The February Book Round Up

My January Book Round Up lead to such great discussion, I think I’ll do it every month and since I never claimed this blog was about spanking anyway, you’ll just have to live with it! February went so fast compared to how January seemed to drag on. In February I read 16 books, including several short stories. I’ve always loved short stories (and novellas) as a format. The ability to tell a complete story, in less words, almost feels like magic to me. I don’t benefit from the skill of brevity so condensing ideas is always a challenge and I feel triumphant when I am successful. In terms of audiobooks, they are also great for slightly longer car rides that aren’t quite road trip length, when you want a complete story.

The emotionally difficult things I am dealing with, are sadly, still unresolved. I had some hope in the last week that they may improve, but frankly, they may never. Coming to terms with that this week has been difficult and I’ve escaped into books (specifically the K.J. Charles series mentioned below). Kink still feels far away but Daniel and I have been connecting more, so I will likely write about that this week. I feel such a sense of loss though, in the friendships that have been lost and likely forever changed by what is going on. I’ve stayed busy this week and have a lot to look forward to, so I am trying to focus on those things as I process my grief mostly alone.

This month’s reads bring my yearly total so far to 26. Books after the jump!

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Fiction: What Didn’t Happen Last Night

This was originally written (and posted on my previous blog) October 4, 2009, the day after the (now defunct) OTK Night at Paddles, in NYC (a BDSM club that had a small cafe area with booths and seating but was rather dark with few private areas). I was a regular attendee from 2007-2013ish and even organized the pre-event Munch for a year or so. I was unhappy that a friend had to leave a bit earlier that night. This was someone with whom I had a very parental disciplinary dynamic with at the time – my first and so far, only, experience with something like that. Anyway, my best writing tends to come in bursts – emotionally charged, can’t get it out of my head fast enough, just need to write it down and get it out – vs planning and taking my time. This was no different. It’s not long, but it captures the feeling.

At the time, I was nearly 21 so this was 15 years ago. I think the biggest theme here is something I’ve explored since (personally, not in fiction) which is the idea that someone can see me at my sort of “worst” – my emotional worst, that is – big feelings, insecurity, etc. and be ok with it. That they won’t abandon me or change how they feel – they will simply…deal with it and continue loving/caring about me. This person very much did that for me at the time, which is I am sure what inspired this.

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The January Book Round Up

This one isn’t about spanking…is that ok? You’ll have to let me know.

Happy Monday. I am avoiding work. Sort of.

I read 10 books in January, finishing 9 and 10 on January 31, when I took the day off for my mental health. Last year I fell behind on my reading and closed 2024 having read just 37 books compared to a clean 100 in 2023 and 92 in 2022. This year, I set a more modest goal of 50 and hope to surpass it. I have always been an avid reader and my undergrad was part of a self-designed degree program and titled “World Literatures” that allowed me to take classes at multiple colleges and across any department.

Anyway, January 2025 was an absolute shit month – not to mention LONG, too cold, with too much snow – but I read 10 books which is a great start to the year for me. I listen to a lot of audiobooks since moving out of the city because I spend so much dang time in the car, but I also read physical books and ebooks on occasion. I also purchase physical copies of my most loved books. I don’t actually read a ton of romance or fantasy. My particular favorite genre is historical fiction – especially WW2 novels, and then literary fiction with a focus on post-colonial lit. I try and read as few white men as possible. Alas, this month, two snuck in *wink*.

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