Tuesday, October 4, 2016

2016 Bookish Resolutions - A Third Quarter Progress Report

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July ramblings:  July was the month of "getting nothing done" because I got really lazy.  That's not to say I haven't been busy, but I got into a little bit a funk where I decided that I wasn't really going to get anywhere with this challenge... or any of the challenges.  But that's alright.  I got a lot of reading done even if few of the books qualified for this challenge.

August ramblings:  August was the month of "I think I'm getting somewhere, but let's wait and see."  Because I started making plans and creating work-out routines (albeit, really simplistic ones) that I'm doing my best to follow.  As for blogging and reading... well, stuff is getting done.

September ramblings:  September was pretty great, actually.  Maybe I didn't really do as many goals as I'd wanted to, but my book blogging life was pretty productive.  And I think I finished one more goal.


The new "Delete and Tweak" option:  Changes were made to the Bookish Resolutions.  See previous progress report.  Some goals were deleted and some goals were changed.


Blogging Goals


- 1 -  Participate in at least 50% of the Top Ten Tuesday meme (@ The Broke and the Bookish) topics for 2016--that's 26 of the TTT topics.


Running Total:  20 Top Ten Tuesday posts written


- 2 -  Continue to post Monthly Reading Wrap-ups... with a slightly less overwhelmingly bulky form.

Deleted Goal:  Because this one seems redundant now that I've been doing it regularly.  And it's a bit tedious because I'm tired of listing all my wrap ups each progress report.  In fact, I will soon be creating a non-review blog post index that includes everything else I post about including monthly reading wrap ups.

- 3 -  Create and try to maintain a blogging schedule.

  • January:  Lots of out-of-control, lots of colors.  See January update for more info.
  • February:  No pictures this time.  Just know that things are continuing to get more chaotic. 
  • March:  Still keeping up.  See March update for more info... though not much more info.
  • April:  I've been slacking. That's all I can say really.
  • May:  No change.  Just chugging along.
  • June:  One new change--new "index" for all blog posts on Blogger created.  With colors.
  • July:  No changes.  Just moving along.
  • August:  Created a photo log for all photos uploaded to Blogspot because of new Google Photos changes that I'm upset about.
  • September:  I planned a monthly read and blog.  Then re-did my calendar.  Then planned more stuff... then re-did my calendar again.  There has been a lot of planning and deleting of plans.  What I REALLY wanted to do was try to figure out where my reading list would be by the time I left for vacation at the end of the month.  But that reading list was always elusive because my reading mood kept changing.


- Bonus Goal - Attempt participating in at least two other monthly/weekly bookish memes.




Reading Goals


See Also: 2016 Bookish Resolutions shelf

- 1 - Finish reading 10 completed series that I have already started reading.


Running Total:  8 completed series finished reading
  • January:  1 series finished
  • February:  1 series finished
  • March:  1 series finished
  • April:  1 series finished
  • May:  1 series finished
  • June:  0 series finished
  • July:  2 series finished
  • August:  1 series finished
  • September:  0 series finished

I think I did pretty good this quarter.  While the Halloween Bingo made it hard for me to look at series I need to finish, I STILL managed to finish three series within the past three months.  ???

  • (1)  Corpus by Jessica Khoury -- COMPLETED 7/3/2016
    • Already Read:  Origin, Vitro
    • Read in July:  #3.  Kalahari -- 7/3/2016
  • (2)  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey -- COMPLETED 7/15/2016
    • Already Read:  The 5th Wave, The Infinite Sea
    • Read in July:  #3.  The Last Star -- 7/15/2016
  • (3)  The Lotus War trilogy by Jay Kristoff -- COMPLETED 8/23/2016
    • Already Read:  Stormdancer, Kinslayer
    • Read in August:  #3.  Endsinger -- 8/23/2016


- 2 - Catch up with 5 ongoing series that I have already started reading.


 Running Total:  1 ongoing series caught up with
  • January:  0 series finished
  • February:  0 series finished
  • March:  1 series caught up
  • April:  0 series caught up
  • May:  0 series caught up
  • June:  0 series caught up
Deleted Goal:  This goal is actually not coming along as well as I would have liked.  And I don't want to have to worry about finishing it up in a timely manner with so many other reading goals going on this year, so it's getting the boot.

- 3 - Read 5 completed series that are new to me.


Running Total:  5 new to me completed series read -- GOAL COMPLETED  9/10/2016
  • January:  1 series finished
  • February:  0 series read
  • March:  0 series read
  • April:  2 series read
  • May:  0 series read
  • June:  1 series read
  • July:  0 series read
  • August:  0 series read
  • September:  1 series read

So that's one more series down with a completed goal.  I had always known I'd be able to complete this particular goal easily since I'm such a glutton for new series, since I've started over 20+ series this year alone.  And, as it looks, only 5 have been completed at this point, which means I've added 20+ new series to my list of series to finish reading.

This is forever just going to be an endless cycle.  Next year, my main goal is probably going to be to finish reading all of my 'Series Currently Reading.'  Definitely I'll try to either finish those I've started or give them a proper DNF (much as I'd finally done with one ongoing series).  And yes, there are also those ongoing series that I just need to catch up with as a new installment is churned out each year.

  • (1)  Antiquities Hunters by Kay Hooper -- COMPLETED 9/10/2016
    • #1.  Enemy Mine -- 9/7/2016
    • #2.  The Haviland Touch -- 9/10/2016

  • Voodoo in Mojo by Stephanie Bond-- In progress
    • Read in September:  #1.  In Deep Voodoo -- 9/12/2016
    • Left to Read:  #2.  Voodoo or Die -- To read in October


- 4 - Participate in at least one Read-a-thon in 2016 (Bout of Books, Dewey's 24 Hour, any personal or community improv/unofficial read-a-thon, etc.)

-- GOAL COMPLETED -- 1/10/2016 --

Running Total:  4 Read-a-thons participated


- 5 - Pick up at least 10 new to me authors (books not pre-listed for my 2016 Reading Assignment Challenge).


Running Total:  19 new-to-me authors picked up -- GOAL COMPLETED  4/29/2016
  • January:  3 new-to-me authors read
  • February:  3 new-to-me authors read
  • March:  3 new-to-me authors read
  • April:  1 new-to-me authors read
  • May:  0 new-to-me authors read
  • June:  0 new-to-me authors read
  • July:  2  new-to-me authors read
    1.  Christine Bell // Wife for Hire
    2.  Cassie Miles // Snowed In
  • August:  1 new-to-me authors read
    1.  Annelise Ryan // Working Stiff
  • September:  6 new-to-me authors read
    1.  Barbara Michalels // Ammie, Come Home
    2.  Shirley Jackson // The Haunting of Hill House
    3.  Nora Roberts // Dark Witch
    4.  Washington Irving // The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
    5.  Arthur Conan Doyle // A Study in Scarlet
    6.  Heather Webber // Truly, Madly


- 6 - Accomplish my 2016 Mount TBR Reading Challenge goals.  Tackle those books already on my shelves pre-2016!


Running Total:  30 Mt. TBR Books read
  • January:  6 Mt. TBR books read
  • February:  5 books read
  • March:  4 books read
  • April:  3 books read
  • May:  3 books read
  • June:  2 books read
  • July:  2 books read
    1.  The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner
    2.  Icebound by Dean Koontz
  • August:  2 books read
    1.  Crash and Burn by Allison Brennan and Laura Griffin
    2.  Endsinger by Jay Kristoff
  • September:  3 books read
    1.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
    2.  A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    3.  The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

See also My 2016 Mount TBR Challenge summary post for complete listing.



Personal Goals


- 1 - Clock at least 2 hours of cardio workout each month.


Running Total:  2.42 hours of cardio clocked
  • January:  0 hours cardio clocked
  • February:  2.42 hours cardio clocked
  • March: 0 hours cardio
  • April:  0 hours of cardio
  • May:  0 hours cardio
  • June:  0 hours cardio
  • July:  0 hours cardio
  • August:  0 hours cardio
  • September:  ?? hours cardio

July ramblings:  There's a lonely treadmill a few feet away from my bedroom.  It's apparently going to stay lonely for some time.

August ramblings:  I tried to walk.  Then I found my bed.

September ramblings:  I walked sometimes.  I walked around the lab.  I walked around the basement.  I walked the stairs.  I walked during vacation.  I did a lot of walking.  I just don't know how to convert all of that into hours, I guess.  But according to my Fitbit, I average about 5000 to 6000 steps on a daily basis--mainly because of my job, but it counts, right?  That's good, right?

Okay, yeah.  I need to figure out how to add another 4000 to 5000 steps to my daily steps.  I know.  The ideal is 10,000 steps.  Yeah.  I know.


- 2 - Attempt to work out at least twice a week.  Failing that, attempt to work out at least 8 times a month (which will be met if I can get my lazy ass to work out at least twice a week). <--Tweaked to --> Attempt to do some form of physical activity at least once a week (four times a month), not necessarily in a vigorous work-out capacity, for the rest of the year.  In other words, some stretching and light strength training will count.  If I can make myself start doing cardio, that counts too.


Running Total:  4.5 times worked out
  • January:  0 times worked out
  • February:  1 time worked out
  • March: 2.5 times worked out
  • April:  2 times worked out
  • May:  0 times worked out
  • June:  1 time worked out
  • July:  0 times worked out
  • August:  0 times worked out
  • September:  ?? times worked out

July ramblings:  To be totally honest, I've been doing some stretching and warm up exercises before I go to sleep and during that random hour when I wake up after a four hour fitful sleep.  I don't know if that counts as a work out or not though.

August ramblings:  A bit more of the same from July.  I've started making some scheduled work out times with very simplistic work outs.  I'm hoping it'll help.

September ramblings:  Honestly, if an eight hour work night wherein you are on your feet without a break, rushing from one side of the lab to another, carrying heavy objects, squatting and bending could count as a work out, I'd totally nail this challenge.  In fact, sometimes I even sweat a little.  XD


- 3 - Learn 5 new recipes.  Actually make said recipes.  And take pictures.  For evidence. <-- Changed 12 to 5

Yearly Total: 2 new recipes
  • January:  1 new recipe learned // Tomato Basil Soup
  • February:  0  new recipes
  • March:  0 new recipes
  • April:  0 new recipes
  • May:  1 new recipe // Sweet Potato Patties
  • June:  0 new recipes
  • July:  0 new recipes
  • August:  0 new recipes
  • September:  ?? new recipes

 July ramblings:  I... just... I don't know anymore.

August ramblings:  I like eating food.

September ramblings:  I experimented by slapping together a new set of ingredients for a lunch wrap with smoked turkey and a raspberry yogurt spread, as well as a peanut butter and banana with cinnamon and chia seeds for a dessert snack wrap... but I'm sure that doesn't really count as a new recipe.  I'll try to do better.


- Bonus Goal - Be better at being sociable, in general.


 July ramblings:  I was in a very hermit-like funk for the entire month.  It was easier just to go home and hide in my bedroom.

August ramblings:  Two words:  Halloween Bingo!  Nothing to get a person out and being sociable than a common activity worth lots of fun!  I haven't commented on so many people's posts in such a long time.  A great thank you to the community of Booklikes for all being so warm and together!

September ramblings:  It's all about Halloween Bingo, guys!  Halloween Bingo and vacation!




Previous Update Posts


2016 Bookish Resolutions -- January Progress Report
2016 Bookish Resolutions -- February Progress Report
2016 Bookish Resolutions -- March Progress Report
2016 Bookish Resolutions -- April Progress Report
2016 Bookish Resolutions -- May & June Progress Report


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