2017 Reading Goals

You'll also see these goals listed later on Filthy Casket, the book review blog run by me and Liz. 

A few days ago I posted that behemoth of a post outlining my main goals for 2017. Today I want to focus specifically on my reading-related goals. There is nothing more exciting than coming up with books to read for a new year! I've broken this post up into two sections: broader reading goals I'd like to complete throughout the year and specific books I want to read in 2017. I read more books in 2016 than I've ever read in a year before, and while I fell just short of my goal of 60, I'm still pretty happy with my reading. Book Queen 2016.

First goal: Review the books you read, Charlotte!! Maybe not every one, but last year I only reviewed nine. NINE!!! That's shameful!!!!!!!! Liz and I are planning to set a minimum of reviewing one each per month, but I'd like to try and do more than that. We shall see.

#2, read 60 books. I came so close last year, I see no reason why I can't achieve the damn thing this year.

Thirdly, I'd like to read some more nonfiction. Biographies, social/political, etc. I love fiction, but I also enjoy reading nonfiction.. when I motivate myself to actually pick it up. It takes me so much longer, I'm always a little reluctant. But maybe if I read some light fiction alongside it??

For the love of all that is holy, my fourth goal: FINISH PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. I kept putting this off last year, and then like I said, when the depression hit I intentionally picked books that I thought would help get me through, and Pride and Prejudice wasn't one of them. 2017 will be the year, dang it.

Cinco! And another repeat from last year: Read The Divine Comedy. I really wanted to read this during the Year of Mercy, but I couldn't find it!! My library never had it. Toward the end of the year I finally just purchased it, so all is now well.

Six: Finish the books I started toward the end. Sooo, those books I keep mentioning for depression? Catholic books, obviously. I've started Intro to the Devout Life, Orthodoxy, and Signs of Life... problem is that reading three books at once means I finished parts of each of them instead of finishing any completely. :)

Finally, I want to try and read the Bible. We'll see if I manage to get through the whole thing.

And on to part two, specific books I'd like to read! One year I made a whole reading schedule with 2-3 books per month and then I... didn't stick to it at all. Now that I know myself enough to know I'm gonna throw random choices I find at the library or at Barnes and Noble in whenever my heart desires, or that I'm going to love a book by an author and decide to read every book s/he has ever written, I know not to make a full schedule for myself. But I would like to make a rough list of 12-20 books I'd like to read, and ideas for when I'd like to read them (knowing I'll likely be flexible in reality).

January

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Okay so for January I picked three... because I've got all of these books out from the library and my time is starting to run low! I started the Ender stories in December and am addicted. And The Handmaid's Tale! Ugh, it was one of the books I had to read as part of Liz's challenge for me and I totally failed. Ya'll I can't even tell you the number of times I went to both closest branches of my library only to find that the book was checked out!! It was SO frustrating. And when I finally did check it out, I didn't finish it. Le sigh.

February

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (borrowed this from someone a while ago and have yet to pick it up!)

March

Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte (I am dying to read this again, and tbh I'll probably do so sooner than March...)

April

Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

May 

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (^book 2)
Star Wars: The Last Command (^book 3)
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (asked for a book rec, got a book rec - throwing it in May because I expect it'll be good for my birthday and because I think the Star Wars books will fly by.)

June

The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist by Dorothy Day

July 

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

August 

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (Dana suggested this to me and it sounds so good!)

September

Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women

October 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Liz sent me this book as part of the autumn/Halloween book box we sent each other, telling me she gets a sort of magical fall feeling from it, but naturally I did not manage it to read it last fall. This October it is!)

November

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

December

The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn

Should make for another excellent year of reading!

Charlotte

Currently Reading (May 2016)

I've noticed that every time I leave the hospital, I go a little haywire when it comes to my previously well-honed habits. I have no clue why, and I realize the opposite should be true (as in... I should continue fasting from soda after I leave the hospital where I had been admitted for abdominal issues instead of abandoning that habit and drinking it once a day..). Theoretically a hospital stay should just strengthen my resolve to form and keep good habits. But it's always true that for at least two weeks post-hospital, I'm a mess. Not even a hot mess. Just a mess. I'm not entirely sure why this happens, but it does. My best guess is that my mood changes and I'm just sort of more sad and slightly pathetic and... it just takes me a minute to get back on track. 

This all applies to my reading habits. I was doing so good before my stint in Charleston!! SO GOOD. And since then? I've read maybe half a book. Le sigh. I've decided that maybe a personal book challenge is the way to get me out of my slump. I'm going to read as many books as I can this week. I'm hoping to get through at least four. I've already got a few books I've started over the last few weeks, but I'm less than a quarter through each of them.

Here's a list of the books: 

1. Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen 

I saw this book while browsing over at bookoutlet.com and liked the cover. And then I saw it was on sale! I got is for like $2. I have mixed opinions on it so far. I'm enjoying the story well enough, but so far there have been no surprises. The writing isn't bad, in fact it's almost good, but it's too much. Every other sentence doesn't need a metaphor or analogy. I've said this before, but I don't need writing to be too pretty (maybe if it's poetry). 

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

For the third time this year.        

3. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Ah. So I'm enjoying this book. But it's slow going. I don't know why (Pride and Prejudice is another one I just can't seem to get through). It's a library book, though, and I've renewed it once already, so I need to either pick up the pace or prepare to take a short hiatus if someone else has the book on hold.

4. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I was primarily interested in this book just because it's by Rowling. I've only just started it, so I don't have an opinion on it yet. I'm sure I won't love it the way I love Harry Potter, but that doesn't mean it won't be a good book. It's another library book, so I don't have all year to procrastinate. 

5. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

I read Loved Walked In by this author and absolutely loved it. So when I saw another of her books in the library, I knew I had to check it out. 

6. The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

Yes. I was reading this in March. I put it down to read Harry Potter. I need to stop doing that. And then I just kept reading other books and fully neglected this one. For shame. I'm enjoying it well enough so far, we'll see if that keeps up. This is a must-finish for me because it's a blogging for books pick, so I need to review it soon!!

And that's it at the moment. Like I said, I want to try and read as many books as possible this week, and hopefully at least four of these. 

Time will tell. 

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Charlotte    

Currently Reading (March 2016)

Yesterday I mentioned that my reading habits have morphed into something fierce and relentless. Slight exaggeration for dramatic flair, but still. I've always tended to read multiple books at once, but that has always meant I've read around two or three books at once. Lately.... nearly ten books. I'm attributing it to how busy I've been. Sometimes I just don't want to read a serious book, so I turn to Amy Poehler's autobio. Other times the mere thought of reading an autobiography makes me woozy, so I'll pick up my beloved instead. Yet other times I'll want to read George Orwell. For like six hours straight. It's a crazy world I live in.

My current reads go something like:

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 

I read the HP books several times a year. I'm that cool. Right now I'm making my way through ootp, which is nice because usually I read books 4 or 7 over and over and I neglect the others. Harry Potter > most other things in life. No books make me happier than HP. 

2. Meet the New You

Okay fine, done, but I just reviewed it yesterday, which is when I started this post, so I'm including it. For details on it, check out my review over on Filthy Casket. I enjoy reading the occasional self-help book (except this shit) and I've noticed I'm much more likely follow through on my goals and on good habits when I read these kind of books, so I like to read them every few weeks.

3. The Color Purple

I joined Emma Watson's book club on Goodreads (which is called Our Shared Shelf, but I still think it ought to have been called Femmanist Book Club). Anyway, The Color Purple was her book choice for February, and I'm just a little behind. But I WILL catch up. I always do. (Lol not always, but like half the time, which is great in baseball, so...) This is definitely one of the heavier reads, both in regard to the content and the writing (it's written in the way it would be spoken, and I always take a bit longer reading books like that). 

4. 1984 

This has been on my list for literal years. Years. It's also on our list of books to read in our twenties (granted, it's specifically on Liz's list, but I'm a dunce who just forgot to include it). I love this kind of book, even though they're usually sadly on point/prophetic.

5. Sleeping Murder 

A library pick. I've just now started this, and I've got high hopes for it. I love Agatha Christie and have yet to read something of hers I haven't liked. This will be my first Miss Marple book. Very excited. 

6. The Onyx Vial

Just purchased this treat. For some reason (because I'm a snob, probably) I didn't think I'd be into this book based on the cover and the title. But the description hooked me.

7. The Mapmaker's Children

I chose this as my next Blogging For Books pick. (So keep an eye out for a review on FC soon-ish.) I think it sounds fantastic and I can't wait to get my hot little perpetually cold hands on it.

8. Out of the Silent Planet

I started this book ages ago and put it down for some reason (most likely, I turned to HP). But I do remember being intrigued as I read along, and I've started back up. This is strictly an at-home read for me since it's in a book housing the entire trilogy and therefore doesn't fit in my bag. I mention this because I tend to take a longer time reading books if I don't bring them along to waiting rooms and such. But I'm determined to finish it this month!

I do feel like I'm forgetting one more.... I'm sure I'll remember it at some supremely inconvenient hour. 

What are you reading?    

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Charlotte