2014 in Books

I'm not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed of the number of books I read last year. On the one hand, most of 2014 was spent raising a baby, and contrary to what people assured me of, no reading happened in the middle of the night during feedings. On the other hand, I still managed to read a little more than a book a month, which is more than a lot of people I know can say! This was my third year pledging to read a certain number of books in a year. In 2012 and 2013, I pledged to read 50 books and I fell short both years, so for 2014, I said I would read 30 books. I had a good start to the year so this seemed more than doable. But, alas, I only managed to read 15 books, and that's not including the four books I haven't finished reading yet. Not too shabby, but less than half the amount I read in 2013!

But I will not be discouraged! I can appreciate that there are going to be times in my life that I am able to read more, and times where very little reading will get done. I figure, as long as I consistently have a book on the go, I'm winning at this whole reading thing. So for 2015, I'm pledging to read 20 books. That's about a book and a half a month and if I make an effort to read a little more before bed and spend a little less time scrolling through instagram at night, I should be able to succeed.

Here's a look at my piddly stats for 2014:

Number of books read: 15

Number of pages read: 4615

Percentage of female authors read: 67%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 47%

Percentage of non-fiction read: 20%

Longest book read: One Great Year at 456 pages

Ratings: 3 five-star reviews (20%); 5 four-star reviews (33%); 3 three-star reviews (20%); 3 two-star reviews (20%); and 1 one-star review (7%)

Compared to the average goodreads ratings:…

*I rated 6 books higher, with the most underrated book being The Rosie Project (but not by much!). I rated this book 5 stars, while the average goodreads rating is 4.02.

*I rated 9 books lower, with the most overrated book being Pigeon English. I gave this book 1 star, while the average goodreads rating is 3.48.

*I rated 3 books almost on par with with the average goodreads rating of around 4 stars: Come, Thou Tortoise, Sold, and A House in the Sky.

One book read in 2014 that I think everyone should read:

And the one book read in 2014 that I think everyone should skip:

Sorry John Green fans, but this one just didn't do it for me. And I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would enjoy this book (or give it 5 stars!). It was dull, unbelievable and a bore to get through. 

I'm looking forward to the books I read in 2015! I got a few from Jim for Christmas that I'm really looking forward to reading, and I'm hoping to finish up the ones I'm only part way through from last year. It bugs me to have unfinished books on my end table. 

Do you make reading goals?

What books are you looking forward to reading this year? Any book I *must* read?

 Let me know in the comments! 

2013 in Books

For the past two years, my goal was to read 50 books in one year. In 2012 I fell short by 11 books. In 2013, I fell short of this goal by 18 books! In theory, 50 books a year doesn't seem like it should be that hard. That's a book a week with a 2 week grace period. This year, I decided to lower my goal to 30 books in one year. Seems more than doable - heck, I'm already ahead of schedule! Except let's not forget I'm having a baby in February, so who knows what will happen to my reading habits!

Here's how my stats for reading in 2013 stacked up:

Number of books read: 32

Number of pages read: 9502

Percentage of female authors read: 75%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 22%

Percentage of non-fiction read: 16%

Longest book read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at 636 pages

Ratings: 5 five-star reviews (16%); 12 four-star reviews (38%); 10 three-star reviews (31%); and 5 two-star reviews (16%) - {yes, I realize that with rounding, this adds up to 101%)

Compared to the average Goodreads rating (thank you Laura for this stat inspiration!)...

*I rated 13 books higher, with the most underrated book being The Great Gatsby. I rated this book 5-stars, while the average Goodreads rating is 3.82.

*I rated 18 books lower, with the most overrated book being 13 Reasons Why. I rated this book 2-stars, while the average Goodreads rating is 4.06.

*I rated 1 book on par with the average Goodreads rating: I gave Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 4-stars, and the average Goodreads rating is 4.01.

One book read in 2013 that I think everyone should read:

And the one book read in 2013 that I would recommend skipping:

I always enjoy seeing my reading stats even though said stats do not weigh-in when I'm picking which book to read next. Meaning, I don't consciously choose to read a female author over a male author, or a shorter book over a longer book. Although, I have always made more of an effort to read Canadian authors when the opportunity arises.

With baby coming late February, I expect my reading habits to change - a lot. The majority of my reading is done when waiting for appointments, on my breaks in my car when I'm working, or late at night. All things that won't be happening when baby comes. Except maybe late night reading during feedings (one can hope!). So it will be interesting to see how this year goes. Hmmm, just writing that makes me think even 30 books is a lofty goal! But reading has always been a big part of my life, so as long as I always have a book "on the go", I'll be happy.

Tell me: What are your 2014 reading goals? Any must-reads on your list?

 Happy Reading!

 

Winter Reading Roundup

I always find April a little bitter-sweet. I mean, I'm happy that it's finally spring and the snow is starting to melt and the weather is getting warmer, but at the same time, where has this year gone?! Last year, I didn't do monthly recaps (because I never felt I had enough to say for one), but I did do a 6-month recap. This year, after I wrote my 2013 goals post, I decided I would do quarterly updates. Mostly to keep myself in line and more accountable to said goals.

So here's a quick look at where I'm at:

1. Get Back to Basics: I haven't been meal-planning, but I have been cooking much more often, although I haven't tried any new recipes. I've been packing my lunches for work, but only the snacks portion. I'm still struggling to find foods to take for lunch that are easy to eat in my car. Someone mentioned using a thermos so that I could then take leftovers to eat (which are my favourite lunches). Does anyone have a type/brand they recommend?

2. Get Off my Butt: In February, I bit the bullet and got myself a gym membership. When the gym I had been wanting to join, opened up another location a block from my work, I took it as a sign. I'm proud to say I've been going 3-4 times per week since I joined. Except for this one workout fail.

3. Walk the Dog: While he still gets out at least once a day, it's not always in the morning on my days off and Jim and I don't always go in the evenings together even when we can. I like to believe that the cold weather had something to do with this - why should we ALL suffer from the freezing temperatures when we can divide up the time spent out in the cold? And sometimes, when it's not freezing cold out, we don't just walk, we RUN.

4. Cook-Book Scrap Booking: Fail. Haven't even started. But I think about it a lot.

5. Abolish Clutter: Working on it. The Shit room is tidier  but that's just because Jim organized the junk in there into neat piles because we had a guy coming over to look at the furnace.

6. Write: While I often fall behind several days in writing in my Q & A book, I have been staying caught up with writing in it. It's fun!

 7. Finish Unfinished Projects: (ie. finish unfinished furniture projects). Saving this one for the warmer weather!

8. Catch Up:  Hmmm...well, I can't say I've caught up on my "reviews", heck, when's the last time I even posted a review - besides Harry Potter musings?!

9. Read: Goodreads says I'm 3 books behind if I want to make my goal of 50 books per year. Which is pretty good considering I have about 5 books on the go right now. But there's always room to read more...every time I choose to play games on my phone, spend time on the computer, or watch TV...is time I could have spent reading instead.

10. Stop Biting My Nails: Ha...Hahaha!

In Other Bookish News:

- I'm still trudging along with The Harry Potter Readalong. I've fallen behind ever since going to Mexico last month and have been struggling to catch up. These books are HUGE! But I really want to finish reading them or I worry I never will. And not because I'm not loving them. You just know how it is...books constantly get pushed to the back burner for newer books! Jim and I have also started watching the movies as I finish each book in the series and we're quite enjoying them. 

-I recently just finished listening to Sophie Kinsella's, I've Got Your Number in my car while I'm out and about working, and I loved it! The story was fun and cute and the narrator was a pleasure to listen to.

-Last weekend I started at the top of my bookshelves and started scanning all my unread books into goodreads. I will never say I will stop buying books, but I thought if I had a real list of all the unread books I own, I might be more inclined to read more off this list. I'm only half way done scanning and I'm already at 80 owned and unread books. Sigh. This little project has only proven to raise my sense of feeling overwhelmed. But it's also nice to feel somewhat organized about my TBR.

The Stats:

Books read this year so far: 7

Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Readalong posts #1 & #2 to come)
The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowder
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (audio version)

Number of pages read: 2340

Percentage of fiction: 100%

Percentage of female authors read: 100%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 14%

So let's bring on spring! As much as I love reading all snuggled up on the couch, I much prefer to sit outside on the deck and get lost in a book. Warm weather, I am ready for you!

What books did you read this winter? 

Do you prefer cozying up indoors to read or taking 

your book out into the sunshine?

6 Month Recap

I originally started this blog back in January of this year to keep track of the books I read. This was influenced by my signing up for the 50 Book Pledge that The Savvy Reader started in 2011. I stumbled across The Savvy Reader on Twitter one day and saw all the talk about the 50 Book Pledge and I was intrigued. I know I read  a lot, but what's a lot? So I decided to keep track this year. I also decided to start blogging about it because, while I do read a lot, I am terrible at describing books, and wanted to see if this is something I could work on through writing about books.

Since I don't read nearly the amount of books per month that some of my favorite book bloggers do, it never seemed necessary to have monthly recaps. Instead, I told myself I would do a 6-month recap. Here's what I've learned so far:

• I read in spurts (and I'm pretty sure I always have). I may devour a few books in a week, but then I won't read at all the next. Some days I'll be like, "oh shit, I haven't actually read anything other than other blogs since last Wednesday". I'd like to work on reading all time - meaning - consciously make the effort to read a little bit everyday. 

• Blogging is tough. Or, finding the time to blog is tough. I'm not sure which is tougher. Sometimes the words flow, sometimes not. I was so worried at the beginning about who might read my "reviews" and judge my lack of writing competency, but now I'm trying to "just write". I'm not a reviewer, I just want to talk about books. I also have to allow myself to blog more. It's so easy to say to myself, "oh you can write tomorrow...", but then tomorrow turns into a week later.

• Lastly, I don't think I like the name of my blog anymore. At first I liked it's bluntness, but now, not so much. I don't want to limit my blog to just talking about books (as evidenced by The Big Blue Dog posts), so I'd like a name that reflects more me and my life. This is code for: suggest new blog names for me please!  

Now for some reading stats (cause stats are fun guys!):

Books read this year so far: 19

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
From Away by Michelle Ferguson
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (review to come)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 
Beyond the Rear View Mirror by Shelley Streit
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (review to come)
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (review to come)

And yes, I did just link up every post for you! 

Number of pages read: 6416

Percentage of general fiction read: 42%

Percentage of female authors read: 68%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 21%

This year so far has also been a year of many "firsts" for me. I listened to my first audio book. I read my first fantasy book, my first mystery novel and my first graphic novel. I received my first copy of a book from an author for review. I hosted my very first giveaway! And I've met some awesome blogger peeps on this journey. Unfortunately, I'm falling behind in the 50 book pledge (I really want to hit 50), so I need to do a little more reading and a little less time wasting! 

Thanks to my readers and followers for sticking with me and following along. I appreciate each and every one of you and your comments. 

Happy Reading!