Ani's Book Abyss: 2016 Bookish Resolutions -- Final Progress Report

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My 2016 Bookish Resolutions Summary post

Overall ramblings: Instead of separating my final Bookish Resolutions Challenge news out by month this time, I'm just going to come out and say that, aside from my Reading Goals, the rest of my Bookish Resolution goals have been neglected. I tried to finish up what I could, but by the time November rolled around, I dropped into a reading and reviewing and blogging slump so badly that I even almost forgot to write this post to wrap up the challenge.

Of course, I know that doesn't excuse why my Personal Goals never got touched, but life happens and just keeps happening, and my lack of motivation managed to outlast my own determination. This is sad, as I had so many things planned for 2016 that I never did.

Will I try again for 2017... more than likely, the answer is, "No."

The new "Delete and Tweak" option: Changes were made to the Bookish Resolutions. Changed goals are in blue.

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: 25 Top Ten Tuesday posts written -- Goal Failed

January: 3 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
February: 2 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
March: 1 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
April: 1 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
May: 3 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
June: 2 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
July: 3 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
August: 4 Top Ten Tuesday posts written
September: 1 Top Ten Tuesday post written
October: 1 Top Ten Tuesday posts written

10/25/2016: Halloween Related Freebie

November: 2 Top Ten Tuesday posts written

11/8/2016: Recent Additions to the TBR
11/23/2016: Thanksgiving Freebie

December: 2 Top Ten Tuesday post written

12/7/2016: 2016 New-to-Me Authors
12/25/2016: My Year In Books

- 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.
October: Not much new going on--the calendar is still a living thing. And a lot of planning was done.
November: Nothing new. Created a new calendar for 2017. That is all.
December: A lot of the same, but I slacked off a lot.

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

My TBR List meme:

October: Did not participate
November: Voting | Winning Book Announcement! | Review of Whirlpool
December: Did not participate

Cover Crush on Thursdays:

11/3/2016: Blackthorn & Grim trilogy by Juliet Marillier

Reading Goals

See Also: 2016 Bookish Resolutions shelf

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

Running Total: 9 completed series finished reading -- Goal Failed

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
October: 1 series finished
November: 0 series finished
December: 0 series finished

Because Ms. LaFevers decided to add another two books to her His Fair Assassin series, one of the book series I had thought I would finish this year ended up getting knocked off this list. So I found myself scrambling to find some other series I'd already started, that were also completed, to fulfill this goal. Of course, it probably didn't help that I knocked off two series I'd planned on reading this year off this list as well...

And so now I fail this goal with one series left to finish...

(1) The Dregs by Leigh Bardugo -- COMPLETED 10/12/2016

Already Read: Six of Crows
Read in October: #2. Crooked Kingdom -- 10/12/2016

- 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: 7 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
October: 1 series read
November: 1 series read
December: 0 series read

I feel like I should have flipped some goal numbers around. This goal is coming by pretty well, actually, much better than the one I thought I'd be able to complete by the end of the year... O.o

(1) Voodoo in Mojo by Stephanie Bond -- COMPLETED 10/6/2016

#1. In Deep Voodoo -- 9/12/2016
#2. Voodoo or Die -- 10/6/2016

(2) The Cousins O'Dwyer by Nora Roberts -- COMPLETED 11/14/2016

#1. Dark Witch -- 9/18/2016
#2. Shadow Spell -- 11/1/2016
#3. Blood Magick -- 11/14/2016

- 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

January: Participated in Bout of Books 15 Read-a-thon
February: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
March: Participated in 24 Hour Take Control TBR Pile
April: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
May: Participated in Bout of Books 16 Read-a-thon
June: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
July: Participated in the 24 in 48 Read-a-thon
August: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
September: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
October: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
November: Did not Read-a-thon this month.
December: Did not Read-a-thon this month.

See Also: My Read-a-thon compilation page.

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

Running Total: 27 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
August: 1 new-to-me authors read
September: 6 new-to-me authors read
October: 8 new-to-me authors read

Sarah Addison Allen // The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Alice Hoffman // Practical Magic
Yangsze Choo // The Ghost Bride
Robert Louis Stevenson // The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
China Mieville // Un Lun Dun
Agatha Christie // And Then There Were None
Simone St. James // The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Ray Bradbury // The Halloween Tree

November: 1 new-to-me authors read

Mary Stewart // The Crystal Cave

December: 0 new-to-me authors read

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

Running Total: 40 Mt. TBR Books read -- GOAL COMPLETED 11/12/2016

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
August: 2 books read
September: 3 books read
October: 5 books read

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Beg for Mercy by Jami Alden

November: 4 books read

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon
Whirlpool by Elizabeth Lowell
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

December: 2 books read

The Witness by Nora Roberts
Delicious by Sherry Thomas

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

Overall ramblings: This goal was a lost cause from the moment I started the year off terribly. I could blame health problems. I could blame work stress. I could even blame friends and family for keeping me from being able to stay on track. But in the end, it was truly and really my own lack of motivation that kept me from even doing a thirty-minute speed walk that might have helped this goal out in the long run.

There are no excuses for being unable to finish this goal. I'm not even going to bother filling out the rest of the monthly totals above, because everything is pretty much zero. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope that I can get myself motivated for 2017, even without goals.

- 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

Overall ramblings: Same as what I said about the cardio work outs, though to be fair, even while I'm not really counting them as physical work outs or activities, I AM trying to consistently stretch and do a light amount of strength training every few days of the week. It's not as consistent as I'd like it to be, but better than nothing, I suppose.

- 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

Overall ramblings: This goal just fell apart. I came up with several recipes to learn in December, following a lefter turkey debacle wherein my mother and I tried to figure out what to do with all that meat. We made a pot pie, I made some sandwiches... but I just wasn't really into blogging about them. So while in reality, I DID come up with two more new recipes, in truth, it wasn't like they were really more than just tossing everything into a pan and baking it in the oven.

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

October ramblings: Halloween Bingo continued to prevail. My social life online has been great!

November ramblings: Booklikes was down for too many days of the weeks and I got super frustrated. On top of that, a reading slump made it hard to do any blogging at all even if I wanted to do so. Life sucked!

December ramblings: Reading slump. Reviewing slump. Chaotic health problems. Stressful at work problems. Booklikes community falling apart. At least the holidays had me seeing people in real life more with friends and family...

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

Ani's Book Abyss

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Monday, January 2, 2017

2016 Bookish Resolutions -- Final Progress Report