Tag: #myyearofrereading

February Reading Wrap Up | Short Books #FTW

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

After a dreadful reading month in January, I was happy to pick up the pace in February. I wrapped up the month completing five books, which is where I would like to be every month. Once I got over my illness that really cramped my reading style, I finally got back into reading daily during my commute. Something that really helped me was reading short books. If you are ever struggling with your reading, I highly recommend picking up some shorter books. You will feel very accomplished when you complete that book quickly! I’m also really excited that I was able to read three books off my TBR shelf, and I reread two books for the #MyYearofRereading Project as well.

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I began the month by finishing Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. This is a nonfiction book that discusses why our society does not value introverts enough, but why we should listen more to those who may be labeled “quiet.” As an introvert myself, I really enjoyed a lot of the information in this book. Not only did I find it relatable, but it helped me to find more value in who I am as a person even though I do not conform to the Extrovert Ideal. I did find this book to be a bit dry, but I was very sick when trying to get through it. I will be keeping this book in my collection to reference in the future.

Next up, I read The Girls by Emma Cline. This novel is loosely based on the Manson murders, which I did not know much about prior to reading this story. I picked this up at a book sale a few years ago, and I am so glad I finally got to it. The book follows a teenage girl named Evie during the summer she spends with a group of girls living at a ranch on the outskirts of town. The ranch is run by a man named Russell, who will do anything to become a famous musician. I found The Girls to be a fast-paced read with a creepy and fascinating tone. I highly recommend this book, and hope to reread it at some point.

I then decided to reread both Stargirl and Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. These are some of my favorite books of all time, and they did not disappoint. Stargirl is a five-star book for me, and is a book I think everyone should read. Our narrator is a teenage boy named Leo, who finds himself slowly falling for the new girl at school. Stargirl was homeschooled all her life until she shows up at the public high school. It is clear to her new classmates that she is different than everyone else. She has a pet rat named Cinnamon, she sings Happy Birthday songs at lunch on her ukulele, and she cheers for both teams at sporting events. This story is about being true to yourself, even if that means you are not well-liked by others. I love this book and its sequel, and will treasure these stories throughout my life. I also happily discovered that a Stargirl movie releases March 13th on Disney+!

* This section contains Harry Potter spoilers*

Last but not least, I read Harry Potter Should Have Died by Emerson Spartz and Ben Schoen. I am so proud of myself for finally reading this book! Thanks to Amazon, I know that I purchased it shortly after its release on July 17, 2009. That’s right – I’ve had this book on my TBR list for almost 11 years! This book looks at the Harry Potter series and poses a variety of questions, such as which character death is the saddest, and whether we should pity Severus Snape. Each question is answered in the affirmative or negative with the arguments laid out, and then ends with a verdict made by the authors. I think this book is a fun read for big Harry fans, but it leaves a lot on the table. For instance, how can Hedwig and Fred not be mentioned in the saddest character deaths section?! That being said, I think this book is a great conversation starter, and it got me thinking a lot about one of my favorite series.

That wraps up everything I read in February! I’m glad I am back into the swing of reading. While I am still behind on my Goodreads challenge, I hope to catch up in the next month or so. Make sure to follow me on Instagram for more reading updates throughout the month!

My 2020 Reading Plans | The #MyYearofRereading Project

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

As 2020 began today, I did not expect to find myself creating a list of reading resolutions or goals for this new year. Yet as I was resting on this holiday off from work, I spent some time looking at my bookshelves and realized I do, in fact, have some exciting reading plans as the year gets underway. I recently shared with you the #MyYearofRereading Project that I created in my last blog post. I will absolutely be continuing on with that project, but I also have a few other goals that I would like to share with you.

First and foremost is the Goodreads Reading Challenge that I participate in every year. This challenge is purely about quantity – how many books do you want to read this year? I decided to do some math and figure out a goal that is challenging yet still based on reality. Since I mainly read on my commute now, I created a formula based on how many hours of time I spend commuting a year, how many pages I read in an hour, and how long the average book I read is. The result was about 58 books, and I decided to round that up to 60 for a bit of a stretch goal. You can follow me on Goodreads here to see how I am getting along with this challenge throughout the year.

My next goal is to empty my physical TBR (To-Be-Read) bookshelf by the end of the year. Notice I did not say that I want to read my entire TBR shelf. That is because I may end up decluttering some books that I decide I no longer have the desire to read. I fine-tuned this shelf a lot during 2019, and I now have 31 books that I consider on my TBR. This does not include my Stephen King collection, my Rick Riordan collection, and my Puffin Classics, as these are all books I plan to read and own over the course of my lifetime. That being said, I believe I can empty out my entire TBR shelf in 2020 by either reading or decluttering all 31 of those books!

Speaking of Stephen King, I would like to continue on with my journey in reading his entire bibliography in publishing order. In 2019, I reread both Carrie and ‘Salem’s Lot, and I look forward to picking up The Shining sometime this year. Ideally, I will read at least two Stephen King books in 2020, but I would love to read more! His books are often quite long, and I am sometimes intimidated by the time commitment each book requires. I’ve heard that The Shining is a fast read despite its length, though, so I am excited to get to it soon.

Lastly, I hope that 2020 is the year I finally get my book buying in check. I did a great job in 2019, and this was 100% thanks to the #MyYearofRereading Project. Since I was focused on rereading books, I did not spend a lot of time acquiring new books. My main concern is not with spending money on books, but on buying books in large quantities. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve lost interest in books on my TBR shelf before making an effort to read them. Instead, I plan to use my library to read new-to-me books. If I love a book I read from the library, I can always purchase it for my bookshelves later!

I hope you enjoyed hearing some of my reading goals for 2020. Please share any of your reading resolutions for the new year with me in the comments. I love hearing from other readers! I hope you will also join me over on my bookish Instagram account, @PolishlandReads! I regularly update my story with my current reads, and I post mini-reviews and wrap-ups somewhat regularly. Here’s to a great reading year in 2020!