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RC 2019: Picture Books

picture book.png

Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up)
Duration: January - December 2019
Goal: To have adults read more picture books. To celebrate the fact that picture books are for everyone! Families are, of course, welcome to join in!
# of books: minimum of 6

Option 1: Read six picture books of your choice.
Option 2: Read at least six books from the checklist(s) below.
  
Alphabet Challenge (January - December)

  1. _ Title Beginning with A

  2. _ Author Beginning with A

  3. _ Illustrator Beginning with A

  4. _ Title Beginning with B

  5. _ Author Beginning with B

  6. _ Illustrator Beginning with B

  7. _Title Beginning with C

  8. _ Author Beginning with C

  9. _ Illustrator Beginning C

  10. _ Title Beginning with D

  11. _ Author Beginning with D

  12. _ Illustrator Beginning with D

  13. _ Title Beginning with E

  14. _ Author Beginning with E

  15. _ Illustrator Beginning with E

  16. _ Title Beginning with F

  17. _ Author Beginning with F

  18. _ Illustrator Beginning with F

  19. _ Title Beginning with G

  20. _ Author Beginning with G

  21. _ Illustrator Beginning with G

  22. _ Title Beginning with H

  23. _ Author Beginning with H

  24. _ Illustrator Beginning with H

  25. _ Title Beginning with I

  26. _ Author Beginning with I

  27. _ Illustrator Beginning with I

  28. _ Title Beginning with J

  29. _ Author Beginning with J

  30. _ Illustrator Beginning with J

  31. _ Title Beginning with K

  32. _ Author Beginning with K

  33. _ Illustrator Beginning with K

  34. _ Title beginning with L

  35. _ Author Beginning with L

  36. _ Illustrator Beginning with L

  37. _ Title Beginning with M

  38. _ Author Beginning with M

  39. _ Illustrator Beginning with M

  40. _ Title Beginning with N

  41. _ Author Beginning with N

  42. _ Illustrator Beginning with N

  43. _ Title Beginning with O

  44. _ Author Beginning with O

  45. _ Illustrator Beginning with O

  46. _ Title Beginning with P

  47. _ Author Beginning with P

  48. _ Illustrator Beginning with P

  49. _ Title beginning with Q

  50. _ Author or Illustrator beginning with Q

  51. _ Title beginning with R

  52. _ Author beginning with R

  53. _ Illustrator beginning with R

  54. _ Title beginning with S

  55. _ Author beginning with S

  56. _ Illustrator beginning with S

  57. _Title beginning with T

  58. _ Author beginning with T

  59. _ Illustrator beginning with T

  60. _ Title beginning with U

  61. _ Author or illustrator beginning with U

  62. _ Title beginning with V

  63. _ Author or illustrator beginning with V

  64. _ Title beginning with W

  65. _ Author beginning with W

  66. _ Illustrator beginning with W

  67. _ Title with an X ("ex") 

  68. _ Author or illustrator -- more than one author, more than one illustrator (turning x into +)

  69. _ Title with a Z

  70. _ Author or illustrator beginning with Z

tags: Picture Books
categories: Reading Challenges
Sunday 01.06.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

RC 2019: Alphabet Soup

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From Escape with Dollycas:

Details

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2019 until December 31st, 2019.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page. 

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged! 

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – How I plan to do it: Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the authors with the book you read to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find authors/books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. 

For example:

A – Amanda Flower – Toxic Toffee (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery)

B – Lucy Burdette – A Deadly Feast: A Key West Food Critic Mystery

C – Sheila Connolly – The Lost Traveller: A County Cork Mystery

D – Denise Swanson – Leave No Scone Unturned (Chef-to-Go Mysteries)

Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

Ready to join??

Bloggers grab the image below and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join!

Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track!  It is super easy, Just click the MY BOOKS tab at the top of the page. When that page opens just click – ADD A SHELF in the left-hand sidebar. Title it Alphabet Soup Author Edition Challenge and you are all set. 

Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book as there may be special announcements made about the challenge.

I have set up a group on Facebook for this challenge where you can share your books read and converse with others taking part in the challenge. Alphabet Soup – Author Edition – Challenge –  You can share your accomplishments throughout the year there. 

I am asking everyone to sign up using Google Forms. Sign Up Here. This way I have your emails in case I need to contact you about any changes to the challenge or about special events. 

I’m up for another try at reading one author from every letter of the alphabet. I’m not going to list out authors just yet, but hope to find all once I start reading.

tags: Alphabet Soup
categories: Reading Challenges
Sunday 01.06.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2018 Reading Challenge Roundup - Failed

Not too many challenges left uncompleted this year. I’m very happy with my progress.

Perpetual Reading Lists Challenge
Goal: 28/30 books 93.3%

  1. The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels (1/12/18)

  2. Arabian Nights (1/19/18)

  3. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (3/17/18)

  4. The Dark Tower by Stephen King (1/25/18)

  5. The History of Love by Nicola Krauss (3/16/18)

  6. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (7/31/18)

  7. Ramses 2 by Anne Rice (3/7/18)

  8. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (2/7/18)

  9. The Selection by Kiera Cass (6/6/18)

  10. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/26/18)

  11. Alice in Zombieland by Gina Showalter (4/20/18)

  12. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (2/9/18)

  13. The Great Halifax Explosion by John Bacon (4/7/18)

  14. Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman (4/13/18)

  15. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (4/27/18)

  16. Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (6/15/18)

  17. A History of the Wife by Margaret Yalom (6/24/18)

  18. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan (6/26/18)

  19. College Girls by Lynn Peril (8/28/18)

  20. Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fenn (9/8/18)

  21. Cocktails Across America by Diane Lapis and Anne Davis-Peck (9/11/18)

  22. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer (10/23/18)

  23. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (9/29/18)

  24. Dracula by Bram Stoker (10/24/18)

  25. Looking for Alaska by John Green (12/12/18)

  26. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (11/24/18)

  27. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (12/7/18)

  28. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (11/27/18)

  29. TBD

  30. TBD

TBR Pile 2018.jpg

TBR Pile
Goal: 9/12 Books 66.7%

  1. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (1/23/18)

  2. The Bostonians by Henry James (1/30/18)

  3. Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (9/12/18)

  4. The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman (5/4/18)

  5. School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins (DNF)

  6. Parasite by Mira Grant (6/20/18)

  7. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie (DNF)

  8. Birthmarked by Carah O'Brien (5/23/18)

  9. A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

  10. Stealing Fire by Jo Graham

  11. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (3/21/18)

  12. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (8/24/18)

  13. The Firemaster's Mistress by Christie Dickason

  14. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (10/20/18)

Reading Assignment 2018.jpg

Reading Assignment
Goal: 11/12 Books  91.7%

  1. January - Arabian Nights (1/19/18)

  2. February - Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (2/7/18)

  3. March - Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (3/17/18)

  4. April - The Words We Live By by Linda Monk

  5. May - Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery (5/30/18)

  6. June - A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom (6/24/18)

  7. July - How to Fall in love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush by Emmy Abrahamson (7/31/18)

  8. August - The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (8/25/18)

  9. September - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (9/29/18)

  10. October - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (10/31/18)

  11. November - The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (11/20/18)

  12. December - Strange Weather by Joe Hill (12/22/18)

Series 2018.jpg

Finishing the Series
Goal: 6/10 Series 60%

  1. Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor

    • #5 No Time Like the Past (1/16/18)

    • #6 What Could Possibly Go Wrong (10/6/18)

    • #6.5 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings (10/9/18)

    • #7 Lies, Damned Lies, and History (11/13/18)

    • #7.5 The Great St. Mary's Day Out (11/17/18)

    • #7.6 My Name is Markham (11/28/18)

    • #8 And the Rest is History

    • #8.5 A Perfect Storm

    • #8.6 Christmas Past

    • #9 An Argumentation of Historians

  2. Witchcraft Mystery by Juliet Blackwell ✓

    • #6.5 A Haunting is Brewing (1/24/18)

    • #7 Spellcasting in Silk (1/26/18)

    • #8 A Toxic Trousseau (2/9/18)

    • #9 A Magical Match (11/14/18)

  3. Fairwick Chronicles by Juliet Dark ✓

    • #3 The Stone Angel (2/4/18)

  4. Bedwyn Saga by Mary Balogh ✓

    • #0.2 A Summer to Remember (3/10/18)

    • #1 Slightly Married (4/25/18)

    • #2 Slightly Wicked (4/25/18)

    • #3 Slightly Scandalous (4/25/18)

    • #4 Slightly Tempted (5/16/18)

    • #5 Slightly Sinful (5/16/18)

    • #6 Slightly Dangerous (5/16/18)

  5. Cemetery of Forgotten Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    • #2 The Angel's Game

    • #3 The Prisoner of Heaven

  6. Strain by Guillermo del Toro

    • #2 The Fall

    • #3 The Night Eternal

  7. Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice ✓

    • #2 The Passion of Cleopatra (3/7/18)

  8. Hex Hall ✓

    • #1 Hex Hall (2/9/18)

    • #2 Demonglass (3/8/18)

    • #3 Spell Bound (3/14/18)

  9. The Glamourist by Mary Robinette Kowal

    • #1 Shades of Milk and Honey (2/26/18)

    • #2 Glamour in Glass (3/30/18)

    • #3 Without a Summer

    • #4 Valour and Vaniety

    • #5 Of Noble Family

  10. Edwardian Brides by Carrie Turansky ✓

    • #1 The Governess of Highland Hall (1/8/18)

    • #2 The Daughter of Highland Hall (1/9/18)

    • #3 A Refuge at Highland Hall (1/10/18)

Seasonal Series Summer
(June 21st - September 21st)
Goal: 24/25 Books 96%

1. Read a book from a fantasy series - Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (7/20/18)
2. Read a book while drinking a cool drink - The Anomaly by Michael Rutger (6/29/18)
3. Read a book from a really hyped series - Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (7/21/18)
4. Read a book with yellow on the cover - Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell (7/18/18)
5. Read while eating ice cream - Emily and the Dark Angel by Jo Beverley (8/15/18)
6. Read a book that's set in summer - The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley (8/10/18)
7. Read a book from a YA series - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (8/14/18)
8. Read while having a picnic - Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell (6/28/18)
9. Read a book with LGBT+ characters - Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (7/14/18)
10. re-read a favorite book
11. Read a book that has blue on the cover - Symbiont by Mira Grant (7/4/18)
12. Read a book from a series that has four or more books - The Heir by Kiera Cass (6/23/18)
13. Free Space: read any book of a series - Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (9/15/18)
14. Read a book while eating fruit - Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (8/26/18)
15. Read a book that you're sure you'll love - A Ghostly Light by Juliet Blackwell (7/25/18)
16. Read a book where someone travels -The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (8/25/18)
17. Read a book while on the go - Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine (8/4/18)
18. Read a book from a contemporary series - Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready (9/13/18)
19. Read by a pool/ sea/ lake... - How to Fall in Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush by Emmy Abrahamson (8/8/18)
20. Read a book that features an OTP or great love story - The Crown by Kiera Cass (6/24/18)
21. Finish a trilogy - Chimera by Mira Grant (7/13/18)
22. Read a book during 24 hours - Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (6/22/18)
23. Read a book someone recommended to you - Little Bee by Chris Cleave (8/24/18)
24. Read a book while wearing sunglasses - Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (7/6/18)
25. Read a second book in a series - Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed by Jo Beverley (7/10/18)

Seasonal Series Spring
(March 20th - June 20th)
Goal: 22/25 Books 88%

1. Take a walk while listening to an audiobook - A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter (6/4/18)
2. Read a book while drinking lemonade - Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman (4/13/18)
3. Read the first book in a series - If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (4/4/18)
4. try to unhaul a book you've lost interest in
5. Read a book that's been on your shelves way too long - Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien (5/23/18)
6. Read with rain in the background -> real rain or sounds - NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (4/17/18)
7. Read a book with pink on the cover - Dead Bolt by Juliet Blackwell (4/6/18)
8. read a book from a middle grade series
9. Read a series with a new book coming out in 2018 - A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (6/3/18)
10. Read a book of a series where the parents of the MC aren't dead - The Selection by Kiera Cass (6/6/18)
11. Read a book with character growth - Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (4/20/18)
12. Read a book while eating chocolate - Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (5/6/18)
13. Free Space: read any book of a series - For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/26/18)
14. read a book where only the first book of a series is out
15. Read a book set in the real world - Parasite by Mira Grant (6/20/18)
16. Read a book with a spring colors on the cover - Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell (6/16/18)
17. Finish a duology - Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (6/15/18)
18. Use a flower as a bookmark - The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman (5/4/18)
19. Read a book with great friendship - The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter (5/18/18)
20. Read a second book in a series - Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (3/30/18)
21. Read a book while sitting outside - The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (4/13/18)
22. Read a book that is (partly) set in spring - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5/29/18)
23. Read a book with green on the cover - Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (5/30/18)
24. Read a book that includes an animal - Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell (6/2/18)
25. Read a book under 300 pages - River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (4/24/18)

tags: End of the Year, perpetual, TBR Pile, Reading Assignment, Finishing the Series, Seasonal Series Readathon
categories: Reading Challenges
Saturday 01.05.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2018 Reading Challenge Roundup - Completed

Oh my goodness! Check out all the reading challenges that I actually finished this year. So happy with my reading stats for 2018!

Popsugar 2018.jpg

Popsugar 2018
Goal: 40/40 Books  100%

  1. Made into a movie I've already seen -- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (3/23/18)

  2. True Crime -- The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall (2/18/18)

  3. Next book in a series I started -- Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell (1/26/18)

  4. Involving a heist -- Sourdough by Robin Sloan (5/15/18)

  5. Nordic noir --

  6. Based on a real person -- Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (1/23/18)

  7. Set in a country that fascinates me -- The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (3/21/18)

  8. A time of day in the title -- Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (7/6/18)

  9. About a villain or antihero -- The Gunslinger by Stephen King (2/25/18)

  10. About death or grief -- As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner (3/1/18)

  11. Female author who uses a male pseudonym -- Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (7/31/18)

  12. LGBTQ+ Protagonist -- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (7/14/18)

  13. Also a stage play or musical -- Dracula by Bram Stoker (10/24/18)

  14. Author of a different ethnicity than me -- Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (9/12/18)

  15. About feminism -- Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (2/7/18)

  16. About mental health -- The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (4/13/18)

  17. Borrowed or was give as a gift -- The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman (5/4/18)

  18. By two authors -- The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne Rice and Christopher Rice (3/7/18)

  19. Involving a sport --

  20. Local author -- A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell (2/9/18)

  21. Favorite color in the title -- Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (11/24/18)

  22. Alliteration in the title -- Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (2/9/18)

  23. Time travel -- No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor (1/16/18)

  24. Weather element in the title -- Strange Weather by Joe Hill (12/22/18)

  25. Set at sea -- The Great Halifax Explosion by John Bacon (4/7/18)

  26. Animal in title -- Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow (5/12/18)

  27. Set on a different planet -- Artemis by Andy Weir (9/18/18)

  28. Song lyrics in the title -- Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant (11/7/18)

  29. About or set on Halloween -- The Elite by Kiera Cass (6/11/18)

  30. Characters who are twins -- Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (7/20/18)

  31. Mentioned in another book -- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5/29/18)

  32. From a celebrity book club -- Open House by Elizabeth Berg

  33. Childhood classic I've never read -- Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (5/30/18)

  34. Published in 2018 -- The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller (3/24/18)

  35. Goodreads Choice Awards winner -- Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (8/22/18)

  36. Set in the decade I was born --

  37. Meant to get to in 2017 but didn't -- NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (4/17/18)

  38. Ugly cover -- Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien (5/23/18)

  39. Involves a bookstore or library -- 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (3/30/18)

  40. Fave prompt from 2015, 2016, or 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge -- The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan (6/26/18)

Advanced 

  1. Bestseller from year I graduated high school --

  2. Cyberpunk --

  3. Being read by a stranger in a public place -- Florida Lauren Groff (10/17/18)

  4. Tied to my ancestry --

  5. Fruit or vegetable in the title -- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer (10/23/18)

  6. Allegory --

  7. Author with the same first or last name as you --

  8. Microhistory -- College Girls by Lynn Peril (8/28/18)

  9. About a problem facing society today --

  10. Recommended by someone else taking the Popsugar Reading Challenge -- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (12/11/18)

What's in a name 2018.jpg

What's in a Name?
Goal: 6/6 Books  100%

  1. Word "the" used twice -- The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell by Mira Grant (2/2/18)

  2. Fruit or Vegetable -- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer (10/23/18)

  3. A shape -- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (7/14/18)

  4. Begins with Z -- Z-Burbia by Jake Bible (12/15/18)

  5. A nationality -- The English Wife by Lauren Willig (2/1/18)

  6. A season -- A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh (3/10/18)

A to Z 2018.jpg

A to Z
Goal: 26/26 Books 100%

  1. The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark (2/4/18)

  2. The Bostonians by Henry James (1/30/18)

  3. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (3/23/18)

  4. The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/9/18)

  5. The Emerald City by Jane Yolen (4/29/18)

  6. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/26/18)

  7. The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/8/18)

  8. A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell (1/24/18)

  9. If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (4/4/18)

  10. Jennifer Government by Max Barry (4/26/18)

  11. Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell (6/28/18)

  12. Literary Wonderlands edited by Laura Miller (2/23/18)

  13. Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke (4/11/18)

  14. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (1/23/18)

  15. The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels (1/12/18)

  16. The Poet and the Murder by Simon Worrall (2/18/18)

  17. The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter (5/18/18)

  18. A Refuge at Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/10/18)

  19. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (2/26/18)

  20. Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (5/6/18)

  21. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (8/26/18)

  22. A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair (10/3/18)

  23. Washington Square by Henry James (8/18/18)

  24. eXtinct by Ike Hamill (10/19/18)

  25. You’re the Rogue that I Want by Samantha Holt (10/13/18)

  26. Z-Burbia by Jake Bible (12/15/18)

DYkQPpvX0AAd8zr.jpg

Seasonal Series Autumn
(September - December)
Goal: 25/25 Books. 100%

1. Read a book from a sci fi series - What Could Possibly Go Wrong by Jodi Taylor (10/6/18)
2. Read a book (partly) set in fall - Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan (9/22/18)
3. Read a book with PoC characters - Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha (12/4/18)
4. Read a book with orange on the cover - Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan (9/28/18)
5. Read a suspenseful/ scary/ creepy book - Dollhouse by Anya Allyn (10/12/18)
6. Read a book while eating candy - Larceny and Lace by Annette Blair (10/5/18)
7. Read a book set in the real world - A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen (10/10/18)
8. Read a first book in a series - A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair (10/3/18)
9. Catch up on a series - A Magical Match by Juliet Blackwell (11/14/18)
10.Read a book with rain in the background - You’re the One that I Want by Samantha Holt (10/13/18)
11. Read a book with red on the cover - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (10/31/18)
12. Read while eating soup - Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen (10/16/18)
13. Free Space: read any book of a series - My Name is Markham by Jodi Taylor (11/28/18)
14. Read a book that's part of a duology - Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant (11/7/18)
15. Take a walk while listening to an audiobook - The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (12/7/18)
16. Read a book that scares you (b/c of size, hype,...) - Lies, Damned Lies, and History by Jodi Taylor (11/13/18)
17. Read a book while wearing a sweater - Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen (11/23/18)
18. Read a book while drinking a tea - The Great St. Mary’s Day Out by Jodi Taylor (11/17/18)
19. Read a book that you think will break your heart - Z-Burbia by Jake Bible (12/15/18)
20. Read a book that's not YA - Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair (11/26/18)
21. Read a comic or graphic novel that's part of a series - Monstress Vol. 3 (11/21/18)
22. Read bonus content from a series (novella/ prologue,...) - Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jodi Taylor (10/9/18)
23. Read a book while eating an apple or apple pie - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (9/29/18)
24. Read a book with creatures of the night - Extinct by Ike Hamill (10/19/18)
25.  Use a leaf as a bookmark - Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand (12/14/18)

MMD 2018.jpg

Modern Mrs. Darcy
Goal: 12/12 Books  100%

  1. Classic I've been meaning to read -- The Bostonians by Henry James (1/30/18)

  2. Recommended by someone with good taste -- The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (3/16/18)

  3. In translation -- How to Fall in Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush by Emmy Abrahamson (8/8/18)

  4. Nominated for a 2018 award -- Florida by Lauren Groff (10/17/18)

  5. Poetry, Play, or Essay collection -- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (2/27/18)

  6. Read in a day -- Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (2/26/18)

  7. More than 500 pages -- The Arabian Nights (1/19/18)

  8. Favorite author -- The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen (4/29/18)

  9. Recommended by librarian or indie bookseller -- The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (1/4/18)

  10. Banned book -- Looking for Alaska by John Green (12/12/18)

  11. Memoir, biography, or book of creative nonfiction -- The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan (6/26/18)

  12. Author of different race, ethnicity, or religion than me -- Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (9/12/18)

Mount TBR 2018.png

Mount TBR
Goal: 48/48 Books 100%

  1. The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels (1/12/18)

  2. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor (1/16/18)

  3. A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell (1/24/18)

  4. The English Wife by Lauren Willig (2/1/18)

  5. The Day the Dead Came to Show and Tell (2/2/18)

  6. The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall (2/18/18)

  7. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (2/27/18)

  8. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner (3/1/18)

  9. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh (3/10/18)

  10. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (3/23/18)

  11. The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller (3/24/18)

  12. Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser (3/28/18)

  13. The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (4/13/18)

  14. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (4/17/18)

  15. Slightly Married by May Balogh (4/25/18)

  16. Slightly Wicked by Mary Balogh (4/25/18)

  17. Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh (4/25/18)

  18. The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (4/27/18)

  19. Circe by Madeline Miller (5/5/18)

  20. Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh (5/16/18)

  21. Slightly Sinful by Mary Balogh (5/16/18)

  22. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh (5/16/18)

  23. For Darkness Shows the Stars Short Stories by Diana Peterfreund (5/27/18)

  24. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5/29/18)

  25. Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell (6/2/18)

  26. The Stanforth Secrets by Jo Beverley (6/20/18)

  27. The Anomaly by Michael Rutger (6/29/18)

  28. Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed by Jo Beverley (7/10/18)

  29. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (7/28/18)

  30. The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley (8/10/18)

  31. Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James (8/18/18)

  32. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (8/22/18)

  33. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (8/26/18)

  34. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (9/5/18)

  35. Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready (9/14/18)

  36. I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (9/21/18)

  37. What Could Possibly Go Wrong by Jodi Taylor (10/6/18)

  38. Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings by Jodi Taylor (10/9/18)

  39. Dollhouse by Anya Allyn (10/12/18)

  40. You’re the Rogue that I Want by Samantha Holt (10/13/18)

  41. Extinct by Ike Hamill (10/19/18)

  42. Dracula by Bram Stoker (10/24/18)

  43. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (10/31/18)

  44. Spinning Straw into Gold by Joan Gould (11/6/18)

  45. Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant (11/7/18)

  46. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian (11/9/18)

  47. On a Cold Dark Sea by Elizabeth Blackwell (11/25/18)

  48. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (12/11/18)

Graphic Novel 2018.jpg

Graphic Novel
Goal: 52/52 Books  100%

  1. The Walking Dead Vol. 27 (1/8/18)

  2. The Walking Dead Vol. 28 (5/9/18)

  3. The Walking Dead Vol. 29 (7/11/18)

  4. The Walking Dead: Here's Negan (7/7/18)

  5. Wonder Woman Rebirth Vol. 1 (1/7/18)

  6. Wonder Woman Rebirth Vol. 2 (1/7/18)

  7. Diana Prince Wonder Woman Vol. 1 (1/6//18)

  8. Diana Prince Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (1/6/18)

  9. Diana Prince Wonder Woman Vol. 3 (1/6/18)

  10. Diana Prince Wonder Woman Vol. 4 (1/6/18)

  11. Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman (2/1/18)

  12. Saga Vol. 8 (2/3/18)

  13. Moonshine Vol. 1 (2/10/18)

  14. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2/13/18)

  15. Low Vol. 1 (2/14/18)

  16. Monstress Vol. 2 (2/16/18)

  17. Revival Vol. 4 (2/17/18)

  18. Revival Vol. 5 (2/17/18)

  19. Revival Vol. 6 (2/20/18)

  20. Revival Vol. 7 (2/20/18)

  21. Revival Vol. 8 (4/6/18)

  22. ApocalyptiGirl by Andrew MacLean (2/21/18)

  23. Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna (2/25/18)

  24. The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 6 (3/9/18)

  25. One Week in the Library (3/13/18)

  26. Penny Dreadful Vol. 1 (4/6/18)

  27. Creatures of the Night by Neil Gaiman (6/8/18)

  28. The Haunted Mansion (6/9/18)

  29. March Vol. 1 (6/10/18)

  30. March Vol. 2 (6/19/18)

  31. March Vol. 3 (6/19/18)

  32. Paper Girls Vol. 1 (6/13/18)

  33. Paper Girls Vol. 2 (6/13/18)

  34. Paper Girls Vol. 3 (6/14/18)

  35. Paper Girls Vol. 4 (6/25/18)

  36. Moonstruck Vol. 1 (6/16/18)

  37. Wayward Vol. 1 (6/26/18)

  38. Wayward Vol. 2 (6/26/18)

  39. Wayward Vol. 3 (6/26/18)

  40. Wayward Vol. 4 (6/27/18)

  41. Wayward Vol. 5 (6/27/18)

  42. Giant Days Vol. 1 (6/28/18)

  43. Giant Days Vol. 2 (6/28/18)

  44. Giant Days Vol. 3 (6/2818)

  45. Giant Days Vol. 4 (6/28/18)

  46. Giant Days Vol. 5 (6/29/18)

  47. Giant Days Vol. 6 (6/29/18)

  48. Giant Days Vol. 7 (6/29/18)

  49. Locke and Key: Heaven and Earth (7/7/18)

  50. Rat Queens Vol. 4 (9/7/18)

  51. Black Magick Vol. 1 (9/8/18)

  52. East of West Vol. 8 (11/10/18)

library 2018.jpg

Library Love
Goal: 60/60 Books 100%

  1. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (1/4/18)

  2. The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/8/18)

  3. The Daughter of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/9/18)

  4. A Refuge at Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky (1/10/18)

  5. Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell (1/26/18)

  6. The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark (2/4/18)

  7. A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell (2/9/18)

  8. The Gunslinger by Stephen King (2/25/18)

  9. Literary Wonderlands edited Laura Miller (2/23/18)

  10. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (2/26/18)

  11. Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins (3/8/18)

  12. Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins (3/14/18)

  13. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (3/16/18)

  14. Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (3/30/18)

  15. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (3/30/18)

  16. If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (4/4/18)

  17. Dead Bolt by Juliet Blackwell (4/6/18)

  18. The Great Halifax Explosion by John Bacon (4/7/18)

  19. Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke (4/11/18)

  20. Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman (4/13/18)

  21. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (4/20/18)

  22. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (4/24/18)

  23. Lost San Francisco by Dennis Evanosky (4/24/18)

  24. Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area by Sylvia Linsteadt (4/25/18)

  25. Jennifer Government by Max Barry (4/26/18)

  26. The Emerald City by Jane Yolen (4/29/18)

  27. Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (5/6/18)

  28. The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont and Manjit Thapp (5/11/18)

  29. Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow (5/12/18)

  30. Sourdough by Robin Sloan (5/15/18)

  31. The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter (5/18/18)

  32. A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (6/3/18)

  33. A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter (6/4/18)

  34. The Selection by Kiera Cass (6/6/18)

  35. The Elite by Kiera Cass (6/11/18)

  36. The Selection Stories by Kiera Cass (6/12/18)

  37. The One by Kiera Cass (6/12/18)

  38. Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (6/15/18)

  39. Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell (6/16/18)

  40. Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (6/22/18)

  41. The Heir by Kiera Cass (6/24/18)

  42. The Crown by Kiera Cass (6/24/18)

  43. Keeper of the Castle by Juliet Blackwell (6/28/18)

  44. Symbiont by Mira Grant (7/4/18)

  45. Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire (7/6/18)

  46. Chimera by Mira Grant (7/13/18)

  47. Give Up the Ghost by Juliet Blackwell (7/18/18)

  48. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (7/20/18)

  49. Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (7/21/18)

  50. A Ghostly Light by Juliet Blackwell (7/25/18)

  51. Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine (8/4/18)

  52. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (8/14/18)

  53. Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fenn (9/8/18)

  54. Cocktails Across America by Diane Lapis and Anne Davis-Peck (9/11/18)

  55. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (9/15/18)

  56. Artemis by Andy Weir (9/18/18)

  57. Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan (9/22/18)

  58. Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan (9/28/18)

  59. A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair (10/3/18)

  60. Larceny and Lace by Annette Blair (10/5/18)

Share a Tea 2018.png

Share-A-Tea
Goal: 20/20 Books  100%

  1. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (1/4/18)

  2. The English Wife by Lauren Willig (2/1/18)

  3. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner (3/1/18)

  4. The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller (3/24/18)

  5. No That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser (3/28/18)

  6. Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke (4/11/18)

  7. Circe by Madeline Miller (5/5/18)

  8. Mad Hatters and March Hares edited by Ellen Datlow (5/12/18)

  9. A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (6/3/18)

  10. Parasite by Mira Grant (6/20/18)

  11. The Anomaly by Michael Rutger (6/29/18)

  12. Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (7/21/18)

  13. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (7/28/18)

  14. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (7/31/18)

  15. Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine (8/4/18)

  16. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (8/14/18)

  17. Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James (8/18/18)

  18. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (8/25/18)

  19. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (9/5/18)

  20. I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (9/21/18)

Picture books 2018.png

Picture Books
Goal: 88/88 Books  100%

1. Title beginning with A - Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty (January)
2. Author beginning with A - And the Tide Comes In by Merryl Alber (May)
3. Title beginning with B - Boo, Bunny! By Kathryn O. Galbraith (March)
4. Author beginning with B - Arthur Goes to Camp by Marc Brown (February)
5. Title beginning with C - Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman (January)
6. Author beginning with C - Pug in a Truck by Nancy Coffelt (January)
7. Title beginning with D - Duck by Randy Cecil (February)
8. Author beginning with D - The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay (February)
9. Title beginning with E - Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker (February)
10. Author beginning with E - Rain Fish by Lois Ehlert (March)
11. Title beginning with F - Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (April)
12. Author beginning with F - Lunch by Denise Fleming (February)
13. Title beginning with G - Good Night Planes by Adam Gamble (March)
14. Author beginning with G - Chu's Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman (February)
15. Title beginning with H - Half a World Away by Libby Gleeson (January)
16. Author beginning with H - Duck & Goose Let’s Dance by Tad Hills (March)
17. Title beginning with I - Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty (January)
18. Author beginning with I - I Hear a Pickle by Rachel Isadora (June)
19. Title beginning with J - Joshua's Masai Mask by Dakari Hru (January)
20. Author beginning with J - The Incredibly Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (March)
21. Title beginning with K - The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright (March)
22. Author beginning with K - It's Vacation Time by Lerryn Korda (February)
23. Title beginning with L - Lovely Old Lion by Julia Jarman (March)
24. Author beginning with L - Thumpy Feet by Betsy Lewin (February)
25. Title beginning with M - Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin (February) 
26. Author beginning with M - Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson (February)
27. Title beginning with N - A Night at the Zoo by Kathy Caple (March)
28. Author beginning with N - If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff (June)
29. Title beginning with O - One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote by Bonnie Worth (March)
30. Author beginning with O - Little Billy-Bob Eats It All Up by Pauline Oud (March)
31. Title beginning with P. - The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems (January)
32. Author beginning with P - Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Paquette (March)
33. Title or Author beginning with Q - Quest by Aaron Becker (May)
34. Title beginning with R - The Rise and Fall of Oscar the Magician by Matthew Porter (January)
35. Author beginning with R - Ten Sleepy Sheep by Phyllis Root (February)
36. Title beginning with S - South by Daniel Duncan (March)
37. Author beginning with S - Big Choo by Stephen Shaskan (May)
38. Title beginning with T - Train by Elisha Cooper (January)
39. Author beginning with T - Tumford the Terrible by Nancy Tillman (June)
40. Title or Author beginning with U - The Quiet Book! by Deborah Underwood
41. Title or Author beginning with V or W - This is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems (January)
42. Title or Author beginning with X or “Ex” - Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison (August)
43. Title beginning with Y - You Can Do It, Bunny by Pamela Kennedy (August)
44. Author beginning with Y - Meow! By Victoria Ying (August)
45. Title or Author beginning with Z - Zootopia The Essential Guide (May)
46. An alphabet book - 123 Versus ABC by Mike Boldt (March)
47. A counting book - 1 Zany Zoo by Lori Degman (February)
48. A color word in the title - Little Green Peas by Keith Baker (January)
49. A number word in the title - Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems (January)
50. Concept book of your choice: picture book - Patterns from Nature: The Art of Klimt by Myeong-Hwa Yu and Seung-Beom Yu (January)
51. Concept book of your choice: board book - Crocopotamus by Mary Murphy (January)
52. Bedtime book: board book - Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin (February)
53. Bedtime book: picture book - The Wrong Side of the Bed by Lisa M. Bakos (July)
54. Book that rhymes: picture book - And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss (January)
55. Book that rhymes: early reader OR board book - Hide and Seek Harry at the Playground by Kenny Harrison (March)
56. Holiday of your choice: board book or early reader - Happy Holidays Blaze (June)
57. Holiday of your choice: picture book - Little Mouse’s Big Valentine by Thacher Hurd (March)
58. Wordless picture book - Wave by Suzy Lee (May)
59. New to you author - Fins, Fluff, and Other Stuff by Bruno Merz (February)
60. New to you illustrator - The Perfect Hug by Joanna Walsh, illustrated by Judi Abbot (February)
61. Favorite author - The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems (January)
62. Favorite illustrator - Duck and Goose by Tad Hills (January)
63. Free choice - I Love You Like a Pig by Mac Barnett (February)
64. Fairy or folk tale adaptation - Little Red Riding Hood by Trixie. Bell (January)
65. Fairy or folk tale traditional - The Tortoise and the Hare by Jerry Pinkney (February)
66. A title with the word “first” in it - First Steps by Lee Wardlaw (February)
67. A book set in the state you live - Hello, National Parks by Martha Day Zschock (June)
68. A book set in a place you’d like to visit - Lily's Garden of India by Jeremy Smith (January)
69. A book set in an imaginary place - Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery by David Gordon (February)
70. A book set in the past: fiction or nonfiction - Madeline and the Old House in Paris by John Bemelmans Marciano (May)
71. A book set in the present -- Emma and the Whale by Lee White (March)
72. One word title - Pirasaurs by Josh Funk (January)
73. Long title (four or more words) - The Problem with Not Being Scared of Kids by Dan Richards (January)
74. A book about playing (hide and seek, tag, or peekaboo, etc.) - The Monsterator by Keith Graves (February)
75. A book about school - Steve, Raised by Wolves by Jared Chapman (May)
76. A book about hobbies (art, dance, music, crafts, sports) - Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates (March)
77. A title that is a question - The Duckling Gets a Cookie? by Mo Willems (January)
78. A title that is an exclamation -- There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! By Lucille Colandro (March)
79. An award winner or an honor book -- Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni (March)
80. A collection (of poems OR stories) - The Rooster Grows by Maud and Miska Petersham (March)
81. A book with animals (fiction) - You Can Do It Bert by Ole Konnecke (February)
82. A book with animals (nonfiction)  - Apatosaurus by Charles Lennie (March)
83. A book about books or reading - Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk (March)
84. A book celebrating family - My Mommy Hung the Moon by Jamie Lee Curtis (February)
85. Book with an adventure or misadventure - This Book is Out of Control by Richard Byrne (January)
86. A book about a pet - Looking for Luna by Tim Myers (February)
87. Impulse Pick -- Land Shark by Beth Ferry (March)
88. Picture book published in 2018 - Go Go Cars by Jennifer Liberts (May)

tags: End of the Year, Popsugar, What's in a Name, a to z, Seasonal Series Readathon, Modern Mrs. Darcy, mount tbr, graphic novel, I Love Libraries, Share-a-Tea, Picture Books
categories: Reading Challenges
Saturday 01.05.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2019 Goals and Resolutions

2019.jpeg

Usually I make a whole list of goals and resolutions to focus on for the year, but honestly, I’m not feeling it this year at all. Instead of yearly goals, I’m going to try and focus on monthly and seasonal goals. I want to be more intentional with my weeks as opposed to this large, lofty goals.

Revisiting 2018’s goals and resolutions:

  1. Read 35,000 pages — I surpasses my goal and ended up reading almost 60,000 pages.

  2. Read 100 books — Another goal surpassed! I read 217 books.

  3. Clear off another shelf of unread books — Success! I’m shooting for three shelves next year.

  4. Rejoin the SSINK Design Team — Success! Unfortunately the Design Team is dissolving.

  5. Restart MommaStrong — Fail. Although I did join the gym when we moved.

Next up on the TBR pile:

raeliana1.jpg raeliana2.jpg beautifully.jpeg raeliana3.jpg raeliana4.jpg somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana5.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: End of the Year, goals, New Year's Resolutions
categories: Life
Friday 01.04.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

2018 Wrap-up

2018.jpeg

Favorite Books of the Year (in no particular order):

  1. The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

  2. NOS4R2 by Joe Hill

  3. Circe by Madeline Miller

  4. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

  5. Paper Girls Vol. 1-4

  6. Every Heart a Doorway (and sequels) by Seanan McGuire

  7. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

  8. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

  9. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

  10. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Honorable Mentions: The HM category is reserved for rereads that I really loved.

  • Dracula by Bran Stoker

Total Books Read – 217 books

Total Pages Read – 59,137 pages!!!!!

I averaged 4928 pages per month.  My lowest month was August with only 3477 pages.  My highest month was June with 9362 pages.  I hope to read 45,000 pages next year.

Book Rating Stats 

  • 5 stars — 90 books

  • 4 stars — 92 books

  • 3 stars — 32 books

  • 2 stars — 2 books

  • 1 star — 1 books

  • DNFs —  0 books

Here’s the final breakdown:

Total: 10/16 challenges  62.5% done

Total: 477/491 slots 91.7% done

Overall Thoughts/Reflections/Musings/Ideas

2018 was a record year for reading! I’ve never gotten past 150 books in a year and here I am sitting at 217. Truly I don’t know how I did it. I do know that I prioritize reading as my downtime activity. But I also do read 15 minutes here and there while semi-engaged with other activities (monitoring kid bath time, watching for dinner to finish simmering, etc). I doubt that 2019 will see the same results, but I’m going to continue my reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

raeliana1.jpg raeliana2.jpg beautifully.jpeg raeliana3.jpg raeliana4.jpg somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana5.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: End of the Year
categories: Books
Friday 01.04.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Winter Bucket List

Winter Bucket.png

Christmas is over! Time to jump into the bleak season of winter here in the Midwest. This list was a bit of a struggle to create due to the weather constraints, but I think I’ve come up with some goodies.

  1. Read 45 books — I want to start off the year strong with my reading!

  2. Eat at 5 new-to-me restaurants — Omaha has so many great restaurants and I want to explore a bit!

  3. Go sledding — Obviously dependent on the weather here, but we have all the equipment.

  4. Attend a hockey game — I used to love going to hockey games in my hometown. Hoping to get the boys to one this season.

  5. Attend two theater performances — Our membership to the Rose Theater gets us free tickets to two shows and discounted tickets to one show this season. Now to pick what to see!

  6. Bake some bread — I love fresh homemade bread with some jam or honey and a cup of tea. Winter means baking to me, but I want to branch out from cookies…

  7. Make winter crafts — We can’t really spend a lot of time outside, so it’s prime time for crafting. I need to peruse Pinterest for some ideas.

  8. Create a table centerpiece — I want to decorate the house a bit more now that we’re out of the baby stage. I think I’ll start with the dining room table.

  9. Get our fireplace working — It’s gas, but we lack the key and need to just get a whole inspection. But I would love a fire this winter!

  10. Movie Month January — I’m going to start the season off right with an entire month of (mostly) new-to-me movies!

  11. Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur — We have a ton of card and board games at the house. I want to start playing more regularly with Arthur.

  12. Make Valentine’s — I love crafting of course, but want to make some cute Valentine’s for this year.

  13. Try 3 new hot chocolate recipes/mixes — Arthur discovered his love of hot chocolate over Christmas. Let’s explore a bit!

  14. Visit two new-to-the-boys museums — I’m thinking probably SAC and The Durham.

  15. Have an indoor picnic — Weather doesn’t allow for outside ones of course.

  16. Swim at the gym 5 times — The indoor pool is great, let’s attempt to utilize it this season!

  17. Host a tea party! — Part of my attempt to make some new friends.

  18. Make a snow globe — I’ve seen a ton of versions on Pinterest, I want to try it out!

  19. Make a seasonal door hanger/wreath — We have a hook on our door. I want to decorate it!

  20. Complete a jigsaw puzzle — I’ve got a few just hanging out. Planning on doing them in the kitchen at the “office” area that is under utilized.

  21. Find a great coffee shop for me! — Not Starbucks, not Scooter’s. Something local and interesting.

  22. Spend an afternoon at a local bookstore — I need to find a go-to place for browsing.

  23. Buy some new cozy pajamas — Sadly my PJ collection is lacking. I want some cute cozy ones for winter, but can’t be too heavy as I get hot easily.

  24. Explore an area of Omaha — Really anywhere that’s outside of our little area of town.

  25. Travel to Indiana for Nick and Alex’s 16th Birthday! —Arthur’s spring break, their birthday, and spring break all line up this year. We’re hoping to have a good celebration.

tags: Winter Bucket List
categories: Life
Thursday 01.03.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Christmas Bucket List Finish Line

Christmas Bucket List 2018.png

Final tally 14/25 tasks completed. Sickness threw me early on in the month.

  1. Make Christmas Cookies ✓

  2. Watch 5 Christmas movies

    1. The Polar Express

    2. Scrooged

  3. Decorate our new house

  4. Make hot cocoa ✓

  5. Buy fun candy canes — Grabbed some weird fruit ones on clearance!

  6. Read “A Christmas Carol”

  7. Build a snowman

  8. Create snow angels ✓

  9. Create a popcorn garland

  10. Create paper snowflakes

  11. Have a snowball fight

  12. Donate to a toy drive ✓

  13. Sing Christmas carols ✓

  14. Build a gingerbread house ✓

  15. Drive around and see the lights ✓

  16. Go visit Santa ✓

  17. Send out Christmas cards ✓

  18. Read 5 Christmas stories ✓

    1. Alaskan Holiday

    2. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

    3. A Town Called Christmas

    4. A Christmas Gift

    5. Mischief and Mistletoe

    6. The Night Before Christmas

    7. Winter Street

    8. Winter Stroll

    9. That Mistletoe Moment

  19. Leave out cookies for Santa ✓

  20. Go to Christmas at the zoo

  21. See a Christmas performance

  22. Buy a special ornament

  23. Take a photo of all four boys together ✓

  24. Try a new holiday coffee drink

  25. Find a new holiday album ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

raeliana1.jpg raeliana2.jpg beautifully.jpeg raeliana3.jpg raeliana4.jpg somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana5.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Christmas bucket list
categories: Life
Thursday 01.03.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

December 2018 Wrap-up

MonthlyWrap-up.png

December TBR Pile (16/43):

  1. TBR Pile: The Firemaster’s Mistress by Christie Dickason

  2. TBR Pile: A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

  3. TBR Pile: Stealing Fire by Jo Graham

  4. Reading Assignment: Strange Weather by Joe Hill ✓

  5. Backlist Pick: Open House by Elizabeth Berg

  6. Young Adult Pick: Looking for Alaska by John Green ✓

  7. Horror Pick: Z-Burbia by Jake Bible ✓

  8. Series Pick: And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor

  9. Series Pick: A Perfect Storm by Jodi Taylor

  10. Series Pick: Christmas Past by Jodi Taylor

  11. Series Pick: An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor

  12. Book of the Month Club: TBD

  13. Girly Book Club: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid ✓

  14. Mystery Pick: Skirting the Grave by Annette Blair

  15. West O Book Club: Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha ✓

  16. Added: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken ✓

  17. Christmas Spirit RC: Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber ✓

  18. CSRC: Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz ✓

  19. CSRC: Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand ✓

  20. CSRC: Winter Stroll by Erin Hilderbrand ✓

  21. CSRC: Driving Home for Christmas by Lexy Timms ✓

  22. CSRC: Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams

  23. CSRC: Mistletoe and Mischief ✓

  24. CSRC: A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams

  25. CSRC: Christmas with You by Tracey Alvarez

  26. CSRC: Christmas Lovebirds by Rachelle Ayala

  27. CSRC: Christmas Light by Jolyse Barnett

  28. CSRC: Christmas with the Black Sheep by Natalie Nicole Bates

  29. CSRC: Once Upon a Royal Christmas by Robin Bielman

  30. CSRC: A Match Made at Christmas by Patty Blount

  31. CSRC: A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

  32. CSRC: Her Christmas Bonus by Rain Danvers

  33. CSRC: A Kiss of Christmas by Jillian Eaton

  34. CSRC: Santa Baby, I Want a Bad Boy for Christmas by Justine Elvira

  35. CSRC: My Christmas Curse by Joan Gable

  36. CSRC: The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

  37. CSRC: A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

  38. CSRC: Melody’s Christmas by ID Johnson

  39. CSRC: Once Upon a Christmas by Lisa Plumley

  40. CSRC: A Christmas Gift by Stella Wilkinson ✓

  41. CSRC: A Town Called Christmas by Stella Wilkinson ✓

  42. CSRC: That Mistletoe Moment ✓

  43. CSRC: The Night Before Christmas ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 4561  pages
Pages Remaining: 640,172 pages

Current Read - And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor; The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton; Coffee Talk by Morton Satin

Books I Gave Up On (0) 

Books bought/received (0)

January's TBR Pile:

  1. Book of the Month Club: The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

  2. BOTM: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

  3. Girly Book Club: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

  4. West O Book Club: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

  5. Random TBR Pick: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

  6. Series Pick: Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh

  7. Series Pick: And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor

  8. Alphabet Soup: Zorro by Isabel Allende

  9. Alphabet Soup: Dark Angel by Mary Balogh

  10. Monthly Keyword (Jewel): A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh

  11. Monthly Motif (New-to-Me Author): Guidebook to Murder by Lynn Cahoon

  12. Comic: The Walked Dead Vol. 30

  13. Comic: Rat Queens Vol. 5

  14. Comic: Saga Vol. 9

  15. Comic: The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 7

  16. Comic: The Exile by Diana Gabaladon

  17. Comic: The Autumnlands Vol. 1

  18. Comic: Low Vol. 2

  19. Comic: Low Vol. 3

  20. Comic: Low Vol. 4

  21. Romance: The Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh

  22. Science Fiction: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

  23. Nonfiction: Coffee Talk by Morton Satin

  24. Young Adult: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

  25. Carry-Over: Open House by Elizabeth Berg

Movies watched

  • Sorry to Bother You — Wow! This was amazing and weird. Loved it.

  • They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead — Interesting documentary about Orson Welles.

  • Game Night — There were a few really funny lines, but the overall plot was lacking.

  • Ralph Breaks the Internet — I took the little boys to see a movie! We rarely (like never) go to the theater to see a movie. It was fun and the boys loved it. Even Q had minimal talking throughout.

TV Shows watched

  • Doctor Who S11 — Disappointed that this was such a short season, but I did really enjoy it. “It Takes You Away” was surprisingly touching.

  • Riverdale S1-2 — I finished the first season and started the second.

  • The Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj — J and I started this series that’s the in-depth portion of Last Week Tonight but done with more flair. Loving it.

  • The Musketeers S3 — Finally finished this series.

Comments - Holy cow! I ended the year on a high note in terms of reading. I didn’t quite finish all my reading challenges, but I got so darn close. And I had a lifetime record high books and pages read. Go me! I can’t wait to see what great reads I pick up for 2019.

Next up on the TBR pile:

raeliana1.jpg raeliana2.jpg beautifully.jpeg raeliana3.jpg raeliana4.jpg somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana5.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
categories: Monthly Wrap-Up
Wednesday 01.02.19
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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