Reading – Page 2 – A Sprinkle of Life

2020 Reading Challenge Recap

April 13, 2021 No Comments

I realize I’m quite late to the game on this post, but better late than never? We did have quite the pandemic in 2020, so I think we’re all a little more lenient on people’s speed of actions lately. So while we’re already several months in 2021 (and the pandemic continues!) I wanted to look back at my reading challenge I set for last year because quite honestly, I’m just proud of myself, and I read a lot of great books!

I had a goal of 20 books, figuring 20 books for 2020, why not. What I, and the rest of the world didn’t anticipate, was that 2020 would be a year like none we’ve ever experienced.

March came around and I started to work from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, giving me more “free” or “me” time since I wasn’t commuting in and out of New York City. This allowed me to have a little more time in the evenings to snuggle up with a good book. I started a few series, read some fun novels, and read a few short stories. For the most part, most books I picked up were winners, which makes getting through so many a breeze!

One of my favorite books that I picked up last year was The Art of Inheriting Secrets. It was a novel about romance, self discovery, growth and full of charm and characters you fell in love with. I honestly thought about this book for weeks afterward, it just really stuck with me.

As you can see from my selection above, I’m obsessed with anything about magic, witches, royalty, or the occasional time period story with romance thrown in.

I’m so proud of the number I was able to accomplish. Just like 2020 was unique, 2021 is pretty similar in a lot of ways. I’m still working from home until at least end of Summer, the world is still a little crazy, and my state has one of the highest number of Covid 19 deaths in the US, and in the world, so I’m staying home and staying safe.

This year I’m well on my way towards my goal of 30 books. Will I surpass it like last year? We’ll have to see what curveballs come my way this year.

Reading

2018 Reading Challenge Rundown

January 19, 2019 No Comments

2019 is here, which means it’s time to review last year’s reading challenge! For 2018, my goal was to read 20 books, and I’m happy to report I was able to meet that goal, even though it was a busy and challenging year.

Thanks to Goodreads, I was able to see a compilation of all the books I read into a fun visual! Let’s check it out.

As you can see, I went on a reading binge on books from Alice Hoffman and Charlie N. Holmberg, both were my standout authors for the year. Every year I tend to find one author who I really enjoy the writing style and subject matter of, both this year I found. My favorite types of books are usually ones that deal with witches, witchcraft, and any sort of magic. If you have any suggestions in the genre, do let me know!

For this year, I’m keeping my reading goal at 20 books. I’ve just finished my first book of the year, “Valentine” by Jodi McAlister which was the first book in a YA series about high school students and some “faeries.” Worth a read, but the first half of the book is pretty slow. I’m still undecided if I’ll pick up the next book in the series.

Until then, I’m going to spend my time unwrapping and enjoying my “Blind date with a Book” collection I picked up from Barnes and Noble. The first book to unwrap below:

p.s. become my friend on Goodreads, I don’t have any 🙂

Reading

2017 Reading Challenge Recap

January 12, 2018 No Comments

Two years ago I was introduced to Goodreads, a neat site that lets you discover books, track what you’re currently reading, what you want to read in the future, and even create yearly reading challenges. 2016 was the first year I create a reading challenge for myself, and ever since I’ve been reading constantly.

For 2017, I decided I would increase my reading challenge book number slightly, to 20 books. I’m happy to report I reached my goal!

Here’s a peek at the books I took on this past year. You’ll see they are pictured in ranking order. After each book, I was able to give it a certain amount of stars based on how good I thought it was.

If you haven’t read The Queen of the Tearling series, you need to. It’s one of my favorite series, and it’s great for empowering young girls or women since the main character is a strong but fun and interesting female character.

For 2018, I’ve signed up for another reading challenge, but have kept my number of books to read to 20 again. I’m expecting this year to be pretty busy with work and travel, so I may not have as much time as I’d like to curl up with a good book, but I do plan to share my travel stories with you here, so stay tuned!

First book of 2018: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
What’s it about? A girl from a small village chosen to go and live with a wizard called The Dragon, where she soon discovers she may have some secret powers of her own.

Happy reading!

Reading

2017 Reading Challenge

January 7, 2017 No Comments

I’m challenging you to explore a new world, escape reality and find a character you love in 2017. That’s right, I’m challenging you, and myself, to a reading challenge.

What you’ll get out of it:

Stress relief
Escape from reality – everyone needs a break from the everyday grind
Learn new words!
Fall in love with new literary characters – you might just be inspired to change how you see the world

This past year I discovered that a site called Goodreads was offering a 2016 book reading challenge. Basically, they make it easy for you to track books you’re currently reading, want to read, or have already read and to add a little bit more fun, they create yearly challenges so that you can create your own reading goals.

I participated in 2016, with a goal to read 16 books. I didn’t find the challenge until Feb/March so I was a bit behind schedule 🙂 In the end, I’m happy to announce I reached my goal, and even surpassed it by one book – 17 books in 2016!

screen-shot-2017-01-07-at-3-14-37-pm — Photo from Goodreads – Year In Books

screen-shot-2017-01-07-at-3-15-15-pm — Photo from Goodreads – Year in Books

screen-shot-2017-01-07-at-3-15-25-pm — Photo from Goodreads – Year in Books

This year I’m pushing myself to read 20 new books in 2017. I’ve already finished one book, and started a second! Will you join me?

Suggestion to get started: The Queen of the Tearling
I just started this three part series recently and it’s amazing! Highly recommend if you like series like Hunger Games and Harry Potter.

Reading

Book boxes

June 27, 2016 No Comments

I love reading, it’s one of my favorite hobbies. With summer here, it just seems like the perfect time to turn off the tv and cuddle up with a good book while the summer breezes flow through the apartment. I’ve also made a goal to read 16 books in 2016, and I’m a bit behind, so it’s time to start reading more!

My boyfriend recently discovered that there are book subscription services, and suggested I check one out since I’m always on the hunt for a new book. Nowadays subscription boxes are all the craze, so it isn’t all that surprising that books are joining the bandwagon. I’m excited to try it out!

I’ve been doing some research to figure out what options are out there. Here’s what I’m currently considering:

Uppercase: A young adult book subscription service that starts at $17 a month
OwlCrate: Monthly YA (young adult) subscription service. The name makes me think Harry Potter. This service starts at $29.99 a month
The Book Drop: Created by a small independent bookstore. They have different categories you can subscribe to from historical fiction to YA. Prices are cheaper for children’s books, starting at $9, but books for those of us who are past our childhood can subscribe to the service at the low price of $13 a month.

Have you tried a book box subscription service? Let me know if you have any suggestions!