Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Reading resolutions and most anticipated debuts in 2015

I'm combining this week's and last week's Top Ten Tuesday theme (hosted by the Broke and Bookish blog): my 2015 reading resolutions and my most anticipated 2015 debuts. 

Here's what made me prick my ears about these 2015 debuts: moon colonies, death
-trap riddled libraries, time travel, jinns, a mirror reflection with a mind of its own, Golden Age Hollywood, travel to Pakistan, Emily Dickinson's poetry, deadly competition at a ballet school, and a fantasy world similar to ancient Rome!


Dove Arising
The D'Evil Diaries
Becoming Jinn
The Edge of Forever
Duplicity
Dead to Me
Written in the Stars
When Reason Breaks
Tiny Pretty Things
An Ember in the Ashes

Now, my reading resolutions for 2015, along with how I did last year...

1. Read at least 52 books in 2015, one book a week (same as last year).   This is my fifth year setting this goal, and I've always succeeded with this one easily (actually, I usually over-succeed: in 2014 I read 59 books and re-read 6 more). If I let myself read as much as I wanted, I never get anything else done! So this is actually a resolution NOT to go overboard with reading.

2. Read at least 2 classics, same as last year. This is my hardest category! Last year I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and started Uncle Tom's Cabin... and I'm still working on it. It's good, but I keep getting distracted  by shorter, easier reads. But this year I plan to finish it and read two more: I'm thinking of the Grapes of Wrath and... maybe some Plato?

3. Read at least 12 debuts (first books by new previously unpublished authors).  Same as last year; I read exactly 12 though there are still a couple more 2014 debuts I want to get to. My favorite 2014 debut was Alienated by Melissa Landers and I can't WAIT for the sequel, Invaded, and by the way did you know there's a short out there right now you can read, Until Midnight

4. Read at least 5 science fiction classics and 2 more recent Nebula or Hugo winners. Last year my goal was two classics and I was amazed by The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, not so keen on Ringworld. I only got to one recent Hugo winner, Among Others, but oh my goodness that book! It was like an ode to science fiction and fantasy, and I have dozens of classics I want to read now, starting with The Gates of Ivrel, which garnered the distinction of being in the last sentence of Among Others.

5. Read at least three Printz honors or YALSA awards. Slight change from last year, which was 2 Printz books. I read Midwinterblood (did not like it) and a Printz honor, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, AMAZING!!! So far I haven't been crazy about Printz winners - they are jsut a little to odd for me, but I have loved all the Printz honors I've read, and YALSA winners, like How to Save a Life by Sara Zara. 

6. Read at least five Newberry winners or honors (the most prestigious award for middle grade kidlit). My goal was 3 last year, and I actually read 5, because they are so easy to read and so delicious - not disappointed with a single one! My favorite were The One and Only Ivan and The Graveyard Book

7. Read at least 10 books that feature a diverse main character . I read 12 last year, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian was my absolute favorite of all my 2014 reads. I was impressed by the variety of stories about diverse characters, including some with disabilities, like She Is Not Invisible and Dangerous.

8. One thing I plan to do this year is read more historicals, both in the YA and adult categories.

Summary: I read mostly young adult books: 33 total (11 contemporary, 7 science fiction, 6 fantasy, 5 paranormal, 3 historical fantasy, 2 historical). I read 13 middle grade books (6 contemporary, 5 historical, 1 paranormal), 6 adult books (4 science fiction, 1 historical, 1 literary), 5 non-fiction and 2 new adult books. I didn't finish four books after reading half way through (as compared to many books that I only sampled the first one or two chapters). Two of these because my interest really lagged, the other two went a direction I was uncomfortable with. I expect the YA/MG/adult ratio to stay similar since in 2013 it was also very similar: 34 YA, 8 MG, 6 non-fiction, 5 adult.

Got any reading goals this year?

4 comments:

  1. Great goals. And I'm looking forward to some of the same debut books this year. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are such fantastic reading goals, Margo! I'm hoping to get more books read this year as well. I've been putting aside time to read right before bed each night, and will definitely continue it if I can!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your list is great! I can't wait for Tiny Pretty Things and I added Dove Arising and Duplicity to my TBR. Thanks for sharin!

    ReplyDelete
  4. When Reason Breaks is new to me, I'll have to check it out.
    Paulina @ The Little Book Pixie

    ReplyDelete

Follow on Bloglovin
Follow on Bloglovin

Followers

My Blog List