nomadreader

Well, July is done. At the beginning of the month, I told you about my mind and body challenge . August is a new month, so I'll focus on the positives and where I want to go from here. Exercise:  In July, I did 44 miles on the elliptical. That's more than any month except January, when I managed 53. Seven and a half months into my fitness journey, and that's something worth celebrating. It's also worth noting the pitiful 2 miles I put in during the entire month of June  helped kick start the fitness part of this challenge. Every day I worked out, I did 3 (or more) miles. I'm proud of that. Here's what I'm not proud of: I haven't been to the gym since July 16th.  Reading:  I have my reading mojo back. I read fourteen (!) books . And I have less than an hour left in my audiobook, so if we didn't have houseguests, I would have finished fifteen books. Did I read for an hour each day without looking at my phone? Not after the first week. It turns out ...

I didn't plan to write about my July challenge on July 1st. I wanted to, of course, because I want everyone to tell me how awesome I am, but I also admit receiving congratulations before actually beginning is pretty meaningless. So I thought I'd wait until I was half-way through to tell y'all I've been doing this challenge. That way, if I failed, no one would even to have know. But I posted a sweaty selfie on my Instagram story after my workout this morning and captioned it "day one of July fitness challenge done." And then a few people asked what challenge I was doing, so I thought, why not make myself vulnerable and write a little about what I'm doing and why? I made up a challenge for myself for July. Here's what I pledge to do each day: At least three miles (probably always on the elliptical, but I might switch it up) Read for at least 1 hour (leave my phone in another room and set a timer) Have no more than one alcoholic drink It's a mi...

This weekend, as I was putting away our Christmas decorations in the basement, I stumbled across a pile of books I'd forgotten about. Really, I am always stumbling upon piles of forgotten books, but this particular pile I hadn't seen since before we moved into our house five and a half years ago. On top was my college textbook for Art History 101 and 102: I don't think I've seen this book since 2008. This beautiful, 1000+-page book was a resource throughout my art history major. It wasn't a textbook we had to read cover to cover, so when we were assigned sections, I read them. They complemented the lectures and were great to refresh my memory. I decided to bring it upstairs and started flipping through it. I wondered, how many pages would I have to read each day to read this book by January 1, 2020? 3-4. I can read three or four pages of an art history textbook each day, I thought. Then I turned to the first page and discovered it was already page 15. How fort...

Coming off my worst reading year since I started keeping track (2009), I was hesitant to make many elaborate resolutions or goals. Then, I looked at last year's goals , which were good for quite a few laughs, as I accomplished none of them. But, I realize, I like making goals, even if I won't actually meet them. I'm not quite sure why that is, but perhaps it relates to my love of making lists . So, I have two sets of goals this year: the realistic (resolutions) and the less realistic (goals). Call me cynical or call me realistic, but I will be shocked if I manage them all. And, really, isn't it more fun to have fun? 2019 Reading Resolutions: 1. Read more than in 2018. This should be easy, right? The bar (54 books) is so low . If I'm being honest, I'm really  hoping to read 104 books, which is two a week. That should be relatively easy too, as that's more in line with a typical year. 2. Write about each book I read in 2019. Since I got into Litsy...

Some years I make elaborate goals. This year is not on of those years.  1. I want to read. Yes, part of me wants to read more than I did this year, but I don't want to set an arbitrary number. This year, I'd rather focus on enjoying what I read. When I do, I find so much more time to read. I will likely always be a reader more drawn to new releases than classics, but each year, there are books I don't find time for. I want to read some of those books on my priority TBR. 2. I want to read all 60 Book of the Month selections (5 are announced each month.) Last year, Book of the Month was the most reliable source of good book recommendations. I picked up (and loved) books I otherwise wouldn't have. I read books I didn't know about. Prize lists used to function this way, but I realized Book of the Month is more geared to the types of books I most enjoy. It's predominantly novels, with a sprinkling of nonfiction and an occasional short story collection. It...

Yesterday, I wrote about Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge and looked at how I would have down if I attempted the challenge in 2014 . Today I'm highlighting possibilities for my reading in 2015 to help prioritize. I've found the Goodreads forums helpful in some cases. Many of these titles can count for more than one category, but I will commit to counting each book for only one category. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25. White Teeth  by Zadie Smith has been on my TBR since it came out Sense and Sensibility  by Jane Austen Purple Hibiscus  by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65. God Help the Child  by Toni Morrison Lila  by Marilynne Robinson Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932  by Francine Prose A collection of short stories. American Innovations  by Rivka Galchen Bark  by Lorrie Moore Can't and Won't  by Lydia Davis Before You Suffocate Yo...

I kind of love that no  hardly any books are published in December. The fall always feel rushed and chaotic, with work and life, and I never manage to read all the new releases I intend too (not that I do in any season, but it's especially noticeable in the fall.) December is my catch-up month. I get invigorated to read as many books as I can before the year ends. And as I work in academia, I get almost two weeks off for the Christmas and New Year holidays, so there is a lot of time to read (even with a baby.) I started making my list of books I really want to read before the end of the year, and it is impossibly long. Then I cut it down to twenty. Twenty. Instead of feeling defeated, however, I rallied to make my bucket list to help prioritize reading the books I most want to read and that have been on my TBR for longer. Of course, I also want to read some of the 2014 releases I haven't yet. And I want to start reading 2015 releases. But rather than prescribe all my reading f...

On Monday, I hit a major reading milestone for the year: I finished my 100th book. For comparison, in 2013, I only read 94 books all year. In 2012, I read 118 books, but I didn't reach 100 until the end of November. In 2011, I read 108 books and reached 100 in December. In 2010 and 2009 (the earliest year I kept good data on my reading), I didn't make it to 100. For me, 100 is momentous whenever it happens in a year, but to reach it on September 22 surprised me. Appropriately, book 100 was  The Burning Room  by Michael Connelly (my review will post on its release date, November 3.) Of the 100 books I've read this year, 27 were written by Michael Connelly. I don't think I've ever read so many books by a single author in a single year. I'm not even sure there are other authors I've read that many books by. Ever. 2014 has clearly been the year of Michael Connelly. I started my journey with Michael Connelly in February. It was Amazon pilot season, and I dec...

2014 is half over? This year has passed more slowly for me than most, thanks to the nomadbaby, who is due five weeks and five days from today (yes, I'm totally counting.) Pregnancy hasn't been my favorite life experience, but as I get closer to its end point, I am finding myself having an easier time enjoying the moments I know will be hard to come by in the coming years. I thought I'd take this opportunity to check in on my 2014 goals and see how I'm doing. I knew when I made these goals that I wanted to keep it simple. 2014 is a year unlike any other for me. I knew August would bring dramatic changes, and I didn't want goals that would be overly ambitious. 1. Read 104 books in 2014. I set out to read an average of two books a week this year. I imagine August and September will be pretty thin reading months for me, and I knew if I accomplished this goal, I would likely read more than half in the first half of the year. As of today, I've read 70 books in...

Although the distinction may seem somewhat arbitrary, I prefer making New Year's goals rather than resolutions. For me, the best goals are both achievable and aspirational. Finding this balance is crucial. Some yeras, I've set goals that were too aspirational or too proscribed. As I reflected on the reader I was in 2013, I found a few opportunities for gradual change. My goals this year aren't exclusively about reading, however, as I continue to enjoy a variety of media. Ultimately, the purpose of these goals is to help me focus. In those moments when I contemplate how to spend my time, most often when I get home from work and Mr. Nomadreader is still at work, I want to keep returning to these goals in 2014. If I'm on track, great. I can be free to do what I most feel like doing. If I'm not on track with these goals, I hope I'll choose to spend my time working toward them. These are goals I made out of love; I truly enjoy all of these activities and want to s...

In the past week, I feel like I'm finally getting back into a routine with my reading. It feels so good to enjoy the pieces of my day I carve out for reading (and blogging) rather than being restless and distracted. Sadly, I only managed to read six books in October. Even worse: I only reviewed one of them! I can tell you I enjoyed all of the books I read; all six were at least 4-star reads. I'll be posting reviews soon (and catching up on some lingering reviews from August and September too!)   Here's what I read in October: Beautiful Lies  by Clare Clark ( my review ) The Last Runaway  by Tracy Chevalier (coming January 2013) Astray  by Emma Donoghue Ten Thousand Saints  by Eleanor Henderson Angel's Tip  by Alafair Burke A Possible Life  by Sebastian Faulks (coming December 2012) What I'm reading now: I just started Louise Erdrich's Plague of Doves , which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Her latest novel, Th...

Happy June! I am coming off an incredibly satisfying reading month in terms of total books read: I managed to finish  fourteen(!)  books in May, which leaves me one short of fifty books for the year. I'm hoping to finish Gillian Flynn's  Gone Girl  tonight. Here's how my reading panned out: The excellent (rated 4.5 stars and higher): Run  by Ann Patchett ( my review ) I Am Forbidden  by Anouk Markovits ( my review ) New Finnish Grammar  by Diego Marani ( my review ) I Wish I Had a Red Dress  by Pearl Cleage ( my review) Long Gone  by Alafair Burke ( my review ) The good (rated 4 stars): Half Blood Blues  by Esi Edugyan ( my review ) The Sealed Letter  by Emma Donoghue ( my review ) Perla  by Carolina De Robertis ( my review ) Alice  by Judith Hermann ( my review ) The Flying Man  by Roopa Farooki ( my review ) The disappointing (rated less than 4 stars): Tides of War  by Stella T...

I've fallen out of the habit of writing monthly goal posts this year, largely because there's been a disconnect between when I read books and when I can post about them. I think I'm finally back on track, have my reading mojo back, and I'm completely caught up on reviews (the last two will post later this week!) With almost three months until the announcement of the Booker Prize longlist, I'm hoping to make progress on my 2012 reading goals I've been neglecting. Here's what I hope to read (and review) in May: finish my Orange Prize reading: I'm currently reading Esi Edugyan's Half Blood Blues , which will be my last title from the shortlist. Then I'll finish the seven lingering longlist titles. I hope to have them all completed and reviewed before the winner is announced May 30th. This year's shortlist has been stellar, and I've been enjoying the longlist too. I'm looking forward to having read all twenty titles for the first y...