January 8, 2018

How I Did on My Reading Goals Last Year

Ok, ladies and gents. It is time to 'fess up to how I did on my goals from last year.

Overall, not so badly, particularly considering all that has happened in the past year. (Move, new baby, fire.)

Let's get to it!

1. Read what I've got! Or in other words, review my bookshelf.

I was sort of forced into doing this one, what with the move mid-year. At a certain point, I didn't want to keep track of any more library books, so all I had to read were our own books. Then, once we moved, we could only check out 5 books at a time from the new library for 90 days. So yeah, that helped too.

I did awesome on this one!

Here's what I read off my own shelves:

The Medical Detectives, by Berton Reuche
Run For Your Life, by Jean Holbrook Matthews
Dominic, by William Steig
Obsession, by Traci Hunter Abramson
Code Word, by Traci Hunter Abramson
The Blue Castle, Jane of Lantern Hill, and Along the Shore, by L.M. Montgomery
Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, by Queen Noor
6 books by Sarah Eden: Longing for Home (Hope Springs #2), Friends and Foes (The Jonquil Brothers, #1), Drops of Gold (Jonquil Brothers #2), As You Are (Jonquil Brothers #3), For Elise, Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1)
The Last Treasure, by Janet Anderson
Nickel Bay Nick, by Dean Pitchford
Thunder From the Sea, by Joan Hiatt Harlow
3 books by Jennifer Chavierini: The Aloha Quilt (Elm Creek Quilts #16), The Sugar Camp Quilt (Elm Creek Quilts #7), The Lost Quilter (Elm Creek Quilts #14)
Wrong Number, by Rachelle J. Christensen
The Hainan Incident, by D.M. Coffman
Wake Me When It's Over, by Robison E. Wells
The Counterfeit, by Robison E. Wells
The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption, by Monty and Sarah Don
The Backyard Chicken Bible, by Eric Lofgren
Latter-day Spies series, by Michele Ashman Bell
My Father's Dragon series, by Ruth Stiles Gannett
The Magic Finger, by Roald Dahl
Pollyanna (Great Illustrated Classics version), adapted by Marian Leighton
The Rumplestiltskin Problem, by Vivian Vande Velde
Temple Square Gardening, by Christena Gates
As the Ward Turns series, by Joni Hilton

(41 so far! There may be more to add as I finish reviewing books read in 2017.)


2. Fill in my Newberry reading with winners and Honor books from the past 5 years.

I made some progress on this one, but not very much. This will stay on the list for 2018!

Here are the Newberry books I did manage to read/review this year:
The War That Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Doll Bones, by Holly Black
The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos

Plus these two that I read and haven't reviewed yet (I know, I know. Coming soon!):
The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill
The Inquisitor's Tale, or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz


3. Read something new by a favorite author.
I was not as intentional with this one as I wanted to be when I made the goal. I envisioned myself choosing one author and seeking out more obscure titles from their work. That didn't happen. However, I did read some new ones from favorite authors as I came across them. I'm counting it a win!

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt
Charlie's Raven, by Jean Craighead George
The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald
The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis
4:50 from Paddington (Miss Marple #8), by Agatha Christie


4. Complete a series.
I checked this one off early in the year, by reading Sea Spell, the last book in the Waterfire Saga, by Jennifer Donnelly. Two other series that I completed this year included Finishing School, by Gail Carriger, and As the Ward Turns, by Joni Hilton.

It always feels good to finish a series and get the whole story.

* * * * *
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about the reading I did this past year. 3 out of 4 goals done! Go me! I did not seek out very many challenging or deep books this year, mostly due to my own stress levels, but perhaps that will be something I can address in my goals for 2018. I am still thinking about what those should be.

How did you do on your reading goals? Have you already decided on a new, shiny set for this year?

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