Bout of Books 12: Progress - Day 1

Day one of Bout of Books was an excellent reading day for me.  I was still awake when midnight hit on Guam, so I immediately started reading and ended up not going to sleep until dawn.  I got in about 5 hours of uninterrupted reading, and the rest of the time I was tweeting with other readers who live on my side of the globe.

After I woke up in the afternoon, I picked up where I left off and was able to finish my first book, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

I didn't do any of the challenges, but that is fine since my goal is only to participate in three of them.  

As far as finding new bloggers, I talked to a lot of people that I really liked chatting with, but I have yet to find a blogger who reads the type of books that would most interest me, so I haven't subscribed to anyone new yet.  The search is on, though!

So, here are my day one stats:

• Pages read: 518
• Books finished: 1
• Hours spent reading: over 7
• Challenges completed: 0
• Blogs/Channels subscribe to: 0

I am really happy with the progress I have made so far, and I hope that the rest of this week will continue in similar fashion.

How did your first day go?  Link me to your progress post in the comments below.  

Happy reading!

Bout of Books 12: Goals & Tracking Spreadsheet

Bout of Books 12 starts tomorrow, and I am so thankful for it.  I ended 2014 in a bit of a reading rut, so I'm hoping that this read-a-thon will kickstart this year of reading.

As always, I'm setting very loose goals for myself, but I think I'll be able to get quite a bit of reading done during the week because I'll still be on holiday.  I just need to be disciplined.

I don't really do TBR's, so instead I put together a "pull-from pile" - a stack of books I am interested in and can pull from during the week.  The books that made the pile are:

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (ebook)
• Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
• Christ Indwelling and Enthroned by J. Oswald Sanders
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
• Dracula by Bram Stoker (already started)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (reread)

Reading Goals

• Read at least 2 hours every day.
• Read at least 1000 pages.
• Finish Dracula.

Over the past few months I've been letting other things (ie. the internet) distract me from reading, and then it's 2 am, and I'm too tired.  So, I installed an app on my phone that completely shuts down all data, wi-fi, apps, messaging, and phone calls (save for a few choice contacts); this way, I can stop wasting my time with lesser things.  I'll set it to run for two hours every day this next week so I can be sure I get my reading time in.

Blogging Goals

• Do a mid-way post and a wrap-up post.
• Participate in at least 3 challenges.
• Find at least 3 new bloggers/booktubers that I enjoy, and subscribe to their content.

The main reason I love Bout of Books so much is because of how the reading community comes together.  It's an excellent opportunity to meet new people who are passionate about the same things as I am and start dialoguing with them, so I definitely want to do some discovering as the week goes on.

In order to keep track of my reading progress, I made a spreadsheet, which I started using for Bout of Books 11.  If you are interested in using it to track your own progress, you can download it from my Dropbox.

Those are my goals for this next week.  Are you participating in Bout of Books 12?  If you've made goals, please share them in the comments below or link me to your blog post or video.

Happy reading!

2015 Book Goals

I do not really believe in making resolutions.  I know that they work for other people, but I feel like they set me up for failure and guilt.  And I don't want to start my year that way.  Plus, I am not a great planner, so I find that my mind, mood, or life often changes too dramatically to stick with any decisions I made at the beginning of the year.

I do, however, set goals.  They aren't strict at all but act more like faint guidelines and hopes for the year.  If I accomplish them, wonderful!  If I don't, it's ok.

I operate this same way when it comes to setting book goals for the year.  I don't do TBRs or anything rigid, but I put together a general "wishlist" or sorts - number of books I wish to read, specific titles I wish to finish, certain genres I wish to explore.

After figuring out my reading statistics for 2014, I put together a list of goals I'd like to guide my reading throughout the next year.

Read more books with deeper content.

Last year my original goal was to read 50 books, but I quickly surpassed that and was able to read more than 100 books this year.  However, a lot of those books were junk food reads.  I definitely got a few good meals in, but I did a lot of junk food reading this year.

Don't get me wrong; sometimes light reading is necessary, and the entertainment aspect is completely valid.  However, I want to make sure that I'm reading books that will challenge and grow me, as well.

So, instead of shooting for a high number, I just want to be able to look over the books I've read this time next year and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Finish rereading the Harry Potter series.

It's been a few years since I read it, so I started rereading it toward the end of this year.  I'm almost done with Order of the Phoenix so this should be an easy goal to meet.

Explore new genres.

I tend to stick to adult contemporary, but I read a few sci-fi this year that I really enjoyed, so I want to find more.  Plus, I really want to get in some more fantasy.

One genre I want to read less of is YA.  Or, more specifically, I want to be pickier about which YA I read.  They are really easy to fly through and add to my book count, but I find that few of them offer me any type of challenge or real stimulation.  There are definitely good ones out there, but I need to make sure I'm reading them instead.

Continue reading comics/graphic novels/manga/manhwa.

I read a lot of image driven content this year, and I really loved the experience.  I want to continue exploring this new world and finding out which titles/authors I love, as well as what styles I'm the most drawn to.

I've found that these are also really good for when I'm in reading slumps, but that doesn't always mean that the story is subpar or shallow.  The stories can be beautiful and deep, and I'm still able to focus on them during those times when reading a novel just isn't happening.

Read more classics.

I am part of a classics book club, so this shouldn't be difficult, but they don't always pick titles I'm interested in, so I often find myself sitting out for a whole month.

For the upcoming year, I want to participate more in that book club.  And when I don't, I want to choose my own classic to read.  There are always more classics waiting for me.

Read more Asian literature.

In past years, I've read a lot of Asian literature, but 2014 was really lacking, and I am not accepting of that.  All of the Asian lit I read this past year was in comic form, so I absolutely must start reading novels again.

This is the one goal that I want to be very intentional with, and I may even make a list of books to pull from throughout the year in order to accomplish it.

Read my shelves.

I, like many book addicts, have a slight problem with buying books faster than I read them.  Therefore, I have quite a few unread books on my shelves.  I want to dwindle this number down this year.

I say this as I have three book orders on their way, but it's not 2015 yet, so it's ok.

The 2015 Reading Challenge

This is a little thing that has been going around Tumblr, and I just want to keep it in the back of my mind as a fun thing to do to shake things up, especially when I'm not sure what I want to read next.

And those are all my reading goals for 2015. 

What are your goals for the coming year?  Do you make a TBR list for the whole year, set a number of books you'd like to finish, or just wing it?  Are you very strict?  Let me know in the comments down below.

Happy New Year, and happy reading!

2014 Reading Statistics

I have never gone over a year of reading and crunched the numbers to see all of my different statistics.  However, after seeing other book bloggers' statistics, it's inspired me to find out my own.

This is such a good thing to do before going into a new year of reading because it makes you aware of the areas where your reading has been lacking.  If your goal is to read diversely, which mine is, it's important to know what you are neglecting.  Maybe you lean too heavily on a certain author gender or show favoritism to a specific genre, or maybe you aren't reading enough world literature.  One can only see these gaps after figuring out the stats.  

Therefore, I went through all 129 books I read in 2014 and divided them by author gender, intended audience age, genre, author nationality, and language because these are the areas in which I want to read widely.

Author Gender

57 of the books I read last year were written by men while 72 had female authors.  This is pretty even, so I'm happy with that.  

Author Nationality

American: 36

British: 15

German: 2

French: 1

Russian: 1

Australian: 2

Indian: 1

Japanese: 54

Korean: 14

Brazilian: 1

South African: 1

This is one of the more important statistics when it comes to my personal reading goals.  I really want to read works from all around the world, particularly from Asia.  

I am pleased with how big of a percentage of my reading choices were by Asian authors, but almost all of those works were manga/manhwa.  I was definitely neglecting Asian literary fiction this year.

Language

A large percentage of the translated works I read were comics, but not all of them.

Author nationality is more important to me than the original language of the work, but I was curious about the numbers.

Audience Age

Adult: 99

Young Adult: 14

Children's/Middlegrade: 16

The fact that adult literature dominates this chart is not surprising to me.  I'm almost 30-years old, so this is the right age range for me.  

I read a lot more YA, children's, and middlegrade than I usually do, so I am happy that it accounts for almost 25% of my reading.

Genres

Literary Fiction: 16

Classics: 8

Fantasy: 13

Science Fiction: 2

Horror: 3

Graphic Novels/Comics: 71

Historical Fiction: 1

Nonfiction: 11 

Plays: 1

Poetry: 3

And now we get to the numbers that most people find the most important: genre.

This was the year I really got into graphic novels and comics, which is obvious from this chart.  I read 71, including completing 4 manga/manhwa series.  While it may seem like I favored this genre far too much, I still read 58 non-graphic driven works, which is average for me.  Because they are so easy to get through quickly, I don't have have an issue with this genre taking up such a large percentage of my reading because they don't take up as much time.

Let's look at my genre percentages without graphic novels or comics factored in.

Literary fiction is my favorite genre, so it's not surprising that it gets 2nd place out of all the genres.  I did expect it to account for more of my reading, however, so I'm pleased that I didn't swerve so heavily in that direction.  

I ended up reading 8 classic works last year, which I am pleased with.  Since being out of school, I've found that I have to be very intentional about reading classics since no one is forcing me to anymore.  Most of the works I read were book club picks.

I am truly surprised at the amount of fantasy I got in this year.  I do, however, wish that I had explored more science fiction and horror.

As I get older, I want to read more and more nonfiction, so I'm glad that I was able to read 11 nonfiction books this year.  Out of those, 6 were Christian works.  I hope to read more next year, and I intend to stick predominantly with Christian writing.

Wrap-Up

So, those are my reading statistics for 2014.  I am pretty happy with those number, especially since I wasn't at all intentional in my choices.  There are a few things I would like to see change by this time next year, but I will go over those in my 2015 reading goals.

Did you crunch your reading numbers?  What were your statistics?  Tell me in the comments below or on Twitter.

Happy reading!

  

My Favorite Books of 2014

In 2014, I managed to read 129 books, which is the most I've ever read in a year!  Some of them were rereads, but the majority of them were new.

Out of those first-time reads, some were not so impressive and others quickly became favorites.  I want to share my top 10 favorite books of 2014 with you.  These are in no particular order except for number one, which was my favorite book of the year.

Number Ten

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This is my favorite Rowell novel.  Cath is such a unique character in that she's a true introvert.  But she's also totally relatable and nerdy cool.

I loved the dynamic between the two sisters, especially since I have a younger sister who is really close to me.  There was a lot of truth in that relationship.

Of course, the Harry Potter, er, I mean, Simon and Snow fan fiction didn't hurt either.

I did an author spotlight on all of Rainbow Rowell's books, including Fangirl, if you want to see more of what I thought.

Number Nine

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

This is the only nonfiction book that has made it onto my list, but it absolutely deserves to be here.  It's written by a young woman who went to Africa for a mission's trip and ended up moving there, adopting a dozen children, and starting an organization that ministers to children in poverty.

It's a really powerful story about saying yes to whatever God has for your life, even if it means not living up to the expectations set before you.  And it also shows what one person's love can do to change the world.

Reading this has made me think differently about missions and helping those in poverty.  It's also put a desire in my heart to adopt.

 Excellent read, and I highly recommend it.

Number Eight

Jerusalem by Boaz Yakin

2014 was definitely the year of the comic and graphic novel for me, and it all started with this graphic novel about Jerusalem becoming a nation in the 1940s.

It follows one family as each member finds their place in the tumultuous politics of the time.  It's gritty and gripping, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction or graphic novels.

I did a full review on it, so check that out if you're interested.

Number Seven

 

Watchmen by Alan Moore

I finally read the king of all graphic novels.  This has been hailed as one of the best graphic novels of all time, and I finally understand why.

I have never read a book like this before.  There were so many layers, and each of the characters was dynamic and mysterious.  I wasn't ever quite sure where the story was going or who the villain was, and it caught me completely off guard.

The art is rough, which fits the story completely, enhancing the tone of it all.

Definitely a must-read if you like graphic novels.

Number Six

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I know that I am ridiculously behind on this, but I finally started A Song of Ice and Fire, and this first book was AMAZING.  Honestly, I was nervous about reading it because, even though I've heard universal praise for this series, I've also read some really critical reviews, and I wasn't sure if it would be something I would like,

Well, it turned out to be something I loved, and I will definitely be plodding my way through this series.

Number Five

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

This is the only children's book to make this year's list, and it was my favorite children's/middlegrade book this year.

The art, the story, the themes...it's an excellent story that traverses all ages.  I wrote a full review of it if you want to know more of my thoughts.

Number Four

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles by CLAMP

I adore manga, and I read a few series this year, but this one stood out above all of the others.

It's a shonen manga, so it has a lot of action in it, but it's also about relationships, romantic and platonic.  

The four main characters are some of my favorite characters in all of literature.  I love their complexities and how each of them interacts with the group.  And each one of them has an amazing and tragic back story.  

This series made me feel ALL of the feels.

If you haven't read this manga yet, and you don't mind really complicated plots, definitely pick this one up.  I wrote a review on the entire series, as well.

Number Three

Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte

I'm not quite sure how I escaped reading this in high school, but I did.  So, I finally picked it up this year as a book club read, and I am so happy that I did because I adored every second of it.

Heathcliff is an absolute scoundrel of a character, but I love him for it.  I was completely transfixed by him and all of his foulness.  At the same time, however, I felt so much compassion for him over his broken heart.  

If you haven't read this, and you love passionate romance and revenge tales, I can't recommend this enough.

Number Two

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

This book wasn't on my radar to read at all, but one of my book clubs ended up reading it so I decided to try it even though I didn't think I would be into it.

Holy moly!  This book is genius.  

Faulkner wrote it in such an intelligent and creative way.  Even though it can be confusing, I really like that this book makes the reader work.  A lot of times we just want a book that we can coast on auto-pilot with for an hour.  Not so with this book.  It gave me some mental exercise, and I was so grateful for it.

Set in the south during the early 1900's, it gives the portrait of a family falling apart as society around them changes.  The entire novel revolves around one character, but she isn't even the main character.  Instead, it's divided into four parts from four characters' points of view, and it shows how their lives have been affected.  

This is definitely not for the intellectually lazy, but if you're up for a challenge, check it out.

Number One

Absent by Sherri Vanderveen

This should be absolutely no surprise if you read my blog regularly.  I have raved about this book all year long.

It shows what happens to a family when the father abandons them, taking place over many years and involving several different character perspectives.

It's such a gorgeous novel, and it captures the truth so eloquently without being preachy.  If you want to see my full review, you can check it out here.


So, those are my top 10 books of 2014.  I'm glad that I was able to explore the world of comics and graphic novels, and I hope to continue to do so in 2015, as well.

What were your favorite books this year?  What would you recommend to me?  Let me know in the comments below.

Happy reading!

Top 5 Wednesday: Historical Books

Time for another top 5 Wednesday. If you are interested in joining in, please check out the Goodreads group.

This week's topic is favorite historical books. 

Because it makes it into every list and I want to highlight different favorites of mine, I am excluding Pride and Prejudice. It goes without saying that I love it.

With that, let's get started.

Number Five

Guernica by Dave Boling

I have heard very little about this book, but I originally picked it up because Benedict Cumberbatch did a review on it. (That is a perfectly legitimate reason to read a book, right?)

I'm glad that I did because I really enjoyed it. I knew nothing about the Spanish Civil War going into it, and it really moved me. I connected to the main characters and was really invested in their lives.

This book is heartbreaking but beautiful.

Number Four

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Who doesn't love this book? Dorian is such a despicable character, but I still love him. And Wilde's writing is witty and hilarious.

Number Three

A Free Life by Ha Jin

One of my favorite book settings is in China during or after The Great Leap Forward. I am really interested in the lives of the people during this time.

This book explores this period and one family trying to escape from it really beautifully.

Number Two

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

I fell in love with this book earlier this year, reading it twice in row.

Not everyone likes the style and organization, which I understand, but I felt like it added so much and was so creative.

Number One

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

This book is not for everyone, but it is one of my absolute favorites. Wharton's writing is so subtle and clever. Her characters are full and likeable, even the stupid ones. And I love the setting of old New York.

What are your favorite historical books?  Tell me in the comments below.

Happy reading!

Bout of Books 12

I have been on a major reading slump for the past few months.  I mean, I haven't even been averaging one book a month.

I think that this is partly because I was reading so quickly that I burnt myself out.  However, with the school year starting, a lot of my reading time is now dedicated to teaching and lesson prep.  And when I'm not doing that, I'm just so tired from the day that I end up watching YouTube videos during the time when I could be reading.

I miss reading, though.  I miss getting so absorbed in a story that I forget how tired I am.  That's why I am looking forward to Bout of Books 12.  It's at the tail end of my Christmas break, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to spend all day every day with a book, but I am hoping that it will break me out of my book coma and set a solid pace for 2015.

If you want to know more about the Bout of Books read-a-thon, here is a blurb from their blog:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

You should definitely sign up and participate in this reading event. It doesn't matter how much time you have or how many books you can finish in a week. It's not about competition. Rather, it's about community. We all read anyway, so it's awesome to be able to connect with other readers around the world to discuss, recommend, and debate the books we love, as well as encourage each other in our personal reading goals.

I'll be keeping track of my progress, as well as participating in the various challenges, on this blog. You can hold me accountable!

Are you planning on joining Bout of Books 12?