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Explore: 26 for 2026 + Move26in26

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2026| 1 Comment »

This past Monday (26 January) I released my 2026 plans on my YouTube channel, but I lacked the time to update here until today. With February fast approaching, I figured I would share with you, dear reader, my plans for 2026. As I have done the past few years, I used Gretchen Rubin’s trifecta of tools to design my year.

EXPLORE is my word for 2026. I plan to analyze different areas of my life, so I can make decisions to improve those areas. I plan to examine, discover, or experiment with new undertakings through activities and adventures. My plans for this year focus on self-care, personal growth, organization, reading, creative pursuits, and fun. Since there are 26 letters in the alphabet and this year is 2026, I decided to have a little fun and put my list of aims in alphabetical order.

In addition to my one-word theme, I created a 26 for 2026 list with my aims for the new year. Almost all of the items on my list (18 to be exact) are new; however, I did carry over four items from last year (B, C, H, and X) and two items from 2024 (E and M) that I did not complete, but I really want to accomplish this year. I also repeated two items from last year (S and W) to keep myself motivated with both of those activities. Take a look at what I have planned for myself for 2026.

Kat’s 26 for 2026 List

  • Alphabet Adventures (books, movies, outings, restaurants, etc.)
  • Book of Life
  • Clutter Clear 123 (bedroom closet, kitchen, and scrapbook room)
  • Dermatology Appointment
  • Evening Routine (implement pre-sleep ritual)
  • Finances 101 (create budget/track book spending)
  • Grafton (read Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton)
  • Home Library (complete organization)
  • Illustrator Deep Dive (picture books)
  • Jigsaw Puzzles (6 in 2026)
  • Kat’s Novel Adventures (film/release 26 videos in 2026)
  • Lunch Dates with Friends (6 in 2026)
  • Massage
  • New Habitat for Ice Cream Bar (speckled kingsnake) 
  • Out with the Old/In with the New (update wardrobe) 
  • Party for Barry’s 60th Birthday (March)
  • Quarterly Game Hangouts (board games or card games)
  • Road Race (walk/maybe run)
  • Scrapbook Sessions (scrapbook 26 times in 2026)
  • The X-Files: Season 1 Rewatch with Barry
  • Unhaul Books (donations, giveaways, and Pango)
  • Vincent van Gogh Conqueror Challenge
  • Writing Sessions (write 26 blog posts in 2026)
  • X Marks the Spot: The Open Book in Scotland (put down deposit)
  • YouTube Project (learn to create SHORTS)
  • Zero to Well-Read Podcast

I am excited to explore all of these aims; however, the nerd in me is SUPER excited about my Alphabet Adventures. Basically, I will be reading 26 books that I own, each one starting with a letter of the alphabet. I will be watching 26 movies, each one starting with a letter of the alphabet. In addition to books and movies, I will be working on this aim through outings, restaurants, music, readathons, etc. I’ve already crossed off a couple of books, movies, songs, and restaurants since the beginning of the year.

Other Fun Plans for 2026:

  • Participate in Gretchen Rubin’s #Move26in26. The challenge is to spend 26 minutes moving daily in 2026. This challenge is the third element of Rubin’s Design Your Year: 2026 with the one-word theme and list of aims being the other two elements. According to Gretchen Rubin, “Research consistently links regular physical activity to better sleep, clearer thinking, reduced anxiety, and—perhaps surprisingly—more energy. These benefits come from any kind of movement, not just traditional forms of exercise like jogging or cardio.” Moving at least 26 minutes every day will be an easy daily challenge for me because I enjoy walking which I strive to do each day. I started strength-training again in November, and I strive to get a strength-training session in 2-3 days a week. Exercising daily has made a huge difference in my life, so I like this yearly challenge for the inspiration to keep going with my fitness goals.
  • Join the 2026 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. My goal is to read 100 books this year. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
  • Host three readathons on my YouTube channel: Nevermore, Folklore February, and Zombiethon.
  • Host What’s Up Wednesday! (weekly online community sprints).
  • Host Saturday Morning Momentum: Rise & Remix in 2026 (weekly online power hour).
  • Participate in 2026 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge hosted by Chantel at Chantel Reads All Day.
  • Participate in Horror Bingo 2025-2026 hosted by Sarah at Wicked Reading.
  • Participate in various online Readathons (Big Book Summer, Giallo July, March Mystery Madness, Middle-Grade March, Series September, Summer Book Bingo, and Week of Weird).
  • Interact with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook.
  • Participate in Booktube Book Clubs (The Book Wyrm Club, FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and The Midnight Book Society).
  • Continue doing Collabs with Kelsi (OSA, Halloween-A-Thon, Holiday Hell, & movie discussions). Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Kelsi’s Nostalgic Life: Books, Movies, & Creativity.  Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channel in 2026.
  • Cohost with Laurie @ Books, Ink and Paper (Mardi Gras Readathon).
  • Cohost with Jen @ Literary Love 123 (November Readathon).
  • Buddy Read the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King with Alex @ Frankfiction.
  • Buddy Read 4 Series (Beaumont, Brady, Reynolds, & Walker) by J.A. Jance with the Beaumont/Brady Bunch.
  • Participate in Frugal February. This is a NO spend month.
  • Keep a TA-DA list for 2025. This list is for goals or activities that I accomplish throughout the year but are not included on my original list. These accomplishments should be celebrated, too.

Additionally, I will continue creating videos for my Youtube channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I passed my three-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2025. As of the writing of this post, I have 1.34K subscribers and 383 videos for public viewing. My channel growth is still a slow-going process, dear reader, and I am still fine with it. Quality over Quantity. I have an AMAZING community of friends, who are supportive and thoughtful. We show up for each other. My channel, like my blog, provides me a creative outlet and brings me a great deal of joy. I have included a video about Designing My Year: 2026 below if you are interested in hearing more about my plans for 2026. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like, and leaving a comment.

Well, dear reader, that is a preview of my adventures for 2026. All of these aims and activities are designed for me to have a happier year. I am thrilled about working on my aims, especially my Alphabet Adventures, while also discovering other opportunities that might present themselves this year. Happiness!

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” ~ Jennifer Lee

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My TA-DA List for 2025

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

As promised in my Review 25 for 2025 List post, I am sharing my TA-DA List for 2025. The first month of 2025 started off a bit melancholy in the aftermath of my mother-in-law’s unexpected death at the end of November. After the holidays, I returned to work as a Title 1 Tutor at Mater Dolorosa School, continued to help my Dad, and created content on my YouTube channel. By the time May rolled around, I was burnt out and desperately needed a break. So, I quit my tutoring job, took a hiatus from filming and releasing new videos on my channel, and focused on my health. I had some ups and downs in 2025 but not nearly as many as the past year and a half. I am proud of the aims that I accomplished as well as the adventures that made it on my TA-DA List.

TA-DA 2025

  • My Health Adventures (Yearly Eye/Dental appointments; SPA728; Gastroenterologist; Hand Specialist)
  • Lunch dates, coffee dates, dinner dates, movie dates, and movie watch parties with friends and family sprinkled throughout the year
  • Participated in various online Readathons/Book Clubs/Buddy Reads (Booktube) throughout the year
  • Hosted What’s Up Wednesday! weekly live Reading/Productivity Sprints on my YouTube Channel
  • Attended Plays (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hamilton, The Wiz, Graveyard Girls, and Talking With)
  • Title I Tutoring Job at Mater Dolorosa School Monday-Thursday (January-May)
  • Visited Andrew for Lunch at Main Library in Baton Rouge (January)
  • Hosted the Nevermore Readathon: A Week with Edgar Allan Poe on my YouTube channel (January)
  • Played in the snow during SNOW WEEK (January)
  • Visited Rachel in Atlanta for her Birthday (January)
  • Hosted Folklore February Readathon on my YouTube channel (February)
  • Participated in Live Movie Discussion of Terrifier franchise with Kelsi on Kelsi’s Youtube Channel (February)
  • Co-hosted the Mardi Gras Readathon with Laurie @Books, Ink and Paper (February/March)
  • Visited Jeff and Joanna at Tangi Lanes (February/March)
  • Attended a Tea Party at the Sims Library at Southeastern University (March)
  • BookTubers Meet & Greet with Sue and Laurie at Baldwin & Co. Bookstore in NOLA (March)
  • Hosted Saturday Morning Momentum on my YouTube Channel (March-December)
  • Co-hosted the Old School April Readathon with Kelsi @Slime and Slashers (April)
  • Gotcha Day – Bailey (April)
  • Brayden and Melyssa’s Baby Shower (April)
  • Visited Shelly at Wetmore Cemetary and attended Dinner afterwards with friends (April)
  • Participated in On-line YouTube Bootcamp (April-May)
  • Zombie Awareness Month (May)
  • Hosted Zombiethon for my YouTube channel (May)
  • Audubon Day at LSU’s Special Collections Library (May)
  • Claire’s Graduation from Southeastern Louisiana University (May)
  • Jackson’s High School Graduation Party (May)
  • Occupational Therapy for Hands (May/June)
  • Participated in Live Zombie Book Chat with Cliff and Kristine for the Fright Club Book Club on Cliff’s YouTube channel Cliff’s Dark Gems (June)
  • Table Read of Graveyard Girls at Columbia Theatre (June)
  • Horror in Nature Presentation at EBRP Main Library (July)
  • Addison’s 1st Birthday Party (August)
  • Debbie and Jerry’s Reception into the Episcopal Church (August)
  • Volunteered at HGCS: Back-to-School Scholastic Book Fair (August)
  • Booktube Besties Virtual Reading Retreat (August)
  • Author Event (Erica Spindler) with Sue at Tope La Catering (September)
  • Author Event (Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney) at Baton Rouge Library and had lunch with Erin afterwards (September)
  • Visited Fleur De Lis Tea Company, a Tea Farm, with Barry (September)
  • Andrew’s Reception into the Episcopal Church (September)
  • One of the Map’s Legends for Kelsi’s online Halloween-A-Thon Event (September/October)
  • Volunteered at Columbia Theatre: Educational Tours and Field Trips (September-November)
  • Silent Book Club at Bayou Booksellers (October)
  • Cryptid Collage & Antlers Movie at EBRP Main Library (October)
  • Lethal Ladies Presentation at EBRP Main Library (October)
  • Watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie at the Columbia Theatre (October)
  • Watched Psycho Movie at the Columbia Theatre (October)
  • Attended In-Person Fantasy Book Club at EBRP Main Library (October & December)
  • Road Trip to Kentucky and Atlanta with Dad (November)
  • Saturday Morning Momentum Virtual Retreat with Team (November)
  • Attended Friendsgiving with Barry, Sr. (November)
  • Hosted Holiday Hell Reading/Productivity Sprints (live) on my Youtube Channel (December)
  • Volunteered at HGCS: Winter Scholastic Book Fair (December)
  • Attended FOTL Holiday Party with Barry, Sr. (December)
  • Attended Nalco Holiday Party with Barry, Sr. (December)

Well, there you have it, dear reader. I love reflecting on my year and creating this TA-DA List. It is a satisfying feeling to see what else I got up to throughout the year in addition to the aims I had on my 25 for 2025 List. Life is certainly an adventure, and I am all about having as many adventures as I can while I can which makes life exciting. Happiness!

“A great attitude becomes a great day which becomes a great month which becomes a great year which becomes a great life.” ~ Mandy Hale.

Note: Photo was taken by me during the snow week we had in January 2025.

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Review 25 for 2025 List

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 12, 2026| 1 Comment »

2025 has come and gone (rather quickly I might add), and it is time for me to share how I did on the aims I started and completed (or ignored) on my 25 for 2025 List. Despite burning myself out in the first half of the year and telling Tooty aka Comet good-bye as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the second half, I actually did well overall with accomplishing aims on my yearly list. I chose PHOENIX as my word for 2025, and it served me well as I crashed and burned throughout the year. However, like a phoenix, I rose up out of the ashes and moved forward. Out of the 25 aims on my list, I completed 15 items, started 6 items, and ignored 4 of them.

Kat’s 25 for 2025 List

  • Contact SPA 728 for health assessment information. YES ✔
  • Strength train 2-3 times per week. YES ✔
  • Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. YES ✔
  • Reduce reflux meds to 20 mg. YES ✔
  • Keep a JOY journal. STARTED (and abandoned)
  • Create a Book of Life. NO
  • Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. STARTED (work in progress)
  • Clear the clutter in my bedroom closet. STARTED (barely a work in progress)
  • Buy a comfortable chair for my home office. YES ✔ (took Andrew’s chair)
  • Organize home library. STARTED (work in progress…see photo above)
  • Keep track of spending on books. YES ✔ ($1,268.79 – books purchased for myself)
  • Start a new booktube project. (Saturday Morning Momentum: Thrive in 2025) YES ✔
  • Organize videos on Kat’s Novel Adventures (create playlists). YES ✔
  • Read 25 Books that have been on my shelves for 5 years or more. STARTED (read 9)
  • Start The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. YES ✔
  • Read Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix. NO (forgot about it)
  • Write 25 blog posts on The Kat Files. STARTED (wrote 15 posts)
  • Scrapbook 25 times in 2025. NO (epic fail)
  • Attend TAC Scrapbook Event in June with Donna & Heather. YES ✔
  • Volunteer at the Friends of the Library store during the summer. YES ✔
  • Visit the New Orleans Vampire Café in New Orleans. YES ✔
  • Visit the English Tea Room in Covington. YES ✔
  • Visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market at least 5 times. YES ✔
  • Attend The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Columbia Theatre in March. YES ✔
  • Put a deposit down on running The Open Book in Scotland. NO (sadly)

Other Fun Plans for 2025:

  • I participated in Gretchen Rubin’s #Read25in25. I was thrilled that Gretchen brought back reading for the 2025 challenge since reading is my favorite activity. Of course, I loved this challenge!
  • I joined the 2025 Reading Challenge on Goodreads with a goal of 100 books. I reached my goal either at the end of October or the beginning of November, ending the year having read 120 books. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
  • I hosted all three of my readathons on my YouTube channel: Nevermore, Folklore February, and Zombiethon.
  • I interacted with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook; however, not as often as I had in mind.
  • I participated in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and Book Wyrm).
  • I continue doing Collabs with Kelsi by participating in some capacity in her annual events and participating in a live discussion with her about the Terrifier franchise. Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Slime and Slashers – A Nostalgia & Horror Channel as well as her movie YouTube channel, Nightmares and Nostalgia. Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channels.
  • I participated in Frugal February and saved some money. I love this no-spend month because I love saving money.
  • I did not keep up with my TA-DA list for 2025 all year long. However, I am currently in the process of completing it, and I plan to share it with you once I have completed it.

So, there you have it, dear reader. Overall, I am pleased with my accomplishments in 2025. I passed my three-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2025. I cannot believe it has been three years already. Even though I took a hiatus from filming and releasing content on my channel (May-November), I continued hosting my weekly Wednesday sprints. I love hanging out with my community. They are super supportive and loads of fun to spend time with each week. And, since I mentioned my channel, I have included a video about my Review of 2025 below if you are interested in hearing more about my accomplishments and some of the books I read in 2025. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like and a share, and leaving a comment.

Not surprising, I am playing catch up with content both on my channel and here on my blog. As I mentioned, I want to share my TA-DA List from 2025 with you. I designed my year for 2026, and I look forward to sharing all of my shenanigans with you (one-word theme, 26 for 2026 List, and Gretchen Rubin’s yearly challenge). My hope is to share more of my adventures with you in 2026. Thanks for reading, and I plan to return soon. How did you do with your goals in 2025, dear reader? Happiness!

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” ~ Hal Borland

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Halfway Day: Review 25 for 2025 List

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Happy Halfway Day, dear reader! Today is the halfway point of the year and a great time for me to review my 25 for 2025 List. According to Gretchen Rubin, “It’s important to celebrate our accomplishments—and also to notice what doesn’t work. Halfway Day is a great time to reflect on our aims and to adjust our approach.”

My friend Liz and I met on Zoom a couple of weeks ago to review our lists, bounce ideas off of each other, and give one another support going into the second half of the year. I love that Liz and I have this mutual interest in personal development, and I value her input as well as her friendship. I had some time to reflect on ideas that came out of our conversation, and I created Jumpstart July for myself. For one month, my focus is going to be on building sustainable habits and realistic routines that I believe will help me accomplish the remaining aims on my 25 for 2025 list.

My one-word theme for this year is PHOENIX. I am preparing to rise up to the challenge of completing my aims with renewed energy like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. At the beginning of 2025, I chose to focus on self-care, organization, reading, creative pursuits, and fun, so let us take a look at my progress from the first half of this year.

My 25 for 2025 List

  • 1. Contact SPA 728 for health assessment information.
  • 2. Strength train 2-3 times per week.
  • 3. Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. as of today, walked 28 times
  • 4. Reduce reflux meds to 20 mg. 
  • 5. Keep a JOY journal.
  • 6. Create a Book of Life.
  • 7. Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. in progress
  • 8. Clear the clutter in my bedroom closet.
  • 9. Buy a comfortable chair for my home office.
  • 10. Organize home library. in progress
  • 11. Keep track of spending on books. January-June: $600.61
  • 12. Start a new booktube project. (Saturday Morning Momentum: Thrive in 2025)
  • 13. Organize videos on Kat’s Novel Adventures (create playlists). in progress
  • 14. Read 25 Books that have been on my shelves for 5 years or more. in progress
  • 15. Start The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. changed from read to start
  • 16. Read Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix.
  • 17. Write 25 blog posts on The Kat Files. including this one, 6 of 25 posts
  • 18. Scrapbook 25 times in 2025.
  • 19. Attend TAC Scrapbook Event in June with Donna and Heather.
  • 20. Volunteer at the Friends of the Library store during the summer. filled out volunteer form
  • 21. Visit the New Orleans Vampire Café in New Orleans.
  • 22. Visit the English Tea Room in Covington.
  • 23. Visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market at least 5 times. 1 of 5 times
  • 24. Attend The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Columbia Theatre in March.
  • 25. Put a deposit down on running The Open Book in Scotland.

As for my other fun plans for 2025, I am earning gold stars.

  • Participate in Gretchen Rubin’s #Read25in25. every day for 25 + minutes
  • 2025 Reading Challenge on Goodreads 51 of 100 books (behind on book reviews)
  • Nevermore, Folklore February, Zombiethon Readathons ✅
  • Interaction with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook not much
  • Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and Book Wyrm) participating in all 4 clubs
  • Collabs with Kelsi (Terrifier live chat; cohosted Old School April)
  • Frugal February ✅
  • TA-DA List haven’t offically started list

I have completed 5 aims with 9 aims in progress. Even though I have taken a step back from creating content on my YouTube channel (15 videos released between January and April), I successfully hosted three readathons and consistently host livestreams on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. I am in a weird place with my channel at the moment, and I have taken a hiatus from creating content with no idea when I will start creating new content. Also, I made a slight adjustment to #15 on my list. Instead of reading The Dark Tower Series, I am starting it this year. There is no way with all of the other books I want to read this year that I will be able to read the entire series by the end of 2025, especially since I have not even started reading The Gunslinger, yet.

The second half of the year will see a recommitment to the aims on my 25 for 2025 list, working hard on self-improvement, especially where my health is concerned, and getting my home in order. I also have to spend time helping my Dad get his house in order. I will not be going back to work this fall as a Title I Tutor, so between now and the end of the year, I will be helping him with decluttering and organizing his house. I am ready to get started, and I am excited to see everything I will accomplish in the next six months. Dear reader, what are some aims you reached in the first half of this year? What are you looking forward to accomplishing or experiencing in the second half of 2025? Happiness!

“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” ~ Josiyah Martin

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Phoenix: 25 for 2025 + Read25in25

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2025| 3 Comments »

Daylight Saving Time is fast approaching, dear reader, and I am thrilled to finally get my new year in high gear. Stepping into 2025 felt overwhelming but oddly familiar to stepping into 2024. I was playing catch-up from the previous year while having a vague idea of my plans for this year. I had adjusted my mindset last year and started my 2024 on the Lunar New Year. So, that plan was put into place again this year, but the Lunar New Year has come and gone with barely any progress. Why? I am still stuck in catch-up mode because of a few tasks I cannot let go. With that being said, I am seeing a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and I have a project in place that I think will make 2025 my best year, yet.

PHOENIX is my word for 2025. My friend Kelsi actually came up with my word. On a car ride together in November, I shared with her that I was thinking about my one-word theme for the new year and what I was leaning towards, and she offered the Phoenix (a mythological creature that is reborn from its ashes) as a suggestion. After wearing out RESET in 2024 and desperately wanting my season of sorrow to end, I needed a strong word to get back on course. My plans for this year focus on self-care, organization, reading, creative pursuits, and fun.

In addition to my one-word theme, I created a 25 for 2025 list with my aims for the new year. Almost all of the items on my list are new; however, I did carry over six items from last year that I did not complete but really want to accomplish this year. Take a look at what I have planned for myself for 2025.

Kat’s 25 for 2025 List

  • 1. Contact SPA 728 for health assessment information.
  • 2. Strength train 2-3 times per week.
  • 3. Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside.
  • 4. Reduce reflux meds to 20 mg. 
  • 5. Keep a JOY journal.
  • 6. Create a Book of Life.
  • 7. Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room.
  • 8. Clear the clutter in my bedroom closet.
  • 9. Buy a comfortable chair for my home office.
  • 10. Organize home library.
  • 11. Keep track of spending on books. 
  • 12. Start a new booktube project. (Saturday Morning Momentum: Thrive in 2025)
  • 13. Organize videos on Kat’s Novel Adventures (create playlists).
  • 14. Read 25 Books that have been on my shelves for 5 years or more.
  • 15. Read The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.
  • 16. Read Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix.
  • 17. Write 25 blog posts on The Kat Files.
  • 18. Scrapbook 25 times in 2025.
  • 19. Attend TAC Scrapbook Event in June with Donna and Heather.
  • 20. Volunteer at the Friends of the Library store during the summer.
  • 21. Visit the New Orleans Vampire Café in New Orleans.
  • 22. Visit the English Tea Room in Covington.
  • 23. Visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market at least 5 times.
  • 24. Attend The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Columbia Theatre in March.
  • 25. Put a deposit down on running The Open Book in Scotland.

I made a bingo board with my aims! Several members in the Happier in Hollywood Facebook group shared their bingo boards at the beginning of the year, so I decided to do one as well. Fun project!

Other Fun Plans for 2025:

  • Participate in Gretchen Rubin’s #Read25in25. The challenge is to spend 25 minutes reading daily in 2025. This challenge is the third element of Rubin’s Design Your Year: 2025 with the one-word theme and list of aims being the other two elements. According to Gretchen Rubin, “Research shows that reading is good for us: it benefits mental health, sharpens the brain, makes us more empathetic, helps us learn, and increases our tolerance for uncertainty. And most importantly, it’s fun!” Reading at least 25 minutes every day will be an easy daily challenge for me because I LOVE reading. It is my favorite activity, and I already read every day much more than 25 minutes; therefore, I have designated my daily 25-minute reading time for this challenge to read nonfiction.
  • Join the 2025 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. My goal is to read 100 books this year. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
  • Host three readathons on my YouTube channel: Nevermore, Folklore February, and Zombiethon.
  • Interact with members of the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club on Facebook.
  • Participate in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, and Book Wyrm).
  • Continue doing Collabs with Kelsi. Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Slime and Slashers – A Nostalgia & Horror Channel as well as her new movie YouTube channel, Nightmares and Nostalgia. Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channels in 2025.
  • Participate in Frugal February. This is a NO spend month.
  • Keep a TA-DA list for 2025. This list is for goals or activities that I accomplished throughout the year but were not included on my original list. These accomplishments should be celebrated, too.

Additionally, I will continue creating videos for my Youtube channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I passed my two-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2024. As of the writing of this post, I have 1.19K subscribers and 270 videos for public viewing. My channel was monetized in May 2024, and I received my first check in January of this year. Happiness Boost! My channel growth is a slow-going process, dear reader, and I am fine with it. I love my small community of friends; they bring me so much joy. I have included a video about Designing My Year: 2025 below if you are interested in hearing more about my plans for 2025. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like, and leaving a comment.

As you can see, dear reader, I have planned another year of adventures for 2025. All of these aims and activities give me hope of getting my life back on track. I am excited about tackling my aims while also exploring other opportunities that might crop up this year. Happiness!

“Wake up, wild one! You are the phoenix, the firebird, the one who rises from the ashes of the past.” ~ A. A. Malee

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Review 24 for 2024 List

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2025| 4 Comments »

2024 started off in the same fashion 2023 ended with my mom in the hospital with dementia and a broken hip. I decided to give myself grace and begin my new year on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I admit it was a bit weird not starting a brand new year on 01 January, but considering the circumstamces, it felt like the right decision for me.

2024 turned out to be a continuation of my Season of Sorrow. My mother died in August and my mother-in-law followed her to heaven three months later.

As you can see, dear reader, by the date I am publishing this post and the lack of posts published in 2024, life had other plans for me. That is not to say I did not work on my aims or find pockets of joy amidst the upheaval. I am steadily trying to catch up on life, but it has been a sloth-slow process. Today is the day to share how I did with my 24 for 2024 list! I chose RESET as my word for 2024, and boy did I wear it out. It seemed like I was resetting every other week. With that being said, I did accomplish a few aims on my 24 for 2024 List. I completed nine items, started four items, and attempted one on my list.

Kat’s 24 for 2024 List

  • Time-track at least once per quarter (March, June, September, December). YES ✔
  • Join The 5AM Club by getting up at 5AM each morning (The 5AM Club). YES ✔
  • Implement the 20/20/20 Formula (The 5AM Club). NO (used it more for Focus Work)
  • Implement the Pre-Sleep Ritual (The 5AM Club). NO
  • Quit Coffee. STARTED (Gave up afternoon coffee on 06/19)
  • Strength train two times per week. NO
  • Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. NO
  • Get a massage. NO
  • Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room. NO
  • Buy a book cart. YES ✔
  • Buy two bookcases for living room. YES ✔
  • Organize home library. STARTED
  • Keep track of spending on books. NO
  • Get library cards (Tangipahoa, Livingston, and Baton Rouge parishes). YES ✔
  • Start a new booktube project. YES ✔
  • Read 24 Books that I did not get to in 2022/2023. STARTED (read 11/24; started 1, but put to the side)
  • Have a Year of Christie (Agatha Christie) 2.0. STARTED (read 3/6)
  • Buddy Read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt with Alex @ Frankfiction. YES ✔
  • Read The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and The Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. YES ✔
  • Read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. NO
  • Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. YES ✔
  • Write about my adventures in Sicily on my blog. ATTEMPTED
  • Organize photos and video clips from my Sicily trip. NO
  • Scrapbook 24 times in 2024. NO

Other Fun Plans for 2024:

  • I participated in Gretchen Rubin’s #Write24in24 Challenge. Loved this challenge! I did not use it the way I originally planned, but I did write (mainly book reviews) 25 minutes or more each day.
  • I joined the Goodreads Challenge again and set my goal to read 100 books in 2024. I reached my Goodreads goal back in November and ended the year having read 111 books.
  • I participated in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage, The Book Wyrm Club).
  • The Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club is still on hiatus; however, I have some ideas that I’d like to implement in 2025. I’m not quite ready to give up on it, yet.
  • I participated in Frugal February and saved some money. Gold star for me!
  • I collaborated with Kelsi in 2024. I was a one of her co-hosts for Old School April and one of her Monster Squad members for Halloween-A-Thon. We buddy read The Store by Bentley Little in August for the GarbAugust readathon and had a live Movie Chat about the movies we watched during the spooky season.

As for my Birthday Message Project 2.0, it fell by the wayside with everything that happened in the second half of the year which is when I wanted to complete the project. I just did not have the motivation or the energy. So, it might be something I try again in 2025, but it will not be on my 25 for 2025 List. Also, I did not keep up with a TA-DA List for 2024; however, I do plan to reflect on the year, write the list, and post on my blog like I have in the past.

Considering 2024 was another rollercoaster of a year where I continued living in a season of sorrow, I think I did okay with my 24 for 2024 list. I am grateful for my Youtube channel community. I passed my two-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2024. My weekly Wednesday sprints that I host on my channel have been a continued source of joy for me. My community is super supportive and really helped me through the last year and a half. And, speaking of my channel, I have included a video about my Happier Trifecta Review below if you are interested in hearing more about my accomplishments and some of the books I read in 2024. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like and a share, and leaving a comment.

Currently, I am playing catch up with content both on my channel and here on my blog. I already designed my year for 2025, and I cannot wait to share with you my one-word theme, my 25 for 2025 List, and Gretchen Rubin’s yearly challenge. I really am hoping you will see more of me in 2025. How did you do with your goals in 2024, dear reader? Happiness!

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” ~ T.S. Eliot

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RESET: 24 for 2024 + Write24in24

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2024| 5 Comments »

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching, dear reader, and I am thrilled to finally start my new year. Stepping into 2024 without a plan felt odd, but I adjusted my mindset as the month of January unfolded, and I am NOW ready to get the ball rolling on accomplishing my aims for this year.

RESET is my word for 2024. After the dreadful demise of 2023, I have been desperate to hit the reset button. My plans for this year are to replace some bad habits with some good ones, clean up the clutter in my environment, and boost my sense of creativity and play by cultivating an existing interest. That last plan, regarding creativity and play, is the result of taking Gretchen Rubin’s Habits for Happiness Quiz.

In addition to my one-word theme, I created a 24 for 2024 list with my aims for the new year. Almost all of the items on my list are new; however, I did carry over three items from last year that I did not complete but really want to accomplish this year. Pretty much all of my aims fall into one of my three plans which have to do with habits, clutter-clearing, and creativity/play. Take a look at what I have planned for myself for 2024.

Kat’s 24 for 2024 List

  • 1. Time-track at least once per quarter (March, June, September, December).
  • 2. Join The 5AM Club by getting up at 5AM each morning (The 5AM Club).
  • 3. Implement the 20/20/20 Formula (The 5AM Club).
  • 4. Implement the Pre-Sleep Ritual (The 5AM Club).
  • 5. Quit Coffee.
  • 6. Strength train two times per week.
  • 7. Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside.
  • 8. Get a massage.
  • 9. Clear the clutter in my scrapbook room.
  • 10. Buy a book cart.
  • 11. Buy two bookcases for living room.
  • 12. Organize home library.
  • 13. Keep track of spending on books.
  • 14. Get library cards (Tangipahoa, Livingston, and Baton Rouge parishes).
  • 15. Start a new booktube project.
  • 16. Read 24 Books that I did not get to in 2022/2023.
  • 17. Have a Year of Christie (Agatha Christie) 2.0.
  • 18. Buddy Read Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt with Alex @ Frankfiction.
  • 19. Read The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and The Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.
  • 20. Read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
  • 21. Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.
  • 22. Write about my adventures in Sicily on my blog.
  • 23. Organize photos and video clips from my Sicily trip.
  • 24. Scrapbook 24 times in 2024.

Other Fun Plans for 2024:

  • I am participating in Gretchen Rubin’s #Write24in24. The options are to spend 2-4 minutes or 24 minutes writing daily in 2024. This challenge is the third element of Rubin’s Happier Trifeca with the one-word theme and list of aims being the other two elements. According to Gretchen Rubin, “If you write consistently, you’ll be astonished by how much you can accomplish in 2024. We often underestimate what we can do if we work consistently.” Writing at least 24 minutes every day will be a fun daily challenge for me because I LOVE writing. My writing time will be devoted to blog posts, book reviews on Goodreads, scrapbook journaling, lists (to-do & ta-da), correspondence with family and friends (cards), notes for videos, and morning pages (The Artist’s Way). These are just a few of the writing activities I have planned for 2024; however, other possibilities might be added to my list throughout the year.
  • On Goodreads, I joined the 2024 Reading Challenge, and my goal is to read 100 books this year. Follow me on Goodreads (Katherine Loyacano).
  • I want to revamp the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club.
  • I will participate in Booktube Book Clubs (FOMO, MGM, Cozy Cottage).
  • I will continue doing Collabs with Kelsi. Our collabs can be viewed on her YouTube channel, Slime and Slashers – A Nostalgia & Horror Channel. Please consider subscribing to Kelsi’s channel in 2024.
  • I will participate in Frugal February again. This is a NO spend month.
  • I will be doing a Birthday Message Project 2.0 in 2024.
  • I plan to keep a TA-DA list for 2024. This list is for goals or activities that I accomplished throughout the year but were not included on my original list. These accomplishments should be celebrated, too.

Additionally, I will continue creating videos for my Youtube channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I passed my one-year anniversary of releasing my first video on 28 October 2023. As of the writing of this post, I have 769 subscribers and 152 videos for public viewing. My little channel is growing slowly, and I am hoping I will reach and surpass 1,000 subscribers in 2024. That channel milestone would be a HUGE happiness boost! I have included a video about my Happier Trifecta below if you are interested in hearing more about my plans for 2024. Please consider subscribing to my channel, giving me a like, and leaving a comment.

As you can see, dear reader, I have planned a year of good habit-forming, organizing, reading, writing, and scrapbooking adventures for 2024. All of these aims and activities will give me an opportunity to RESET my life and get back on track. Well, that is my plan anyway. Happiness!

“Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes.”     ~ Richie Norton

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Books I Read This Month: June 2023

Posted in Books/Reading, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

June was an amazing reading month for me. Despite everything I was involved in throughout the month of June, I managed to read a total of nine books. Four of those books were read for Kelsi’s Killer Corn Readathon which I wrote about in a separate post. Three books were for book clubs, one was for my Year of Christie project, and one was just for fun. Many of these books counted for the Summer Book Bingo Readathon that I am participating in for the very first time, and I earned my first bingo. Exciting!

COZY COTTAGE BOOK CLUB

A Princess of Wind and Wave by Melanie Cellier is a young adult, fairy tale retelling of The Little Mermaid. Isla is a mermaid princess, who feels stifled by her father’s strict rules. She longs to leave the underwater kingdom to live on the surface where her people once lived, especially after a chance encounter with a boy she once saved from drowning. Her desire to leave Merrita becomes a reality when her home is threatened by a dangerous opposition.

Even though A Princess of Wind and Wave started off a bit slow, it turned out to be an enjoyable read. Michelle Cellier does a fine job with creating likable characters and a formidable foe. There are twists and turns as well as some unexpected surprises. It is the sixth book in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series; however, it worked well as a stand-alone for the Cozy Cottage Book Club. I enjoyed it enough that I want to read the other books in the series. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

MIDDLE GRADE MARCH BOOK CLUB

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson is a middle-grade historical fiction novel with an intriguing mystery at the center of it. Candace is staying at her late grandmother’s house for the summer with her mother and discovers a letter addressed to her grandmother while exploring the attic. The letter holds the clues to

an unsolved mystery leading to a substantial hidden treasure. With the help of her new friend Brandon, they decide to solve the mystery which could help the town of Lambert and clear her grandmother’s name.

The Parker Inheritance is fast-paced, moves through dual timelines from multiple characters’ perspectives, and tackles tough topics relating to history and social justic issues. The novel is well-written with well-developed characters. I enjoyed the terrific friendship between Candace and Brandon, the references to middle-grade books, and the mystery. This novel is not only thought-provoking and heart-felt, but it is also clever and entertaining. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FOMO BOOK CLUB

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave was the May/June book club selection for the FOMO Book Club. It is a compelling historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of the mystifying dance plague that seized the city of Strasbourg in the early 16th century. At the heart of the novel, pregnant Lisbet lives a quiet life on the outskirts of the city with her husband and mother-in-law where she takes care of bees on a modest piece of land. Living conditions are hard for many of the people and the church makes unreasonable demands upon them. When

Lisbet’s sister-in-law Agnethe returns after a long absence, life becomes more complicated and secrets are revealed, leading to heartache and dire consequences.

The Dance Tree is a beautifully written novel, and Hargrave does a wonderful job of taking a grim period in history and intertwining it with a story of forbidden love, loss, and the struggles women had to face in so many aspects of their lives. Despite its melancholy tone, it is a story of strong female connections, abiding love, and women exerting a level of control for themselves and finding self-worth in the midst of horrible circumstances. This was not an easy read; however, Hargrave does end the novel on a hopeful note which lifted the heaviness I felt throughout much of the novel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

YEAR OF CHRISTIE

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie is the exciting debut of Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian private detective extraordinaire. Detective Poirot is invited to Styles, an Essex country manor to assist in solving the mysterious death of Emily Inglethorpe. Even though the evidence points to her new

husband, there are plenty of other members of the household who could benefit from Mrs. Inglethorpe’s demise.

I loved the introduction of Hercule Poirot, and his intelligent assessment of Emily Inglethorpe’s crime scene. He is patient, good-humored, and dresses impeccably. I enjoyed his friendly banter with Mr. Hastings, who is the narrator of this mystery and tries his hand at amateur sleuthing. This novel has plenty of sudden twists and turns with a surprise ending that I did not see coming. Unfortunately, I was unable to guess the murderer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

One of the squares for Summer Book Bingo is to read a book outside of your comfort zone. Well, in my case that would be romance. I have become friends with the British romance author, Emma Bennet. When I asked her which of her novels I should read first, she suggested her cozy contemporary romance, Her Perfect Hero. What an excellent choice!

Bronte, a romance writer, lives with her cat Mr. Darcy in a comfy cottage in a charming village outside of London. After a bad break-up, she is determined to

find her “perfect” hero like the ones she writes about in her books. Bronte finds herself in a dilemma when the handsome Ryan Murphy moves into the cottage next door, and she is rescued by the dashing Sebastian Fairfax. Both have appealing qualities, but who will prove to be “her perfect hero?”

Her Perfect Hero is the perfect summer read! It is a well-written, lighthearted romance with an awesome setting, interesting characters (including a clever cat), humorous scenes, and witty dialogue. I enjoyed that it was a sweet romance that left out the steaminess which is more my speed, especially since I rarely pick up this genre. At times, I felt like I was reading a romantic comedy. I will definitely be checking out more of Emma Bennet’s work in the future. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in June, please check out my June wrap up video.

I am so late with this post that July literally ends tomorrow. My personal life has been a bit out of sorts lately, so my reading during July and creating content has been put on the back burner. It seems like I will be carrying over some books I am currently reading plus some books on my July TBR over to my August TBR, and that will just have to be okay. It is definitely not the end of the world, dear reader. Hee Hee! Instead of lamenting on the books that I did not get to in July, I will celebrate the ones that I did read. Hopefully, my July wrap up post will be more timely. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” ~ Joyce Carol Oates

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Killer Corn Readathon: I Earned My Killer Corns

Posted in Books/Reading, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2023| 1 Comment »

I am one of many Kelsi Corns who participated in her Killer Corn Readathon from 01 June – 11 June. Who exactly are Kelsi Corns? We are patrons of her YouTube channel, Slime and Slashers, and we receive bonus content for supporting her creative endeavors. For participating in Kelsi’s mini slasher readathon and completing 8 prompts, I received two killer cartoon corns (a candy corn and a corn on the cob) and earned accessories for both of them. While the theme was slashers, participants did not have to read slasher stories to earn their corns. Additionally, Kelsi allowed books to be used for multiple prompts.

Killer Corns

Prompts

  • Read a book ending in an even # of pages.
  • Read a book ending in an odd # of pages.
  • Read a book set at summer camp or at a carnival.
  • Read a book written by a woman.
  • Read a book published before 2020.
  • Watch a Slasher Movie.
  • Read a book with only 1 word OR with more than 3 words in the title.
  • Read a book without red on the cover.

I read a middle-grade book about a dangerous summer camp, a slasher novel, and two supernatural novellas to earn my candy corn witch and my kitty cat corn on the cob.

In addition, I attended the watch party on Kelsi’s discord to watch the slasher movie, Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night 2, with friends. I gave it a 1/2 star because it was awful and not at all connected to the original Prom Night, starring the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.

  • Prompts #3 and #5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Dolly (Prompts #1, #4, #8) ⭐⭐⭐⭐; The Man In the Picture (Prompt #8) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
  • Prompts #2 and #7 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Welcome to Camp Nightmare by R.L. Stine is a delightfully dark middle-grade horror book and the 9th book in the original iconic Goosebumps series. It is about a young boy named Billy who is shipped off to Camp Nightmoon for his first summer camp experience. Even before arriving at Camp Nightmoon, Billy and his new friends encounter some strange situations. Welcome to Camp Nightmare was a fast, suspenseful read. This tale kept you guessing until the very end with plenty of mystery, frightening moments, and twists and turns that lead up to a VERY surprising and satisfying ending. This was my first 5-star Goosebumps.

Dolly by Susan Black is a supernatural story surrounding a damaged doll that mysteriously manifests itself through the transgressions of those who possess it. Timid Edward and his haughty cousin Leonora spend one summer as children at Iyot House in the English countryside with their Aunt Kestrel. Their time together is spent amicably enough until Aunt Kestrel presents Leonora with a large baby doll made of china for her birthday. Leonora’s reaction to the doll changes their lives forever. 4-star read for me.

The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill is a haunting story that involves a mesmerizing painting with a precarious secret. Oliver travels to Cambridge to visit his former professor, Theo Parmitter, who happens to be an art collector. One evening, Theo shares an unbelievably strange story with Oliver concerning a painting of masked partygoers at a Venetian carnival that he aquired many years ago. 4.5 star read for me.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones is an homage to slasher films. High school senior, Jade Daniels, is complicated and a hardcore fan of slasher movies from the 80s. A new community is being built across the lake from her small town in the national forest that triggers bad feelings amongst the townpeople, conjures up the urban legend surrounding Camp Blood, and sets off a chain of events right out of a slasher movie. This novel starts off at a slow pace but quickly picks up speed, and Jones keeps you guessing until the bittersweet end with plenty of twists and turns. 4-stars for a slashery good time.

If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read for the Killer Corn Readathon, please check out my Killer Corn Readathon Vlog. I had a great deal of fun with this readathon.

The Killer Corn Readathon kicked off my reading for June; however, I read plenty of other amazing books during the first month of the summer which I will hopefully be sharing with you soon, dear reader. Do you participate in readathons or reading challenges? Please let me know in the comments below. I love reading about the reading adventures of fellow bibliophiles. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“Can’t I just like horror because it’s great? Does there have to be some big explanation?” ~ Stephen Graham Jones, My Heart Is a Chainsaw

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Books (and Short Stories) I Read This Month: May 2023

Posted in Books/Reading, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

May was a fun reading month for me because many of the books I read were related to ZOMBIES. May is Zombie Awareness Month and in celebration I usually go a little overboard reading zombie books and watching zombie movies and television shows. More so this year since I hosted Zombiethon on my channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I completed nine books. Of those nine books, I read six for Zombiethon with one of the zombie books being chosen for May’s Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club selection. I finally got around to reading Rise of the Princess by D.A.L. which was a book on my 23 Books for 2023 and Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian for the FOMO Book Club. Lastly, I read the first selection for the Middle Grade March Book Club called The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. In addition to Zombiethon, I also read 5 short stories about zombies for Horror Mayhem. May was another month of reading a variety of genres and discovering new authors; and, I revisited characters from a middle-grade zombie series I started last year.

ZOMBIETHON READATHON

Zombiethon was created by ME. This month-long readathon/watchathon was my second event on my channel, and it fulfilled #14 on my 23 for 2023 List. I could not be more pleased with the zombie short stories and books I read throughout the month of May. In addition to reading prompts, there were movie prompts, live chats, and reading sprints. I selected a group read, Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall. I created seven reading prompts which inspired my Zombiethon TBR.

Zombies can be __________________, so…

  • Zany: Read a humorous zombie story. (Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata)
  • Open-Minded: Read a zombie story with romantic vibes. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith)
  • Moody: Read a middle-grade zombie story. (Blue Moon by James Ponti – Book 2 in Dead City series)
  • Brainy: Read a nonfiction article, an essay, or book about zombies. (“Do Zombies Feel Pain? Exploring Sensory Neuropathy” by Luke W. Boyd)
  • Imaginative: Read a comic book, a graphic novel, a manga, or a picture book related to zombies. (Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty)
  • Enterprising: Read a zombie story that made it to the little or big screen. (The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey)
  • Spontaneous: Mood Read (Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall)

  • Zombies can be ZANY! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be OPEN-MINDED! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be MOODY! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be BRAINY! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be IMAGINATIVE! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be ENTERPRISING! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Zombies can be SPONTANEOUS! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved that my zombie literature varied with some middle-grade books, humourous undead books, articles and essays, short stories, and even a picture book about brains.

Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata is more about the ups and downs of friendship in junior high than zombies, but it was still a fun read. Kate is a young filmmaker who hits a roadblock filming her zombie movie when her best friend decides to snub her for the popular girl in school.

Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith is the entertaining sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Elizabeth Bennet and her husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy, are enjoying wedded bliss when an unfortunate encounter with an unmentionable threatens their happily ever after.

Blue Moon, the exciting sequel to Dead City, by James Ponti is zomberific. Tagging along with Molly and her Omega friends for another action-filled zombie adventure in New York City was enjoyable. The group discovers the origin of zombies in “The Big Apple” as well as the identities of the Unlucky 13 and which ones hold the power in Dead City.

I read the article, “Do Zombies Feel Pain? Exploring Sensory Neuropathy” by Luke W. Boyd on the Zombie Research Society website. According to Boyd’s research, “Zombies have most likely experienced nerve damage that contributes to the common notion that they experience little to no physical pain. It could just be due to trauma, injury, infection, or Trioxin. But they most certainly seem to ignore discomfort in their ultimate pursuit of human flesh.” Interesting article about zombies with a scientific approach of whether or not they can feel pain.

Brains! Not just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty is a cute and informative picture book about brains. A friendly zombie girl informs readers about the importance of the brain, its parts and their functions, and the comparisons of the human brain with other animal brains. I love this whimsical way of teaching a science concept to children of all ages.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey is a refreshing new take on zombies which are called “hungries” in this post-apocalyptic novel. Melanie is a zombie girl; however, it is not evident just by looking at her or talking with her. She is highly intelligent, experiences emotions, and enjoys reading. However, she also craves the flesh of animals (including the human ones) when their scent triggers her. An unexpected and vicious attack at the military base where she lives propels her and a small group of people beyond the base’s border and into a wasteland. Now, humanity hangs in the balance. 5 stars for this well-written novel with well-developed characters and its fresh approach to the genre of zombie fiction!

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall was chosen as Zombiethon’s group read as well as May’s selection for the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club. I love zombies and comic cons, so I thought this comedy-horror book would appeal to me. Jim Pike is an assistant manager at the Botany Bay Hotel with no real aspirations in life. He is on duty for the annual Star Trek convention where a strange virus is attending along with loads of Star Trek fans. Night of the Living Trekkies has humor, heart, and hordes of zombies along with plenty of action, gore, and a twist. It was well-written, so much fun to read, and would make an excellent zombie film. I gave this zomberific good time 5 stars!

I did a Zombiethon wrap up video on my Youtube channel which not only included my readathon but also included my watchathon if you are interested in the zombie movies I watched throughout May.

HORROR MAYHEM

My friend Mindy @ Mindy’s Book Journey was one of the hosts for the month-long readathon, Horror Mayhem. The criteria for this readathon was to read short horror fiction that was less than 250 pages. I wanted to support her reading event, so I chose to read 5 zombie-related short stories from Zombies: A Compendium of the Living Dead edited by Otto Penzler. I am always looking for an excuse to incorporate more short stories in my reading life.

  • “Eat Me” by Robert McCammon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • “Jumbee” by Henry S. Whitehead ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • “The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • “Home Delivery” by Stephen King ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I did a Horror Mayhem wrap up video on my Youtube channel if you are interested in hearing more about these short stories and my thoughts on them.

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FOMO BOOK CLUB

Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian was the March/April book club selection for the FOMO Book Club. Since the lovely ladies who run this book club did not meet until 07 May, I was able to complete this one right at the beginning of May and join their discussion. This middle-grade novel is my first ever by Michelle Magorian. Despite heartbreaking moments in the novel, I absolutely loved the story, many of the characters and their relationships, as well as the amazing setting where the majority of the story takes place.

Good Night, Mr. Tom begins on the threshhold of World War II. Willie Beech is sent from London to Little Weirwold in the English countryside to live with a kindly old widower named Mr. Tom. Willie is skinny, apprehensive, and terrified of all the new sights and sounds of country life. Mr. Tom soon discovers that William comes from an abusive home, and William soon discovers that Mr. Tom is a kind and patient old man. Together, they form a close relationship that makes them learn to love the world again. This literary gem is a compelling and heartbreaking historical fiction story that tugs at the heart strings and shows the triumph of the human spirit during challenging experiences. This new favorite of mine easily earned 5 stars.

23 BOOKS FOR 2023 (Reading ARC)

Rise of the Princess by D.A.L. was the Reading ARC (advanced reader copy) sent to me by the author Daniel back in December. I already had a full TBR in December with the three readathons that I was participating in that I did not get to it. It is one of the books on my 23 Books for 2023 list which ended up on my TBR for February, March, and April. I finally started it at the very end of April and finished it the first week in May.

It is a terrific fairy tale adventure about two princesses, Lizzy and Ruby, who go on a quest with a fairy named Blake to rescue

Ruby’s sisters from a few impolite trolls. They experience all sorts of magical creatures along the way. Rise of the Princess has heart, humor, and heroics to make for a worthwhile middle-grade read. This whimsical reading experience earned 4 stars from me.

MIDDLE GRADE MARCH BOOK CLUB

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill was the first book club selection for the Middle Grade March Book Club which launched in May. This online book club is run by four wonderful booktubers: Krista @ Books and Jams, Amanda @ The Curly Reader, Katie @ Life Between Words, and Jenna @ Jenna Reads n Writes (Instagram). 

The Ogress and the Orphans is a beautifully written middle-grade fantasy with a fable-like quality. Once there was a lovely town called Stone-in-the Glen where warm-hearted citizens lived and worked together as a harmonious

community. Then, several tragic events cause the idyllic town to fall on hard times and neighbors no longer act neighborly. 

The Ogress and the Orphans was my first experience reading Kelly Barnhill, and I absolutely loved it so much. It is a long book and is a slower paced story; however, I did not mind that at all because the story kept me engaged with its lyrical prose. This story is about kindness, empathy, the importance of books and family, as well as what it means to be a good neighbor. “The more you give, the more you have” is a theme that runs throughout the book. While there are some heartrending moments, there are many tender moments that made reading this story enjoyable. It was a fabulous 5-star fantasy for me!

If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in May, please check out my May wrap up video.

Dear reader, June is nearly wrapping up. I completed 4 books for Kelsi’s Killer Corn Slasherthon, a patreon exclusive reading event held at the beginning of June. I have also completed 3 books for a reading project and book clubs. I am currently reading The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson for the Middle Grade March Book Club and Her Perfect Hero by Emma Bennet for Summer Book Bingo. In addition, I have Beloved by Toni Morrison still left on my TBR which I’m hoping I will be able to get to before the month ends. So much fun reading going on in June. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“A library is a medicine cabinet. What can heal one person may not work at all for somebody else.” ~ Sandra Cisneros, A House of My Own

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