2017 Reading Challenge

*Scroll to the bottom of this page if you would like to read the conclusion of my 2017 Reading Challenge. Thank you for dropping by, and see how I’ll be challenging myself in 2018 here.

Now that I’ve officially ended my December Reading Challenge and have had time to think about my reading and general goals for 2017, I’m excited to share my ideas for this year’s Reading Challenge.

I’ve been trying to come up with ways to make this part of my blog more exciting for myself and for those of you who visit since talking about books is the purpose of this blog, and because of various failed monthly goals, I’ve wanted to move away from the Reading Challenge format I’ve always used. I also read books that are not part of my Reading Challenge each month, which sometimes usually end up taking time away from my “designated” monthly reading. Now that that’s been said, on to the fun part!

For 2017, I’ll be reading with no month-to-month restrictions like I’ve done previously. Before I tell you what the list consists of, I need to give full credit of this idea to Hannah Braime, a writer, speaker, and blogger who published her Reading Challenge at the end of November. Before you continue reading below, check out her post here.

Back? Great! Here are the 23 bullets I’ve chosen for my Reading Challenge this year (with just some minor modifications):

• A chapter book from your childhood:

  • Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

• A book published over 100 years ago:

  • Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

• A book published this year:

  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

• A non-fiction book:

  • Alzheimer’s in America: The Shriver Report on Women and Alzheimers by Maria Shriver

• A memoir:

  • The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr

• A book that became or is becoming a film:

  • Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

• A book published in the 20th Century:

  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman

• A book set in your hometown, region, or state:

  • Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

• A book with a number in the title:

  • 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

• A book with a protagonist who shares your first name:

  • Kelsey and the Quest of the Porcelain Doll by Rosanne Hawke

• A trilogy or series (will update title information as I go):

  • The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder 
    • Poison Study
    • Magic Study
    • Fire Study
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

• A book recommended to you:

  • The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories by Anthony Marra
    (thank you FictionFan for the rec!)

• A book with over 500 pages:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• A previously banned book:

  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

• A book with a one-word title:

  • Honeymoon by Patrick Modiano

• A book translated from another language:

  • The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

• A personal growth or self-help book:

  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
  • The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*CK: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have With People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do by Sarah Knight

• A play:

  • Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley

• A science fiction novel:

  • Dune by Frank Herbert

• A horror or scary novel:

  • I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

• A book you own but haven’t yet read:

  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

• A modern retelling of a classic novel:

  • Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

• A used book:

  • Vanity Fair by William Thackeray

Along with linking the posts up to this page, I’ll be updating my Goodreads Reading Challenge Shelf as I complete each book. You can receive my posts in an email by subscribing on the right side of this page or stay up to date with me on Twitter. These will not be the only books I read throughout the year, so if you would like to see what I’m reading outside of this list, click the Follow tab on the bottom of this page (thank you to those who already follow and have subscribed) and/or find me on Bookstagram (@theressomethingabout_ ).

If you didn’t before, visit Hannah Braime’s blog, and share your 2017 reading goals below in the comments or via the contact form. If you will be joining this particular Reading Challenge, tell me which kinds of books you’ll be reading! Thank you for visiting, and I wish you all the luck in your goals, challenges, and aspirations in this new year.

See you soon!
-K

Conclusion:

I read 12 out of the 26 books I designated for this challenge, and I did not finish two of the books: The Liars’ Club and The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*CK. The former I just couldn’t get into. I’m going to try reading it again, maybe when I’m in a different mood or during a different time of year. The latter I didn’t want to continue because my experience with the book it parodies was so rich and fulfilling that I felt the parody was just a downer, and I didn’t think it was a good use of time to read it. I went another year without reading The Lord of the Rings, but since I own the series, I will be reading it in 2018. The other titles will remain on my TBR list, but I may not get some of them in 2018. We shall see.

I hope you accomplished whatever reading goals (or other goals) you set for 2017, and I wish you luck on your 2018 resolutions and to-dos. Thank you for reading not just these posts, but all of my others. It was a great blogging year, and I’m excited to see what 2018 brings. Click over to my 2018 Reading Challenge if you’d like, and stay tuned for new and continuing projects. Happy New Year!