Reading Plans 2018 (Bout of Books, 2018 Reading, and Winter's Respite)

The next Bout of Books read-a-thon is coming up and I'm super excited to join in on the fun.  I think that I've participated in this read-a-thon the last three years in a row at least.  It is always a good way to get my reading started off right in the new year!  If you haven't yet had the chance to participate in Bout of Books before now, here are the rules:

 "The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

I would love to finish at least two books for this challenge.  Since I'm writing this post a bit earlier than usual, I'm not really for sure what I plan on reading yet.  These two are definite possibilities though as I'm hoping to read both of them this month:

It will all depend on what I actually finish reading this first week of the new year - I'll post updates on Litsy and Twitter of what books I actually end up reading during this read-a-thon.  I'm really looking forward to it though and cannot wait to begin!

I've previously talked about my TBR challenge that I'm doing in 2018 which is a personal challenge.  I'm also planning on a 2018 releases challenge (which will also be personal).  The plan is I have a list of 30 books being published in 2018 that I want to read.  For every book that I read off of this list, I'll add a new release in it's place.  Participating in both of these personal challenges will help to give my 2018 reading a variety of backlist reads along with new releases.  The best of both worlds if I do say so myself!  I will also be creating a page to list out all of my 2018 releases that I'm wanting to read if you are interested.

The final change to my 2018 reading that I'm hoping to put into place is really stretching my reading limits.  I read a TON of mysteries and thrillers last year.  I would say that the majority of the books that I read were books that were part of a series.  I'm fine with both of those things alone but I also really want to stretch myself as a reader.  I want to expand my reading horizons and that means trying new things.  It means reading more nonfiction (in 2017 I finished 3 nonfiction reads which is a pretty low number; but also a really great number for me considering there were many years where I didn't read any nonfiction books).  It also means participating in read-alongs, focusing on reading books featuring diverse characters or written by diverse authors, and just picking up books that I normally might not.  Reading different genres is also something that I want to do more of!  In the spirit of all of this, I have signed up for a read-along of the following book on Litsy:

I know absolutely nothing about this book other than it was one of the choices for the Book of the Month club.  I went ahead and put it on hold at the library anyways because this is the year where I'm going to try something different.  And for me, this is definitely outside of what I would normally read.  I'll keep you updated with the different books that I read but I'm hoping to become a much more well-rounded reader in 2018!

Finally, I'm also signing up to participate in the Winter's Respite read-a-thon which goes through the entire month of January.  There are no rules to participating besides read, read, read.  I'm planning on using this read-a-thon to help me get some quality reading done in January while also making progress on the #COYER Winter Switch challenge that I'm participating in.  I'm really hoping that month long read-a-thon will start my 2018 reading year off on the right foot with tons of great books!

Enough rambling, I'm off to get some quality reading done but let me know what your reading plans/goals are for 2018!

The Sunday Post #38 (2018 Reading Plans)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

Good morning everyone!  I'm actually writing this post ahead of time which means it won't get posted in the late afternoon like it usually does.  Success on my part - LOL!  As the title of this post probably already shows, I've been really thinking about my reading plans for 2018 already.  I've said this before but 2017 has not been my best year of reading.  In fact, I'm on track to read the fewest number of books this year since I began blogging back in 2008.  I'm sitting at 50 books read for the year - if I finish 4 more books I will tie with my reading year in 2012.  I know I shouldn't worry about the numbers so much but it is quite the difference when in the last two years I have finished eighty books both years.  My TBR keeps growing but my reading pace has slowed down and I'm not really sure why.

I'm not going to sit and moan about it though, instead I'm trying to figure out what I can do to make 2018's reading better.  Signing up for #COYER was a great way to begin but I'm not going to stop there.  One of my new plans to jump start my reading with really great reads is I have come up with a list of fifty books that I'm calling my TBR list (not very original - I know).  This is a mixture of fiction and nonfiction reads that have all been on my TBR list for some time- no new 2018 releases involved.  Every month (or more than once a month if I like) I'm going to use the random number generator to pick one of these books to read.  I'm going to knock some of these books off of my TBR list once and for all!  I have a tendency to "save" books to read that I think I'm going to really like but I don't want to read right away because then I won't have them to look forward to read.  This makes no sense but there you have it.  I put a bunch of books like this on my list to finally give myself the push to read them.  I made a tab on my blog if you are interested in seeing the fifty books that I chose (I might make a separate post but it is doubtful because that is a lot of books covers to share).  The plan is to keep my list at fifty constantly - for every book that I finish I will add a new one to the list.  And at the end of the year I'm going to look back at all of the books I finish for this personal challenge.  It should be fun! I've got other reading plans for 2018 but I'll post about them at a later date.  I've already got my first book picked out for this because I can't wait until the new year to begin.  I will be reading this gem very soon:

It has been a few weeks since my last reading update which means I have a lot to catch up with you on.  I've actually finished three books since my last post which is pretty awesome considering.  These are the books that I've recently read:

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant was just as amazing as I had hoped that it would be.  I loved every minute of reading it so I'm absolutely thrilled that it looks like it is part of a series.  I need more killer mermaids in my life!  I'm going to post my thoughts on this one soon but expect a lot of gushing to be involved.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie was delightful read.  I've actually already written up my thoughts on this one which I'm calling a success.  This book was such a great read!  It has me wanting to read more of her books soon, and I heard on another Read or Dead podcast episode that there is another movie coming in the future based off of one of her books.  I'm pumped!

Bloodstains with Bronte by Katherine Bolger Hyde was a fun follow-up to the first book in the series (Arsenic With Austen) that I recently read.  While I definitely liked the first book more, it was great to get back to this cast of characters and cozy series once again.  I will be working on writing up my thoughts on this one very soon as well.

I'm now currently reading the following two books:

 

Final Girls by Riley Sager is so completely intense!  I can't stop reading yet find myself unsure if I want to keep going.  I'm loving every minute of it!  I'm also reading Troublemaker by Leah Remini as my nonfiction read.  I'm a huge fan of her show exposing Scientology so I couldn't resist picking up the book.  I'm enjoying it although I have to say that most of my attention is currently focused on Final Girls at the moment.  These are both print books and I don't have an ebook on the go currently which is rare.  I'll be picking up one of my choices from my #COYER reading pool soon to start on my kindle.

Plans for the day are the usual.  My youngest has basketball pictures before his game so we have that in the afternoon.  My laundry piles are sky high so I'm going to be working on getting those down to a more manageable level.  Reading and blogging as much as possible.  And then football, family time, and The Walking Dead of course.  It sounds like the recipe for a great Sunday and perfect start to my week.  I'm off to work on said laundry piles but do share if you are also already thinking about your reading in 2018.  I would love to hear what your plans are!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

#COYER Challenge (Back to Basics)

This challenge couldn't have come at a better time if I do say so myself!!  My kindle is overflowing as of late and I love the idea of getting some of those unread books finally read.  I have participated in COYER a couple of different times now and it is always fun!  The entire point of the challenge is to work on cleaning out your e-reads which is something that I really need to do thanks to my book buying addiction and NetGalley.  So. Many. Books.  I NEED this challenge and am hoping to really make a dent on my kindle shelves with it.

One of the best parts of this challenge (or my favorite part anyways) is coming up with a list of books that I might want to read for the challenge.  A pool of possibilities if you will.  Obviously we all know by now that my reading moods tend to change on a whim but here are just some of the books that I would like to read for this challenge (I'm grouping them in pairs because it seems like fun):

Two cozy series that I cannot wait to continue.

Two thrillers that I desperately want to read.

Historical romances that are calling my name.

Authors that I have loved previously and need more of!

And finally, two books that I had planned to read in previous COYER challenges but are still unread.

I have many, many more books that I might read or would like to read but this gives me a good starting point.  I'm sure it will change a bit as well but my overall goal is to NOT add any other books to my kindle from NetGalley during this challenge.  Yep, I'm going on a NetGalley/Edelweiss ban during COYER this time around.  The only exceptions being those few books that are part of a series I am already reading that feel like must haves.  The key to success here for me will be trying not to browse these two sites at all.  If I can stay away, I know that I will be able to make a dent in my unread piles.

Tell me, are you participating in COYER this time around?  Do you have a list of possibilities like I do or is anything on your e-reader fair game?  Make sure to let me know in the comments if you are also participating so we can cheer each other on!

Happy Reading!

Thankfully Reading 2015

I have a long weekend coming up and I'm planning on spending a portion of it reading to my heart's content.  I currently have eight books left to meet my goal of eighty books read for the year.  I'm pretty sure that it is doable but to ensure that I'm hoping to spend all of this upcoming week reading whenever possible.  Will all I be doing is reading?  Heck no!  For me Thanksgiving is family time so I will be spending a good portion just relaxing and enjoying my family.  But since I have a five days off in a row, I can't help but hope that I am able to fit in lots of reading as well.  Therefore I am joining in on Thankfully Reading Weekend hosted by Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves.  Here in her own words is what this reading event is all about:

"There are no rules to the weekend, we’re simply hoping to devote a good amount of time to reading, and perhaps meeting some of our reading challenges and goals for the year. We thought it’d be fun if we cheered each other on a bit. If you think you can join in, grab the button  and add your sign up post to the link-up below. If you don’t have a blog, you can sign up the comments or sign up using a link to your Twitter account or Faceboook page!"

I love it!  I'm hoping to finish at least two books this coming week (and yes I am starting early and reading ALL week long - or as much as I can manage anyways).   Anything more than that will just be an added bonus.  Here are the two books that I am currently reading and hoping to finish during this time:

I haven't started either of these yet but will be starting Angels Sing to Rest later today.  They both sound really great so I'm eager to get started.  If I manage to finish both of these then there is no shortage of books that I can choose from either off of my own shelves or on my kindle.  I'm so excited I might just have to get started now. 

Are you participating this weekend in Thankfully Reading?  If you are let me know so I can cheer you on while we read together! 

Happy Reading!

Reading Events (Or Winter Reading Fun)

In the spirit of signing up for just about every reading challenge out there, I also found a couple of reading events that I couldn't resist.  I'm sure this doesn't surprise most of you.  What's one more right?  I'm going to use both of these to really get my reading off to a great start in 2015.  That's the plan at least!

The Winter COYER challenge is here (and actually has already started) but since it is three months long I'm joining in.  I have plenty of books stocked up on ipad and now kindle to keep me plenty busy.  Plus this will also help me knock out some of those NetGalley copies that keep piling up.  My favorite part is coming up with a list of possibilities for this so here are just a few of the books that I want to finish for this challenge.

 

 

 

If I manage to finish more that would be amazing but I'm hoping to read at least eight books from my e-reader for this challenge.  I will keep you updated on my progress as I go along. There are read-a-thons and lots of other fun stuff planned so if you want to sign up go here.

Bout of Books is back!  My first read-a-thon of the new year and I'm super pumped for it.  I always look forward to these read-a-thons as they are fun AND such a great way to start off the new year.  Here is the official blurb from the Bout of Books 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. 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"

My goals for this read-a-thon are going to be very simple.  Read and comment.  That's it!  I'm not setting an amount of books or anything.  I just want to focus this week on reading and commenting on other reader's blogs.  It will be great and hopefully lots of fun!  I'm planning on reading this book and after that I will follow my mood:

I am really looking forward to finishing some great books and meeting some new bloggy friends thanks to these two events.  Are any of you participating in one/both of these?  Or do you have other big reading plans in the works?  Do share!

Bout of Books Read-a-thon 11 (Signing Up and Goals Post)

The Bout of Books Read-a-thon is back and with perfect timing as I seem to be struggling through a small reading slump.  I'm hoping that a week focused purely on reading will help me through it.  Unfortunately I have a lot of other things going on this week, because not only does school start up but the fall sports season does as well.  Chaos, I tell you!  Ha.  Anyways, here is what the organizers of the read-a-thon have to say about it:

"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, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th 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 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

I have SO, SO many books that I currently would like to be reading....enough that it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.  So I won't.  Instead, for this read-a-thon I am going to focus on finishing some of the books that I am currently in the middle of.  Why I am in the middle of so many books is beyond me but there you go.  Here are the books that I am hoping to finish:

 

If I manage to finish the majority of these then I will be a very happy girl.  I think having so many books going at once is one of the reasons that I am not getting much reading done.  I also have other books on the go (mainly on my ipad) that I haven't finished yet so I just may read one of those too.  Other goals include participating in at least one Twitter chat and visiting lots of other read-a-thon participants.  Are you participating in this read-a-thon?  If you are, then share what you are hoping to read!  I will definitely stop by to cheer you on.

Happy Reading!

Reading Plans (Or Where I Get Overly Ambitious)

November is here, the colder weather is starting to arrive, and I'm already starting to think about the upcoming new year.  It all just goes by so fast that I can't help but want to make a final push and get some major reading done in the next two months.  Because I have entirely TOO many books loaded on to my ipad I've decided to use this month as a way to focus on e-books.  I find it very, very easy to add books to my e-reader without feeling guilty because I don't have to see them physically.  It's addictive!  I have found two challenges focusing on cleaning out some of those e-books and review copies so I'm joining in on both.

The first challenge that I'm joining in with is for NetGalley November.  I NEED to join this challenge just so I can get a few of those countless review copies finally read.  I love, love, love NetGalley but I'm way, way, way behind so this challenge fits me perfectly.  I'm aiming low with the easy level (1-4 books) but I would really like to read more.

I'm also joining in with the Clean out your E-reader Challenge.  I buy entirely too many books for my e-reader and this will be a great motivation to get some of those read as well.  I'm assuming that this challenge also includes review copies but that is why I'm joining both just in case.  If I manage to do well on these two challenges it will also mean that I've finally knocked a few extra books off of my ipad.  A definite win in my book!

But now for the fun part.  Here are just a few of the books that I would like to read this month for these two challenges:

 

 

These are all books that I have purchased for my ipad but haven't yet read.  Looking through the books on my e-reader makes me realize that I really, really need to stop buying books.  Yikes!

 

 

And these are all of the review copies from NetGalley that I would like to get read.  I'm actually currently reading A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway which is quite good so far.  Now it may not be very likely that I will be able to get through all of these but I'm sure going to try!  I also have two print review copies for blog tours that I HAVE to get read for this month...and a dozen library books that I would sure like to read.  LOL!  I told you that I was feeling ambitious :)

What are you planning on reading in November? And are you feeling the urge to read more like me??