JANUARY THOUGHTS

     HELLO EVERYONE!   I decided to do a post reflecting on how my January has been with reading, life etc.  I have been reading just not as much as I would like to.  I have completed 3 books this month.  I was hoping to have at least 4 maybe 5 completed but I have not read as much as I wanted to at night.

     I work full time in a school district and after work I sometimes go to the gym, work at a sporting event or I go home and try to do some cleaning.  I am trying to catch up on my TV shows.  I also spend time with my boyfriend.  I do try to read when I am with him if he is playing video games, but alas I sometimes get distracted by the game.  I will also read when I am selling tickets at a sporting event if it is a little slow.

     Here is a list of books I am currently reading:


  1. Cold Case (Carlotta Carlyle #7) by Linda Barnes
  2. The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion
  3. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
  4. Prisoner of my Desire by Johanna Lindsey
     I am concentrating on The Rosie Project because I have to finish that for my February book club meeting.  I am hoping to finish a book this weekend.  I think I might decide to start the Outsiders since that is a re-read and  I should be able to finish that fairly quickly.

     I am also participating in some challenges this year which are new to me and that has taken up some of my time with looking for books to incorporate into them.  I am trying to get some of the books to fit into more than one challenge or category if possible.  My goal is to read at least 75 books this year.  Last year I didn't reach 75.  I have done it in the past so I know I can do it.

     Please make suggestions about books I could read for some of these challenges:

  1. Reading Women Challenge 2019 https://www.readingwomenpodcast.com/reading-women-challenge-2019/

    All books read for this challenge must be by or about women.

    A mystery or thriller written by a woman of color

    Check out our episode about mysteries and thrillers for some great options.

    A book about a woman with a mental illness

    A book by an author from Nigeria or New Zealand

    A book about or set in Appalachia

    Find out more about Appalachia on the Appalachian Regional Commission’s website.

    For more inspiration, listen to our interview with fellow Appalachian Elizabeth Catte!

    A children's book

    A multigenerational family saga

    A book featuring a woman in science

    A play

    A novella

    A novella is a text of written, fictional, narrative prose normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel, somewhere between 17,500 and 40,000 words. 

    A book about a woman athlete

    A book featuring a religion other than your own

    If you have no religion, then choose to read about whatever religion you like!

    A Lambda Literary Award winner

    Learn more about the Lambda Literary Awards on their website.

    A myth retelling

    Check out our crossover with Jean, the host of That’s Ancient History, for more inspiration. Jean also has a guide myth retellings over on her blog!

    A translated book published before 1945

    A book written by a South Asian author

    The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a contiguous block of countries, started in 1985 with seven countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—and added Afghanistan as an eighth member in 2007.

    The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an excellent resource for recommendations for this prompt.

    A book by an Indigenous woman

    This includes Native, First Nations, and Indigenous women from anywhere in the world.

    A book from the 2018 Reading Women Award shortlist

    2018 RWA Fiction Shortlist

    2018 RWA Nonfiction Shortlist

    A romance or love story

    A book about nature

    A historical fiction book

    A book you bought or borrowed in 2019

    A book you picked up because of the cover

    Any book from a series One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

    A young adult book by a woman of color

    BONUS:

    A book by Jesmyn Ward

    A book by Jhumpa Lahiri
  2. BookRiot's 2019 Read Harder Challenge:
    We’ll be publishing recommendations for each of the tasks in the coming months to help you complete this year’s Read Harder (links will be added to this post as the recommendations are posted).

    An epistolary novel or collection of letters
    An alternate history novel
    A book by a woman and/or AOC (Author of Color) that won a literary award in 2018
    A humor book
    A book by a journalist or about journalism
    A book by an AOC set in or about space
    An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central America
    An #ownvoices book set in Oceania
    A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads
    A translated book written by and/or translated by a woman
    A book of manga
    A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view character
    A book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse
    A cozy mystery
    A book of mythology or folklore
    An historical romance by an AOC
    A business book
    A novel by a trans or nonbinary author
    A book of nonviolent true crime
    A book written in prison
    A comic by an LGBTQIA creator
    A children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009
    A self-published book
    A collection of poetry published since 2014
  3. 2019 PopSugar Reading Challenge
    https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reading-Challenge-2019-45450968
    (Thanks to Helen for transcribing the list!)

    01 - A book becoming a movie in 2019
    02 - A book that makes you nostalgic The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
    03 - A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
    04 - A book you think should be turned into a movie
    05 - A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads
    06 - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover
    07 - A reread of a favorite book
    08 - A book about a hobby
    09 - A book you meant to read in 2018
    10 - A book with "pop", "sugar" or "challenge" in the title
    11 - A book with an item of clothing or acceessory on the cover - The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
    12 - a book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore
    13 - A book published posthumously
    14 - a book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
    15 - A retelling of a classic
    16 - A book with a question in the title
    17 - A book set on a college or university campus
    18 - a book about someone with a super power
    19 - a book told from multiple POVs - One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy
    20 - a book set in space
    21 - a book by two female authors
    22 - A book with a title that contains "salty", "sweet", "bitter" or "spicy"
    23 - A book set in Scandinavia
    24 - a book that takes place in a single day
    25 - a debut novel
    26 - a book that's published in 2019
    27 - a book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature
    28 - a book recommended by a celebrity you admire
    29 - a book with "love" in the title
    30 - a book featuring an amateur detective
    31 - A book about a family
    32 - A book written by an author from Asia, Africa or South America
    33 - A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title
    34 - a book that includes a wedding
    35 - A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
    36 - A ghost story
    37 - a book with a two-word title
    38 - A novel based on a true story
    39 - A book revolving around a puzzle or game
    40 - Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge

    Advanced:
    41 - A "cli fi" book
    42 - A "choose-your-own-adventure" book
    43 - An "own voices" book
    44 - Read a book during the season it is set in
    45 - A LitRPG book
    46 - A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters
    47 & 48 - Two books that share the same title
    49 - A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom
    50 - A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent
     Any suggestions would be appreciated!

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