2015 Reading Resolutions update

1. Participate in at least one 48-hour Reading Challenge.  If not done by June 30, 2015, organize my own. One day I will do this!  Dewey’s  24-hour Read-a-thon is slated for April 25, 2015!  I did it!  I did it!  I participated in the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon! 

2. Read more books from the below lists.

•  Read 2015 winners/honors for Caldecott, Belpre illustrator, Coretta Scott King (CSK) illustrator, Odyssey(read 31/attempted 4) YALSA non-fiction , and Geisel  (a.k.a. the awards I finished reading in 2013 and again in 2014).  The 2015 winners/honors will be announced on February 2, 2015, adding several titles to my TBR list. Finished Caldecott, Geisel, Belpre illustrator, CSK illustrator, and YALSA non-fiction titles. Have read three of the remaining Odyssey titles, leaving only one more to go.
•  Schneider Family Book Awards - 36 total books 15 read/1 abandoned
•  Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's Young Adult Literature Award –30 total books 23 read/1 abandoned
• Morris – 35 total books 24 read (Finalists announced in December 2014; winner announced February 2, 2015)
•   Read at least six honors/winners from: Newbery (400 total books 93 read/1 abandoned), Printz (77 total books 37 read and 7 abandoned), and CSK author (161 total books. 38 read. 1 abandoned).   Thanks to the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon, I finished the CSK titles.  I’ll likely read more throughout the year.

Newbery Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Printz I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

CSK author I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison The Crossover by Kwame Alexander The Other Side: Shorter Poems by Angela Johnson I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

3. I’ve decided that 2015 is going to be the Year of Non-Fiction.  This means I plan to focus on reading non-fiction titles - not just those on award lists such as YALSA Non-Fiction (25/30 read as of December 15, 2014) and Sibert  (39/53 read as of December 15, 2014) – but non-fiction in general for a variety of ages.  This will include biographies. YALSA Non-fiction finalists were announced in December, but the winner for that award – and the winners and honors for most of the other Youth Media Awards won’t be announced until February 2, 2015. (UPDATED TOTALS: YALSA Non-Fiction (30/30 read) and Sibert (45/59 read). 

4. Read the Harry Potter and the Outlander series again. Both are favorites of mine.  After recently watching all of the Harry Potter movies, I realized how many details I had forgotten (that are missing from the movies as well).  I think it is time to revisit the stories.  I’ve listened to the Outlander series twice.  It takes quite some time!  Hopefully by starting them again this month I will finish in time for the next book to be published. (Please be soon.  Please be soon. Please be soon.) I’m participating in a Buddy Read of the Harry Potter series through one of the Goodreads groups I belong to.  So far I have read books 1, 2, 3, and 4, have started HP5.  I finished Outlander and recently started the second book, Dragonfly in Amber.

5. Set aside time each week to read the libraryland blogs, journals and other news sources. This really needs to be a part of my regular workweek.  Ever since Google’s blog reader bit the dust, I’ve fallen behind on reading blogs.  I’m trying Feedly, but need to get in the habit of checking it on a regular basis. Part of me thinks I should give up on this.

6. Keep up with tracking books read!  I read over 775 books in 2013.  My goal for 2014 was 1000, and I ended up reading just over that amount. In 2015 I am going to go with a less hectic goal of 500. I have been using Goodreads for years, and plan to continue. I lowered my goal to 250 and feel so much less stressed!  So far I am doing well with the new goal and am more than 20 books ahead of schedule!