Let's Look at 2018 Goals and Books I Said I Would Read...

Hey, everyone! Oh, how I've missed blogging and writing reviews. Seriously, I've been writing I promise, but not on this blog. For my British literature class I had to write twelve posts this semester and if you are interested on what I've been writing you can check it out here. I talked about Frankenstein, Oryx and Crake, Heart of Darkness, Virginia Wolff, "Shooting an Elephant", Sweeney Todd, Great Expectations, A Passage to India, and White Teeth. I was around and writing, but it was for school and it wasn't here where I belong, but I'm going to hopefully be around more in the spring semester!

Today, I want to talk about my goals for 2018 and how they've been going. This year has been amazing for me and while it's also been one of the hardest years of my life, it's been the best growth wise (God's good, y'all). Reading for me started so amazingly throughout the start of this year and it has still been pretty decent the last half of the year, but it's not going how I would prefer it to. Let's check in!

GOALS

I am not much of a goal setter when it comes to reading, but it really helped my reading at the beginning of this year.

-I want to finish at least three series (five doesn't seem doable). I completed this one!
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). I've read so many this year!
-I also want to read four short story collections. I don't know why I thought I wouldn't hit this.
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. I'm an English ed. major. LOL
-I want to read five Stephen King novels (I've already read one in 2018).

4/5 completed! 

I'm still reading a SK novel right now and I plan on finishing it before the year ends, so I may get a 5/5 on goal completion this year!

Other Unattainable Hopes: 

I really want to read all the 2018 ARCs I request.

I also want to read at least five backlog ARCs from Netgalley and 

five of the print ARCs on my shelves. 

I want to write reviews consistently and post at least one video a week. 

• I was doing great on reading 2018 ARCs for a while, but that fell to the wayside when I picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (I've been reading it since August). 30/55 I still have time though!
• I only read one backlist ARC from Netgalley. I would prefer to focus on 2018 ARCs for the rest of this year, but maybe next year!
• I didn't read any of the backlist ARCs I own this year, but I did read one physical 2018 ARC!
• LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL A blogger can dream...

 

BOOKS:

 Priority Reads That I've Read: 

 

7/18 + 1 CR

  

I'm currently reading The Drawing of the Three. Looking at all these that I chose to make a priority, I'm glad that I did because four of them got 5 stars! 

THE REST TO READ:

     

I definitely want to get to All the Rage before the end of this year, but the rest? I can pass on them for now. Being a mood reader makes it hard to ensure that I'll pick up even one of these. If all I complete is The Drawing of the Three and All the Rage, I'll be happy!

2018 Releases I Listed in End of the Year Survey:

   

Out of these three, I read ACOFAS. It was definitely not worth anticipating because WOW, what a disappointment! Still wanting to pick these up, but I don't know if I will before 2018!

ARCs I Posted on TBRs:

(April TBR)

 

3/4 Will I read Hooked on a Phoenix? I may give the first couple chapters a shot.

(May TBR)

   

5/5 WHOOP!

(June TBR)

   

3/7 Well, that great feeling of hitting all those books dissipates. I would like to try The Hawkman and Lying in Wait the most, but I am still interested in One for the Rogue and Ballad for a Mad Girl.

(July TBR)

 

2/2 Glad that I got to both of these, even if Bellewether was so boring that I thought I would pass out while reading.

(August TBR)
 

.5/2 I've been reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle since August and I have begun to loathe it.

(Future TBR)

 

I'm picking this one up ASAP after I finish slugging through Evelyn Hardcastle.

Audiobooks I Posted on TBRs:
   

26/26 are the ones I've read this year! I do a lot of listening to audiobooks!

 

I've started these three and I'm waiting to get them back so I can finish them!

   

I haven't gotten to these yet!

Physical Books on TBR:

   

I've read these eight physical books that I own!

 

I'm currently reading these five! I'm definitely going to finish Uninvited and These Broken Stars soon!

EBOOKS on TBR:

   

1/3 The first two are backlist ARCs I've been trying to read since 2016, but I don't read on my Kindle much anymore. Endless Night was a waste of my $.99, but I'm glad I read it for Peter Likes Books' bookclub.

SUMMER TBR:

How many books do I have left on that one? I have 14 physical books to read left and seven are not on any other list. 

 

I don't think I'll be getting to any of these in 2018. Sadly, but maybe next year!

I still have ten audiobooks to read that aren't on any list. 

 

I probably won't get to any of these before the end of the year because I have so many audiobooks in my library holds queue, but I would like to get to one of these if I can.  

I'm pretty proud of my goals list and all that I've accomplished even if the last three months haven't been fruitful for me reading wise. Let me know if you are hitting your 2018 reading goals!

Books I've Read in 2018 #27-31

 

Hey, everyone! Today I'm talking about some of the books I've read in 2018. I read these a long time ago. It's been a long time since I read these books, but I've been meaning to post this video for months. Hopefully over the Thanksgiving break I can film a couple of more recent videos to upload.

THE BOOKS:

Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8? by Ethan Brown 4 stars This is a very interesting true crime story that is based in a town not far away from my hometown. Do I think that this novel is the best true crime out there? No, but I greatly enjoyed this one.

Dimension Drift Prequel by Christina Bauer 2.5 stars I was not a huge fan of this one. It is one of those YA novels that is just meant to be fun and does not go beyond that. I did think it was fun, but I don't think this is going to go beyond that. Check out my review here.

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk 2.5 stars This is a satire and it definitely runs with intense offensive language. This novel is outrageous and it goes completely to the left field and keeps going. I'm still not sure how I really feel about this one.

Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 3.5 stars This is the final book in the Burn for Burn trilogy and I breezed through it, but it was my least favorite of the books. I just wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but I ate up the drama and the supernatural elements.

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner 4 stars This novel follows a woman in a correctional facility after she commits a crime that her son witnesses and the other women she meets there. It's an in depth character study and I wasn't blown away like I hoped I would be, but I thought this novel was incredibly impressive and has merit. Check out my review here.

 Recommend the Most:

The Mars Room for those who love character studies and Murder in the Bayou for those who are interested in true crime. Both of them are crime centered novels, so if that's your jam (like it seems to be mine) then these are good ones.

STATS:

Books Reviewed: 2
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 2
New Favorites: 0
Books That Changed My Life: 0
Owned: 1

 

Have you read any of these books? What's a series that incorporates slight paranormal creepiness that you'd recommend? Novels that have a lot of crime and character study? Let me know down below in the comments below!

Books I've Read in 2018 #21-26

Hey, everyone! I have been drowning in school work and life has just been busy. Of course it's been in the best of ways and I've spent so much time surrounded by friends and loved ones. So, time has been moving wonderfully, but blogging and reading wise it's been all over the place. Bear with me until I can back into the swing of things.

THE BOOKS:

 
 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien- 4 stars  I really liked the audio adaptation and it was a wonderful experience to listen to, but I found myself losing interest very easily at times.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein- 4 stars This one was my least favorite of the trilogy. It wasn't horrible, but not a favorite of mine. 

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein- 4.25 stars A great conclusion and my personal favorite of the trilogy. I just loved the story and I found myself immersed more so than with the other novels.

Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime by Cutter Wood- 1.25 stars This one was just not my cup of tea. I thought I would love it because true crime, but it didn't really focused on the crime. Check out my review.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman- 4.5 stars I loved the audiobook for this one completely. I was disappointed by the ending, but still a fantastic story that I highly recommend.

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope- 3.25 stars This one had potential, but I hate hidden princes tropes and this knocked down my rating rapidly. Check out my review. 

 

 Recommend the Most:

Coraline is hands down my favorite of the bunch. I absolutely adored the story and the atmosphere was haunting, unsettling, and creepy. Gaiman is an excellent narrator and even better writer. I can't recommend this one enough!

STATS:

Books Reviewed: 2
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 2
New Favorites: 1
Books That Changed My Life: 0
Owned: 4

 

 Have you read any of these books? What's your thoughts on them? Any that you are dying to finally pick up? Let me know down below in the comments!

Gerald's Game by Stephen King (SPOILER REVIEW)

 

Hey, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted and I feel so horrible about my absence on the Internet and my blog. Here's a video of my thoughts on Gerald's Game. Gerald's Game is one of my favorite King novels. 

Are you a fan of Gerald's Game? Do you like Stephen King? Let me know down below in the comments.