So – how is your spring reading going? We’re 2/3rds through Spring Reading Thing 2009 and only have one month left to see if we can accomplish our goals.
Me? Not so great. I can say with near certainty that I will not finish my SRT ’09 list.
I can identify two contributing factors:
1. Illness. The boys and I have been sick for the last two weeks, taking turns as to who is the sickest. It’s been great fun (not), but has most definitely interfered with my reading. With my head and sinuses pounding, I’ve had a hard time actually staring at a book, so I resorted to my iPod many nights in a row. In addition to podcasts, I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of Life of Pi (which was not on my list, but I’m enjoying it nonetheless).
2. Even with the illness, I think I could have finished my books if it were not for one thing: I took on far too many additional book reviews / blog tours this spring. I’ve read four books this spring specifically for giveaways, that were not on my spring reading list, and therein lies the problem. I don’t at all regret reading those books — they were good, and I’m glad to participate in blog tours so I can give more free books away to you! But I had made an ambitious (for me) list to begin with and there just wasn’t much wiggle room. Definitely something to remember for the future: Either leave flex-room in my list for blog tours, or don’t take any on if I want to finish my list!
Despite the fact that I won’t get through all my books, I do have to say that I’ve enjoyed almost every book I have read this spring. It’s been a good variety, so in that sense, Spring Reading Thing 2009 has certainly been a success for me.
How’s it going for you? Do you think you’ll finish your books in the next month? Are you enjoying your reading?
I put too many nonfiction books on my list knowing it is not my favorite and it takes me longer to read.
I think I’m doing pretty well. I need to check and see.
My daughter — I don’t know if she’ll finish her list (mostly because of availability), but oh MY has she read a lot of books!
I’m pretty happy with where I am at this point {and proud since I finished 2 non-fiction books!}. I need to reprint my list…since my other one wandered off…and start checking them off.
Hope you all are feeling MUCH better soon!
Jolanthe
http://noordinarymomentsblog.com
I hope you and boys start feeling better soon, Katrina. Illness hit our house pretty hard back in March; I was the only one who didn’t get sick.
As for the Spring Reading Thing, ironically I just finished a book, American Wife, off my list last night. So I’m now 3/4ths of the way through with only two books to go, Pride and Prejudice and Stoner. I’ve never done this good with your challenge, Katrina!
It’s such a shame that you and your boys have been so sick. Hope your reading life is back to normal soon.
I’ve done pretty well with the challenge, considering I’m such a slow reader. I’ve read eight books, and have four more going right now that I should be able to finish by next month. Only one of the books was on my initial list of titles I thought I might read, so I’ve done quite a bit of “adjusting” along the way, but it’s been fun. Now I just need to make myself sit down and write some reviews!
I could still make it. But I keep picking up other books. We’ll see if I can buckle down for the last few books.
My problem is the library. Again. I have to stop relying on the library to get my books in at decent intervals instead of waiting for two months and then finally getting them all at once! That being said, I only have 5 more books to read, if they would just get here!
Despite starting a new job and being to tired to read some days, I am on the last book on my list! This partly do the fact that I was a bit more realistic in making a list than usual. But it also has to do with picking books that are really good and hard to put down once I start them!
That’s funny, I posted about this today. I’m doing pretty good. I think I might just finish, although I’m about a 1/3 of the way through a non-fiction one that is slowing me down. Not because it’s not good but just because it’s tougher reading and I have to concentrate more. I find the same as you with the book tours. I make my list and then these wonderful books get offered and I can’t turn them down. LOL. I’ve really enjoyed my spring reads so far, and think I didn’t overwhelm myself too terribly as is my habit with the challenges.
Hope you and the boys are feeling better soon!
I think I am going to finish my list for the first time! I have 2 books left but I have started both of them. I should be finished after this weekend.. I guess I made my list a little small this time.. but I really wanted to finish my list this time!
I made a list that was way too ambition to begin with, so I seriously doubt I will finish it. But I am hunkering down to give it the old college try.
I’ve finished 9 out of the 15 on my list, plus gave up on one that was on the list. Another 2 are waiting for me at the library right now, and I’m reading/listening to 2 that weren’t on the list. So I’m about 2/3 through my list, which works out! Ultimately my goal was to read 15 books so I should reach that goal – whether it’s the 15 books I had originally planned on still remains to be seen.
I’m not going to finish my list but I am having a great time. I have read a few that were not on my list as well. One of the goals I had this time was to not purchase any of my books, to only borrow them or buy them at garage sales. This held me up a while on my last one becuase I was waiting for Friday Night Knitting Club to come back to the library for our Book Club. I have to have that done by next week so i put off starting something new, hoping it would be returned any day. I was able to get it about 2 days ago. I am enjoying it so far.
BTW!!! I received my copy of How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler that I won from you yesterday!!! Thank you again and I can’t wait to read it!
I too added a lot of books to my original list so I doubt I’ll finish it but I’m giving it a good shot!
Oh my. I didn’t realize how much time was left. I’m not sure I’ll get done either, and I only had 5 books!
Sorry to here about the sick “bug” going around your house. Funny you should ask…I just posted Monday about my progress. Now that I have revamped my list I’m doing great! I should be able to finish my revamped list and possibly be able to add one more to it. But we’ll see.
I had to stop reading all fun books due to school last month, so i’m only now starting to read again. i have 10 more books on my list.
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Hope things mellow out for your family soon! I’m doing pretty good, but I didn’t pick very many books and they are all Newbery winners–easy reading! It’s a good thing too, because things have been busy.
I won’t finish. Had the hardest time with non-fiction as usual. Like you I ended up with more books on my “forgotten” list. There were 10 of them; 4 for judging, 2 for Bethany House, and others for review I forgot about. Sigh… I don’t have them all listed because as I said, 4 were for judging. Got all my YA read! Yahoo. Didn’t get a couple of the books I’d hoped for review, but that’s ok. Allows me to read the ones I do have. I’m so behind that I’m thinking about cutting waaaay back on my reviews. They’re just too hard. Oh my goodness, I just remembered I was given 4 other books for review that aren’t anywhere on my list and I have yet to crack a single one. The reading will never end…
I might finish with mine, I kept it a little short! Two books left and I started on one of those yesterday so if I don’t get bogged down with one of them I hope to finish. It seems I left two of the longest books for last!
I’m the same as a lot of people, put a bunch of non-fiction that I “should” read on the list and haven’t made any progress.
I have read tons of fiction, but that doesn’t really count as a challenge.
I’m sorry about the health issues – sick kids are never fun, and when Mom’s sick on top of it…
I’m doing okay – I have three books left, and I’m in progress on two of them. Not sure if I’ll finish them all, but I’m happy with how many I have crossed of my list. There would be more if I hadn’t gone on a YA bender, reading the Uglies series, The Hunger Games, and Graceling.
Sorry you and yours have been dealing with sickness, not fun especially with summer just around the corner.
Once I finish the book I’m reading, I will have four left of my original eleven. Two of those four I have here on my shelf, but the other two are still listed as ‘on order’ at the library – I’m hoping that they’ll arrive shortly. I have read an additional twelve books (13 if you count the new Gosselin book that really wasn’t all that substantial) not on my original list.
Some of the best I’ve read so far…
The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir
Shame by Greg Garrett
The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter
Happy Reading all!
I have 3 left to read and I have started 2 of them. I just might get it all done before the challenge is over. I am a high school teacher and the last 4 weeks of school are just a mess! But, Friday was the last day for students so I am looking forward to many hours of sitting on my back porch with my books.
I’m sorry about the illness in your family. Of course, taking care of the kids comes first. I hope the summer will be better for you.
I have a list of 21 books and have finished reading 17 of those. I only posted 7 reviews so far, though, but I hope to catch up on the reviews in the next couple of weeks. This is nothing compared to the reading so many of you do, but it has been a real challenge for me. A good challenge. I expect to finish reading all of the books I listed, plus a couple more that I have since committed to reviewing, but I’m not sure that I will get all the reviews up in time.
I’m with you…when I set up these lists, I don’t take into account the luscious brand-spankin-new books I get in the mail to review…
Sorry you’ve been sick; that’s always icky.