6 Month Recap

I originally started this blog back in January of this year to keep track of the books I read. This was influenced by my signing up for the 50 Book Pledge that The Savvy Reader started in 2011. I stumbled across The Savvy Reader on Twitter one day and saw all the talk about the 50 Book Pledge and I was intrigued. I know I read  a lot, but what's a lot? So I decided to keep track this year. I also decided to start blogging about it because, while I do read a lot, I am terrible at describing books, and wanted to see if this is something I could work on through writing about books.

Since I don't read nearly the amount of books per month that some of my favorite book bloggers do, it never seemed necessary to have monthly recaps. Instead, I told myself I would do a 6-month recap. Here's what I've learned so far:

• I read in spurts (and I'm pretty sure I always have). I may devour a few books in a week, but then I won't read at all the next. Some days I'll be like, "oh shit, I haven't actually read anything other than other blogs since last Wednesday". I'd like to work on reading all time - meaning - consciously make the effort to read a little bit everyday. 

• Blogging is tough. Or, finding the time to blog is tough. I'm not sure which is tougher. Sometimes the words flow, sometimes not. I was so worried at the beginning about who might read my "reviews" and judge my lack of writing competency, but now I'm trying to "just write". I'm not a reviewer, I just want to talk about books. I also have to allow myself to blog more. It's so easy to say to myself, "oh you can write tomorrow...", but then tomorrow turns into a week later.

• Lastly, I don't think I like the name of my blog anymore. At first I liked it's bluntness, but now, not so much. I don't want to limit my blog to just talking about books (as evidenced by The Big Blue Dog posts), so I'd like a name that reflects more me and my life. This is code for: suggest new blog names for me please!  

Now for some reading stats (cause stats are fun guys!):

Books read this year so far: 19

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
From Away by Michelle Ferguson
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (review to come)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 
Beyond the Rear View Mirror by Shelley Streit
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (review to come)
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (review to come)

And yes, I did just link up every post for you! 

Number of pages read: 6416

Percentage of general fiction read: 42%

Percentage of female authors read: 68%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 21%

This year so far has also been a year of many "firsts" for me. I listened to my first audio book. I read my first fantasy book, my first mystery novel and my first graphic novel. I received my first copy of a book from an author for review. I hosted my very first giveaway! And I've met some awesome blogger peeps on this journey. Unfortunately, I'm falling behind in the 50 book pledge (I really want to hit 50), so I need to do a little more reading and a little less time wasting! 

Thanks to my readers and followers for sticking with me and following along. I appreciate each and every one of you and your comments. 

Happy Reading!