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!! ~

Update from July and Goals for August!

 

I can't believe we're already in August.  The summer is nearly over (as marked by the start of school, no longer by Labor Day!) and I don't feel like I had the relaxing chalk-full of reading summer that I always want.  But, I have still managed to get some good reads in.  One thing I am also working on is (slowly) going through the books on my shelves and making relatively quick decisions about which ones I'm just not interested in and moving on!  On a positive #goals note, I reached my Goodreads goal of 52 books this month!  I still think 4 books a month is a good goal...so I'll hope to squeeze in 20 more before the year ends!

Here were my goal books for July:

1. Arsenic & Adobo by Mia Manansala (Fiction/Book Club)
2. Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason (Fiction/Loaner)
3. The Arm by Jeff Passan (Non-Fiction/My Bookshelf)
4. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery/Library)

Here's what I actually read in July:

1. Arsenic & Adobo by Mia Manansala (Fiction/Book Club)
2. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery/Library)
3. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (Fiction/Library)
4. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (Fiction/Library)
5. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (Fiction/Shelves)
6. Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction/Loaner)

Here are my goal books for August:

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)

Happy End-of-Summer Reading!

Update from June & Goals for July!

 

I can't believe one month of my summer reading is over!  I made the mistake again this month of not referring to my goals, and in addition to a few other things, that made me feel like my reading this month was very haphazard.  Here were my goal books for June:

1. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman (Memoir/Book Club)
2. The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konakova (Memoir/Book Club)
3. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Fiction)
4. This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel (Fiction/My Bookshelf)
5. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (Fiction/Loaner)

Here are the books I actually got through in June: 

1. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman (Memoir/Book Club)
2. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Fiction)
3. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction)
4. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (Fiction)
5. This Isn't What it Looks Like by Psuedonymous Bosch (Children's Lit/Fiction)

My Goal books for July:

1. Arsenic & Adobo by Mia Manansala (Fiction/Book Club)
2. Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason (Fiction/Loaner)
3. The Arm by Jeff Passan (Non-Fiction/My Bookshelf)
4. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery/Library)