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June Wrap Up

Can you believe the year is half over??  It's crazy!  June felt like a really slow reading month but I still managed to read 10 books which puts me at 67 for the year.  I looked at where I stood last year at this time and at the end of June 2011, I had read 101 books!  I have no idea how I did that.  I feel so much busier this year and I don't know why but I definitely feel like I have less time for reading or I am just reading a lot slower.

In June I read:

1.) Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
2.) The Wolves of Andover by Kathleen Kent
3.) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
4.) The White Russian by Tom Bradby
5.) Her Highness, the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham
6.) The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
7.) The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner
8.) Ada, or Ardor by Vladimir Nabokov
9.) Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham
10.) The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy

Since we are at the halfway mark for the year, I thought I would take a look at how I am doing with the goals I set for the year.  I have done really well at some and not so great with others but I am still pretty happy with my progress for the year.

Blogging Goals:
-Comment more-I have been really trying to comment on other blogs more and to reply to comments on my blog.  I am a shy person and it's not always easy for me to put myself out there.
-Work on layout- I changed my layout a couple months ago and for now, it works.  We'll see how I feel later on in the month.
-Technical Stuff-I haven't done any of this.  I still don't have a button nor do I know anything about html.  I am not sure how sad I am about this.
-Better Reviews-Some days I think I am improving at this and then other days, I feel like my reviews are crap.  I just have to keep working on this one.
-Hosting a giveaway-Nope, sorry guys.
-Get more comfortable with social media-I am on twitter now!  I am not sure I know how to use it correctly but I'm there.
-Include more personal posts-I have done this a little bit more.  I am still trying to decide how much personal information I want to put out there.

Reading Goals:
-I have signed up for 5 challenges
   -Back to the Classics Challenge-6/9.  I plan to finish two more this summer so I can spend the fall focusing on Les Miserables.
   -TBR Pile Challenge-6/10.  Unfortunately, the four books I have left for this challenge are LONG.
   -Historical Fiction Challenge-Done!
   -Support your Local Library Challenge-21/24.  I should definitely finish this in July.
   -Eastern European Reading Challenge-2/4.  Not too shabby.
-Focus on reading books I already own -  Yeah, I haven't been that awesome at this one.  I have read 16 of the 81 books I own that need to be read. 
-Read at least one non-fiction book a month-I was doing really well at this one until June.  I didn't read anything non-fiction in June.
-Read two books in Russian-I haven't done this at all though I plan to start working on it in July/August.  I am taking a Russian class in the fall and need to practice a little bit before it starts on August 20.

Personal Goals:
-Run a 1/2 Marathon in April-Done!  I am even considering doing another one in October!
-Eat Better-I am eating more veggies.  It's a struggle everyday because I would rather eat junk.  Also, I need to remember that now that I am not running 25+ miles a week, I can't eat like I am.
-Set up some savings-This has been going pretty well and I am not super freaked that the move is going to break us financially.
-Reevaluate my work situation-I switched jobs at the end of May.  I am definitely much happier at work but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

How are you doing with your yearly goals?  Have you met some or are you struggling with them?

Comments

  1. If you want a non-ficton for next month check out January First. I read it last week and it is still on my mind!

    ReplyDelete

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