Goodbye, 2019 (Favorite reads) Hello, 2020 (First Book of the Year, Reading Challenges)

Another year, and decade, in the books. I always look forward to a new year because it means new beginnings, and another chance to accomplish what we might not have in the past year. I'm trying to learn not to beat myself up when I don't reach a goal, and to try to remember that we are all works in progress.

I'm proud of myself with my reading last year, even if I once again did not meet my Goodreads reading challenge goal of 75 books. Take a look at the graphic though. I read 47. That's almost a book a week AND I read 16 more books than in 2018. If I can read 16 books more in 2020, that will put me even closer to my goal of 75. Who knows...I might even hit 75. Never say never.

Top 11 reads in 2020, in no particular order:

Joy in the Morning, Betty Smith
The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Good Omens, Gaiman and Pratchett
Behind Closed Doors, B.A. Paris
The Dark Game, Jonathan Janz
Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler
Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood
The First Mistake, Sandie Jones
Floating Staircase, Ronald Malfi
Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King

First Book of the Year 2020

Though I'm actually reading several for various read-alongs, book groups, Classics Club Spin, my official book of the year is Stephen King's The Outsider. I'm already almost halfway through (trying to finish before the series this Sunday on HBO) and it is VERY good. Probably one of King's best.

2020 Reading Challenges

Here's a quick rundown of the reading challenges I'm participating in this year (four of them are hosted by me at Gather Together and Read). You can see the full details of all challenges, and what I'm reading for them on my 2020 Reading Challenges page (tab in the menu).

I really did not make any real resolutions this year. What I did was make a promise to myself to work on my novel, and get it written, in 2020. I'll probably post updates from time to time on my writing blog. Go here if you would like to subscribe and receive my updates. 

Happy New Year!

Never miss a post!

* indicates required

Email Address *

#FirstBook and #OneWord for 2019...and 2018 End of Year #Book Survey

Sending out a big thanks to Sheila at Book Journey for hosting First Book of the Year and sharing My One Word once again this year. This has become a tradition for many of us and I truly appreciate it.

My first book of the year is our non-fiction selection for my True Book Talk book group on Goodreads. January is one of our three yearly non-fiction months and our January selection each year must be a biography or history title. I chose six historical biographies from the non-fiction shelf of my home library and we voted (via poll) for which title we wanted to read. This has been on my shelf for years and Eleanor is one of my historical heroines. So excited to finally read it!

Arya looks quite perturbed with my first book of the year. lol

***********

This year, I want to keep moving forward. I feel like in 2018 I was kind of at a standstill. Not that my life wasn't way busy and hectic. It was. Just basically at a standstill with my goals....reading more, writing, blogging, getting healthy. This year I chose "Onward" as my one word. Onward with all my goals, but particularly with writing my novel. Onward, knocking aside the fear and the doubt. I found this poem online (here) and it is quite fitting...

Onward

Words drip out of the pen
A realization begins to take shape
Onward
With the pace of a shark that has picked up the scent of blood in the water
With the face of a broken clock attempting to measure the time passing
Onward
Through the letters, pain and pleasure
Burdens lifted
Inner peace is gifted
Ink addicted
Especially whilst conflicted
Onward
A journey towards the center
Or a journey towards what lies outside
A trek on top of clouds ‘till Heaven
Or a tunnel built with zero degree tilt, straight down towards where Hell must lie
Onward
The core scorches with the heat of an impassioned love
Space is empty, vast, and freezing cold
But until I find the answers to my questions
The ink will flow and the pen I’ll hold

Every year, I purchase a necklace or pendant with my one word, but this year I chose to go with a bracelet. This is the one. Of course, it will have Onward engraved on it. I hope it arrives soon!

9th Annual End Of Year Book Survey

Our host each year is Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner.

I'm going to pick and choose which questions to answer on this one, as I feel some do not apply.

**2018 READING STATS**

Number Of Books You Read:  31

Very shabby turn out on my goal of 75...2018 was not a great year for my reading.

Number of Re-Reads: 3

Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling

Howard's End, E.M. Forster

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Genre You Read The Most From: Horror

In previous years, this would have been historical fiction.

1. Best Book You Read In 2018?
I'll go with my top five favorites (excluding re-reads):

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

The Terror, Dan Simmons

The Anomaly, Michael Rutger

Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn

Bird Box, Josh Malerman

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I won't say I was terribly excited about it. I saw it and when I read the description, I thought it sounded in similar vein to The Anomaly. It wasn't. 

Ararat, Christopher Golden

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 

I discovered The Confessions of Dorian Gray series by Tim Leng quite by accident when searching for Christmas audio books on Hoopla. I had never heard of the series. The Confessions of Dorian Gray: The Spirits of Christmas was surprisingly good. Very entertaining...acted out like a television show or movie. I will have to listen to the entire series eventually.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

The Anomaly and Bird Box
5. Best series you started in 2018? Best Sequel of 2018? Best Series Ender of 2018?

I did not start or end a series, nor did I read a series ender. Amend that. Just discovered that The Anomaly is the first book in a planned series. The second book is out July of this year. Woot!

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Michael Rutger (author of question 5 above), which is a pseudonym for Michael Marshall.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

While I might possibly read more poetry than most (???), it's still not a genre I typically read. Best book of poetry I read was How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

The Anomaly, hands down. I read it in less than a day!

9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Why A Christmas Carol, of course! I read it every year.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

11. Most memorable character of 2018?
I have to name two...Ruby Lennox from Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum and Captain Francis Crozier from Dan Simmons' The Terror.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

To Kill a Mockingbird
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?

Again, To Kill a Mockingbird. I can't believe I waited so long to read it!

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read? 

See above

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)... There are just some kind of men who - who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” 

--from To Kill a Mockingbird

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2018?
Tales of Christmas anthology, 46 pages

The Terror, 769 pages

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
I would have to say the subject matter of The Treatment by Mo Hayder. Great book, but very disturbing what goes on in that book.

(Skipped 18 and 19)

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
The Narrows, Ronald Malfi

(Skipped 21 and 22)

23. Best 2018 debut you read?
Although it's technically not a debut since the author is a pseudonym of a previously published author, it is a debut for this author, and so The Anomaly...again. lol

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Ombria in Shadow, Patricia McKillip

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I'm Not Sorry: Poems by Cats, Rosa Silva

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2018?
How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

(Skipped 27 - 30)

I've decided to just freestyle the remainder of this survey with some reading goals and one (or two) blogging goals.

• Of course, my main goal is to read more books. I want to go with my original plan from earlier in 2018. I was going to track my daily reading progress to hold myself more accountable to read more every day. I have a tab in the blog menu. I'm hoping to keep up with it this year. 
• I want to read more Anne Rice, and at least one or two Stephen King books this year. I also want to read the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords.
• I'm working on deciding which reading challenges I'll participate in this year (post coming soon). I failed miserably in 2018 on all but two reading challenges...my Book to Movie challenge and my 13 Ways yearly challenge. I'm going to try to limit myself to five or less full year challenges, not including the ones I host.
• The only goals I have for blogging are 1) to perhaps write more reviews, or maybe not reviews (unless it's a review book), but rather write ups of the books I enjoyed. Perhaps mini-reviews...
• and 2) to start writing my A Reading Life posts again, but changing from weekly to monthly. I think that will be more manageable for me.

So, wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2019. If you happen to read this post, please feel free to share your first book of the year, your one word, and/or your reading goals and plans.

Never miss a post!

* indicates required

Email Address *

2018 - First Book of the Year plus my One Word...A Quest to find me

First Book of the Year is a tradition started by Sheila at Book Journey...and this is the fifth year!

The premise:

Here is what First Book is. The first book of the New Year should be:

A. A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.

B. A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.

C. Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year.

Make it AWESOME.

Head over to Sheila's blog to see what everyone else has chosen as their first book.

Now, drum roll please....

Alice, posed with my first book, 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin.

This book was in my Bookish Secret Santa gift

from my good friend, Lucy at Fictional 100. ❤

The concept behind My One Word is to come up with a word that is all encompassing of that long list of resolutions. Let's face it...that daunting list seldom works. Sheila at Book Journey has also made this a yearly tradition so you can join her and check out her One Word. You can also read all about the phenomenon and share your One Word with the world at the official website here. (Note: When you share your word on their site, this is what it says: Choose just one word that represents what you most hope God will do in you, and focus on it for an entire year. I am not religious so I chose not to share on their site, as their philosophy does not fit with my beliefs).

My One Word for 2018 is QUEST.

I'm on a quest to find ME, to make ME happy.

• My quest is a focus on my health and getting healthy (which does involve losing weight, but the focus will be on health via healthier eating and plenty of exercise). 
• My quest is wasting less time watching TV and online. I'm cutting the cord (which means getting rid of satellite TV) and going all streaming. The TV will be on less so less temptation to watch. The internet is going to take a bit more willpower. Baby steps.
• My quest is getting back to my love of reading. I only read 35 books last year! That's almost 20 books less than I've read in previous years. I have pretty much completely stopped doing book tours and I will only review books for a select group of authors I know and love. This quest is to finally reach that 75 books goal, and read books from my own shelves. To bring the enjoyment back to reading, not obligation.
• My quest is a focus on writing my novel. It's time to get serious. 
• Finally, my quest is to stand up for myself, speak my mind (I know you're probably saying, "She already does!").  It may seem like I already do, but there are instances in my life when I quash my voice, where I'm a doormat. No more!

That's it! I know it still seems like a long list, but the point is to focus on that One Word. I will keep QUEST the center of my attention and it will feel more like a journey than a chore. 

So, what about you? Do you have your First Book and One Word picked out? If you do, please share!

Never miss a post!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Book of the Year and My One Word

Each year Sheila at Book Journey hosts First Book of the Year and One Word (your word for the year). This is my second year doing both and it's the perfect thing to kick off the new year! Thanks, Sheila!

I officially do not start my first book of the year until January 7th, as I continue reading Christmas books until January 6th (Twelfth Night). So, this selection is not technically my first book since I will be finishing others by January 6th, but I did start said Christmas books before the end of the year, but Goodreads counts when you finish a book in your yearly count. Anyway, enough about the technicalities. 😄 Without further ado...

This was one of the books my mom bought me for Christmas. I love Stephenie Meyer. I'm not afraid to admit that I liked the Twilight series, and her book, The Host, remains one of my favorites. The author comes up with some pretty great ideas, in my opinion. We shall see how this one is. It sounds amazing.

In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now, she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

In this tautly plotted novel, Stephenie Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.

The quote above is my motto for 2017, and ongoing in life. It's SO true. I'm taking a part of this line, "...you forgot to have a big juicy creative life of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid" and creating my word. So, my word is...

IMAGINE

...but not just for the creativity aspect. I keep thinking of the current situation in our world (Syria, mass killings, terrorism), and in our country (I don't think I have to specifically mention why here...everyone knows), and I think of the words of John Lennon's famous song, Imagine.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

And that's it...two reasons for IMAGINE being my one word for 2017. For the creativity and living a life of childlike wonder, and for imagining the world as a better place by taking action, whether it be donating time or money for human rights causes, or taking action in other ways, and just a general good-will-toward-all-mankind attitude. I'm working on getting a pendant made on Etsy that I can wear. When I get it, I'll post an image.

What's in your first book of the year? Are you going to choose a word?

Never miss a post!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Book of the Year and My One Word - 2016

I really love Sheila's (Book Journey) approach to the New Year. Her First Book of the Year and My One Word are fantastic ways to welcome a new year. This is my first time participating in both.

For my first book of the year, I will be reading In the Heart of the Sea by Nathan Philbrick. I have had this book on my shelf for some time and when I saw the previews for the film (which came out in December) in the Fall, I decided I would read it for Non-Fiction November, but that didn't quite work out as planned. Well, it turns out that January is a non-fiction month for my Goodreads/Twitter book club, #TuesBookTalk so I proposed to the group about reading Heart of the Sea and received a resounding "Yes!" I've been under the weather so didn't want to pose with my book so Arya agreed to pose with it for me.

Now, for my One Word that is going to encompass my plans/goals for the New Year. I quit my job which was really wearing me down and taking me away from the things that I love most...my sons, my reading, this blog/reading community and my writing life. I start a new job in a little over a week (still from home...I'm in training right now) that is not going to infringe on "me time." So, my main goal in regards to reading, blogging and the written word will be to read more, review/share thoughts on what I read, post more here on the blog (in addition to Cat Thursday) with A Reading Life posts, etc., and most importantly, my life's dream, working on my novel. In my personal life, spending more quality time with my boys and a BIG health related goal (more on that later).

So, my One Word is Decisive.

--characterized by or displaying no or little hesitation; resolute;determined

I like the sound of it! I may even get a pendant or a bracelet with it engraved (as Sheila does each year). Such a great idea! Thanks, Sheila!

What's you First Book of the Year? Are you picking One Word? Please share!

P.S. Hoping to come up with a Best of List for 2015, although my reading was sporadic. It may only be a top 5.

Never miss a post!

Introspective Thoughts - Post Number One

As I look through my A Novel Challenge folder in my email inbox (yes, I have a special folder for those emails from their blog), I find myself contemplating what my reading plans are going to be like in the new year. I have found myself becoming more and more overwhelmed with the number of review books I have on my plate. And while I love reading challenges, I find myself signing up for them year after year and then not keeping track of my progress during the year. What to do, what to do? I know I'm just going to chalk my 2014 reading challenges up as incomplete and prepare myself for the new year. I honestly don't have time to go through and document what I read for which challenge. I'll just hope to do a better job of keeping track in 2015, if I do sign up for anything.

I did not manage to read the 75 books I had challenged myself to this year. I will end up at 56 by year's end on Wednesday. Not a shabby total. That's more than one book read per week, but I do feel like I could read more. I do an awful lot of time wasting...online and watching TV. Something has got to give.

I do seem to do better with long term challenges. I have made pretty good progress on The Classics Club and the Fill in the Gaps 100 challenge. However, I've neglected my Non-Fiction Adventure and my Fantasy Project challenges. I'm hoping to remedy that neglect by adding books from those lists to my TBR Jar Project (as seen on other blogs...I heard about it from The Book Vixen so that's who I'll link back to), as well as 100 books from my book catalog which means all books will come from my own shelves. I'm working on making my lists out now. Planning to have all the little scraps of paper in my jar by January 1st so I can pick my first book of the year!

So, what has my introspection revealed? Well, I plan on cutting back on review books/book tours (hopefully), to sign up for only a few reading challenges (I can handle a few, I think) and read more, much more, from my own shelves which, for me, is the ultimate goal.

2013 End of Year Book Survey

 

So, I've been debating and debating on whether I want to do the traditional top "such and such" list this year and I'm afraid I just don't have the gumption for it. I saw this end of year survey at She is Too Fond of Books and thought it might be easier for me to just answer some questions. I'm also still up in the air about New Year's resolutions, or goals, this year. I think I'm really going in for some changes in the new year.

This is the 4th Annual End of Year Book Survey hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner.

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Historical Fiction: The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton (Honorable Mentions: Illuminations by Mary Sharratt and The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry)

Fantasy/Science Fiction: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (did not review)

Thriller: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Horror: The Shining by Stephen King (Honorable mention: Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty)

Classic: Watership Down by Richard Adams (did not review)

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? 

The Princess Diana Conspiracy by Alan Power

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I was really amazed at how thrilling this books was. I do love my classics, but sometimes they can be somewhat dry. This one was exciting. (did not review)

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

I recommended The Stand by Stephen King on audio, read by Grover Gardner. One of the best audios I've ever listened to.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013? 

The Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland. I read the 17th book, The Shogun's Daughter for review this year and it was really good. I picked up on of the earlier books in the series at a library sale a couple of weeks ago. What I liked is that these can be read as stand alone novels, but are still a series.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013? 

Historical fiction: Stephanie Thornton
Thriller: Gillian Flynn

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? 

Night Demon by Lisa Kessler - I'm not a big reader of paranormal romance, but Lisa's books are SO good. I loved this second edition in the Night series.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013? 

Definitely Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? 

I rarely reread books the very next year. 


10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Amy Dunne from Gone Girl...definitely. If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean.


12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

I read two books by Kazuo Ishiguro in 2013...Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day. The man writes the most beautiful prose.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - the book really makes you think and question.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read?

The Shining by Stephen King...one of my top fave authors. Really? What was I waiting for?!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

From Confessions of Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey. This quote was in the opening pages of the book. 

Posterity should pay no heed to those secret legends which are spread about a Prince in his lifetime out of spite, or a mere love of gossip, which a mistaken public believes to be true and which, in a few more years, are adopted by the historians who thus deceive themselves and the generations to come.
--Voltaire, Eloge Funebre, written during the reign of Louis XV

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?
How I did this: Went to my read books on Goodreads and sorted by page number and just looked for what I knew I read this year that was the shortest and longest.

Shortest: Magnolia and Lotus: Selected Poems of Hyesim by Chin'gak Kuksa Hyesim, translated by Ian Haight (108 pages)

Longest: The Stand by Stephen King (1153 pages) - I did listen to this on audio. You can imagine how long it took. HaHa!

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Gone Girl, of course! Again, if you've read it, you know exactly what I mean.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Kathy and Tommy from Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A tragically romantic and heartbreaking relationship at the same time.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else: 

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty...recommended to me by my friend J. Kaye.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013? 

No big surprise here...Historical fiction

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Brendan Prescott from The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner...dreamy!

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell...terrific past and future imagery and world building.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013? 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn...I really did not want to put it down, even when I had to!


26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013? 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty...I didn't hear a lot of hype about this one and it's really good.

This part was optional so I decided to just answer this one question with some (tentative) goals for 2014.


One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?
My main focus in 2014 will be to read more from my own home library. With 3000+ books, I have quite the TBR. I'm going to work on the perpetual and long term challenges I host and am already involved in so will sign up for very few short term challenges this year, if any. On the blogging front, I will continue with A Reading Life on Mondays and Cat Thursday. Most reviews will be book tours/for review books. If I do review from my TBR, it will be with Novel Glimpse posts most likely. Just a few thoughts on the books. I'm trying to go low maintenance here so I can focus more on writing my novel.

What were your favorites this year? Do you have any reading/blogging goals for 2014? If you did/do a post, leave me a link in the comments.