By “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” – Lemony Snicket
I set a variety of reading goals for myself this year in an attempt to 1) read more books, 2) participate fully in book club discussions and, 3) challenge myself by reading books I wouldn’t normally choose. And, while I started out the year very strongly, I wavered toward the middle/end. But, considering I had just a few things going on in the latter part of the year (e.g., new job, huge work project, wedding, new house), I’m counting
In January, I set out to do the following in 2018:
- read at least 30 books
- read all book club books
- read, with the hubs, a page each day in Foodimentary
- complete the “Read Harder Challenge”
As the year progressed, I adjusted a bit based on, well, life. We dropped the Foodimentary challenge due to the book being a bit riddled with typos and our interest in the challenge waning significantly at about the three-month stage. I’m proud to say that overall, I didn’t do too badly in most areas — even surpassing my goal for overall books read. I skipped one book club book (and, based on feedback by fellow members, I really didn’t miss that much), read a total of 32 books (and counting!) and did okay on the “Read Harder Challenge.”
A few non-reading, yet related, victories were the significant reduction in the number of books owned (through donation + fewer purchased) and utilizing my local library much more than I had in years past.
Book club books:
- Lilac Girls; Station Eleven; the rules do not apply; Americanah (technically read in 2017 but discussed in January meeting); Sing, Unburied, Sing; Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions; The Hate U Give
- Had previously read: Artemis; When Breath Becomes Air
- Missed: The Year Year Swim Club
- A book published posthumously — The Opposite of Loneliness
- A classic of genre fiction (i.e. mystery, sci fi/fantasy, romance) — Handmaid’s Tale
- A comic written and drawn by the same person — Check, Please!
- A children’s classic published before 1980 — The Little Prince
- A book of social science — Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- A one-sitting book — Soulful Simplicity
- A sci-fi novel with a female protagonist by a female author — Station Eleven
- An essay anthology — tiny beautiful things: advice on love and life from Dear Sugar
Full list of books read in 2018
Past years’ challenges:
- 2017 challenge = 23 of 50 read
- 2016 challenge = 20 of 25 books
- 2015 challenge = 12 of 25 books
trajectoryoflife.com 
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