My first reading goal of 2018 was to read sixty books. I used Goodreads to track that challenge, and I ended up surpassing that goal by reading a total of 69 books. You can see all the books I read in 2018 here.
My second goal was a challenge I created myself called the "Read-My-Own-Books Challenge." My purpose in making this list for myself was to focus on reading books on my shelf instead of reading library books, borrowed books, etc. At the beginning of the year, my TBR started at 293 books, and I had hoped to reduce that to 250 by the end of the year. Although I did complete this challenge, my TBR is currently at 297 books. That is slightly more than when this year started, even though my shelves have gone through quite the transformation. Of the 69 books I read this year, 35 were books I owned at the time of reading them. (This is an important distinction because there were a handful of books I read that were not on my TBR that I later bought a copy of, meaning they were never part of my TBR.) I am also not counting rereads in that number because they are also not part of my TBR. That means with all the books I read and got rid of (I would say I unhauled around 40 books this year, more than half of them unread), I still managed to buy enough books (and get enough books for Christmas) to even out my TBR to almost the same number I started the year with.
Here is my Read-My-Own-Books Challenge with the books I read to fulfill each objective:
1. Read the book that's been on your TBR the longest.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. Read a book you bought in high school.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
3. Read your most recently acquired book.
The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
4. Read the shortest book on your shelf.
Dream: See It and Seize It by John C. Maxwell
5. Finish every series you started but haven't yet finished.
Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
6. Start and finish a new series.
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of
Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
7. Read a popular backlist book.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
8. Read a book by one of your favorite authors.
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
9. Read a book by an author you've never read before.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
10. Read a book that has a screen adaption.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
11. Read a book you received as a gift.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
12. Read a book you acquired through marriage.
Finding Daylight by Kimberly Webb
13. Read a book you want to give away after you read it.
Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson
14. Read a book not written in prose.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
15. Read a book about animals.
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
16. Read a religious book.
What's on the Other Side? by Brent L. Top
17. Read a classic book.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
18. Read a nonfiction / memoir / biography.
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
Overall, I am happy with what I managed to read in 2018. I know that if it weren't for this challenge, there are certain books that would still be unread, so I did manage to read some books I otherwise wouldn't have gotten to this year.
Another challenge I had for myself was one I did not write down anywhere but it was more of something I just wanted to see if I could do, and that was to start and finish five completed series, which I did. I read parts of many other series as well, but here are the full series I read this year, in order:
1. The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson
2. Graceling Realm by Kristin Cashore
3. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
4. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
5. The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare
This year, I let myself read, for the most part, books that I wanted to read when I wanted to read them, and I didn't create a strict reading list for myself each month. I think it's so important to read what you want to read and what you're in the mood for, and not what anyone expects you to read or what you feel obligated to read. I ended up enjoying almost everything I read this year and now I have some excellent books I can discuss with others.
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