We're Halfway Through 2024! Reading Update!

 

I can't believe 2024 is halfway over with already!! It seems like I say this every year... That time goes by too quickly. But, here we are halfway into the year!

Here's a quick reading recap to summarize my reading progress this year so far.

I've read 32 books so far this year! So, far most of them have been audiobooks. The break down is as follows:

Audiobooks: Twenty-five books

Physical Books: Five books

eBooks: Two book

My top ten favorite reads for the first half of the year are as follows:

1. Chasing the Sun by Linda Geddes

2. Overkill by Paul Offit M. D.

3. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

4. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

5. The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

6. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

7. Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill François

8. A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson

9. A Most Efficient Murder by Anthony Slayton

10. Fire Cider by Rosemary Gladstar and Friends

My reading goal for 2024 is to read fifty-two books. I am currently ahead of schedule in terms of my reading goals. Maybe, I'll end up reading more FAR MORE than 52 books, which would most definitely be a good thing.

How's your reading going so far in 2024? Have you been meeting your reading goals so far? What have been some of your favorite reads this year? Share with me in the comment section below!! 

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Goals for 2024

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I only have three major reading goals this year as follows:

1. Read 52 books.

2. Read the books I have on hand in any format I desire (physical book, ebook, or audiobook). 

3. Go through my book stash and pass along books I no longer read or keep to Little Free Libraries, friends, etc.

End of the Year Wrap Up Post

 

I can't believe we've reached the end of 2021. This year has gone by fairly swiftly despite the fact we're still in a worldwide pandemic and life hasn't fully returned to normal. 

Good news on the reading front for me! I met or exceeded most of my 2021 Reading Goals in all areas except for one. Click on above link to read my original post stating my 2021 reading goals.

This year, I accomplished the following:

* I read a grand total of 107 books in 2021. My original goal had been to read only 60 books this year, so I happily exceeded my reading goals for 2021.

* I read 5 trilogies in 2021. So, I met my goal of reading 5 trilogies this year.

* My goal had been to read 15 books I'd received for FREE through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I ONLY read 7 books from this category, so I didn't reach my original reading goal for this category.

I read a lot of books that were on my reading wishlist this year: 

1. Flygirl by Sherri L Smith

2. Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do About It by Kate Harding

3. The Taster by V.S. Alexander

4. Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World's Most Famous Detective Writer by Margalit Fox

5. Euphoria by Lily King

6. Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer

7. The Seance by John Harwood

8. The Wolf Hunt Trilogy by Jeff Strand

9. Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

10. The Torment of Rachel Ames by Jeff Gunhus

11. Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye

12. Love in the Light by Laura Kaye

13. Toni Tennille: A Memoir by Toni Tennille

I've also read many new to me authors like Ursula K. Le Guin, Gary D. Schmidt, and Xhenet Aliu... Or other books written by authors I've enjoyed reading in prior years like Allen Eskens or Jules Verne.

Overall, I had a great year of reading during 2021. How'd you do this year in terms of reading? Did you met your reading goals? What are reading goals for 2022?

First Quarter 2022 Reading Goals

Here's my tentative reading lineup for the 1st quarter of 20221! I say 'tentative' because I usually end up making some changes along the way in terms of what I end up actually reading.

In 2022, I'll also be trying to reduce my plethora of physical books and move them along to Little Free Libraries for others to enjoy reading... This means I'll also attempt to minimize the amount of ebooks or Audible books I usually enjoy reading throughout the year in an attempt to move some of my physical books along to other readers. I REALLY LOVE listening to audiobooks, so scaling back on listening to books is going to take some diligence on my part.

Hopefully, I will not be buying or acquiring any new books as gifts in 2022. Good luck with this goal as I have a book addiction problem! 

Anyway, all the books in the photo above start with the word 'the' interestingly enough. Additionally, I have a couple of books I started this year that I will most likely finish in early 2022 as I probably won't have enough time to finish reading them this year.

Have you started planning your reading goals for 2022? 

2021 Reading Goals!!

My goal is to read 60 books in 2021. All 60 books to be read will come from my current 'to be read' pile. No specific titles selected at this time have been decided upon. 

However, I do plan to read 15 books that I've acquired through Goodreads Giveaways. 

Additionally, I have several trilogies in my possessions that I have yet to read, so I plan to read five of the trilogies in my possession for a total of 15 books.

The remaining 30 books left to read will be chosen at random from my 'to be read' pile.

So what are your reading goals for 2021?

2020 End of the Year Wrap Up Post!!

 

I can't believe we've reached the end of 2020!! In some regards this year has flown by so fast... At other times, 2020 time passed by so very slowly. What a strange year we've had with the COVID-19 pandemic turning life upside down as we know it, wildfires raging along the west coast of the US and other natural disasters, civil unrest throughout the nation at times, and an interesting presidential election year to name a few of the events that have occurred this year here in the US.

I set my 2020 Reading Goals on December 31st of 2019 as follows:

My goal is to read 52 books in 2020. All 52 books to be read will come from my current 'to be read' pile. No specific titles at this time have been decided upon. However, I do plan to read 13 books that I've acquired through Goodreads Giveaways, 13 books that I acquired prior to May 2014, and the 26 remaining books will be chosen at random from my 'tbr' pile... These could be books added  to my collection after May 2014, more of my older books acquired prior to May 2014, or more books I acquired through Goodreads Giveaways.

I have reached and surpassed my 2020 reading goals!! I read or listened to a total of 90 books this year. Below is a small snapshot of what I read and reviewed here on my blog.

Goodreads Giveaways books as follow:

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan
2. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
3. A Killer Kebab by Susannah Hardy
4. The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic
5. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman
6. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West
7. Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper
8. The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman
9. The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama 

10. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

11. Assualt and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz

12. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James

13. Saucy by Cynthia Kadohata

Books read that were acquired prior to May 2014 as follows:

1. You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam
2. The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger

3. The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

4. The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

5. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

6. Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Greg Lawrence
7. Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett
8. The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey
9. The 5-Minute Face: The Quick Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy

10. Reading and Understanding the Mysteries of the Tarot by Staci Mendoza & David Bourne

11. Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou

12. Room by Emma Donoghue

13. Behind Jane Austen's Door by Jennifer Forest

Books read that were acquired May 2014 or later as follows:

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
2. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
4. Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
5. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
6. Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan
7. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
9. Becoming by Michelle Obama
10. The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates with Linda Schatz
11. Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke
12. Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins
13. Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins
14. Night of the Living Dandelion by Kate Collins
15. Conversations With Black: 13 People, 1 Body by Bill Puett, Ph.D.
16. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
17. The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg
18. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
19. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
20. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
21. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
22. The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull
23. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

24. George by Alex Gino 
25. Romanov by Nadine Brandes 

26. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

27. Animal Farm by George Orwell

28. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

29. Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto

30. Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto

31. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

32. The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories by Yukiko Motoya

33. The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

34. Tempting the Tiger by Sennah Tate

35. Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

36. The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson

37. Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All by Erno Rubik 

Additionally, I listened to another 27 audiobooks

that I was able to download from Audible, but didn't

find the time to review here on my blog.

Did you meet your 2020 reading goals?

Tell me about your favorite reads, your least favorite

reads, the books that surprised you the most,

or whatever else you want to share about

what you read this year in the comment section below.

2020 Third Quarter Reading Update!!!

Dear Blog Readers, I  know I’ve been missing in action lately and not posting frequently to my blog since the end of August through September.... Or leaving comments on posts made by favorite bloggers lately. 

I’ve been experiencing an increase in pain due to my crps, so I have backed off writing and posting book reviews and reviews of recent virtual events I’ve attended, etc. the past six weeks or so.

I’m hoping to catch up on my book reviews soon. Hope you are all doing well and staying safe from COVID-19!

I set my 2020 Reading Goals on December 31st of 2019 as follows:

My goal is to read 52 books in 2020. All 52 books to be read will come from my current 'to be read' pile. No specific titles at this time have been decided upon. However, I do plan to read 13 books that I've acquired through Goodreads Giveaways, 13 books that I acquired prior to May 2014, and the 26 remaining books will be chosen at random from my 'tbr' pile... These could be books added  to my collection after May 2014, more of my older books acquired prior to May 2014, or more books I acquired through Goodreads Giveaways.

I've read 44 books so far this year.

Here's the break down of my reading so far in 2020.

Goodreads Giveaways books as follow:

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan
2. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
3. A Killer Kebab by Susannah Hardy
4. The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic
5. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman
6. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West
7. Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper
8. The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman
9. The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama 

10. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Books read that were acquired prior to May 2014 as follows:

1. You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam
2. The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger

3. The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

4. The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

5. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

6. Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Greg Lawrence
7. Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett
8. The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey
9. The 5-Minute Face: The Quick Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy

Books read that were acquired May 2014 or later as follows:

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
2. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
4. Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
5. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
6. Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan
7. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
9. Becoming by Michelle Obama
10. The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates with Linda Schatz
11. Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke
12. Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins
13. Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins
14. Night of the Living Dandelion by Kate Collins
15. Conversations With Black: 13 People, 1 Body by Bill Puett, Ph.D.
16. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
17. The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg
18. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
19. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
20. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
21. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
22. The Woman Before Wallis by Bryn Turnbull
23. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer

24. George by Alex Gino 
25. Romanov by Nadine Brandes 

How is your year of reading going? I hope you have read many great books to date!

2020 Second Quarter Reading Update!!

I set my 2020 Reading Goals on December 31st of 2019 as follows:

My goal is to read 52 books in 2020. All 52 books to be read will come from my current 'to be read' pile. No specific titles at this time have been decided upon. However, I do plan to read 13 books that I've acquired through Goodreads Giveaways, 13 books that I acquired prior to May 2014, and the 26 remaining books will be chosen at random from my 'tbr' pile... These could be books added  to my collection after May 2014, more of my older books acquired prior to May 2014, or more books I acquired through Goodreads Giveaways.

I've read 34 books so far this year and I am 9 books ahead of schedule at this point! 

Here's the break down of my reading so far in 2020.

Goodreads Giveaways books as follow:

1. Where the Lost Girls Go by R. J. Noonan
2. The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
3. A Killer Kebab by Susannah Hardy
4. The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic
5. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman

Books read that were acquired prior to May 2014 as follows:

1. You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam
2. The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger

3. The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

4. The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

5. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

6. Jackie as Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Greg Lawrence
7. Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett
8. The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey
9. The 5-Minute Face: The Quick Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy

Books read that were acquired May 2014 or later as follows:

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
2. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
4. Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
5. Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
6. Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan
7. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
9. Becoming by Michelle Obama
10. The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates with Linda Schatz
11. Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke
12. Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins
13. Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins
14. Night of the Living Dandelion by Kate Collins
15. Conversations With Black: 13 People, 1 Body by Bill Puett, Ph.D.
16. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
17. The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg
18. Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
19. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
20. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Here's the further break down of the books I've read this year so far in 2020.

* 22 books were written by women and 12 by men. 

* 12 of the books are nonfiction and 22 are works of fiction. 

I've really enjoyed reading the books I've read this year so far this year. How is your year of reading going? I hope you have read many great books to date. 

2020 Reading Goals

My goal is to read 52 books in 2020. All 52 books to be read will come from my current 'to be read' pile. No specific titles at this time have been decided upon. However, I do plan to read 13 books that I've acquired through Goodreads Giveaways, 13 books that I acquired prior to May 2014, and the 26 remaining books will be chosen at random from my 'tbr' pile... These could be books added  to my collection after May 2014, more of my older books acquired prior to May 2014, or more books I acquired through Goodreads Giveaways.

So what are your reading goals for 2020?

Reading Goals the Rest of the Year!!

I usually just select the number of books I want (or hope) to read during any given year... Because if I select the book titles I want to read in advance for any given year, I am bound to change my mind about which books I decide to read as the year carries on.

However, I've decided to go through my plethora of physical books around my home and set aside 45 of them to read before 2019 is up. I've added ARCs and other giveaway books I've received, recent books I've added to my collection, and other books I've had for over five years in my collection, but have yet to read. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I read all 45 of these books I've recently set aside before the year ends and that I don't change my mind on which titles I end up reading. Many of the books I will pass along to other readers!

I've also added 2 audiobooks and 1 ebook to the mix as well for a total of 48 books.

How do you determine which book or books you'll read next? Usually, I just select the next book after I've finished reading a book.