February Review and Goals for March

 

For a short month, I think I did pretty well.  Though, of course, I did read a few graphic novels which certainly helps up the total in a short amount of time!  This isn't a great attitude for a year when I'm *trying* to make it a few of the longer books in my TBR pile, but looking at the numbers is a hard habit to break!

Goal Books for February:

1. The Love Songs of W.E.B. duBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Fiction/Library)
2. The Arthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Non-Fiction/Library)
3. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Fiction/Book Club/Library)
4. Obie by Schuyler Bailar (Fiction/Shelves)

Books Read in February:

1. The Arthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Non-Fiction/Library)
2. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Fiction/Book Club/Library)
3. Obie by Schuyler Bailar (Fiction/Shelves)
4. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (Mystery/Shelves)
5. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (Juvenile Fiction/Library)
6. Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin (Fiction/Library)
7. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong (Memoir/Shelves)
8. Half Magic by Edward Eager (Juvenile Fiction/Shelves)
9. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (Romance/Library)
10. Heartstopper, Vol. I by Alice Oseman (Graphic Novel/Library)
11. The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear (Mystery/Library)
12. The Golden Hour by Niki Smith (Graphic Novel/Library)
13. Go with the Flow by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann (Graphic Novel/Library)

Goal Books for March:

1. Run the Tides by Vendela Vida (Fiction/Borrowed)
2. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Tolles (Fiction/Library)
3. Taste by Stanley Tucci (Memoir/Library)
4. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (Mystery/Shelves)

Happy Reading!

January Review and Plans for February

 

I read more this month than I have in a very long time.  I'm not quite sure what accounted for this - though I did make a goal to read at least 20 minutes of non-fiction a day.  I can't say I tracked this, but I did find that when I did it, I often went for much longer.  And then, I really wanted to get my fiction reading in on top of it, so instead of substituting for my fiction, I just did it in addition.  I'm not sure how sustainable that will be going forward!  I also discovered hoopla, which allows me to check out e-books from the library.  I don't generally like to read on an e-reader, but I found for non-fiction, it was kind of nice to have it on my computer - it made reading those books more like reading a newspaper article.  I'm going to try a little more of that in February.  Though, I do have some very LONG books I'd like to get through and may need to hunker down in a comfy chair for hours on end to meet those goals.  Looking forward to a short, but fun, month of reading.

Goal Books for January:

1. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Non-Fiction/Book Club/Library)
2. The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Fiction/Shelves)
3. Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown (Non-Fiction/Shelves)
4. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (Fiction/Shelves)

Books read in January:

1. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Non-Fiction/Book Club/Library)
2. The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Fiction/Shelves)
3. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (Fiction/Shelves)
4. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (Fiction/Shelves)
5. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagoski (Non-Fiction/Shelves)
6. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Fiction/Library)
7. A Year to Live: How to Live this Year as if it Were Your Last by Stephen Levine (Non-Fiction/e-Library)
8. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (Fiction/Library)
9. The Silent Patient by Alex Michalides (Mystery/Library)
10. The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb (Non-Fiction/e-Library)
11. Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Fiction/Book Club/Library)
12. Can't Even: How Millenials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen (Non-Fiction/e-Library)

Goal Books for February:

1. The Love Songs of W.E.B. duBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (Fiction/Library)
2. The Arthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Non-Fiction/Library)
3. Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Fiction/Book Club/Library)
4. Obie by Schuyler Bailar (Fiction/Shelves)

Happy Reading!

2021: YEAR IN REVIEW!

 

I can't believe we've reached the end of the year.  I think this may be the only month this year that I actually read all my goal books!  Next year, one of my plans is to take my goal books at the beginning of each month and put them on my bedside table (or on an easily accessible shelf) so I won't forget the plan.  My goal this year was to read 52 books - seemed like an easy one-per-month number.  I ended up reading 84.  I didn't feel like it was too many or that I was stressed or reading all the time.  But, I think that I pass up some of my longer books on the shelf because it seems like it will bring my reading total down!  That, obviously, is silly.  So, in 2022, I am going to set a round reading target of 50 books - but with the goal of tackling some of the longer titles on my to-read list, such as Cloud Cuckoo Land  and that most recent Ken Follet novel.  I vow not to let the numbers interfere with my reading enjoyment!

I have set up a few to-read shelves around the house with my priority books for 2022.  Most of these are books I bought during 2021.  But, I have so many books that have languished on my shelves for over a decade.  Another one of my goals for the year is to go through these - either pick them as books to read, or make a final decision that I probably won't ever get to a point where I'm interested in reading them anymore, and give them away.  While it's nice in some sense to look at full shelves, I don't necessarily like to look at shelves full of books I just feel kind of blah about.  I also always wonder whether I should be more methodical about my reading - or keep doing it the way I usually do, which is pick up what looks good when it looks good, and request books when I like, and buy other things when they look good.  I can see the value in both approaches for my own enjoyment of my books...so I assume I will continue to do some type of hybrid where I make a plan, abandon it, read some random books, and repeat throughout the year!

Goal Books for December

1. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction/Borrowed)
2. The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs (Non-Fiction/Library)
3. Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay (Fiction/Library)
4. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Mystery/Library)

Books Read in December:

1. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction/Borrowed)
2. The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs (Non-Fiction/Library)
3. Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay (Fiction/Library)
4. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Mystery/Library)
5. The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley (Fiction)
6. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (Fiction/Library)
7. Among the Mad by Jaqueline Winspear (Mystery/Library)
8. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fiction/Shelves)
9. Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim (Romance/Library)

Goal Books for January....not quite sure yet, but I'll try for these:

1. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (Non-Fiction/Book Club/Library)
2. The Guncle by Steven Rowley (Fiction/Shelves)
3. Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown (Non-Fiction/Shelves)
4. The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (Fiction/Shelves)

Happy Reading!

November Review & Goals for December

 

Goals Books for November

1. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Fiction/Library for Book Club)
2. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim (Fiction/Library)
3. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction/Borrowed)
4. Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay (Fiction/Library)

Books Actually Read in November

1. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Fiction/Library for Book Club)
2. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim (Fiction/Library)
3. The Heart Principle by Helen Huong (Fiction/Romance/On Shelves)
4. A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers (Fiction/On Shelves)
5. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (Mystery/Library)
6. Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal (Fiction/Library)

Goal Books for December

1. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction/Borrowed)
2. The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs (Non-Fiction/Library)
3. Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay (Fiction/Library)
4. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Mystery/Library)

Looking forward to some time off from work to curl up with some bigger books over the holidays!

Happy Reading!

Books from October and Goals for November!

 

October brought with it a big rain storm, which was perfect for getting me into a cozy reading mood.  A large stack of holds also came in for me at the library, and while that can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, I'm trying to allow myself to just take my time with the books and not feel myself getting too frenetic about finishing everything as soon as possible!  Overall, October was a nice reading month for me and I hope is helping me set a steady pace through the end of the year.

Goals for October:

1. Range by David Epstein (Non-Fiction/Shelf for Book Club)
2. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Romance/Shelf)
3. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Fiction/Library)
4. Members Only by Sameer Pandya (Fiction/Borrowed)

Books Read in October:

1. Range by David Epstein (Non-Fiction/Shelf for Book Club)
2. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Romance/Shelf)
3. Still Life by Louise Penny (Mystery/Library)
4. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction/Shelf)
5. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan (Fiction/Library)
6. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Frances Kane (Fiction/Library)
7. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (Romance/Borrowed)

Goals Books for November

1. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Fiction/Library for Book Club)
2. Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop (Fiction/Library)
3. That Summer by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction/Borrowed)
4. Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay (Fiction/Library)

Happy Reading!

September Review and Goals for October!

 

Despite the start of fall, it still feels very warm and dry.  It is getting darker earlier which puts me in the mood for curling up with a book - and as we get closer to Halloween, I am putting a few mysteries on my to-read list.  My goal books for September were: 

1. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Fiction/Library)
2. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff (Nonfiction/Book Club)
3. Range by David Epstein (Non-Fiction/Shelf for Book Club)
4. Fiction book from my shelves at home!

The books I actually read were:

1. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Fiction/Library)
2. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff (Nonfiction/Book Club)
3. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (Fiction/Shelves at Home)
4. While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (Romance/Shelves at Home)
5. Hell of a Book by Jason Mott (Fiction/Library/Book Club)
6. Surviving the White Gaze by Rebecca Carroll (Memoir/Library)

Goals for October:

1. Range by David Epstein (Non-Fiction/Shelf for Book Club)
2. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Romance/Shelf)
3. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (Fiction/Library)
4. Members Only by Sameer Pandya (Fiction/Borrowed)

Happy Reading!!

August Review and Goals for September!

 

August is typically a great reading month for me - not only is it the end of summer vacation for the kids - which often means a little vacation - it's also my birthday month, so I typically take some extra time for myself to do the things I love.  Unfortunately, this August, I had a big work deadline and found myself distracted having to spend time on that, and then often so tired in the evenings that I wasn't able to focus on reading anything.  To this point, while I rarely watch television, I actually watched two short series in August (White Lotus and The Chair) - which was nice shared experience with my husband.  I did manage to get through about half-way of a few books, so I suppose that gives me a bit of a head start on September!  My goal books for August were:

1. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Fiction/Book Club)
2. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff (Nonfiction/Book Club)
3. Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason (Fiction/Loaner)
4. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Fiction/Library)

The books I actually read in August were:

1. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Fiction/Library)
2. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (Fiction/Shelf)
3. How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps  by Cherie Jones (Fiction/Library)
4. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Fiction/Loaner from my kid!)

Goals for September:

1. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Fiction/Library)
2. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff (Nonfiction/Book Club)
3. Range by David Epstein (Non-Fiction/Shelf for Book Club)
4. Fiction book from my shelves at home!

I also want to get my to-read shelf in order for the fall/winter.  Moving away from the beach reads to the cozy mysteries!

~ Happy Reading!! ~