It’s the end of the year!
An update on my insane movie and book challenge:
Movies
Of the 70 movies that I had planned to watch in 2014, I watched 30. I was so sure that I was going to complete this movie mission that I was clearly too relaxed all year about it. No worries, I will make sure to watch the 40 films I missed before the Spring time!
Books
I read 125 books out of the 347 that I planned to read in a mission to cut my TBR pile in half. I am shocked I read as much as I did! I was off to a great start and then life things happened and then I got an internship!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!! so all of that considered, I am so happy that I at least got close to half of my goal.
I have found a rhythm to all of this though, especially when I was reading like crazy in the beginning. You can thank the kindle app on my iPad and the glorious feature that estimates how long it takes to finish reading said book, not to mention Siri narrating the book at whatever speed you set it at. And after this “practice run” of a challenge year which I’m calling it, I know what I need to do to really complete the goal, keeping in mind that life will get in the way no matter what. There actually wasn’t ever a burn out so I simply need to stay on beat with the rhythm that I’ve found and keep moving forward.
I’m looking forward to reaching my 2015 goal to cut my TBR pile in half, same as this year! Only the number is slightly higher since I’ve added books to my TBR list.
I plan to read 450 books in 2015.
What. That’s more days than there are in the year! If you thought I was an oddball last year, especially since I barely read half of the books that I planned to read, well, you’ll certainly think there’s no way that I can accomplish this goal. We’ll see. I like setting ridiculous goals if you can’t tell.
I won’t do a grand introductory challenge post in 2015, as the challenge is really only continuing on. Here is a screenshot of what my Goodreads lists look like now so you can see the numbers and compare them to the beginning of 2014 and the end of 2015 when the time comes.
To make it even more encouraging, however many books I read in 2015, I will donate that number to We Need Diverse Books in December 2015. So if I do indeed read 450 books, I will donate $450. Feel free to make your own pledge to donate to We Need Diverse Books this year based on the number of books you read by the end of the year.
So, stay tuned for more monthly updates!
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!
Book Reviews
Note: My book reviews + my We Need Diverse Books pledge will return in January
Book/E-book Haul
* The Queen by Kiera Cass
* Last Will and Testament by Dahlia Adler
* Inferno by Dan Brown
* Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
* Red Rising by Pierce Brown
* Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
* Until Midnight by Melissa Landers
* SOS by E.C. Myers
* Atlantia by Ally Condie (Secret Santa)
* Looking for Alaksa by John Green (Secret Santa)
* I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre (Secret Santa)
* In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (Christmas)
* UnDivided by Neal Shusterman (Christmas)
* Strike by DJ MacHale (Christmas)
Blu-ray, DVD, & TV Reviews
* Book: Chasing Before by Lenore Appelhans
* TV Week in Review #14, #15
December Notes
* I listed the Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2015.
* I announced my Haiti Mission Trip GoFundMe Campaign. Of those who donate, one person will be picked at random and will win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card! Please donate and spread the word.
* I participated in my first The Broke and Bookish Secret Santa, hosted by Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner. I bought a gift for Evy at Island Girl Reads and I received a gift from Lili at Lili’s Reflections. I did receive 4 books, 1 of which I will be giving away in February (stay tuned) as it’s a duplicate and a good one at that so I want to spread the love or in this case holly because the book is The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black which you may remember I snagged at BEA. So stay tuned for both a review of the book and a giveaway!
My Insane Book & Movie Challenge Update #12
My monthly update for my Insane Book & Movie Challenge is below!
*** Note, I’ve moved “The Walking Dead Cutting-Room Floor” from my Comics & Graphic Novels Goodreads shelf to my 2015 shelf as it did not in fact release this year.
Books I Read That Are In My Bookcase
1. Invincible: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2 by Robert Kirkman, Illustrated by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree
2. Chasing Before by Lenore Appelhans
E-books I Read
Read through Kindle App on iPad
1. The Queen by Kiera Cass
2. The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts
3. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
4. Canary by Rachele Alpine
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
6. Cloak by James Gough
My favorite read of the month was Chasing Before by Lenore Appelhans.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (Netflix DVD)
22 Jump Street (Netflix DVD)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Netflix DVD)
What If (Netflix DVD)
Chef (Netflix DVD)
If I Stay (Netflix DVD)
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (Netflix DVD)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Netflix DVD)
Adaptation. (Netflix DVD)
Camp Takota (Netflix Streaming)
Snowpiercer (Netflix Streaming)
I Know That Voice (Netflix Streaming)
Chelsea Handler: Uganda Be Kidding Me (Netflix Streaming)
Guardians of the Galaxy (Blu-ray)
The 100 Foot Journey (On Demand)
Salinger (Netflix Streaming)
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise (Netflix Streaming)
Mission Blue (Netflix Streaming)
Newlyweds (Netflix Streaming)
My favorite movies/documentaries this month were Chef, The 100 Foot Journey, and I Know That Voice.