2017

I've gone back and forth for weeks about whether I want to participate in any year-long reading challenges, and ultimately I have decided not to.  I am so proud of myself for completing the Popsugar Reading Challenge last year and picking up a lot of books that wouldn't have been on my radar at all, but this year, as much as my little list-making heart enjoys fitting books into different categories, I've decided to just let my mood dictate my reading for the most part.

However, I do have some goals for 2017 (bookish and personal):

• Attain my Goodreads goal of 50 books (again).
• Complete my re-read of the entire Harry Potter series.  
• #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks - I'm on a 2017 book buying ban!
• Attempt at least one blog post a week and try to write more reviews.  
• Reach out to other bookish people online (super hard for me, but I guess I have to start somewhere).
• Set up a Bookstagram account.
• Participate in Nanowrimo for the first time.
• Apply to graduate school.
• Limit random internet browsing time in the evenings and weekends in order to be more productive at home.
• Complete Couch to 5K program and continue with workouts 3-5 days per week.
• Designate times for cleaning and conquer clutter.
• Establish a monthly budget for clothes/shoes/accessories.
• Cook more at home.

Reflections on 2016

So...

2016 was a trainwreck in many respects, but I do have to say that it was awesome for me for reading!
I ended up completing 51 books and completing the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge.  51 is a tie with 2011 for my best reading year ever, and I surpassed my Goodreads goal by 1.

Notable:

• I finally have gotten into audiobooks!  I ended up completing 5:  To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.
• Of the 51 books I read, 3 were re-reads:  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.
• I read one poetry collection (Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti), one short story collection (Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri), and two graphic novels (Nimona by Noelle Stevenson and Through the Woods by Emily Carroll).  Of the remaining 47, there were 12 non-fiction and 35 fiction, which were a fairly even split of adult and YA.  
• I completed two series: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (4 books) and The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel (duology).    
• My shortest book was The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo (Grisha trilogy prequel) at 30 pages.  My longest book was Winter by Marissa Meyer at 832 pages.  My average book length was 304 pages, and I read a total of 15,520 pages.
• I enjoyed most of the books I read, giving 7 books five stars and 6 books four-and-a-half stars.  I had no one star books, 2 two star books, and 3 two-and-a-half star books  In retrospect, I would probably change some of my ratings, but in general, I just stick with my initial star rating/gut reaction.  (The lists below are in order of completion, not any kind of ranking.)
  
  5 Star Reads:
• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• Winter by Marissa Meyer
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• You by Caroline Kepnes
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
  
  4 1/2 Star Reads:
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
• The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Year-End Wrap-Up

November

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
Completed 11/14/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #34: A book from the library
Rating: 4 out 5

It took me awhile to get through, but I really enjoyed this book.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Completed 11/29/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #37: A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with
Rating: 3.25 out of 5

I enjoyed this book as much as I do any short story collection, which is to say, I didn't. Don't get me wrong, it was well written, but I just don't form attachments to characters in short stories and I didn't glean anything particularly profound from it. I have no idea why this book won the Pulitzer Prize.

December

The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel (The Book of Ivy #2)
Completed 12/2/16
Rating: 4 out of 5

The conclusion to the Book of Ivy duology. I enjoyed it but not quite as much as the first book. I do appreciate that the author didn't try to stretch it into a trilogy.

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Completed 12/23/16 (audiobook)
Rating: 4 out of 5

I listened to this audiobook on a complete whim because I spent a lot of time housecleaning for the holiday and needed something to entertain me.  I loved the movie, but the book was equally good, perhaps better in its own way, as books usually are.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #1)
Completed 12/23/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #40: A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy
Rating: 5 out of 5 (obviously)

I really had forgotten just how charming J.K. Rowling's writing is.

Anticipated:
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Hopefully completed 12/31/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #32: The first book you see in a bookstore

Cheating a little...I got this book from Target, but since I almost never buy physical books anywhere but online, I'm counting it.

November TBR

For November, I plan to keep on going with the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge (only 4 books to go!) as well as get in at least a book or two for #NonFictionNovember2016.

I'm currently reading:

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer (#34: A book from the library / also qualifies for Non-Fiction November)

Also on my potential TBR:

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern (#32: The first book you see in a bookstore)
The Lost City of Z by David Grann (Non-Fiction November, possibly stretched to also cover #37: A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with)
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (Non-Fiction November)
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (Non-Fiction November)
The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster (Non-Fiction November)
The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel (because I HAVE TO find out how this duology ends)

I know I won't finish all 7 books, but I like options.  :)

October Wrap-Up, Part 2

As luck would have it, I finished another book today, which makes 7 for the month of October!  I'm guessing this is a personal best.

#7

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Completed 10/31/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #29: A dystopian novel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I've heard very little buzz about this YA dystopian, which is first in a duology.  Unlike the more popular YA dystopian series out there, this one is character driven, as opposed to action based.  That does not mean this book drags, not by any means!


I also forgot to mention the two books I DNFed in October:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson:  I was going to read this for the R.I.P. Challenge and the #Spookathon.  I DNFed after the first chapter because I just wasn't feeling it and I didn't want to ruin my reading mojo by trying to force myself through it.  I do want to come back to it in the future.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman:  I DNFed about an hour into the audiobook.  I stopped listening because I felt I will enjoy it more in physical form.  I feel like realistic books like contemporaries or literary fiction are easier to follow in audiobook format than fantasies.