and...
June 29's MUSING MONDAYS post is about mid-year reading… Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favourites?
January through June
Total Books Read: 41
Last year I read 49 books from January to June but while a good chunk of those books were romance novels (18), this year I've only read 4. I better step it up a notch since I joined the 100+ Challenge. I still have 60+ books left.
Total Pages Read: 12,747
That seems like a whole lot of pages....a whole lot. I have no idea what I read last year as I wasn't keeping track of pages. I just can't bring myself to go back and log the pages for those 49 books.
Books in Categories: 9S, 4R, 17F, 7N, and 4O
I tend to divide my reading into YAL Science Fiction and Fantasy, Romance Novels, and "Real" Books, mainly because YAL SFF and Romance are my top two guilty pleasures. After two years where 80% of my reading was guilty pleasure, I made a New Years Resolution to cut back. I'm also adding an Other category for things like children's books and graphic novels. Here's where I'm at so far this year.
YAL SFF: 9 (8 in the Pendragon series and Meyer's The Host)
Romance Novels: 4
"Real" Books: 24 (Fiction: 16 Nonfiction: 7)
Other: 4 (Children's: 1 Graphic Novels: 3)
Not too shabby.
Author Count: 11F, 19M and 21A, 8D
In the first half of this year, I have read 11 female authors and 18 male; of those, 21 are still alive, while 8 are dead. I have absolutely no idea what this means. Perhaps I should read more dead authors?
My Favorites so Far
The Know-it-All by A.J. Jacobs because it was hilarious.
Watchmen by Alan Moore because it introduced me to graphic novels.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway because of the way it was written.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon because of the way it was written, which is totally different from the way Hemingway wrote.
Challenge Update
- Dream King Challenge: I said I was going to read 12 books and watch 4 movies by Neil Gaiman this year. So far, I've read 4 books and watched 2 films. I'm not positive I'll hit twelve books, but I'm still working on it.
- What's in a Name Challenge: I've read 4 of the 6 books total for this challenge and I'm pretty confident I'll have this done well before the deadline.
- Chunkster Challenge: I've had a few false starts on this as I keep reading books over 450 pages but then realize that YAL doesn't count. I said I would read 3-5 books for this challenge and I've already completed 3. I want to get at least one more in.
- Take a Chance Challenge: This one was very exciting at the start as finding books was lovely randomness. Now, I just have to get moving. I've only read one book so far for this challenge.
- Sookie Stackhouse Challenge: I was very excited to see this challenge, but after reading the first book, I'm much less eager. I'm not sure this series is for me. I'm going to read at least one more and see if it gets better, but I may have to *gasp* quit this one.
- A-Z Reading Challenge: I decided to do titles for this challenge, and so far I have 20 books done and 6 to go. Reading anyways. I still have to complete reviews for 7 already-read books plus the 6 I still need to read.
- 100+ Challenge: Obviously, I'm at 41 books and only one week away from the midpoint. I need to step it up a notch if I'm going to make it to over 100 books, especially since I'm so severely limiting my YAL SFF and Romance novel reading.
I'd love to have links to other people's midyear reports, so if you have one up on your blog, leave your link in the comments section!
MidYear Reading Reports
Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here
Kaye at The Road Goes Ever On
Robin of My Two Blessings
Better than shabby, you've done very well. I'm glad you enjoyed the Hemingway, I did too but it was many years ago. I have a copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, I'll have to move it up in the tbr pile since you thought so highly of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the Name and Chunkster challenges too. I need to do an update on all my challenges and see what I'm about. I have no problem doing the reading, it's keeping records I get behind on. :) My Musing Mondays post is up. Happy reading in July.
You've had an excellent first half of 2009! I love how you have all the categories organized.
ReplyDeleteI also used The Watchmen as my foray into graphic novels... it was a good one.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'm just starting to read Stephen Lawhead's stuff (I read Hood and Scarlet and I'm reading more while I'm waiting for Tuck in paperback. Right now I'm actively reading The Iron Lance, but I picked up Taliesin because I heard that was his best series. Glad to see you've read so many of his... I'm going to check around on your blog for some reviews.
Thanks!
I can't take the pressure of challenges..or counting my books read for that matter. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm totally not in the 100 book challenge club, wow that's a lot of books :)
ReplyDeletemy Monday musings
wow, that's quite a page count! sounds like you're having a great reading year!
ReplyDeleteGreat progress so far. Loved Curious Incident too.
ReplyDeleteGood year so far, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSandra - I really would read Haddon's Curious Incident; I really enjoyed it. I don't do a good job on keeping up on records on a day to day basis, but when I get it into my head to analyze, I do it all in one sitting.
ReplyDeleteYvonne - Thanks! I figure I might as well categorize books according to my own reading style.
Heather - Feel free to look around. I'm not sure who Lawhead is though!?!?!
Caite - The pressure was getting to me until I realized that I had an amazingly long amount of time before I had to finish them. ;)
Kaye - To each their own. Last year I read somewhere around 80 books and the year before around 120, so I figure this year can be in the middle!
Marie - Isn't that page count ridiculous? I felt a bit strange when I added it up I must admit. But eh, it's time I would otherwise have watched tv. :)
Nise - Thanks! That book was great wasn't it?
damnedconjuror - I certainly hope to!
Impressive write up for the mid year. Sounds like you are doing really well. I just don't have it in me to add up all the pages. :)
ReplyDeleteMy MM is up now at
www.mytwoblessings.com
We're about the same. I've done 42 so far this year, and have to finish the 100 book challenge myself!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved Curious Incident, but haven't read the other three in your favorites. Will try and check them out soon.
Best of luck for the rest of the year... you're peaking at the right time (that's what I'm telling myself).