Without really intended it to be, January ended up being all about sticking to my 2016 reading and blogging goals (yay – I love it when that happens!). On the reading front, I worked in a couple free range titles, a nonfiction, and a backlist book. On the blogging front, I shared my 10 Recommendations for Lively Coed Book Club Discussions list and participated in my very first readathon (#24in48). However, I’m sure this whole “sticking to my 2016 goals thing” will go the way of those “I’m going to start going to the gym” New Year’s resolutioners….i.e. they’re gone from the gym by mid-February.
January Reading
Well, I have to say that January has kicked off my 2016 reading year quite nicely! At least, much better than the slumpy January I had last year. My Name is Lucy Barton was my first 5 star read of the year and Only Love Can Break Your Heart came very close to earning 5 stars as well. The Swans of Fifth Avenue was the perfect palate cleanser for My Name is Lucy Barton and Youngblood was an incredibly thoughtful debut Iraq war novel that I’ll be reviewing in February. And those were just the highlights.
Best Book of the Month
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (January 12, 2016)
Fiction, 208 Pages
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon
Other February Releases I’m Excited About
Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser (February 2)
Tender by Belinda McKeon (February 16)
Why We Came to the City by Kristopher Jansma (February 16)
Version Control by Dexter Palmer (February 23)
Top Backlist Books on my “To Be Read” List
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton
Most Popular January Posts
Ten 2015 Releases I Missed
2016 Reading and Blogging Goals
Top Ten Books I Recently Added to My TBR List
Favorite Posts by Fellow Bloggers
- Kerry at Entomology of a Bookworm showed everyone just how efficient Twitter can be at creating a list of books that pull you in.
- Wendy at Taking the Long Way Home’s (a running blog) observations on wellness through the years rang 100% true for me and made me hopeful for the years to come.
- Rory at Fourth Street Review’s “Read This, Watch That” post begins with “if you like Bloodline” (yes, I do!)…and then recommends two books I enjoyed last year (The Gates of Evangeline and Bull Mountain).
- Beth Fish Reads’ Sentenced To Be Read post showcased some brilliant wordplay!
Good for you on working toward your goals and starting the year strong! I’m one of the gym fizzle outers when it comes to goals, but I’m hoping I can at least make through half the year, if not all of the year, on my goals. What were my goals again? I’m truly going to have to reference them throughout the year to even remember them!
I’m hoping to post something about Tarkington’s book next week, I really enjoyed it too (well, the 75% I’ve read and should finish today).
And thanks for the mention!
Salvage the Bones is definitely on my backlist reading priority list. It keeps making eyes at me from the shelves even though I’m terrified of it. Awesome January for you!
Looking forward to your Why We Came to the City review. Sounds relatable!
Hoping I’ll get to it! But, yes, that’s what attracted me to it!
Version Control sounds amazing, and although I’m unlikely to get to it right away, I look forward to your thoughts 🙂
I probably won’t get to it right away either…don’t have an ARC. But, the premise sounds intriguing!
Looks like you started out January strong. I am still considering my goals for this year (LOL)!
Good luck with your goals!
It’s good that you are adhering to your reading goals. I don’t think I have any, but I created my reading list for this year long before last year was over, so I don’t know if that counts. I have to get to some of this year’s releases, some of last year’s releases that I requested from NetGalley, and some from my TBR list, which have been waiting for years. Hope I can I read them all, though I doubt it. I wish I could read as fast as you do! 🙂
Well…I don’t think adhering is exactly the right word! More like this month happened to fit my goals. I wish it was more intentional. And I don’t read that fast – just during every free moment possible!
Good for you for such an advance reading list!
You’ve certainly had a much better January than I did! At first glance, both Version Control and Why We Came to the City are calling my name. I should probably go look for them. I hope you have a fabulous February!
I hope they pan out 🙂 Happy February to you!
Great start to the year! You can stick to your goals – I have faith in you!
I think the key is that if you get the itch to stray from them a little, just let yourself go and don’t feel bad about it, or you can compromise. I wasn’t meant to be buying any books this year, aside from a couple I’d made allowances for. But I ended up straying from that little list and so I compromised and moved one of my allowances off my “allowed to buy list” and onto my gift wishlist. This could also be viewed as punishment for my inability to control myself, but I really do prefer to consider it a compromise!
Hooray about Strout’s latest book. I’ve just started it now and am loving it already.
I have heard nothing but good things about Tender!
I’m waiting for someone that has an ARC to report, but the pre-hype is good for sure!!