Reading Goals: Progress Report

I don't know that I've mentioned my reading goals at all on this blog since I made them at the beginning of the year. But don't worry, I've been diligently working my way through them (although not as much as I hoped). Since we're now six months into 2014 (a fact I hate to be reminded of), it's time to given an accounting and gear up for the second half of the year.

1. Read something I put on my to-read list in 2009 (complete)
2009 was the year I joined Goodreads. Many of the books I added five years ago to my to-read list are still sitting there, sad and neglected. I wanted some motivation to get myself to read at least one of them, and it worked! I read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, a book I added in October 2009. There's something so wonderful knowing I won't have to scroll past that book anymore when I'm deciding what to read next.

2. Read something I checked out once from the library and had to take back before I could read it (complete)
It is a sad fact that I check out way too many books from the library. I seem to think I'm going to be reading 24/7 instead of in little snatches here and there. Thus, I had many books to choose from for the completion of this goal. When I posted my goals in January, I said I actually had two books checked out at that very moment that would fulfill this goal. Sadly, they both went back unread. The book I ended up reading for this goal was A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty. I needed some light reading after the baby was born. I'll post a review of it soon(ish).

3. Reread a book from my childhood (not complete)
I'm still leaning towards The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright. But I'm also thinking about All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. Or maybe The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. So many books to choose from!

4. Finish a series I already started (partially complete)
I decided to finish the Little House on the Prairie series. I had already read the first four books, and now I've finished By the Shores of Silver Lake and The Long Winter to the list. I still need to read Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years to complete this goal. I'm especially excited to read about the courtship between Laura and Almanzo.

5. Read another installment in a series I already started (not complete)
I have so many partially finished series to choose from, so this will be a fun goal to check off.

6. Read something by Dickens (not complete)
I was hoping to get to this goal during the first half of the year because I know it's not going to be a weekend read or something I can squeeze in at the last minute. But Dickens is better for autumn anyway, don't you think? I still haven't decided which book of his I'm going to read, so suggestions/opinions are welcome.

7. Read something less well-known by an author I love (not complete)
I love Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so I checked out Joy in the Morning to complete this goal. But . . . I'm sure you can guess what happened (hint: too many books), so I'll have to check it out again. And in the meantime, I might change my mind and read something else by another author I love. We'll see.

8. Listen to something I've already read or vice versa (complete)
Last year I listened to Navigating Early and loved it. A couple of months ago, I read it in paper form. I was nervous to read it in a different format in case it lessened my original love of the book. But it didn't. Which tells you it's definitely a winner.

I only committed to reread one book, but I still really want to listen to a book I've already read and see if it changes my original opinion. It would especially be fun to choose a book I didn't like when I read the hard copy the first time. Although if I still don't like it, I probably don't want to put myself through it twice, right?

9. Read four Newbery contenders (partially complete)
I've only read one so far (Snicker of Magic), and it was utterly delightful.

Some other books that are on my radar: Brown Girl Dreaming, West of the Moon, or Greenglass House. Has anyone read any of these yet?

10. Read a biography (not complete)
I'm still planning on reading Fire in the Bones, a biography of William Tyndale. I just have to make some time for it.

If you're keeping track, that's only six books so far. I need to read ten more to complete the rest of my goals, and some of those (i.e., Dickens) will not be fast reads. Time to get crackin'.