When I set a goal for myself to read 100 books this year, I didn’t know if I would succeed. But ta da! With two months to spare, I reached my goal on Sunday. Can I get a whoop whoop?
How did I read 100 books before the end of October? I’m a bit mystified myself as to how I achieved this milestone, but the following list helped me achieve my goal (some might sound familiar from this previous post– Thirty Seven More to Go).
- For the most part, I don’t watch TV–except for Sunday morning NBC programming. I adore Willie Geist and Chuck Todd.
- My phone stays on silent. I have never been a phone talker. I was even slow to come around to the idea of texting during its advent and subsequent rise to ubiquity. And while I do peruse Facebook, Pinterest, and WordPress daily, I don’t spend hours on social media.
- Although it took some coaxing, Little Thing is fairly independent, and I encourage her autonomy. Yes, I stop and have dance parties, play games, craft, or bake with her. However, I refuse to stimulate her constantly.
- I read when I can. When Little Thing has tumbling on Tuesdays, I read during her 45 minute class. I read while I’m waiting in primary school carpool, walking in circles around my kitchen, and waiting at the doctor’s office.
- Fibromyalgia and Meniere’s disease has kicked my booty this year. Because of both diseases, my activity level has plummeted in comparison to previous years. If I can’t handle keeping myself upright anymore, I’m flat on my back with a book in my hand to dull the pain.
- I made a commitment by putting it in writing; therefore, I made it a point to carve out time.
In hindsight, I probably could have read more if I hadn’t decided to start this blog. But this blog’s been fun and provided me with a place to vent, reflect, and grow.
Thank you to my friends who suggested books the past couple of months. I adored the books recommended to me, and because of them, October ended on a sweet note.
Now excuse me while I go bask in my goal achievement glory, resonating in imagined rainbows, sparkles, and cheers erupting firework style in the confines of my overactive imagination . . . and celebrate with another book and Thursday night wine.
Here’s my full list of 100 books.
(Once again, please forgive my formatting issue in May like in this previous post–Books Read: First Half of 2017; I cannot figure out how to fix it.)
January
- The Glass Magician (Book 2)–Charlie N. Holmberg
- Beautiful Ruins–Jess Walter
- The Probable Future–Alice Hoffman
- Here on Earth–Alice Hoffman
- Beautiful People (accidental reread)–Wendy Holden
- What She Knew–Gilly Macmillan
- The Girls–Emma Cline
- Commonwealth--Ann Patchett
February
- Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy Book One)–Stephen King
- Atonement–Ian McEwan
- The Red Garden–Alice Hoffman
- Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy Book Two)–Stephen King
- The Couple Next Door–Shari Lapena
- A Man Called Ove–Fredrik Backman
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me–Mindy Kaling
- The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper–Phaedra Patrick
March
- End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy Book Three)–Stephen King
- It Ends with Us–Colleen Hoover
- The Vacationers— Emma Straub
- Dark Matter-Blake Crouch
- The Road–Cormac McCarthy
- The Woman in Cabin 10–Ruth Ware
- Why Not Me–Mindy Kaling
- Yes Please–Amy Poehler
- Red Queen–Victoria Aveyard
- Today Will Be Different–Maria Semple
- Pretty Girls–Karin Slaughter
April
- Heartburn–Nora Ephron
- Glass Sword–Victoria Aveyard
- We Need to Talk about Kevin–Lionel Shriver (accidental reread)
- Big Magic–Elizabeth Gilbert
- Modern Lovers–Emma Straub
- King’s Cage–Victoria Aveyard
- The Underground Railroad--Colson Whitehead
- The Sellout–Paul Beatty
- On Writing–Stephen King
- Eligible–Curtis Sittenfield
May
38 Shotgun Lovesongs–Nickolas Butler
- The Color Purple–Alice Walker
- Before the Fall–Noah Howley
- You–Caroline Kepnes
- The Magicians–Lev Grossman
- Nine Women, One Dress–Jane L. Rosen
- The Forgetting Time–Sharon Guskin
- Talking as Fast as I Can–Lauren Graham
- Caraval–Stephanie Garber
- The Expats–Chris Pavone
- Rich and Pretty–Rumaan Alam
- Saving Grace–Jane Green
- See Jane Run–Joy Fielding
- The Sympathizer–Viet Thanh Nguyen
June
- Here’s to Us–Elin Hilderbrand
- Perfect–Rachel Joyce
- Bittersweet–Miranda Beverly-Whitemore
- Snobs–Julian Fellowes
- The Fifth Petal–Brunonia Barry
- Someday, Someday, Maybe–Lauren Graham
- The Girl You Left Behind–Jojo Moyes
- The Lace Reader–Brunonia Barry
- The Avenue of Mysteries–John Irving
- Vampires in the Lemon Grove–Karen Russell
- One Plus One–Jojo Moyes
- This Is How It Always Is–Laurie Frankel
July
- It Was Me All Along–Andie Mitchell
- Between the World and Me–Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Annihilation–Jeff Vandermeer
- In the Dark, Dark, Wood–Ruth Ware
- Beartown–Fredrik Backman
- Neverwhere–Neil Gaiman
- The Uncommon Reader–Alan Bennett
- I am Malala–Malala Yousafzai
- Bone Gap–Laura Ruby
- Crazy Rich Asians–Kevin Kwan
- The Shadow of the Wind--Carlos Ruiz Zafron
August
- Nutshell–Ian McEwan
- The Wonder–Emma Donoghue
- The Solitary House–Lynn Shepherd
- American Gods–Neil Gaiman
- A Conjuring of Light–V.E. Schwab
- Are You Sleeping–Kathleen Barber
- It Happens All the Time–Amy Hatvany
- Bossypants–Tina Fey
- Pretty Little Liars–Sara Shepard
- The Wednesday Wars–Gary D. Schmidt
- Flawless–Sara Shepard
September
- Life After Life–Kate Atkinson
- Perfect–Sara Shepard
- Unbelievable–Sara Shepard
- Rich People Problems–Kevin Kwan
- Into the Water–Paula Hawkins
- The Muse–Jessie Burton
- The Girls in the Garden–Lisa Jewell
October:
- Every Fifteen Minutes–Lisa Scottoline
- The Devil in the White City–Erik Larson
- The Keeper of Lost Things–Ruth Hogan
- Every Last Lie–Mary Kubica
- Saints for All Occasions–J. Courtney Sullivan
- The Keepers of the House–Shirley Ann Grau
- All Over but the Shoutin’—Rick Bragg
- The Lonely Hearts Hotel—Heather O’Neill
5 thoughts on “Reading Goal Achieved: 100 Books Read”
Connie
OMG!! You are awesome!
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Mrs. Ram Jam
Thanks, Connie!
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Megha's World
A big Yay to you!! I’m an avid reader but never could reach the goals of reading 100 in a year. I guess will pay heed to your tips. Also, Are you on Goodreads? Really a good site for readers like us.
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Mrs. Ram Jam
I am, but I don’t utilize it the way I should. That can be one of my resolutions for the new year!
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Megha's World
Great!
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