Showing posts with label Yearly Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yearly Review. Show all posts

Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Resolution Follow Up

Here it is. The final hours of 2015.


What a crazy freaking year.


So here's my highlight reel.
  • Went to India
  • Started a home business
  • Finished a 5k
  • Took a writing class
  • Reduced my caffeine intake and increased my water intake (most days)
  • Found a partner in weird crimes who is absolutely adorable and increases my happiness beyond belief. (Take THAT, Loser Guys From 2014.)
I did not accomplish the following:
  • Money goals
  • Finish a manuscript
  • Wallow in self pity the whole year (just half of it)
  • Take amazing photos of random stuff
  • Planking. Seriously scary stuff.
I am, mostly, ok with all the things on both lists.



Reading accomplishments were minimal this year.


I read quite a few doorstoppers this year. I actually read a lot more than I expected to, coming in at 19 books.


I worked on reading more of the Bible, but still falling short of a daily/weekly routine. I am growing spiritually from reading, which is more the point.


I did not make any efforts to control my book intake until later in the year. Like... September, when my paperbackswap credits dropped to an alarming "1". ONE credit. In ten years this has never happened. I went a little wild with books at the beginning of the year, anything and everything. I was funneling brokenness into books again. I have it under control again, but my TBR shelf still bears the scars at a whopping 132 books.


Despite everything, I am counting 2015 as a success, simply because I'm here to see 2016.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Year in Review

Reading was a hard thing this year. The more I forced myself, the less I wanted to do it. Finally I relaxed and just let it be. And it turned out fine.


Book Goal: 27 books
Accomplished: 24 books




I also had a goal to read the Bible in a year... yeah. I made it to the end of March - which is good! I also found a great podcast at Audiobible.com and I listen to that almost every day. I'm going to go back to trying to read the Bible every day for 2015. Trying is everything.



My TBR shelf goal was 80 books. I think my number is a little off, but it is currently 85 ±3. This is not bad at all.




What's up for 2015? I have a few things I'm hoping to accomplish and I'll share them with you later. They're fun and kind of meaningless-but-not. I need some fun right now.




On the book side of things, I'm setting the book goal low. I have quite a few door stoppers on my shelves - Diana Gabaldon's latest, Anna Karenina, and a couple others that I look at and *gulp* lose my breath over.




Book Goal: 15 books read
Finish reading the Bible
TBR Shelves: not to exceed 75 books




Now for my favorites from 2014!




Millie's Fling
The Book Thief
The Exile
Poison Princess






Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Looking Back and Figuring Out What's Ahead

Welcome to the 2013 Edition of Things I Failed To Do!

When it came to books this year, I was a big loser. Big, fat, hairy, hand in my pants loser. I set a goal of 50 books - just under a book a week - and I ended with 31. I blame the internet and life. But mostly the internet.

So, I'm trying to find my Year of Happiness - because 2013 was NOT it (So.NOT.it.) - and thinking about what I want to do in 2014, what I have to do, and what I will probably end up doing. I don't want my goals to be too easy, but yet I don't want them to be too hard or too varied. But that's the problem with having a high I.Q. - my interests and abilities to learn are endless. I could be all over the board trying to conquer my physical, spiritual, educational, and career. I'd be exhausted by the end of the day. So, here's what I already have going on for sure in 2014:

  • Church Secretary (requires approx. 2 hours/week)
  • Committee Chair (time requirement unknown)
  • Youth Group (10 hours/week, including 1 hour class + baking)
  • Full-time job (including at least one trip to China in 2014)
  • Home Business Pangea Organics (time requirement unknown)
  • Two weekly newspaper columns (time requirement unknown)
So, add in mommy duty, my meager housekeeping skills, and sleeping... Not to mention that I have (FINALLY!!) found The One and he has three beautiful children. Four more people to give love, attention, and time to. I'm tired already. Albeit a happy tired.

Here's the "Extras" I'd like to accomplish in 2014:
  1. Read the Bible. The ENTIRE Bible.
  2. Read some books.
  3. Run a 5k.
  4. Get back into Yoga once a week.
  5. Finish an Engineering class.
  6. Take a Language class.
  7. Get my finances under control.
  8. Projects.
  9. No-Spend January, April, July, and October.
  10. Travel: NYC is at the top of my list.
Obviously not all of this is going to happen. It just can't. So if I narrowed the list down to half... that would still be too much. Four? Does four seem reasonable? And which four? And what's the plan? And accountability?

Sometimes, I'm really good at making things harder than they need to be. I'll get back to you on what I figure out in the next few days. If you have any suggestions, please post them!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012 in Review

What a year! Especially the last month-ish. Here's the recap from a personal level:
  • January I was in full hibernation mode. I went nowhere and did nothing.
  • February I turned, well, the corner into the downhill slide to 40. Had the one and only snow day of the year and painted the laundry room.
  • March The Spawn turned ten. My department at work doubled in size - going from one (me) to two (Mexinese). This guy is my hero!
  • April I took my first vacation in... a long time... and went to Las Vegas.
  • May the first bat appeared in the house.
  • June The calm before the storm...
  • July The month of insanity. The Spawn went to camp for the first time. Both kids had swimming lessons and VBS. Summer Conference for work. The Spawn had pink eye. Bats #2 through 7 were in the house.
  • August Tried to keep this month as simple as possible. I attended a bachelorette party. The CofC went to the fair. Work took on a whole new level of challenge.
  • September Sent The Diva off to school.
  • October The Diva's daycare closed and we had to find a new daycare. The Diva turned five. Boyfriend and I broke up.
  • November Had a minor fender bender the end of the month. I took on a second job. The Diva's school switched teachers. Bat #8 came out of hiding. Completed an essay for a writing contest.
  • December The busiest month.ever. The Winter Conference for work, The Spawn's orchestra concert, making gingerbread houses with The Diva, and an offer to write a newspaper column were a few highlights. A car accident that totalled out the car was not a favorite highlight, but thankfully no one was hurt. Bats #9 and 10 were also not on my top ten list.
So that was my personal life in a nutshell. Probably explains why reading was put on a back burner. Well, that and this little thing called Pinterest... So let's wrap up what happened on the book front this year:
  • I made up my own little book challenge to try to move things off the TBR shelf. It was a good effort, but the "restriction" of my normal reading habits became tiresome. Sometime around the halfway mark I gave up completely.
  • Goal of  47 books for the year: failed. Finished the year with 37 books, and 2 books that I'm still trying to finish up going into 2013.
  • Reducing the TBR shelf: failed. Even though I did some serious culling in the last few months, I just didn't read enough to keep up with the new books.
So what's up for 2013? I have no idea. I don't know if I'm going to set a To Read goal this year. This may be the year where I eliminate the TBR shelf. Ideally I'd like to have that shelf around 20 books - 10 "real" books and 10 e-books, but I don't know that would ever happen. I'll keep y'all posted!

Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Year In Review

Reading Goal: 45 Achieved: 57
TBR Shelf: 25      Achieved: Way.too.many.


I confess. I'm not sure what happened to my TBR shelf. It kind of exploded on me. Maybe buying Oddo the Nook wasn't such a great idea? [nodding and listening] Yeah, you're right, Oddo was an awesome idea. Anyways, I'll keep working on the TBR shelf for 2012.


Reading Goal: 47
TBR Shelf: 5 on Oddo
                   30 on physical shelf


Favorites from 2011: This was a little tough. I didn't read much that truly stood out in my head. It was the year of mediocre reading. A few books that stood out a little more than the rest:


A Town Like Alice was a surprise find. A book I thoroughly enjoyed and wish I had kept in my personal collection for a future re-read.


The Weird Sisters was entertaining and very real to me. I recommend it for anyone who has sisters.


Beat the Reaper was another surprise find. Amazing writing all the way to the end.


The Help was a great book that pulled me out of a reading slump.


The Ape House was another great book by an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites.


I can't help but mention Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, it was a fun fun book that I can't wait to share with The Spawn.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2010 in Review

Not my best year.

Reading Goal: 61 Achieved: 43
TBR Shelf: 30      Achieved: 28
And still hiding books in the closet... And in a pile in front of the closet... And on the dresser...

Other bookish things include starting a book club at work, which has been fun. The ladies in the group are so interesting and I look forward to what they have to say each month. I wish I would have done this a long time ago. I did not get to re-read Diana Gabaldon't Outlander series or the Twilight series like I had hoped to. I think I'm over the Twilight thing now, so I will probably keep Outlander on my list of things to do.

2011 goals are going to be low, I have a lot on my plate for the coming year. I'm going set a reading goal of 45 books and get my TBR shelf to 25. And, of course, getting rid of the books. I've already started on this one by making my paperbackswap.com account active again.

And now, a list of my favorites from 2010...

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. What's not to love? She's created amazing characters, detailed stories and she left off with a cliff hanger.

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper. This book met all of my expectations. It was really a great read with lots of entertainment value.

Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds and girls that kick ass. The fact that the author has gotten back to what she does best (plot and character) and away from the "all sex all the time channel" only makes me adore the series even more.

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. Did I mention I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds and girls that kick ass? No? I originally picked up this series for The Spawn, but the violence is too graphic for him at this age.

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan. This series I haven't finished yet as The Spawn is reading the last book (for the second time. Apparently it really was that.good.) but I'm totally into this series.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. Every year there is one book that catches me completely by surprise. This one is it. I read this for the book club, and I didn't expect to enjoy it. I was wrong. I loved this book from page one. The character, the voice, the tone, the stories... it was more than just a book about horses, it was about life and love and survival.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I'd hung back from reading this book because I had tried to watch the TV series but didn't get into and had heard the books were not as good as the series. This is a case where the "rumors" weren't true. I blew through this book in two days and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books.

Friday, January 1, 2010

2009 in Review

Wow. Is it over already? Well, let's take a look at what got accomplished in 2009.  I had a book goal of 60 books and finished the year with 61. I also had a goal to cut my TBR shelf in half. That didn't happen. I did manage to drop the number from 69 to 51, so as long as the problem isn't worse... Oh, and those books I'm hiding in my closet? Still there.

For 2010 I'm not setting the bar too high. My books read goal is 61. I'd like to get my TBR shelf down to 30. I'd also like to get rid of all the books in my closet, but I'll settle for getting rid of one tote at the annual library benefit sale. And now, on with the book reviews.

I started out the year with Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier. I'm holding this as one of the favorites for the year. I often find myself remembering passages and calling to mind scenes from the book. To me, that's the mark of a good book.

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer caught me by surprise. I read the series twice during the year and enjoyed it both times. I'll be re-reading them again in 2010.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. Even though I have two books left in this series, I have complete confidence that they'll live up to my expectations. The Fever Series brought KMM back to the business of writing and I look forward to becoming a fan again.

And finally, my favorite for the year: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I can't say enough about this book. I can't wait to read more by this guy.

I can't wait to see what 2010 is going to bring for surprises!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 In Review

Well, another year of books read. I'm bumping up 2009's goal to 60. Now that I've gotten a few of the door stoppers (Harry Potter and Diana Gabaldon) off my shelf, I can handle reading a few more books in the coming year.
Books Read: 45
Audiobooks: 22
Uncompleted Books: 6
Uncompleted Audiobooks: 5

Favorites:
Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton: A fantastic collection of short stories.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier: I love this book. It was everything that I love about the movie and more.
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling: Amazing right up to the last page. I feel like I've lost a friend with the end of the series, but look forward to seeing what Rowling follows up with.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: A twisted, dark fairy tale.
The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee: A wonderful and witty bit of chick-lit.
On Writing by Stephen King: It's hard to define why I liked this book. Maybe the fact that he had me laughing on the first page and his humor continued throughout the book. Or maybe the fact that it was honest and unpretentious writing. Every writer, whether a Stephen King fan or not, should read this.
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series. These books are doorstoppers, but so durn good!

Book Review: Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee

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