2nd Blogging Anverisory and Reading Goals in 2012

As of 1/1/12, I'd have been blogging for 2 years! Can't believe it. The biggest reward is to get to know some like-minded bloggers! :)

I will continue to blog in 2012 as time permitted :) Hopefully I can do a better job, and post more consistently than I did this year. I am such a spontaneous/mood blogger that I blog only when I feel like it...




Let's see what goals I should set for 2012:

#1 - I like what Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness said about not becoming a reading robot (see her post here), and specifically that reading should be a transporting experience. So I want to continue to emphasis on quality over quantity, and choose books I really want to read, and abandon books that couldn't hold my interest. I already know 2012 is going to be a very busy year for me due to several projects in the works.

#2 - I will continue to try to blog every book I read (and not finished). I think I will do shorter, more to-the-point reviews. Well, truth be told, my posts aren't actually reviews since I don't go into deep analysis over language, structure, plot, characters... I really just want to share my thoughts on the book. And if I can write shorter posts, maybe I won't be so delayed on my reviews!

#3 - I also want to continue to read out-loud some books with hubby. Maybe we'll aim for 3 this year. It takes more time to finish the book when I read it out loud to him (compared to me just reading it silently to myself), but we do enjoy the experience, and it gives us something to do together.

#4 - I don't care how many fiction or non-fiction I read, as long as I read both! I am such a mood reader, so I can't plan ahead what I will read next (apart from the book clubs read - I belong to 2 of them)

#5 - Lastly, I still want to give at least 1 audio book a try, while being on the elliptical! 2012 is a year to get healthy! :)



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Review Reading Goals in 2011

Let's reflect - these were my 10 reading goals set on 1/1/11. Let's see how badly I did lol:

1. Quality over quantity. If I can reach 100 books again for the 4th year in a row - fine. If not, I won't stress out much about it.
   
   Well, it depends on whether you count the Chinese books I read!
   I read 71 Fiction, 24 Non-Fiction, and 16 Chinese books. Thus in total - 95 (excluding Chinese books) or 111 (including Chinese books). Granted, quite a few of the Chinese books were graphic novels... so I'd let you be the judge. I probably would have finished over 100 (excluding Chinese) but I was in a reading slump starting in October. I was still reading, but my pace had slowed down A LOT. I usually read 2 books a week, but now it usually takes me at least a week to finish a book... To see the complete list of books I read in 2011, see here.
   
   
   
   
2. Read approximately half fiction and half non-fiction 
   
   BIG FAILED! I read roughly 3 Fiction : 1 Non-Fiction instead... I blamed other blogs lol, since most of you read fiction, and so many of the books you read sounded so good!
   
   
   
3. Continue to blog every book, hopefully within a week
   
   BIG FAILED! It started of well, but in the second half of the year I fell way behind due to work. In fact, I am still not done with all my reviews yet...  25 to go! I guess I read faster than I blog...
   
   
   
   
4. Let's see if I can stick to doing BTT every week!
   
   Another BIG FAILED! I think I did just once (the New Year resolution about setting up 2011 goals!) I guess I sometimes forget to read BTT every Thursday, and I don't always blog on Thursday ( prefer blogging on Friday night and over the weekend, when I don't have to worry about getting up early the next day).
   
   
   
   
5. Keep recommending books to others and encourage non-readers to discover the magic of books!
   
   YES! I definitely did. When it comes to fiction, I usually recommend according to the reader's taste. The book I specifically recommended at least 4 times this year though, was My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor - another blogger's brother suffered a stroke, a co-worker's mother suffered a stroke, a husband of a friend of someone else I kinda know suffered a stroke, and my sister-in-law who  works with people who may have had brain injury in the past so I thought this may help her communicate with them... I actually read this back in 2009, but it comes in handy (unfortunately....)
   
   
   
   
6. As much as I love my local library, I should at least read 10 of my own books... there are 170+ waiting...
   
   Well, it again depends on how you look at it... If you only count the books I bought myself, then it's only ONE BOOK. However, I did read another 18 books that I didn't borrow from the library, but I received them this year as part of a book tour or ARC reviews...
   
   
   
   
7. Give audio books a try, while trying to exercise (bought an elliptical and have hardly used it... because I'd rather use the time to read instead... and I can't read it and use it at the same time. Perhaps audio books will help lower the opportunity cost)
   
   FAILED! I borrowed them, but didn't end up listening to them as I'd hoped... which also meant I didn't use my elliptical either. Oops.
   
   
   
   
8. Read 5 books with husband - he prefers audio books and I prefer reading. So to spend more quality time together, maybe we'll pick a book and I'll read to him instead. We did one book together last year and it seemed to work quite well. Since English is not my first language, he can correct my pronunciation too. Kill multiple birds with one stone :)
   
   We completed 2 books together (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua and Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff) and we had started another 3 but didn't finish yet as I needed to return them to the library (Steve Jobs, Unbroken, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.)
   
   
   
   
9. Read 5 books I won't normally choose. Even if I can't finish, at least give it a try.
   
   I'd say yes - I tried historical fiction, historical non-fiction, chick lit, magical realism, literary fiction, women's fiction... Most of my fiction books were rated between 2 to 3.5 Stars though, I think mostly because I was reading out of my comfort zone. Some ended up being very good, but most were just so-so for me. I am glad I gave it a try this year so find out what I really like, and don't like.
   
   
   
   
10. Just enjoy reading... it shouldn't be a chore
    
    I'd say yes - I abandoned 15 books in 2011!! You can see what they are at the bottom of this post.

BTT - Any New Year’s reading resolutions?

Any New Year’s reading resolutions? 

1. Quality over quantity. If I can reach 100 books again for the 4th year in a row - fine. If not, I won't stress out much about it.
   
2. Read approximately half fiction and half non-fiction
   
3. Continue to blog every book, hopefully within a week
   
4. Let's see if I can stick to doing BTT every week!
   
5. Keep recommending books to others and encourage non-readers to discover the magic of books!
   
6. As much as I love my local library, I should at least read 10 of my own books... there are 170+ waiting...
   
7. Give audio books a try, while trying to exercise (bought an elliptical and have hardly used it... because I'd rather use the time to read instead... and I can't read it and use it at the same time. Perhaps audio books will help lower the opportunity cost)
   
8. Read 5 books with husband - he prefers audio books and I prefer reading. So to spend more quality time together, maybe we'll pick a book and I'll read to him instead. We did one book together last year and it seemed to work quite well. Since English is not my first language, he can correct my pronunciation too. Kill multiple birds with one stone :)
   
9. Read 5 books I won't normally choose. Even if I can't finish, at least give it a try.
   
10. Just enjoy reading... it shouldn't be a chore
    
    
    Have to remember to check back 1/1/12 to see how many goals I meet!