2018 Goals: 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge

2018 Reading Challenge

kim has read 2 books toward her goal of 50 books.

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2 of 50 (4%)

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One of my goals this year is to read at least 50 books this year, the same goal that I had last year. This is about 1 book per week, with a bit of a break around the holidays. I used to aim a little higher, and almost always made my goal, but I’ve adjusted my goal down a bit for a couple of reasons.

I am making a real effort to read more nonfiction which is often a slower read because I try to absorb the detail.

I am busier than I used to be with a full-time ‘job’ of being ‘Grandma’!

I plan to keep a list here of the books I read, in chronological order. The titles will be clickable links to my reviews once I’ve written and posted a review. This ties in with my goal to ‘Write My Reviews’!

Here is my list:

1. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
2. How To Change A Life by Stacey Ballis
3. Family Tree by Susan Wiggs
4. The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
5. The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman
6. The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
7. A Piece of The World by Christina Baker Kline
8. I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marissa de los Santos
9. Abe and Molly: The Lincoln Courtship by Frederic Hunter
10. Another Day In The Death Of America by Gary Younge
11. The Baby Plan by Kate Rorick
12. Only Child by Rhiannon Navin
13. My Name Is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd
14. Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule by Jennifer Chiaverini

You can follow the progress I make on all of my goals and challenges this year here!

2016 Book Club Selections

This isn’t really a challenge so much as a commitment. I am in a ‘real life’ book club that meets once a month to discuss the selected book, every month except December when we meet to eat! My commitment is to make an honest attempt to read each book and come ready to discuss it. If I really find a book unpalatable, I will DNF it, but I have to have read enough to explain what it is I didn’t like about the book and participate in the discussion. For each book, I try to read through the discussion questions ahead of time, and to have a general rating in mind. We collectively rate each book we discuss!

We’ve made some changes this year. Our founder has taken a leave from the group and she was the person who selected all the books and led most of the discussions. The main change we’ve made is that we are not selecting the entire year’s list of books in advance. We have a list of books we want to consider, but we will add to that as we go along. In December we selected books for the first three months of the year, and in March we will select books for the next three months. We also are encouraging more members to take a turn to facilitate the discussion.  

If you are interested in seeing what we are considering adding to our list, take a look at our shelf on Riffle. And if you have a book that your book club loved, leave a comment with the recommendation below. We’re always looking for just one more good book to add to our list!

2015 Book Club Selections

I’m almost done setting up my reading challenges for the year. I need to sign up for the 2015 Historical Fiction Challenge, but that is on hold, as the challenge is being hosted on a different blog this year. As soon as it is up and running, I will sign up.

So that leaves only an informal commitment I have to my book club. Our book club meets in person each month for discussion and sociallization. We choose eleven books to read during the year, with the December meeting being all about the socialization. We do a Christmas brunch!

The commitment I make each year is to read each book, and attend as many discussions as I can. We don’t have a regular meeting day or time. It is always a Saturday, but we adjust the week and time each month to accomodate as many members as possible. I make a good attempt to read every book, but also allow myself to set it aside if I have read a good portion and really dislike it. As long as I’ve read enough to have a valid opinion and to participate in the discussion, I don’t torture myself. I also try to read through the discussion questions and jot down some discussion points for each book, though this is often done ‘mentally’.

We don’t choose the entire year in advance, but we have chosen our selections through May. Here they are.

January — Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

February — Ocean At The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

March — The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom

April — Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

May — The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbach

We also have a few ‘maybe’s on your list. I placed them all on a Riffle shelf.

What do you think of our selections so far? Have you read any of these? What else would you recommend for a book club?