2016 Changes and Challenges

As a new year has started it is time to reflect on the past and the future and in the case of this post about my reading.

I have to admit to not thinking I was going to even reach my challenge for 2015 but I did.

In fact I read 101 and a half because I was just about half way through a book on the 31st December and whilst that would disturb many people’s equilibrium – it bothered mine. I would have finished it had I not been going out.

Of the challenges I chose for myself what did I actually complete.

Well I read the 100 books so that is a nice big √ This challenge stays for 2016.

My series challenges is where I pick 3 authors whose series I am currently reading and read 3 of their books. Currently that is M.C.Beaton – Agatha Raisin, Rhys Bowen – Her Royal Spyness Series, Carola Dunn – Daisy Dalrymple and Debbie Macomber – Blossom Street Series.

I completed only one of these which was the Agatha Raisin series. For 2016 I am going to give this challenge a break. It will be interesting to look back on and see how many of these series books I do read. 

Read 3 of Agatha Christie I did complete so that is another nice big √ This challenge stays for 2016 but I am going to make it 4 books. 

Of my Random Reads, where I select 12 from my to read shelf to be read in the year I managed 9 out of 12. Which was the same as the previous year. I am going to carry this challenge on as it creates some variety in my reading and helps remove some of the many books off my shelf! 

I have done a tidy up of the books I have and made sure they are all logged on to Goodreads, I have got rid of some that need to go to a better home and I have added the few that I got for Christmas and which I have recently bought as well. It includes and kindle purchases but does not include any netgalley requests.

I have 145 on my shelf as of 31 December 2015. So I ran the number through a random number generator

Here are your random numbers:

68	83
105	15
55	138
22	41
102	27
56	69

Timestamp: 2015-12-31 18:32:08 UTC

You can see which books these correspond to on my 2016 challenges tab at the top of the page. An interesting mix of books and some that I have had for a while and certainly need to read!

As for other challenges well I was thinking about tackling some of my very large books those over 700 pages and whilst waited in case they were chosen for my Random Reads challenges I have decided that the book I am going to read this year is

The Luminaries – Eleanor Catton

I am going to call it my Big Read Challenge and have put 4 dates on so I can update myself and any readers interested in following this challenge.

And that for challenges is going to be it I think. I am always so tempted by what I see everyone else joining up for but I want to make my reading enjoyable not a chore.

As for the blog well you may have noticed that I have been missing a bit on here. Some of the reviews have been a long time coming and some will not come at all.

I know I need to rewrite my ‘About’ page and make things clearer in my own mind. You might noticed that some of my roundup posts featured the little * next to the book, meaning that the review was coming up, well I am going to do away with that in 2016. I realised I was so behind on my reviews that I had lost the momentum of what I wanted to say and therefore to review a book badly would not have been fair on the author or you the potential reader.

This certainly keeps with the aim of last year, 2015 when I decided not to review all of the books in a series or set unless one of them stood out for me in particular.

Like anyone’s blog I am sure, it is ever evolving. In the words of Miranda’s friend Tilly – Bear with, Bear with…..