Rabbit Hole #61: 2016 Reading Wrap-up

2016: The year that was. In spite of all the drama that 2016 brought with it, and in spite of the fact I felt like I was just in a reading slump for most of it, it still turned out be a pretty decent reading year. Looking back on my 2016 goals, though, I realize I still could have done better.

2016 goals and results: 

1. Read 75 books this year: Nailed it. I actually read 87 this year, for a total of 24, 122 pages.

2. Read 50% books written by people of color and 50% books written by women: 46% of my books were by people of color (so close!) and 72% actually ended up written by women. I'm calling that a win (especially since my percentage of non-white authors in 2015 was only 37%).

3. Read 30% books from non-American/British authors: Fail. Less than 10%. I really do want to focus more on this in the coming year, but looking at my pile already, I'm not sure if it will.

4. Complete three reading challenges: Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge, PopSugar's 2016 Reading Challenge, and Bustle's Women and Persons of Color Reading Challenge: I didn't complete any of them, but I did come close. (Actually, if I had allowed myself to use a book more than once, I probably would have completed at least two of them, but I was stubborn about only using a book once.) I'll post the link to the full challenges and what I accomplished below.

5. Purge my bookshelves at least once a quarter: Eh...maybe not once a quarter. But I have gotten rid of probably 20-30 books this year. I've even found myself putting a book into the donate pile as soon as I've read it; it never had a chance on my shelf.

I'm still figuring out my 2017 goals, so that post will be coming soon. They're probably going to look fairly similar, but there are some new things I want to try. 

(If you're interested in my reading challenge results, the link is here.)

Rabbit Hole #57: October/November Update

I'm back!! These two months. . .there are not enough words to describe them. I have been reading because one needs an escape in these unreal times, but nowhere near my pace last year. (I knew that was going to be tough--last year was a definite anomaly!). I am reading substantially more than two years ago, though. Look for a new In/Out post later this week!

Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 15/20)

Reread a favorite book from childhood: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle (4 stars)

Book about women in war: Girl at War by Sara Novic (4 stars)


PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 36/41)

A book from Oprah's Book Club: Ruby by Cynthia Bond (4 stars)


Read Harder Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 21/24)

A dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel: Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (4.5 stars)

A book of historical fiction set before 1900: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (3 stars)

The first book in a series by a person of color: Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (4 stars)


Non-challenge reads: 

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter (5 stars)

Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sandition by Jane Austen (finished the trio of novellas) (3 stars)

Definitely me this year

Rabbit Hole #55: September Reading Update

Still battling a weird reading slump/rut, so only seven books this month, and wondering if it's because of the three challenges. I feel a bit locked in; there's not a lot of wiggle room for me to read things outside of the tasks. I am reading a lot of amazing books, don't get me wrong, but lesson learned for next year, I think.


Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 35/41)

A National Book Award winner: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (4 stars)

A book 100 years older than you: Lady Susan by Jane Austen (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Challenge (Current Completion: 13/20)

YA book by an author of color: Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai (3.5 stars)

Post-apocalyptic fiction written by a woman: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (3.5 stars)


Read Harder Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 18/24)

A food memoir: Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Meaning by Kim Sunée (4 stars)




Non-challenge books completed: 

March, Book 3 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (4.5 stars) 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (4 stars)


Check my weekly In/Out posts for more information on the completed reads!

Rabbit Hole #49: August Reading Update

Six books this month (Well, seven really, but Abby Cadabby is kinda tiny!) Not as much as I had hoped, but given I'm back at work this month, and things are always a little hectic getting back into the school year, I'm ok with it for this month. I'm slowly ticking off the challenge reads--only 24 left!! (I think I can, I think I can. . . )

Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 33/41)

A book from the library: Villa America by Liza Klausmann (3 stars)

A dystopian novel: The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Challenge (Current Completion: 11/20)

A book set in the Middle East: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (4.5 stars)

Read a children's book aloud: Abby Cadabby's Rhyme Time by P. J. Shaw (no rating)


Read Harder Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 17/24)

A book with a main character with mental illness: The Round House by Louise Erdrich (4.5 stars)

A book about politics, fiction or nonfiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (5 stars)




Non-challenge books completed: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (2 stars)



Check my weekly In/Out posts for more information on the completed reads!

The struggle is real, y'all!

Rabbit Hole #44: July Reading Update

July was a whirlwind of a month. Between going back to the Good Life for ten days and then having guests in and out of New Orleans the rest of the month, I'm just now starting to catch my breath--just in time for school to start up in a week and a half.

August is drenched in the tears of teachers. 

All of the company was partially responsible for a slow reading month for me, both in terms of actual time spent reading and books completed--I mean, who wouldn't rather be out and about spending time with those you love?  The books I read were also rather lackluster; other than The Vegetarian, there really weren't any grabbed me which made it hard to sit down and actually read for any length of time. (I would really recommend that one, though; it's well worth the read.)

All of that said, here are the month's accomplishments:

Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge

A YA bestseller: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (3 stars)
A book that takes place in summer: The Vacationers by Emma Straub (2 stars)
A book recommended by a family member: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children--Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Challenge

A feminist science fiction novel: The Female Man by Joanna Russ (3 stars)


Read Harder Challenge 2016

A book by a Southeast Asian author: The Vegetarian by Han Kang--South Korea (4 stars)



Non-challenge books completed: Refuge/es by Michael Broek (3 stars)

I'm currently reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, which I highly recommend to anyone, and Villa America by Liza Klausmann, about the 1920s, the French Riviera, and the wonderful messed-up Lost Generation gang.

Rabbit Hole #41: May Reading Update

As of today, I'm at 42/85 books for the three reading challenges I'm doing. Considering the reading slump I was in the past couple of months, I'm really happy with that. I'm also pretty sure I'm not going to finish anything else in the next two days, so here's what I read in May:


Pop Sugar Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 23/41)

A murder mystery: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (3 stars)

A satirical book: The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (4 stars)

A book and its prequel: Yellow Brick War (4 stars) and Dorothy Must Die Stories, Vol. 1 by Danielle Paige (3 stars)

A classic from the 20th century: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (3 stars)


Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 7/20)

First book in a new series: Alice by Christina Henry (4 stars)


Read Harder Challenge 2016 (Current Completion: 12/24)

A nonfiction book about science: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert (4 stars)

A collection of essays: Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver (4 stars)

A nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes: The Secret Life of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore (3 stars)

A book under 100 pages: for colored girls who've considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf  by Ntozake Shange (5 stars)

A play: The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (4 stars)

A book over 500 pages: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (4 stars)



Non-challenge books finished: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (4 stars), The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (3 stars), and Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza (3 stars)



And because it's the end of May...

Rabbit Hole #40: January-April 2016 Reading Reflection

I started this year with a pretty ambitious goal: to complete three reading challenges for a total of 84 books. Given how many books I was able to read last year, I thought, and still think, this is an achievable goal, but I do wish I had focused on one challenge at a time. Looking at all the challenges and bouncing between them tends to get overwhelming; I never really feel as though I'm accomplishing anything.

To date, I've read books for 31 of the challenge tasks. Here are some of the high--and low--points:

1. Nonfiction for the win! I've read some amazing nonfiction titles in the last four months: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock, My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem, The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Camon and Shana Khizhnik, Slave by Mende Nazar, Year of Yes by Shonda Rimes, and As You Wish by Cary Elwes. They covered very disparate topics, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I was rather disappointed by The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore, though. I really thought it would focus more on the actual comic; however, it turned out to be more of a biography on the creator. (And the writing bothered me. The sentence structure was one I would scold my students about using.)  I never thought I'd be one for reading much nonfiction, but these past few years have been proving me wrong--there are so many authors writing in such an accessible way that they take nonfiction from mundane facts and statistics to well-written, engaging reads.

2. At this point, traditional sci-fi and I don't get along. I was really excited about finally reading some Ursula K. LeGuin, but I just struggled to make any connections with the characters in The Dispossessed. I do have her Left Hand of Darkness for another task, and Joanna Russ's The Female Man so I'm hoping something may click. I loved Octavia Butler, but otherwise, most sci-fi just seems cold and clinical to me.

3. Why is it so many series suffer from the sophomore slump? I just finished Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy, and while I loved the first and third books, the second just was...meh. I've noticed that with a lot of other series as well. Anyone have any ideas?

4. I really do love magical realism. I got hooked many years ago reading Isabel Allende's The House of Spirits, and this year, Tiphanie Yanique's Land of Love and Drowning and Karen Russell's Vampires in the Lemon Grove are two of the best books I've read so far.

I'm starting off the second quarter with a lot of fantasy/retellings/paranormal reads. I think I just need to ease my way out of the school year with "lighter" reads, and save the heavier reads for this summer (which may seem counter-intuitive, I know). I also look forward to my reading picking up again; March and April really felt as if I were slogging through everything, and I was in a bit of a slump.

To the next four months!

Rabbit Hole #38: April Reading Update

April was bit better for reading. Even though we've had lots of visitors and events going on, I ended up reading seven books (well, sort of--I read most of the Steinbeck in March, but finished it the first few days of April), a couple of which were over 500 pages. I'm planning on doing a review of the first quarter of the year in a couple of weeks, so be on the look out for that as well.

PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 18/41 challenges)

A book about a road trip: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck (3 stars)

A book you can finish in a day: Krishna--The Journey Within by Abhishek Singh (4 stars)

A book longer than 600 pages: Winter by Marissa Meyer (3 stars)

A book with a protagonist with your profession (teacher): On Beauty by Zadie Smith (4 stars)

A book guaranteed to bring you joy: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (4 stars)



Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Current Completion: 6/20 challenges)

A book in translation: The Scattered Papers of Penelope--New and Selected Poems by Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke (Greek) (4 stars)

A memoir from someone who identifies LGBTQIA: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (4 stars)



Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge (Current Completion: 6/24 challenges)

Nothing finished for the Book Riot Challenge this month.

Rabbit Hole #36: March Reading Update

This month...ugh. Reading was a struggle, and I have no idea why. I just could not motivate myself to sit down and read for any length of time.  I did manage to finish 5 books; 3 of which were relatively short, but...tomorrow's a new month!

PopSugar Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 13/41 challenges)

A book under 150 pages: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn; 139 pgs (3 stars)

A book written by a celebrity: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (4 stars)

A book translated to English: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; Portuguese (3 stars)

A political memoir: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (5 stars)



Bustle Reading Challenge 2016 (Currently Completed: 4/20 challenges)

A contemporary collection of poetry: Bellocq's Ophelia by Natasha Trethewey (5 stars)




Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2016  (Currently Completed: 6/24 challenges)

I didn't complete any of the challenges on this list this month.

I may be a little overwhelmed by the challenges I set for myself . . . not giving up yet!!

Rabbit Hole #35: February Reading Update

February was a weird reading month. With Mardi Gras in the first week, and some other personal things going on, I wasn't reading as consistently as I have been. I still managed to complete 9 challenges, but really only because three were graphic novels/comic collections, and because Shonda Rhimes' amazing book was a quick read just over 100 pages.

That being said, I managed to read some really great books. I can't remember the last time I had three 5 star reads in one month! (Interestingly, they were all nonfiction books.)

Bustle Women/POC Reading Challenge (Currently completed: 3/20 challenges)

Book about an immigrant or refugee to America: Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi (5 stars)

A graphic novel written by a woman: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (4 stars)


PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge (Currently completed: 9/41 challenges)

A graphic novel: Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh (4 stars)

A self-improvement book: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes (5 stars)

A book that takes place on an island: Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique (4 stars)



Read Harder Challenge 2016  (Currently completed: 6/24 challenges)

A non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years: Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, et al. (4 stars) 

A book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie: Which is better?: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt** (4 stars)

A book originally published in the decade you were born: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) (3 stars)

A biography: The Notorious RBG: The Lives and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (5 stars)


**This is one of the few reading challenges that was a reread for me, as it was a book club choice. For me, it's a tie between the book and the movie. I really loved the movie, especially the portrayals of Minerva and Chablis (played by the Lady herself!). The book, however, gives a wider look at Savannah at the time and all of the city's secrets, a lot of which is left out of the movie.

Rabbit Hole #34: January Reading Update

Where in the world has January gone?!? Seems like we just ended 2015!

My January reading update follows. I'm trying to complete three reading challenges this year, so these are the tasks I've completed for each one, followed by other books that don't quite fit into any of the categories. To date, I've been able to complete all of the tasks with books I already own, helping to whittle down my TBR shelf.

Read Harder Challenge 2016: 
A middle grade novel: Esperanza Rising by Pam Nunoz Ryan
A book set in the Middle East: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye


Bustle Women/People of Color Challenge: 
Written by a woman under 25: Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazar and Damien Lewis


PopSugar 2016 Challenge: 
Based on a fairy tale: Beauty by Sarah Pinborough
NY Times Bestseller: The Middleman and Other Stories by Bharati Mukherjee
Book of poetry: Dirty Pretty Things by Michael Faudet
A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: The Incarnations by Susan Barker
A book with a blue cover: Dryland by Sara Jaffe
The first book you see in a bookstore: After Alice by Gregory Maguire



Other books read: 
I also read The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo, Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell, and I FINALLY finished French Quarter: An Informal History of New Orleans' Underworld by Herbert Asbury. 

Rabbit Hole #32: 2016 Reading Goals

2015 was an interesting reading year for me. Even though we had enormous changes in our lives, I managed to read 135 books, which is a tremendous increase over my normal 50 books per year. As I've said before, I really have no explanation for it, but I'm not complaining. I'm looking forward to a rewarding reading year this year, as well.

I'm not usually one for setting reading goals, but here are my top 5 for 2016:

1. Read 75 books this year. (I know I almost doubled that last year, but I think that was an anomaly.)

2. Read 50% books written by people of color and 50% books written by women.

3. Read 30% books from non-American/British authors. Reading more works in translation will also help with this.

4. Complete three reading challenges: Book Riot's Read Harder 2016 Challenge, PopSugar's 2016 Reading Challenge, and Bustle's Women and Persons of Color Reading Challenge. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of categories that overlap between the three, so this will be a lot of fun.

5. Purge my bookshelves at least once a quarter. I am a chronic book-hoarder, and I've noticed recently that while I love a large number of the books I own, there are also books on there that I either can't remember the plot of, or that I just didn't really like (I'm looking at you, American Psycho). I'm not talking about paring down to a minimalist look, just getting rid of those 5-10 books every few months that don't mean anything to me.

These should all be easy to accomplish, especially given last year's accomplishments, and guaranteed to introduce me to some incredible reads!

(I know this is Allie Brosh's work, but not sure where it came from.
Please let me know if you do!)