Tag: Goodreads Challenge

2016 Challenges – 4th Quarter Check-in

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At the beginning of the year I set some challenges for myself. Now it’s time to check-in and see how I did.

ONE. Limit my bookish spending. Pre-order no more than 12 books (average 1 per month). Spend no more than $60 on used / bargain books (average $5 per month).

I pre-ordered 2 books this quarter:

  1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition
  2. The Princess in Black Takes a Vacation by Shannon Hale

That makes a total of 9 pre-orders for the year.

I’ve lost track of the used books I’ve bought this quarter. #sorrynotsorry

TWO. Post more book reviews. Write monthly Look Reviews (full book reviews with an accompanying outfit) and post my micro mini Goodreads reviews on the blog.

I didn’t write Mini Reviews every week, but I posted a lot.

THREE. Read at least 200 books.

Achieved!

FOUR. Read these 11 Poirot novels, plus 1 short story:

Achieved! I actually completed my Poirot challenge!

FIVE. Read 26 books for a personal Alphabet Challenge.

Achieved! See full list here.

SIX. Participate in Cruisin’ thru the Cozies with Yvonne @ Socrates Book Review. I’m entering at Level 4 – Sleuth Extraordinaire – Read 21 or more books.

Achieved! See full list here.

SEVEN. Read at least 12 selections from my personal Classics Challenge list.

Achieved! See full list here.

EIGHT. Once again, cut WAY back on my wardrobe. I want to go minimalist. I’m still working on the details. This includes my kids’ wardrobes too. They have so many clothes they rarely wear!

I finally broke down and bought a few new things for myself: 2 new shirts, a pair of shoes, and some new pajamas.

NINE. The obligatory fitness resolution. 😆 But seriously, after my epic year of reading, I really need to get my butt in gear and be more active.

Blargh.

TEN. Participate in TTT every week.

Achieved! Unfortunately, I don’t want to even think about doing another TTT for a very long time. #burnout

2016 Challenges – 3rd Quarter Check-in

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At the beginning of the year I set some challenges for myself. Now it’s time to check-in and see how I’m doing.

ONE. Limit my bookish spending. Pre-order no more than 12 books (average 1 per month). Spend no more than $60 on used / bargain books (average $5 per month).

I pre-ordered 2 books this quarter:

  1. Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
  2. Paddington Takes the Test by Michael Bond

I bought:

I received as gifts:

Umm, I’ve gone WAY over the $5 per month mark, but I have been much more choosy about which books I buy, so I’m good with it.

TWO. Post more book reviews. Write monthly Look Reviews (full book reviews with an accompanying outfit) and post my micro mini Goodreads reviews on the blog.

I ditched the Look Reviews but wrote Mini Review posts, as well as some Austen in August book reviews.

THREE. Read at least 200 books.

Achieved!

FOUR. Read these 11 Poirot novels, plus 1 short story:

Achieved!

  1. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (short story) Completed 1/1/2016
  2. Sad Cypress Completed 2/11/2016
  3. One, Two Buckle my Shoe Completed 3/11/2016
  4. Evil Under the Sun Completed 4/21/2016
  5. Five Little Pigs Completed 4/30/2016
  6. The Hollow Completed 5/10/2016
  7. Taken at the Flood Completed 6/13/2016
  8. Mrs McGinty’s Dead Completed 6/23/2016
  9. After the Funeral Completed 6/25/2016
  10. Hickory Dickory Dock Completed 7/4/2016
  11. Dead Man’s Folly Completed 8/2/2016
  12. Cat Among the Pigeons Completed 8/25/2016

FIVE. Read 26 books for a personal Alphabet Challenge.

Achieved!

  1. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  2. Because if Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
  3. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert
  4. Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli
  5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  6. Flunked by Jen Calonita
  7. Goodnight June by Sarah Jio
  8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  9. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
  10. The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
  11. The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
  12. Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins
  13. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
  14. A Night in with Audrey Hepburn by Lucy Holliday
  15. Once Was a Time by Leila Sayles
  16. Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
  17. Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan
  18. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  19. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
  20. Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies
  21. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
  22. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
  23. Wildflowers by Robin Jones Gunn
  24. Nanny X Returns by Madelyn Rosenberg
  25. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  26. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

SIX. Participate in Cruisin’ thru the Cozies with Yvonne @ Socrates Book Review. I’m entering at Level 4 – Sleuth Extraordinaire – Read 21 or more books.

Achieved! See full list here.

SEVEN. Read at least 12 selections from my personal Classics Challenge list.

Achieved! See full list here.

EIGHT. Once again, cut WAY back on my wardrobe. I want to go minimalist. I’m still working on the details. This includes my kids’ wardrobes too. They have so many clothes they rarely wear!

Early in the quarter, I had to buy some new shorts for Pumpkin Pie because, at almost 11, he’s finally outgrown his 4T and 5T sized shorts! More recently, I had to buy him a few long sleeve shirts because his wrist were showing .

I also replaced my beloved boyfriend jeans after they basically fell apart.

NINE. The obligatory fitness resolution. 😆 But seriously, after my epic year of reading, I really need to get my butt in gear and be more active.

🙄

TEN. Participate in TTT every week.

So far, so good.

2016 Challenges – 2nd Quarter Check-in

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At the beginning of the year I set some challenges for myself. Now it’s time to check-in and see how I’m doing.

ONE. Limit my bookish spending. Pre-order no more than 12 books (average 1 per month). Spend no more than $60 on used / bargain books (average $5 per month).

I pre-ordered 3 books this quarter:

  1. Paddington Marches On by Michael Bond
  2. Evie Brooks in Central Park Showdown by Sheila Agnew
  3. Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley

I spent:

I also received 16 Agatha Christie books for Mother’s Day. 😀

Wow, I really blew that goal! :/ However, The 5 books I’ve pre-ordered this year have only averaged $10.25 each, so I think I’m still doing okay overall.

TWO. Post more book reviews. Write monthly Look Reviews (full book reviews with an accompanying outfit) and post my micro mini Goodreads reviews on the blog.

I posted 3 Look Reviews – I Work at the Public Library, A night in with Audrey Hepburn, and Austenland, as well as 8 Mini Review posts. I have decided that I don’t enjoy writing the Look Reviews, so I’m ditching them. I will continue to post mini reviews.

THREE. Read at least 200 books.

Achieved!

FOUR. Read these 11 Poirot novels, plus 1 short story:

  1. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (short story) Completed 1/1/2016
  2. Sad Cypress Completed 2/11/2016
  3. One, Two Buckle my Shoe Completed 3/11/2016
  4. Evil Under the Sun Completed 4/21/2016
  5. Five Little Pigs Completed 4/30/2016
  6. The Hollow Completed 5/10/2016
  7. Taken at the Flood Completed 6/13/2016
  8. Mrs McGinty’s Dead Completed 6/23/2016
  9. After the Funeral Completed 6/25/2016
  10. Hickory Dickory Dock
  11. Dead Man’s Folly
  12. Cat Among the Pigeons

FIVE. Read 26 books for a personal Alphabet Challenge.

  1. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  2. Because if Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
  3. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert
  4. Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli
  5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  6. Flunked by Jen Calonita
  7. Goodnight June by Sarah Jio
  8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  9. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
  10. The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
  11. The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
  12. Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins
  13. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
  14. A Night in with Audrey Hepburn by Lucy Holliday
  15. Once Was a Time by Leila Sayles
  16. P
  17. Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan
  18. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  19. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
  20. Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies
  21. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
  22. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
  23. Wildflowers by Robin Jones Gunn
  24. Nanny X Returns by Madelyn Rosenberg
  25. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  26. Z

SIX. Participate in Cruisin’ thru the Cozies with Yvonne @ Socrates Book Review. I’m entering at Level 4 – Sleuth Extraordinaire – Read 21 or more books.

  1. Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints by P. J. Brackston
  2. A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C. A. Belmond
  3. There Must Be Murder by Margaret Sullivan
  4. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
  5. Dishing the Dirt by M. C. Beaton
  6. Death of a Dustman by M. C. Beaton
  7. Once Upon a Crime by P. J. Brackston
  8. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams
  9. Murder Actually by Stephanie McCarthy
  10. The Case of the Fickle Mermaid by P. J. Brackston
  11. Death of a Hussy by M. C. Beaton
  12. Death of a Snob by M. C. Beaton
  13. Death of a Traveling Man by M. C. Beaton
  14. Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
  15. Death of a Charming Man by M. C. Beaton
  16. Bed of Scorpions by Judith Flanders
  17. Death of a Celebrity by M. C. Beaton
  18. Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix
  19. Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd
  20. Death of a Village by M. C. Beaton
  21. Pagan Spring by G. M. Malliet
  22. Death of a Poison Pen by M. C. Beaton
  23. Death of a Bore by M. C. Beaton
  24. Death of a Dreamer by M. C. Beaton
  25. Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
  26. A Bicycle Built for Murder by Kate Kingsbury
  27. Death of a Maid by M. C. Beaton
  28. Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
  29. Death of a Gentle Lady by M. C. Beaton

SEVEN. Read at least 12 selections from my personal Classics Challenge list.

  1. Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Agatha Christie
  2. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
  3. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
  4. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
  5. The Hollow by Agatha Christie
  6. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie
  7. Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie
  8. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
  9. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
  10. Howards End by E. M. Forster
  11. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
  12. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
  13. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
  14. Kilmeny of the Orchard by L. M. Montgomery
  15. The Story Girl by L. M. Montgomery
  16. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
  17. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
  18. Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
  19. An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
  20. A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
  21. Salome by Oscar Wilde

EIGHT. Once again, cut WAY back on my wardrobe. I want to go minimalist. I’m still working on the details. This includes my kids’ wardrobes too. They have so many clothes they rarely wear!

This quarter I’ve purchased some souvenir tees on our trip to the beach, as well as a new handbag for myself, because the old one was falling apart. I also had to buy Sweet Potato some more new summer clothes because she’s growing like a weed!

NINE. The obligatory fitness resolution. 😆 But seriously, after my epic year of reading, I really need to get my butt in gear and be more active.

I’m changing this to a health goal. Yes, I want to be more active and fit, but there are other things I can do to improve my overall health. I’m drinking plenty of water, eating healthier breakfasts, and I’ve gotten back into the habit of taking a daily vitamin.

TEN. Participate in TTT every week.

So far, so good.