We've had them for so many years, we can't stop now!



This year, my challenge is going to be:
End the year with FEWER books on my "to-be-read" list than I started with!

Too often, even if I go through every book that was on it at the beginning of the year, I've found so many others I want to read that the list ends up longer anyhow.

This year, I'm determined to whittle it down! From.... uh.... actually.... I need to count, if I want to do this, huh?
Er.
Excuse me. I need to go total up some titles....

Well, I'm late for posting here. My goal for 2024 is one book a month, so 12 books. I am hoping to overachieve it, but who knows.

So far I have read 4 books for 2024

1. Murder Book by Thomas Perry. 3/5. It was okay. Really feeling the "written by an old guy" vibes from this just by the way people were described and how the flow was. It was still interesting enough.

2. A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee. 3/5. I really liked the journey and coming into oneself the main character had.

3. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. 4/5. I really liked this one so much I had it read in 4 days. The way the spooky atmosphere got my creeped out that I couldn't read it before bed XD It was really well written and recommend this if anyone likes horror.

4. The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. 4/5. Another mystery. It took me a bit to get into it, but when I did I didn't want to stop.

And then I tried an audiobook back in January. It was okay, but it counted it towards my total books read on my goodreads, which greatly annoys me because I didn't read it. So my goal on goodreads is set to 13. I'll just keep upping it if I decide to listen and mark it read on my goodreads since it can't differentiate between reading and listening.

Not entirely sure what I'll read next. I got another ebook checked out from my library for over a week, but I haven't started it yet. I might switch it up. I had to only bring a few books with me for at least until August as I moved back in with my mother while my house is being remodeled. And I think she might have been annoyed if I tried to bring every single book I keep saying I'm going to read. Plus she has a box of books she's going to donate I can rummage through to see if there is anything I want to read in there too.

I will read at least one book. I've been slacking off with reading for years and I'm pissed at myself for it. It's not that hard to pick up a book and read a few pages every day. I can't keep postponing it and still trying to make money on editing and proofreading. It doesn't feel right.

So, one book and I'll come back when I'm finished.

The goal is set, now to pick a title and just read a few pages daily.

Got distracted from my list by a book series a friend gave me.
This year, I might not make it to my goal!

Meanwhile me: haven't even picked up a title

Er.... if you want recommendations, I am happy to help....

I am always happy to recommend books! You just have to give me an idea of what kind of books you like.
Do you have a preference on point of view?
Extent of vocabulary used?
Length?
Genre?
Do you like it to be a book that puts you through the emotional wringer or a soothing book?
Standalones, books that are part of a series?
Writing styles that are very lyrical/poetic? Or nitty-gritty, short-and-succinct?
Do you like books that make you think or books that let you take a break from thinking?
Do you like books set in real places, so if you ever travel to that region you recognize the area? Or books set in made-up places that are imaginative and strange?

There are so many books out there, choosing is hard, but with a little help to narrow down what you like, I'm happy to throw a recommendation your way!

Thanks Akili. I have a ton of books on my hands that I haven't read yet. I just can't seem to find the time, there's always something else to do

I got The Jungle Book a while back. It's short so maybe it would ease me back into reading.
The second pretender is the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. I began reading it last year when I got it as a birthday gift from my sister and I remember I was interested but then I just stopped reading for some reason. I already have the second book, The Oleander Sword, so it makes me want to read it even more.
There's also The Picture of Dorian Gray that I've started dog knows when I stopped...

And there are many other books I already own but never picked up. I just need to make up my mind and start.

Oh, well. For me, reading is the default state I fall back into when not actively pushing myself to do something else -but that doesn't help much in terms of being disciplined about WHAT I read, or organized, or productive with it. I'm just as likely to grab an old favorite as to pick up a textbook, and it's super common that I have to return library books before reading them even though I've gone through a shelf of novels I've owned for years in the same time frame...
time management has never really been a strong point.