves deep into her reading habits over the course of 2024 exploring genre, POV, book formats and more.

@leftontheshelf1 did a book review for One Day and Forever by Shari Low as part of the blog tour. "I enjoyed this book very much, and it held my attention from the very first page to the last." Read her full review of One Day and Forever here.

@storyreviewblog did a 2024 Reading Wrap-up. Part of the weekly meme Let’s Talk Bookish, she answered the set questions all related to her reading habits in 2024.

You might also like: Book Blogging in 2024 Survey Results

@_forbookssake reviewed The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh. "The ending of this story is an absolute whirlwind. The master of plot twists shows his talents once again, and keeps you guessing until the very final moments, concluding in the most fantastic of ways. This may be Steve Cavanagh’s most brutal book yet." Read the full review of The Accomplice here.

@WordsofMystery did a post 25 Books I Want to Read in 2025 including fiction and non-fiction titles.

@TStrawberryPost did a post about the #Febookary Reading Challenge 2025. "The challenge was originally created to help everyone tackle their reading fears (and hopefully encourage those reluctant to pick up a book) however it’s now also a standard reading challenge that anyone keen on doing can get involved in."

What bookish blog posts did you enjoy reading in January? Have a favourite book you read in January that you want to share?

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the December Round Up for even more great bookish posts by different book bloggers.

You might also like: The Ultimate Guide for Book Bloggers

Are you a book blogger? Check out 101 Blog Post Ideas For Book Bloggers

Wrapping Up June What Happened This Month

Lifestyle: What Happened This Month

June 2024 Wrap Up

Welcome to my June 2024 wrap up!

Here's a break down of what I got up to this month:

Wrapping Up June: What Happened This Month

Hair

Nothing new to report here as didn't cut or dye my hair this month. I'm just as surprised as you!

You might also like: A Guide To Different Hair Dye Colours: Tried and Tested

Health

I got ill again. If you've been here before you will already know this is something that happens often for me. I'm working with my Doctors to try and improve things as much as possible but several different chronic conditions don't make it easy.

I'm slowly improving again but fever, constant coughing, vomiting, etc mixed with low blood pressure and a heatwave has killed my energy levels quite considerably. Not being able to eat much and not being able to sleep much has also not helped. I'll bounce back though. I always do. Unfortunately it's meant I'm back on cortico-steroids again. I need to go back to my lung specialist again too.

In other news, I also had my routine scans and blood tests done. This gave some good news and some less good news.

My cholesterol is now dangerously high. It's a genetic problem I've had to deal with and keep a close eye on all my life. This month I had to switch over to stronger meds to keep it under control. Really hoping they work better than the previous ones.

Getting high cholesterol under control when it's not due to the usual issues is a struggle. When I say I have high cholesterol people are often surprised as I don't smoke and rarely drink any form of alcohol. I have a healthy diet (I'm intolerant to a lot of foods and so most of the bad stuff I can't eat even if I wanted to). I follow a gluten free and lactose free diet. I've also been doing regular exercise sessions at the gym with a friend of mine and walking more.

On a more positive note, the meds I'm on for my thyroid seem to be working. My thyroid is now back to normal size and the solid nodules I have there have decreased slightly in size.

The other two scans I had (breast and uterus) weren't quite so good.

I need a mammogram done in the next few months. Cysts and fibroids have grown slightly.

I'll also be having another scan of my uterus done in a few weeks and probably be scheduled for an operation to remove the uterine polyps and get them tested. As the fibroids I have in my uterus have also grown I'm hoping they can give me a good clear out and get rid of them too.

So, overall, not a great month healthwise.

You might also like: Monthly Goal Ideas for Better Health

Blogging

June was a more normal blogging month after the past two slower months with traffic back up closer to my standard statistics.

Traffic for June: 53,309 page-views

Number of blog posts published in June: 22

Current DA score: 29

Reading challenges

This month was quite a mixture of genres but all were good reads.

The Clock Reading Challenge

I created the Clock Reading Challenge a few years ago as I thought it would be fun and not too difficult to complete.

If you need some help finding books for the challenge check out Books with Numbers 1-12 in the Title: Clock Reading Challenge.

I completed the Clock Reading Challenge 2023 in November.

You can now join in the Clock Reading Challenge 2024!

The Clock Reading Challenge June 2024 Update

Books read:

8- Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley - My Review - Amazon - Goodreads

The Net Galley TBR Reading Challenge

Books read:

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate - My Review - Amazon - Goodreads

Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley - My Review - Amazon - Goodreads

Other books read:

Silence of Deceit by Cara Devlin - My Review - Amazon - Goodreads

Currently reading:

Shadow in the Ward by Ari Gray - currently on page 23 - Amazon - Goodreads

The Chronicles of Nine Lives: The Purrfect Prophecy by Brian Taylor - currently at 29% - Amazon - Goodreads

Travel

Early on in the month I took my sons with me to the TIM Summer Hits Concert and we had a blast.

Another day I took my youngest son out for the day in the centre and we ended up taking part in the celebrations for the anniversary of the Guardia di Finanza. It was so much fun. He got to try out so many different sports. From skateboarding to rock climbing to judo to archery and a bunch of other stuff too. Everyone was super nice too. We even got to try the simulators for driving a boat and going in a helicopter.

We also went to explore Villa Borghese and rented a row boat on the lake and had a picnic in the park.

We did manage a visit to one of our local swimming pools as well which was much needed in this heat but unfortunately I fell ill the next day whilst on our way home from a funeral for a friend.

Fitness

I did really well with my fitness for most of the month. I went to a local open air gym most days with a friend of mine. Having that daily appointment with each other really makes a difference.

You might also like: 30 Day Fitness Challenges for Beginners