That’s a wrap on my winter reading season!
Today I’m continuing my new seasonal TBR wrap up tradition, where I take a moment to tally up my star ratings and reflect on what selections did or didn’t work for my reading life in winter 2024.
I read all 6 titles on my holiday 2023 TBR. Of the 12 titles on my winter 2024 TBR, I read 11 of them and DNF’d one.
I count that as completing 100% of both my holiday and winter TBR.
I was definitely in the holiday romance reading mood back in December and will even share a few extra reads that I didn’t expect to get to.
Over the months of January and February, my regular winter TBR almost proved too ambitious. I powered through the last few reads at the end of February and I’m glad I did. I learned more about my current reading tastes from what hit and what missed.
At this point, I’ve officially shared reviews for each of the 17 books I read for this TBR. Below I have a list of links sharing all my book reviews in one place if you’d like to read more on any of them.
I touch first on my holiday reading and then I dive deeper into what I learned from my winter 2024 TBR. I also include a few shoutouts to series I can’t wait to continue and authors I’m excited to read more from!
Holiday 2023 TBR Wrap Up:
My Ratings Tally:
- 5⭐️ – 1
- 4.5⭐️ – 1
- 4⭐️ – 3
- 3.5⭐️ – 0
- 3⭐️- 1
With nothing less than a 3-star and an average rating of 4.1, my holiday 2023 TBR felt like a win!
I had a great time with my holiday romance reads and even got to check out one holiday thriller – The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson – as an extra. These books were perfect for the season!
I had fun with the variety of new and previously read authors. This TBR also felt like a great mix of ebooks, audiobooks, and KU reads.
Where to Find Reviews
If you want to know my specific thoughts on any of these books I have links to the recap or wrap up where their review is posted.
*ebook available on Kindle Unlimited
Holiday Romance
- Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh* (5 stars)
- Christmas in Quincy by Devney Perry* (3 stars)
- The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese (4 stars)
- Tis the Season for Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth (4 stars)
- Homecoming King by Penny Reid (4.5 stars)
- Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (4 stars)
Extra Holiday Reads
- The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson (4.5 stars)
- Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey (4 stars)
- Beat of Temptation by Nalini Singh (3.5 stars)
Winter 2024 TBR Wrap Up:
My Ratings Tally:
- 5⭐️ – 3
- 4.5⭐️ – 2
- 4⭐️ – 2
- 3.5⭐️ – 4
- DNF – 1
I didn’t have any ratings under a 3.5-star for my winter 2024 TBR. Not counting my one DNF since I don’t rate books I don’t finish, my average rating was 4.2! Which is great! Especially for a TBR that featured 9 new-to-me authors.
While most of the books rated 4 stars or higher, the 3.5-star group was my largest but the 5-star group was just behind it. At this point with my reading life, what matters most to me is reading books I love so I’m curious how I can get the group with the most ratings even higher in the future.
This also tells me my DNF was great decision. Life is too short to spend time reading a book I’m not enjoying.
Where to Find Reviews
If you want to know my specific thoughts on any of these books I have links to the recap or wrap up where their review is posted.
*ebook available on Kindle Unlimited
Romantic Suspense
- Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles* (4.5 stars)
- Here with Me by Samantha Young* (4 stars)
- Whiteout by Adriana Anders (also snowy setting)* (3.5 stars)
Snowed In
Storm by Carian Cole* (DNF’d at 11%)
Fantasy Romance
- Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent* (3.5 stars)
Cozy Series to Continue
- Don’t Hex and Drive by Juliette Cross* (4.5 stars)
- Ever Mine by Laura Pavlov* (5 stars)
- Last Light by Claire Kent* (5 stars)
Cozy Fantasy
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (3.5 stars)
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune (4 stars)
Nonfiction Books about Books
- Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell (3.5 stars)
- Dangerous Books for Girls by Maya Rodale (5 stars)
Reflections
This was a fun TBR!
I tried 9 new-to-me authors and a couple of genres that aren’t my go-to. The results support that it was a good time.
After reading the second books in those cozy series, I’m just as eager to continue them. I also added the Tattered and Torn series by Catherine Cowles to my list of series to continue. Samantha Young’s Adair Family series is in consideration too.
Leaning into being a series reader could really work for me and I shaped my spring 2024 TBR around that idea.
While many of these titles were atmospheric reads, next year I’d like to find more snowy or wintery settings to check out.
When I made my selections for this TBR, I didn’t think about how December would be focused on holiday reading and that would only leave me two months to read the other 12 books. I hope to take that into account for future winter TBRs.
I’m also considering leaning into smaller TBRs for the rest of the year. That would better fit my goal to slow down and dive deeper into my reading life.
Shout Outs
Claire Kent is an amazing author and I can’t wait to finish her Kindled series as well as dive into her others. I have been trying to convince a friend to read her too.
Romantic suspense is a win for me.
I loved Maya Rodale’s Dangerous Books for Girls and plan to order a physical copy for my nonfiction reference shelf. It’s definitely one I’d love to revisit often. It’s a great source for further material for studying the romance genre. Maya Rodale also writes historical romance and I’m eager to check one of her fiction books out!
What I Learned from my Winter 2024 TBR:
Some things I learned about my reading life this winter:
- I don’t think the current trend of romantasy is for me and that’s ok.
- I should read series while I’m excited for them. Which often means binging the books all at once. As a wise friend – Ashley from A Seed for the Soul – recently told me: “You’ll never be more excited for a book than when you first hear of it and add it to your TBR.”
- I DNF’d a book and felt really proud of that decision. It’s something I want to continue to improve on – it’s a skill to develop.
- I noticed I DNF’d Storm by Carian Cole for similar reasons to why I DNF’d Lingus by Mariana Zapata last year – double standards, slut shaming, and so much eye rolling. This one also featured the definition of a heroine who was too stupid to survive. It was infuriating. Hate reading is not my thing.
- Romantic suspense is a subgenre I’m really enjoying. I think the suspense element keeps me invested and wanting to pick up the book to figure out what happens. It’s a great pairing of mystery/thriller with a guaranteed HEA thanks to the romance part.
- I’m very into nonfiction books about romance novels. But I also enjoy them more when I take the time to read them slower.
- Less may be more. At the end of February I still had 3 books to read so maybe 8-10 titles instead of 12 could have been better for my winter 2024 reading. We’ll see what my reading life looks like in a year. It could be completely different.
- From here on out I’m intentionally including diverse authors in my seasonal TBRs which reflects my newest reading goal. This will join my continued focus on including KU titles and considering whether I have access to the audiobook as I make my TBRs.
It’s Time for Spring Reading!
My Spring 2024 TBR is out.
It’s my shortest reading season and after last year’s debacle, I’m leaning into series deep dives and catching up on a favorite author’s backlist.
Check out what I’ll be focusing on for the next two months!
What were some of your favorite reads from winter 2024?
