Dear Readers,
Believe it or not, we’ve reached the halfway mark of 2021! This year is definitely speeding by faster than I expected and it’s already time for a progress check on my New Year’s Resolutions. I made a lot of ambitious goals in January for both reading and blogging, but to be honest I haven’t actually checked that I’m keeping up with them until now. It’s time for a progress check!
Reading Resolutions
- Read 40 or more books.
- So far I’ve read 30/40 books, so I’m well ahead of my reading goal! (By 10 books, to be exact).
- Read at least 8 books by queer authors.
- I’m going to change this resolution to books that center queer experiences because I’m more comfortable talking about the contents of a book than the author’s personal information. Anyway, I’ve read 10 books that center LGBTQIA+ characters so I’ve completed this resolution!
- Read at least 3 graphic novels.
- I’ve read 4 graphic novels so far this year, so I’ve completed this goal! If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend the Monstress graphic novel series. The 6th volume comes out this year and I absolutely cannot wait.
- Read at least 2 full books in Spanish.
- I haven’t even read 1! I honestly forgot about this resolution so I guess it’s time to find a book in spanish.
- Read at least 2 horror novels
- So far I’ve read and reviewed exactly 1 horror novel (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) so there’s plenty of time to pick up one more!
New Year’s Resolutions for Blogging
- Post at least 1 time every week.
- Ha. Hahaha. If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you know I struggle to post consistently. I did not post at least 1 time a week this year, BUT I’ve been posting relatively consistently for over 2 months now, and I’m proud of myself for that.
- Make season-themed headings throughout the year.
- Pretty sure I’ve reused the spring heading for a couple of summer posts, but I created a heading for My YA Summer so it counts.
- Post at least twice a week on Instagram.
- Nope. 🙂
- Start making reels/video story things on Instagram.
- Yes! I’ve made 2 reels on Instagram and started getting more creative with my stories (when I’m feeling up to it.)
Summary
Goals Complete
- Read 8 books
by queer authorsthat center queer experiences - Read at least 3 graphic novels
- Star making reels on Instagram
In Progress Goals
- Read 40 or more books
- Read at least 2 horror novels
- Make season-themed headings throughout the year
Goals to Start
- Read 2 full books in Spanish
Failed Goals
- Post at least 1 time a week
- Post at least twice a week on Instagram
Overall, I completed 3 goals and only failed 2 in the first half of the year, so I’ll call that a win!
Reading Challenges
The 2021 SFF Badge Collection
Alex at Spells and Spaceships started the 2021 SFF Badge Collection this year, and it’s probably my favorite for all the challenges I’m doing. So far I’ve collected 17 out of 21 badges. The last badge is a gimme once I’ve collect all the others so I only have 3 more books left! I need to read an SPFBO finalist, a book set at sea, and a post-apocalyptic book to complete the challenege.
Turtle Recall Reading Challenge
This year I decided to participate in Annemieke’s Discworld reading challenge level 2: 6-10 Discworld books. So far I’ve only read Mort, the first book that features Death. I started reading Reaper Man, but life got busy and I never got to finish it. Oh, well. I have the rest of the year to read 5 more Discworld books!
The 2021 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
For The Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge I decided to go with the Baker’s Dozen: one book from 13 of the categories.
As it turns out, I already finished this challenge! I thought about leveling up since I completed this challenge, but since I still have two other challenges to complete I’ve decided not to worry about it. I have one challenge done and can spend the rest of the year working on the others! Here’s a table of all the books that fit the prompts:
| Category | Prompt | Book |
| 1. Challenges | A book over 500 pages | A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir |
| 2. Shapes and Colors | A book with a shape-shifting character | When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo |
| 3. Shhh… | A book with a peaceful cover | Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn |
| 4. Borrowing | A book borrowed from the library | The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin |
| 5. Bringing the Word Into Your Home | A book about a culture other than your own | Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas |
| 6. TBR Burner | A book you’re excited to read | Monstress Vol. 2: The Blood by Marjorie M. Lui |
| 7. Who’s in Charge? | A book about an empire | The Unbroken by C.L. Clark |
| 8. Where You Sleep at Night | A book about a hotel | The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James |
| 9. The Tools of Writing | A paperback book | Monstress Vol 3: Haven by Marjorie M. Lui |
| 10. That Creepy Feeling | A horror story or thriller | The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson |
| 11. Swashbuckling | A rollicking adventure story | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams |
| 12. Favorites | A book in your favorite genre | Mort by Terry Pratchett |
| 13. Crossing Boundaries | A book about an interracial romance | Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers |
Closing Thoughts
I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made this year. After I made my goals in January I decided to do my best to follow them, but not to stress about it. So far it’s worked out!
Since I read so many books the first half of the year I’ve gotten ahead of a lot of my reading goals. Instead of increasing my goals, I’ve decided to focus on improving my blog for the rest of the year. I have the most difficulty with posting consistently so I bought a planner and have started mapping out my posts for the month. Hopefully it works!
Finally, since my mid-year wrap-up ended up being longer than I expected, I decided to do my reading round-up on Instagram. Head over to @wordwiilderness if you’d like to see which books I finished this month!
How are your goals going this year?
Isabel
Peyton
Congratulations on achieving so many goals! May the second half of the year be equally successful or better. I found out about the pick-your-poison challenge from you, so thanks as well, I’m having fun with it.
I’m so glad you liked that challenge too and thank you for the lovely comment!
I’m not doing GREAT with my reading challenges this year, but I’m definitely making progress! That’s all that matters, right? 😅 Love your blog – new follower (and I added you on Goodreads, Insta, Twitter, etc.) Not stalkery, I swear!! Just really like your blog and think we have similar reading interests.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Lindsi recently posted…It’s My Birthday!
Progress is always good! I always have to remind myself that reading goals are supposed to be fun, not meant to put extra pressure on myself. I’m glad you like my blog and thanks for giving me a follow!
You are doing awesome on all your challenges. <3
Annemieke recently posted…Beautiful Covers That Make Me Want to Buy the Book (But I Haven’t Yet) | #TopTenTuesday 299
Thank you!