2016 Reading Goals [check in]

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Books read: 18/25
Pages read: 6,299
Goals completed: 3/6

1. Read 25 books: I already knocked out 18 books toward this goal, so I am sure I will be able to complete 25 by September or October. I find it a little sad that it has taken me so much of the year just to complete 18 books when, in 2014, I was easily able to meet a goal of 70, but my reading slumps and busy work schedule has made reading that many books a bit unrealistic.


2. Read three books that have been on my physical TBR shelf for at least six months: This goal used to be one that I struggled the most with but, for some reason, I kicked this challenge's butt this year. So far, I have read eight books toward this goal, and I anticipate that the number will keep growing throughout the second half of 2016.


3. Reread three books (not including Percy Jackson): I did awesome with this goal as well, completing it in the first four months of the year. I am fairly certain I will be rereading the first two Harry Potter books at the end of the summer but, other than that, I am not yet sure if any other books will go toward this challenge.


4. Finish five series/trilogies: As of a few days ago, I have been able to finish three series, so I have no doubt I will be able to complete this goal within the next few months as well.


5. Reread the Percy Jackson series: So far, I have only reread The Lightning Thief, so I definitely need to step up my game and make it a point to pick up the others before the year comes to an end. I should be okay, since there are only four books left; I've told myself not to panic unless I have made no progress with this goal by October.


6. Listen to an audiobook: I listened to my first audio book in March! It is not something I will make a habit of doing, particularly because I found it very difficult to find time to listen to it, but it was definitely an interesting experience and I can see the appeal.

How are you guys doing on your 2016 reading goals?

The 365 Project

This project isn’t the first of its kind. In fact, it’s probably a few thousand down the list of similar projects beginning January first of 2016. Basically, it’s a 365-day journal.

Looking back, I have realized how few pictures and journal entries there are documenting the special, fun and ordinary moments throughout my life, simply because I didn’t have the time or energy to write a post or take/be in pictures. This is a way to remedy that. The 365 Project is a challenge I am creating for myself and will consist of pictures, videos, journal entries, music and random musings that make up the next year. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an every day thing (though I will certainly try my hardest to make it so), but it needs to be something. Something my future self can look back on and say “That was a really fun day!” or, “Maybe there is such a thing as being too obsessed with Bellamy Blake…” (there isn’t).

It is so easy to get caught up in the muddled, hectic occurrences of every day life; I sincerely hope that, by creating this blog, I will be creating something fun, memorable and personal that I can revisit again and again with the knowledge that I challenged myself to better document my adventures for later nostalgia purposes, and succeeded.

Here’s to a great 2016.

Bout of Books 14 Wrap-up

Bout of Books has come to an end and, with it, one of the most successful weeks I've had, reading-wise, all year! I only managed to complete a few books but, overall, I did more reading that I have done in quite some time. This post will be a review of my week. To see my original Progress Post, you can click here.



Day One:

One day one, I continued reading the book that I had been working on in the weeks leading up to Bout of Books: Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott, calling it a night after 97 pages. I also participated in the "Fictional World Travel" challenge.


Day Two:

One day two, I finished reading Fire and Flood and picked up Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, which I had just received in the mail. I read 157 pages in total on day two and participated in the "Book Scavenger Hunt" challenge.


Day Three:

Since Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes is such a big book, I decided to go ahead and pick up The Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett on day three, reading 150 pages in total. I also completed the "M.A.S.H." challenge.


Day Four:

Because I had Thursday off from work, I decided to use the day to catch up on some schoolwork and cleaning, only reading about 28 pages in total. I read Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes and The Nightmare Charade on-and-off, completing the "Four Seasons Book Covers" challenge as well.


Day Five:

I continued reading both books on day five, getting through 82 pages and completing the "Character Soulmates" challenge.


Day Six:

On day six, I began and finished reading Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Titans Curse graphic novel in between reading Greek Heroes and The Nightmare Charade. I read 153 pages in total and completed the "Road Trip" challenge.


Day Seven:

Day seven was my most successful reading day, by far. I had another day off of work and used my free time to finally finish The Nightmare Charade by Mindee Arnett, having read 245 pages in total just before Bout of Books ended at midnight. I also participated in the "What to Read Next" challenge.


Stats:

Total # of Hours Read: 13.75
Total # of Pages Read: 912
Total # of Books Read: 3(.5)
Total # of Challenges Participated In: 7

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, I think I did pretty well. Like I said, my reading has not been the greatest this year, so finishing 3.5 books in one week is an accomplishment. Hopefully this will continue! Though I did not set any goals for myself, I am glad that I was able to finish the three books on my TBR and took part in every single challenge that was hosted. Thanks, Bout of Books, for another great read-a-thon!


Did you guys participate? How did you do?

2015 Reading/Writing Goals

It's that time again! Every year, I attempt to make my reading a little more interesting by challenging myself to read and/or reread a specific number of books or pick up a certain type of book that I might have otherwise looked over. I actually did pretty well last year, so here is a new and updated version for 2015!

(I made a video discussing these goals as well, so if you wold like to see that rather than read about it, click here.)


Reading goals:

1. To read — This goal seems pretty obvious, yes, but after the reading-induced stress that I endured during the closing months of 2014, I felt it was necessary. I am not going to set myself a specific number of books to have read and completed by the end of the year and I am definitely not going to track my progress on Goodreads. Instead, I will try to enjoy the books as I pick them up and take plenty of breaks if I need it, even if it means I only get to read a handful of books in the process!

2. To read at least three books from my physical TBR shelf. In order to narrow this goal down, those three books must have been sitting there for at least six months.

3. To reread three books (not including Harry Potter).

4. To finish five series/trilogies.

5. Finish rereading the Harry Potter series — Last year, I said that I wanted to reread the entire Harry Potter series before the end of the year but, unfortunately, this was the one goal I was not able to accomplish. So, I have decided that I would like to carry it over into 2015! I am currently on book five.

Writing Goals:

1. To Write



What are some of your 2015 goals?

2014 challenges [+ 2013 review!]

2013 has come and gone and it is now time to create a new list of goals that we would like to accomplish in the coming year. Personally, I will not be making a list of resolutions like I did last year because I always end up pushing them to the side a few months after I make them; which, lets be honest, is actually kind of depressing. So, instead, I have comprised a list of bookish (and not) challenges that I would like to complete by 2014's end. But, before that, a review of the reading goals that I had set during 2013.


2013 Review:

Reading Challenge -

✓ 1. Read 65 books: I completed this goal—and my original goal of 40—several months before 2014; finishing the year with a grand total of 82 books (plus 5-6 novellas which were not included in that count).

☓ 2. Read at least one classic: Unfortunately, I did not get around to finishing this goal. I picked up quite a few books from a library sale over the summer that I had every intention of reading, but ended up being distracted by newer, more exciting reads. Perhaps classics are not a reading goal I should force myself to complete, but rather something that I pick up when I feel like it.

☓ 3. Read at least three books that have been on my physical TBR shelf for a while: I was SO. CLOSE. Reached by Ally Condie and The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey were two books that had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, staring me down every time I bypassed and grabbed another book. I was also planning to pick up Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick—which is the oldest book on my TBR shelf—but was not really up for getting back into the story at that time.

✓ 4. Read at least three books/series from the Science Fiction genre: I have stated it on this blog a thousand times, but I made this goal because I have a bad habit of writing off all Science Fiction books as clichéd or boring. Due to this goal, however, I discovered quite a few amazing series this year that fall under that genre, including: the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis, books one and two in the Chaos Walking trilogy, and The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

✓ 5. Finish ten series/trilogies: Whoop, whoop! To see the entire list, click here.

✓ 6. Read The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I honestly did not think I would finish this book before 2013 came to an end. The Book Thief was so intimidating going into (which is one of the reasons I put off reading it so long in the first place), but when I finally did pick it up—during the first few weeks of December—I fell in love.


Overall, I would definitely call this year a success, reading-wise. I have always had a love for reading, but it was not until the middle of 2012 that I actually started collecting books and viewing my thoughts and opinions as more than just a hobby, and rather as something that I generally enjoy doing and consider a passion. My collection has grown so much in the last two years, and I have discovered so many amazing books and series through BookTube, my blog, Goodreads and the bookish community that I foresee nothing but continuous growth for the future. I absolutely enjoy discussing my opinions and hearing the thoughts of others as they pertain to certain books, raving over gorgeous book covers, reveling in sneaky book snippets, and counting down the favorites of a certain genre. But, most of all, I enjoy reading, and I look forward to the worlds and characters I will discover in 2014; whether those worlds are new or old; just beginning or coming to an end.


2014 Goals:

Reading Challenge -

1. Read 70 books: I think this is manageable, considering the number I ended the year with in 2013.

2. Read three books that have been on my physical TBR shelf for at least six months: This widens the time-gap and gives me more of a choice when it comes to completing this goal.

3. Reread three books (not including Harry Potter): Honestly, I do not think I reread any books in 2013 and I would really like to rediscover some of my favorites; particularly those that have sequels/conclusions being released in the near future.

4. Finish ten series/trilogies.

5. Read I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak: I loved The Book Thief so much that I decided to check out some more of Zusak's work, and this book has received a lot of great reviews.

6. Read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: Another book I have heard great things about.


Harry Potter Reading Challenge -

It has been a few years since I have read the entire series, altogether—usually I just pick out my favorites and reread those—so I would like to rediscover the world and characters and magic as a whole, rather than in bits and pieces. Also, I have yet to watch the final two movies (ouch, my childhood...), so I am hoping this helps me jump the hurdle of not wanting them to end.

. . . . 

And there you have it! What goals are you setting for yourself this year, reading or otherwise?