2016 Goodreads Challenge

I started tracking the books that I read on Goodreads back in 2014 & it would not be overstating it to say that it has revolutionized the way I read! You can see my 2014 & 2015 challenges if you are interested! If you are a reader & you're not already using Goodreads, this is a band wagon you're going to want to hop on! 

Here's how it works: Goodreads allows you to set a challenge for yourself for the year. You decide how many books you want to try to read and then work toward your challenge by adding the books you read to your list. You can also recommend books to friends, review what you read, take quizzes and even win books! I've consistently won 3+ books every year that I've used the app! That might not be your goal, but it sure doesn't hurt, huh? 

I set a goal for myself every January 1st for the number of books that I hope to read in that year. Every year I have met or surpassed my goal. 

Until this year. 

Ugh. I kind of hate having to admit that. I set a goal for myself of 100 books last January. I was on track to succeed & then this summer & fall hit. It's certainly not an excuse, but I spent a ton of time outside this summer & when I got home, I didn't really feel like reading. I regained a little of my footing this fall & winter and ended up finishing the year having read 83 books. Towards the end of the year, my goal became to beat my number from last year, which I did by two books. 

I guess, in the end, it comes down to the fact that you can't do it all. 

Which leads into this year. I am heading back to school in June & anticipate having much less time to read for pleasure. While I will certainly count the books I read for classes towards my goal, I only set my number to 60 for the year. I would love to say that after a long day of studying & classes that I'm going to want to kick back with a book and a bubble bath, but that just might not be the case. While I certainly don't want to low-ball myself, I also don't want to set myself up to fail. Sixty seems like a very attainable number. I may also have to try my hand at listening to audiobooks so that I can at least hear the stories that I'm interested in. If you would like to follow along, you can see my 2017 challenge here! 

Here are a few of the highlights from the year:

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak 

2. Panther by Brecht Evens 

3. Slade House by David Mitchell 

4. Paper Girls Volumes 1 & 2 by 

5. Pleasing the Ghost by Sharon Creech 

Least Favorite: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire 

I encourage you to start your own Goodreads challenge as 2017 kicks off! Whether you use the app or just write your list in a notebook, it is good to keep track of what you're reading as the year progresses. What's on you list of to-reads this year? I would love to hear what you've got on the docket!