Challenge Update, December 2017

I’m going to call this a strong finish. With how hectic December was, I’m proud I finished four books. I ended my class, got through the holidays unscathed, and hosted a party at my house that lasted all day. With all that, four books seem like a big accomplishment. You can look at my progress at any time on my challenge page.

Books finished in December:

This Beautiful Life // Helen Schulman (4/5)
Singing My Him Song // Malachy McCourt (3/5)
Persona Non Grata // Ruth Downie (4/5)
The Professor and the Madman // Simon Winchester (3/5)

All reviews written! I like heading into 2018 without a backlog. Though it will probably begin piling up quite soon.

When Are You Reading? Challenge

12/12
DONE! I’m doing this again in 2018 so please consider joining me and taking part. It’s a fun time.

Goodreads Challenge

54/50
DONE! I surprised myself this year and I’m going to push myself to read 55 in 2018. Fingers crossed.

Book of the Month

It’s going to be This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman. This book blew me away and I added it to my Top 10 Books of 2017 list. It’s short and powerful and I really recommend it to anyone looking for a strong read.

Added to my TBR

I’m up to 107! I was so optimistic after being at 106 last month I guess getting below 100 is going to be harder than I thought. I added a lot of sequels this month and I’m really excited for all of them.

• Sarah’s Quilt by Nancy E. Turner. This has unofficially been on my list for a long time. I read the first book in the series a few years ago and really liked it. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
• Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie. I’m clearly in love with this series and I will move on and find out what happens to Ruso and Tilla!
• A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. I’m feeing a GoT draught while the show is in the intermission and I figure I’ll get back to the books and start where I left off.
• Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard. This is a book my husband got me for Christmas. He knows I’ve really enjoyed running books lately and the cute dog on the cover won me over immediately.
• The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redonado. My future sister-in-law has started a wonderful tradition of buying me a book every year. She picked this one up because it takes place in Spain and she didn’t even know my thesis was on the Basques! A+ to her.

Personal Challenge

I mentioned in my challenge announcement post that I had some non-reading goals set for myself in 2017. I figured this would be a good place to keep myself accountable to those as well. Here goes!

• Keep my 4.0 GPA: DONE! I got my grade back and managed to make an A so I’m still sitting at 4.0 going into my last year.
• Knit blankets:  I’m down two from the stockpile I like to keep but I’m working on it! I’m half done with a pink, purple, and white blanket. It’s a new pattern I’m kind of enjoying. I gave a gender-neutral blanket to my cousin so I’ll knit another to backfill that one.
• One race per month: My December race was a nice, easy 5K. I ran with a friend who’s working through knee problems and went her pace. It was freezing cold but a lot of fun!
• Get my novel out to beta readers: Sigh. This is one part of my life I wish I’d done more with in 2017. I got the novel out, but I haven’t been able to do a lot of editing this year. I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate on this in 2018 because of school but I’ll try!

How were your challenges? I hope you made it. If you love historical fiction, give some thought to my challenge for 2018, it’s fun!

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!