Who would have guessed Half Ironman training is so good for reading time? Not as good as last month, I concede, but still awesome. I’m OK being a bit behind on reviews because I’m not struggling for things to blog about lately. You can look at my progress at any time on my challenge page.
Books finished in April:
News of the World // Paulette Jiles (4/5)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone // Laini Taylor (4/5)
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda // Becky Albertalli (5/5)
Midwives // Chris Bohjalian (5/5)
The Power // Naomi Alderman (3/5)
I’m loving this so much. I’ve got a few more cooking but I’ve got time to get to them. I’m just glad to have gotten through one physical book this month. I think that’s where I’ll continue to be slow. My audiobook game is killing it.
7/12
Killing it so far! Two time periods knocked out this month. News of the World is set in the 1870s which knocked out 1800-1899. And then The Power is set in the future, knocking that one out. Yay for book club picks! Maybe they’ll help fill in some of the other time periods and I won’t have to worry about this challenge at all. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking.
23/52
I’m still flying through these books and I’m seven ahead of schedule now. I don’t know if I’ll keep this up since I started a long audiobook lately and training will end in July. I’ll have to find another way to read more than is normal and keep this going because it feels really good.
Book of the Month
This seems to be an easy pick every month. This month the easy winner is Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. My review went up Monday if you want to hear more about how much I adored this amazing book and why everyone should read it. I think I’ll watch the movie tonight…
Added to my TBR
72! I’m still taking it down, even if it’s just a bit at a time. I’ll get to a manageable number, I’m sure, but I’ll keep adding to the list so it may take a while.
- Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani. I heard Trigiani speak a few weeks ago and when I found out she had a YA title, I had to snatch it up. I hope it doesn’t take me forever to read this one. I need a happy YA title from time to time.
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. The book club has spoken and this one is coming up soon! I hope the hype was worth it and I enjoy this one.
Personal Challenge
I’m gearing up again to track personal goals here. This is a great way to keep me accountable and to tell you about me outside the wide world of books.
- Finish 70.3 Half Ironman: I thought I’d be able to ride outside in April but I’m still out of luck. Rain and (believe it or not) snow have kept me on the trainer. Maybe I’ll have one good weekend before July?
- Attend six weddings: On pace. I have hotels booked for all except one and I don’t have an invitation for that one yet. So things are looking good!
- Finish a weather blanket: I’m caught up through mid-April so I’ll say I’m on pace for this. I tend to let myself fall behind before catching up on this so I can binge-knit while I binge-watch TV. They go well together.
- Write: Going wonderfully! I’m actually close to querying. I KNOW! I never thought I’d be here but I am and it feels wonderful.
- See my friends more: I didn’t do so great with this one this month. I have a lot going on in May so April ended up being a lot of focus on me. I have some friends who got face time, but it was their asking, not mine. May already demands some travel and friend time so I think I’ll do better next month.
How are your challenges going so far? I hope you’re off to a good start If you love historical fiction, give some thought to my challenge for 2019, 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!
Taking On a World of Words 