Ramble: Reading Review of 2017

You can read my Original 2017 Goals Here:

Overall Goal: 100

Total Read: 110

Mini-Challenges: How Did I Do?

Christian:

Goal: 20+

Actual: 6

Of them, the daily devotion by John Wesley was the most encouraging and Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey was the most polarizing.  Christian books, by definition, must be read slowly and thoughtfully. A goal of twenty is simply too many to be able to handle well.

Evolution:

Goal: 2+

Actual: O

Maybe next year?

Writing:

Goal: 2+

Actual: 0

To be fair, I didn’t do any writing either, so…..

Science Fiction/Fantasy:

Goal: 20+

Actual: 26

 Sub-Goal:

1) To read series that I have collected to completion  

Actual: I read zero series listed. But I started the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

2) To read a stand-alone novels by authors I haven't read before.  

Actual: From the list, I only read Larry Niven, but I also read  Chelsea Quinn Yabro, Leigh Bardugo, L. E. Modesitt, Lois McMaster Bujold, Dan Simmons, Philip K. Dick, Connie Willis, Seth Dickinson, Ron Goulart, Gordon R. Dickinson, and Robert Aspirin – as well as a half-dozen more – all of whom  are new authors for me.

Classics:

Goal: 5+

Actual: 6

Sub-Goal: A book by Honore de Balzac, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and a play by Shakespeare.

Actual: Wuthering Heights was a DNF for me. But I did read Hamlet, As You Like It, and MacBeth by Shakespeare (well, listened via Audiobook) and The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Balzac. I also listened to a re-telling, on a podcast, of Dante’s Inferno.

General Fiction: 

Goal: 5+

Actual: 6

Sub-Goal:  Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts, and at least two by non-western authors.

Actual: I read the Letts and four books by non-western authors (all Japanese, actually)

Non-Fiction:

Goal: 5+

Actual: 9

Young Adult / Newbery Winner:

Goals: 5+

Actual: 17 (But no Newbery)

Some that are listed as Young Adult (Grisha Universe, etc.) are counted in Sci-Fi/Fantasy so this number might be considered higher (and the Sci-Fi/Fantasy lower).

Overall, I'm pleased with my reading. I didn't meant many of my smaller goals, but I read a wider range of authors, stories, and genres. I intend to continue to trend in 2018.