December 18, 2018

MMD Reading Challenge update-2018

This year, I decided to attempt the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge. 12 books, I figured, I could do. Fitting the categories took a little work. Here's the original post.

My reading habits actually changed A LOT this past year though.

1. I stopped listening to audiobooks. It was just something I lost interest in so I gave it up. This made my book count go down by 1 or 2 a month. It's a habit I'm hoping to get back into in 2019 though, because I have had some of my best reading experiences via audiobooks over the last few years.
2. Having a baby meant I had less time at night to read...most of my reading pre-baby had been in bed at night. If I read to exhaustion once he was in bed, I wasn't guaranteed sleep, so I had to go to bed as soon as I felt tired, instead of trying to read first.
3. Electronic reading isn't my favorite. This year, I read less on my Kindle and more of actual books from the library.
4. I stopped buying books. I never bought many anyway, but I didn't buy any Daily Deals after a certain point..maybe June?..because almost everything I wanted to read was available at the library here in Laramie. Plus, it's only a few blocks away from our house, so I could easily stop by to pick up holds and return books.


All that being said, here's my challenge results.



1. A classic you've been meaning to readMurder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I'll call this a classic. It's the most-read mystery of all time. Who decides what "classic" means anyway?  This was a Did-Not-Finish for me. 

2. A book recommended by someone(s) with great tasteSworn to Silence by Linda Castillo. This is recommended by several bloggers so I'll give it a try. This was a good one. I meant to read more of the series this year. Maybe next year. 

3. A book in translation. Britt-Marie Was Here by Frederick Backman. I don't have a strong "like" record with his books but I like the title of this one and I'll give him one more chance. This was a Did-Not-Finish. I don't think I even posted it in a monthly book review because I disliked it so much that 20% was likely as far as I got. And I didn't like Beartown either, so just come at me with the hate. 

4. A book nominated for an award in 2018. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Volk. This is a Newbery Honor book and I can't figure why it was nominated in 2017 and isn't being published until this April. I'm calling it as fitting the category though for that discrepancy. I had to pre-order it. It has a long list of awards on the Amazon page so it'll work. It was okay. I wouldn't not recommend it, but not the best Newbery Honor book I've come across (that's Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm). 


6. A book you can read in a day. I'm thinking The Lathe of Heaven because Anne Bogel recommends it as a book you can read in a day...but I don't always love her suggestions (and now I know you're wondering why I'm doing this challenge, right?) I never even posted this for a SUYB post. I bought it for $2 as a deal on Amazon, and it was so terrible. I think I read 10%? Like, it never even made it to my Goodreads.

7. A book over 500 pages. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. This is the most ambitious pick on the list. I'm a fan of Morton but I don't have a great track record with long books these days. Do you have a different one you've loved? This was pretty good. 

8. A book by a favorite author.  Deadly Summer by Denise Grover Swank. This is her new series, now that Rose Gardner is mostly wrapped up. This was dumb. I don't think I finished it.


10. I don't actually think I read a banned book. 


12. A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I didn't finish this within my library loan time, so I put myself back on the holds list. I'm currently #48. Then, Kristen generously sent me her copy since she was done with it, so I can read it at my own (snail's) pace!  Thanks Kristen! I'll be happy to pass it on to whoever wants it next and is a victim of a long wait list. Let me know! This was really good. I wouldn't give it an A+++ or anything, but it was good for sure. 


-------------------------------------------
I don't know if I'll do this again in 2019, but I was thinking about setting some other book goals for the year. 

Are you setting book goals for the next year?

3 comments:

  1. I signed up for her reading challenge for next year. I think I'm 'decent' at continuing to read when life gets busy - but sometimes I get in a slump on what to read next.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think I read 20 pages into Little Fires and was so bored I put it back on my shelf. I plan to revisit it though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's an interesting challenge. It would probably make me mix things up a little, but some of those categories would be tough.

    ReplyDelete

Comments make my day!