Reading Goals for 2018: 11/30/17
As we roll into the last month of 2017, I'm starting to think about my goals and direction for 2018. This year has been one of constant flux. I knew it would be as I went into it.
2017 summarized
I began the year expecting the move — and yes — I did move. But originally we were planning an international, transcontinental move. Those plans fell through but the process of getting ready for the move made us realize that we still wanted and needed to move into a bigger place. In fact, because of the process of selling our condo and buying a house, we moved twice — once to an apartment, and then into our house.
In February our local independent book store closed. The long time manager of that store chose to purchase much of the unsold inventory and start her own book store. The city rallied behind her plans and her online fundraising. It took seven months to get the new storefront ready, inventory moved in, and the store opened. Coincidentally the new store opened the same day that we closed on our house.
From July to October we lived in an apartment, with only a single box of books per person, plus whatever books we checked out from the library or ebooks we downloaded. Then from October 7 to November 15 we moved into our new home. Here it is the end of November and we still haven't brought any of our home library back from storage.
2018 Blogging
In 2009, I mentioned having a backlog of 116 titles I wanted to review. Over the next couple of years that backlog grew from three months to six months worth of posts, assuming no reading. Of course I didn't stop reading, but I have slowed down, allowing me to close that gap. I'm not 100% closed but the gap is narrow enough I can no longer plan out my blog posts half a year in advance. This is a good thing.
For the last five years (give or take), I have been posting my reviews around weekly themes. I've never made those themes public — they were just there to make organizing the review in advance more fun for me. Starting over the summer I realized that method didn't work any more as my lag time between reading and reviewing has shortened.
Instead, now I'm doing a day of the week theme, meaning different days are dedicated to different types of reviews.
The schedule:
- Saturday: New books – books published this year
- Sunday: Old books - either books I read a while ago and haven't reviewed, or books published a long time ago.
- Monday: Recent reads - books I read recently that aren't published this year
- Tuesday: Canadian books (because I'm a long time participant in the Canadian books challenge)
- Wednesday: Mystery books
- Thursday: Comic books and graphic novels
- Friday: Research - either reviews of road narrative books or road narrative essays
Goals:
To read and review a minimum of:
- 52 newly published books
- cleaning out my backlog
- 100 books off my wishlist that aren't newly published
- 52 Canadian books
- 52 Mystery books
- 52 Comic books or graphic novels
- 52 Road narrative reviews or essays
- 51% (or 153 books for the year) reading and reviewing of diverse books / authors, with an emphasis on authors.
Once I've cleared out my backlog, I plan to rededicate Monday to audiobook reviews. Currently that's at 166 books I've read and written reviews for. I know it's right where I was in 2009, but my reading has slowed to under a book a day that I can close this gap by April or May. Leaving me the back half of 2018 to focus on wishlist books.
Blog goals:
I'm still working through my update of the graphics on every review. I"m working backwards. So the present day back through January 2011 are complete. The move really took time away from this project.
Once the graphics are done, I plan to make my site more mobile friendly. I have no time line right now for when that project will start or how long it will take. It will be a learning process for me.
I'm tracking books read and reviewed that count towards both my reading goals (see the rest of the post below) and the Beat the Backlist 2018 challenge. Books I've reviewed will be posted here throughout the year.
- A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld
- Adele in Sand Land by Claude Pont
- Adventure on Whalebone Island by M.A. Wilson
- An Age of License: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley
- Alienated by Melissa Landers
- American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Arnold of the Ducks by Mordicai Gerstein
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: North and South, Part Three by Gene Luen Yang
- Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq
- The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough
- Big & Little Questions (According to Wren Jo Byrd) by Julie Bowe
- Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis
- Black Cats and Evil Eyes: A Book of Old-Fashioned Superstitions by Chloe Rhodes
- Black Ice by Andy Lane
- Blowing Clear by Joseph C. Lincoln
- Bluff and Bran and the Snowdrift by Meg Rutherford
- Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill
- The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
- Book Clubbed by Lorna Barret
- Books of a Feather by Kate Carlisle
- A Buss from Lafayette by Dorothea Jensen
- Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel
- Canada and the Canadian Question by Goldwin Smith
- The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas
- Cat Got Your Diamonds by Julie Chase
- Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert
- Chu's Day by Neil Gaiman
- Classified as Murder by Miranda James
- Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher
- Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
- The Clue at Black Creek Farm by Carolyn Keene
- Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren
- Country Matters by Michael Korda
- Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber
- The Dark Lady by Irene Adler
- A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong
- The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo
- The Dastardly Deed by Holly Grant
- Dear Poppy by Ronni Arno
- Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
- Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 1 by Ryoko Kui
- Depth by Lev A.C. Rosen
- Don't Cry for Me, Hot Pastrami by Sharon Kahn
- Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
- Dragons Beware! by Jorge Aguirre
- Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question by Martha Freeman
- Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany
- The Enchanted Egg by Kallie George
- The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
- Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle
- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
- Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel
- Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes by Mary E. Lambert
- A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary
- ">Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter
- A Fatal Chapter by Lorna Barrett
- Fax Me a Bagel by Sharon Kahn
- File M for Murder by Miranda James
- The Final Kingdom by Michael Northrop
- Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz
- Fleep by Jason Shiga
- The Football Girl by Thatcher Heldring
- French Pressed by Cleo Coyle
- Froodle by Antoinette Portis
- The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern
- Ghostbusters 101: Everyone Answers the Call by Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening
- Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford
- Giant Days, Volume 6 by John Allison
- Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs
- The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear
- Habibi by Craig Thompson
- Haunting Jordan by P.J. Alderman
- Hold The Cream Cheese, Kill The Lox by Sharon Kahn
- Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle
- House Held Up by Trees by Ted Kooser and Jon Klassen
- The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
- How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta
- How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
- If Someone Says 'You Complete Me,' RUN! by Whoopi Goldberg
- If You Find This by Matthew Baker
- I'll Save You Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal
- The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher
- Inside Hudson Pickle by Yolanda Ridge
- Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
- Internet Famous by Danika Stone
- It All Comes Down to This by Karen English
- Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
- Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina
- A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett
- The Kairos Mechanism by Kate Milford
- Karma Khullar's Mustache by Kristi Wientge
- Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
- Kraken by Wendy Williams
- L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz by Katharine M. Rogers
- Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle
- Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert
- The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant
- The Left-Handed Fate by Kate Milford
- The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part One by Michael Dante DiMartino and Irene Koh
- Lemons by Melissa Savage
- Locke & Key, Volume 2: Head Games by Joe Hill
- Locke & Key, Volume 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill
- Lost and Fondue by Avery Aames
- Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
- Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
- Mabel Jones and the Forbidden City by Will Mabbitt and Ross Collins
- The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler
- The Magician's Secret by Carolyn Keene
- Malaika’s Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn and Irene Luxbacher (illustrator)
- March: Book Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
- Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan
- Melena's Jubilee by Zetta Elliott and Aaron Boyd
- Merman in My Tub, Volume 2 by Itokichi
Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
- The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time by Steven Sherrill
- Miss Pickerell Harvests the Sea by Ellen MacGregor and Dora Pantell
- Monoceros by Suzette Mayr
- Monster Trouble! by Lane Fredrickson and Michael Robertson
- Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
- Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
- Murder Past Due by Miranda James
- Murder Past Due by D.R. Meredith
- My Boyfriend Bites by Dan Jolley and Alitha E. Martinez
- My Life in Dioramas by Tara Altebrando
- My Little Pony: Micro-Series: #1: Twilight Sparkle by Thomas Zahler
- My Little Pony: Micro-Series: #2: Rainbow Dash by Ryan K. Lindsay
- My Little Pony: Micro-Series: #5: Pinkie Pie by Ted Anderson
- The Mystery of the Missing Mask by M.A. Wilson
- Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
- The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
- The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
- A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
- The Night Garden by Polly Horvath
- Night of the Animals by Bill Broun
- Noragami Volume 4 by Adachitoka
- Noragami Volume 05 by Adachitoka
- Not the Killing Type by Lorna Barrett
- Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf
- Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
- Nurse, Soldier, Spy by Marissa Moss and John Hendrix
- Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle
- The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G. Hennessy and Peter Joyce
- Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
- Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer
- The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey
- Otis and the Scarecrow by Loren Long
- Out of Tune by Gail Nall
- The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S.F. Said
- Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Paths & Portals by Gene Luen Yang
- Patina by Jason Reynolds
- Paradox in Oz by Edward Einhorn and Eric Shanower
- Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall
- Personal Demons by Nimue Brown
- The Phantom of Nantucket by Carolyn Keene
- Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone by Hiro Kamigaki
- Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
- Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl
- A Pug's Tale by Alison Pace
- Questions Asked by Jostein Gaarder
- Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb
- The Reader by Traci Chee
- Restart by Gordon Korman
- The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
- The Road is Yours Reginald M. Cleveland
- Robots & Repeats by Gene Luen Yang
- Rooster Joe and the Bully by Xavier Garza
- Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock
- Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood
- Rueful Death by Susan Wittig Albert
- Runaways: Battleworld by Noëlle Stevenson
- Rhymoceros by Janik Coat
- Sabotage at Willow Woods by Carolyn Keene
- The Sandwich Swap by Rania al-Abdullah
- The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble
- Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore
- Secret at Mystic Lake by Carolyn Keene
- Secrets & Sequences by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
- Seldom Disappointed by Tony Hillerman
- Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Show Me a Story! by Leonard S. Marcus
- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
- Slider by Pete Hautman
- Slug Days by Sara Leach
- Small Favor by Jim Butcher
- Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of Room 11 by N. Griffin
- The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla
- Soupy Leaves Home by Cecil Castellucci
- Sovereign by April Daniels
- The Speaker by Traci Chee
- Speedy in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
- Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring by Enigma Alberti
- Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
- Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami
- Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
- Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
- Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
- Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs
- Sweet Tooth: Deluxe Edition, Book One by Jeff Lemire
- Teddy Mars: Almost a World Record Breaker by Molly B. Burnham
- Tenements, Towers & Trash by Julia Wertz
- That Book Woman by Heather Henson
- Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught
- This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- This Is Not the Abby Show by Debbie Reed Fischer
- This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek
- Thornhill by Pam Smy
- Three Years with the Rat by Jay Hosking
- Tim Ginger by Julian Hanshaw
- Time Ghost by Welwyn Wilton Katz
- Title Wave by Lorna Barrett
- Topsy-Turvies: Pictures to Stretch the Imagination by Mitsumasa Anno
- Two Times a Traitor by Karen Bass
- Under His Spell by Marie P. Croall and Hyeondo Park
- The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt
- The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
- Waiting for Unicorns by Beth Hautala
- Wandering Son: Volume 3 by Takako Shimura
- Wandering Son: Volume 4 by Takako Shimura
- The War at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks
- The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh
- Welcome to the Real World by Angela Melick
- Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse
- When the Silliest Cat Was Small by Gilles Bachelet
- White Night by Jim Butcher
- The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
- Winter Wonders by Kate Hannigan
The Witch's Glass by Holly Grant
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: rereading for the American road narrative
- The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry
- Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson
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