Holiday Reading Review

[ironed_orchid]

Happy New Year Bitesized Readers!

Congratulations on making it through another year. I hope you managed to read some good stuff.

Here are some reflections on reading prompts for you. Feel free to answer as many or few as you like.

How did you make/find time to read in 2017?

Do you think you read more or less than in previous years?

What were your reading highlights of 2017?

Did you reach any reading goals in 2017?

What made up the bulk of your reading in 2017? (e.g. novels, stories, fic, non-fiction, articles, social media, work related texts)

Where did you do most of your reading in 2017?

If you exchange gifts at this time of year, did you give or receive any good books?

Have you managed to get any reading done over the holiday period?

Do you have any reading related resolutions or goals for 2018?

Comments

[ironed_orchid]

How did you make/find time to read in 2017?

Novels and other fiction mostly on weekends and before bed. Articles and fic mostly during commute and lunch breaks, and on the mornings of my days off.

Do you think you read more or less than in previous years?

Less new novels, more everything else.

What were your reading highlights of 2017?

I read SO MUCH great long form journalism. Something about the world teetering on the brink of collapse brings out the best in many essayists and investigative journalists.

The Stone Sky was a great way to end The Broken earth Trilogy.

Certain Dark Things, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Vampires in Mexico City. Was at times gritty and harsh, but never grimdark.

Various stories by Carmen Maria Machado (still need to get her collection)

Did you reach any reading goals in 2017?

I did read some stuff by new authors, but I also bought a lot of books I haven't read yet.

What made up the bulk of your reading in 2017? (e.g. novels, stories, fic, non-fiction, articles, social media, work related texts)

As above, lots of long form journalism. Also lots of novels, both new and re-reads.

Where did you do most of your reading in 2017?

Bed or on the train

If you exchange gifts at this time of year, did you give or receive any good books?

No, but I still have a gift card I haven't used yet.

Have you managed to get any reading done over the holiday period?

I've been working, but I managed to read The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Recommended to people who enjoy the Tremontaine series.

Do you have any reading related resolutions or goals for 2018?

I would like to read all the books I bought in 2017 and then some more.

[alexseanchai]

Time to read not!fanfic? ahahahaaaaa you funny. (I mostly didn't read not!fanfic. The one book I know I read, Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I wasn't expecting to read it all through in a row so I mostly didn't sleep that night.)

Less. Hella less. I miss high school...

Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Nah, just didn't set any

Fanfic, no question.

At a computer or on a tablet. (HTK I read on tablet in bed.)

Got Emily Wilson Odyssey! Got a book on Irish history starting way ancient!

Just fic.

Nah. I'd like to read more, but I'm not prioritizing that at this time.

[ironed_orchid]

Sounds like a good attitude to start the year.

I recommend reading the next two instalments of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms at some point.

[alexseanchai]

Pretty sure I own book two, though in paper copy so gods only know where it is. Not book three. But they're both on the list :)

[ironed_orchid]

\o/

[bonnefois]

How did you make/find time to read in 2017?
Have severe health problems helped, lol.

Do you think you read more or less than in previous years?
A little less. That was mostly because I got a lot of reading done on my vacation and had a solid 3 months with 20 books read.

What were your reading highlights of 2017?
ehhh lemme see I already wrote it in an entry:


Fitness Junkie by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
The Best Laid Plans by Lynn Schrunberger and Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
for fiction this year.

The first two were fun and fearless stories which completely broke the conventions of their genres. I talk more about it in earlier progress entries. Turtles All The Way Down is a nuanced and often heartbreaking look at mental illness, mystery, and how it affects friendships and relationships without being issueficcy.

For nonfiction,
Mindset: A New Psychology of Success by Caroline Dweck
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to your biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
all of Gretchen Rubin's books
The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan

The first three changed my life. Mindset literally shifted me from a very dangerous style of thinking I had unknowningly picked up. Presence was an incredible read, Gretchen Rubin is deeply inspiring and made me want to go on my own year long journey, while The Gratitude Diaries made me think about gratitude in a different way.


Did you reach any reading goals in 2017?

I set a 100 books goal and reached it.

What made up the bulk of your reading in 2017? (e.g. novels, stories, fic, non-fiction, articles, social media, work related texts)

I don't really count social media. It was split fairly even between nonfic and fiction. maybe 60 fiction/40 nonfic. I hope to eventually up the ante for nonfic, but I have bookshelves to clean out so I can't be picky lol.

Where did you do most of your reading in 2017?
Uhh, in bed?

If you exchange gifts at this time of year, did you give or receive any good books?
Well, I bought some kindle books with a gift card I got. Did that count?

Have you managed to get any reading done over the holiday period?
Yeah, I got 4 books last year and 2 this year.

Do you have any reading related resolutions or goals for 2018?
100 books again. No limits or focuses because I need to thin down my bookcases. Well, I guess the focus is on my own books as opposed to library books.

[ironed_orchid]

Have severe health problems helped, lol.

Still impressive that you managed to read new books that made a real impact. when my health is bad, I often can't focus on new material and end up re-reading for comfort.

[ayebydan]

How did you make/find time to read in 2017?

Well, not very well. I went through phases of trying to commit to a chapter a night or a number of minutes per night but truthfully I could go a month without reading a book at all. Sure I read articles and fanfiction and blogs but my drive and goals were towards books. I read most at the end of the year and made progress my seeing my friend reading while we traveled Australia together.

Do you think you read more or less than in previous years?

Less. My goal was only 25 books which was lesser and those books were shorter too. I read less in other places too. I think it had a negative impact on my mental health and rejoining this reading community to try galvanize change as I did was a major positive step I took in 2017.

What were your reading highlights of 2017?

Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia by John Dickie because it was long and hard and I made it at a time where reading was long and hard for me. I chipped away at it and stopped thinking of myself as a failure for what I had not read and started celebrating what I had. Plus, it was pretty damn interesting on many fronts.

The Stolen Children: Their Stories
by Human Rights Commission, Carmel Bird (Editor) which was horrifying but important for me as a person. My family was directly impacted by this. My great grandmother was stolen. I had aunts and uncles placed in different parts of the Australian system depending on how dark they were. To read this anchored the knowledge I gained o my trip to Australia better, harder and with more determination on how I can help and in the right way.

Did you reach any reading goals in 2017?

I read the 25 I aimed for but that was about it.

What made up the bulk of your reading in 2017? (e.g. novels, stories, fic, non-fiction, articles, social media, work related texts)

Probably fanfic and political articles. I'd like to change that in 2018.

Where did you do most of your reading in 2017?

At my computer. Even with books I sometimes found it easier to bring up a book on the kindle app on my desk top and scroll leisurely.

If you exchange gifts at this time of year, did you give or receive any good books?

I received Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone in Scots from my friends which is amazing. I enjoy reading it aloud to them and teaching them my language as I go. It has become more than a simple book to us.

I have given a few but royal snail mail has not revealed all yet so I'll leave that there.

Have you managed to get any reading done over the holiday period?

Indeed. I had to finish Jay Z's 'decoded' to make my 2017 target so did so. It was a fascinating read I must say. Then on the 2nd I sat down with a liter of water and demolished go set a watchman by Harper Lee in a few hours. I've still not decided what I thought of the book but I feel good going into the year having my mojo back as it were.

Do you have any reading related resolutions or goals for 2018?

I've set myself at 25 books because I don't know where my mental health will go but I hope to smash that. That is about as far as I'm willing to hope.

[ironed_orchid]

Welcome to the community! I hope you find it helpful. One of our guiding principles is that all reading counts. Most of us probably read thousands of words every day, but if they aren't book length, we tend not to include them.

I don't know any Aboriginal people who weren't impacted by the stolen generation, either directly, or through generational trauma. (I'm Australian, btw).

Christmas mail is the worst! A card my mum posted on the 16th December (with gift voucher enclosed) did not arrived until 2nd Jan. Grr.