amarisafloria

Earlier this year, I shared some reading/blogging goals for 2016. I was honest about wanting to stick with them, but I've been doing a pretty crappy job at it. This is the first time I've looked at the six-item list since writing it. Oops. I know 2016 is more than halfway over, but I still have some time to revise and start/continue working toward my goals. Since I'm looking over January to June, I will consider July a "lost" month for now. It will be removed from my brain for the time being, until I talk about my year as a whole!



I'm pretty sure I was dreaming when I made this goal, because I can barely read 70 books in total. AND I visit my library at least once a week. Yikes. By the end of June, I only read 37 things—and by "things," I mean comics, graphic novels, full-length books, short stories, etc. Twenty-five were from the library and 5 were ARCs, which means I have only read 7 books from my bookshelf.



Compared to last year, I am doing WAY better. But I could still use a bit of improvement, especially since I'm easily suckered by enticing blurbs. As I'm looking at my reading pattern for the first half of 2016, I can see all the lulls ... and it happens right after a "tough-to-get-through" book. Which, more than likely, I chose on a whim.



I don't jot down my initial feelings after reading, which is what I originally hoped to capture BUT I'm doing pretty good with recording! I usually chicken-scratch all my thoughts on recycled paper while I'm reading, and then transfer what I really want to remember in my book journal. It's nice to revisit a book after a couple of days (or weeks!) and re-read all my favorite parts. I'm caught up with documenting all the books I've read since the end of June, but this is probably the easiest goal to keep up with.


Like I mentioned in my first goal, I read 37 things in June and 27 of them are now reviewed/rated on Goodreads! 73%! I'm actually surprised to be more than halfway there. Like I mentioned briefly in my mini reviews post on Monday, I never review until it's too late. And by "too late," I mean WHEN MY BRAIN DOESN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ANYMORE. But it helps that I am writing things down, I just need to do a better job of typing something up immediately after I read.


The more I think about this one, the less I like it. I originally added this to my list to keep from restricting myself to certain genres and stay away from burnout, but I've since realized that challenges can be a good thing for me. (Why do I have a rule about having no rules?!)



I STILL haven't done this. In fact, I haven't really updated anything on my blog this year. Except for my 2016 reads page. Not knowing how to organize it all is what's holding me back, so let me ask you—how do you enjoy browsing through favorites? By genre? Subject matter? Title/author? Do you like seeing covers?

TL;DR VERSION: Read two books from my shelf each month. Make good choices. Keep taking notes and reviewing. Stop making rules about having no rules. Add all favorites to one page!

I tend to avoid reviewing books right after I finish in case my immediate feelings affect my actual thoughts, but this often leads to never actually talking about my opinion because I'm also forgetful. I don't share too much on Twitter while I'm reading (spoiling someone is something I hope never to do), so here you go: A THREE FOR ONE DEAL! I'm actually just playing catch-up (I will probably never catch up, tbh) and sharing my recent reads: an inspirational speech and two stories—one that takes place during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the other about a passionate fan.




If you haven't heard Jo's speech or read this short piece yet, please drop everything you're doing and pick it up. I really wish I had this back when I was in high school—timid and afraid me would've benefitted greatly from it. While I can't say for sure that my life would be completely different had I heard this speech then, I'd like to think I would have tried more things and taken more steps outside my comfort zone. Very Good Lives was incredibly inspiring, and knowing that she has experienced failure before becoming successful brings a bit of hope as well as validity on why failing doesn't have to be a bad thing.