Mid-Year Blogging Update & Goals

Posted July 1, 2015 / Book Challenges, Features, Personal / Information / Etc. / 16 Comments

2015 halfway2015 has been the first “fresh” year of blogging for me. I started my blog in the middle of July 2014 – eeek, one year anniversary is coming up! – so 2015 was MY YEAR for making up goals, joining year-long challenges, and trying to see if I could survive. I signed up for way too many challenges, but I’ve been actually doing a decent job so far. Here’s a rundown on my challenge progress (in more detail than I usually put in my monthly wrap-ups and what I hope to accomplish with the rest of the year on my blog! (Also, sorry if Livin on a Prayer is stuck in your head now.) (AND, this may be slightly outdated because I’ve finished a couple of books since writing this.)

Reading Stats

Books read: 90 books completed by July 1st
Pages read:
 30,945 (not entirely accurate, because this includes audiobooks)
Genre most read: Contemporary, which surprises no one

2015 so far


Goal/Resolution Updates

Back at the end of December 2014, Top Ten Tuesday asked us for our bookish and blogging resolutions for the following year. My post had five of each, and I thought I’d check in on my progress so far for 2015!
passWrite more original discussion posts: I wrote 7 discussion posts between January and the end of June, so I think that’s pretty good! About one per month. I would definitely like to increase that number, but a part of me kind of likes spacing them out. I feel like I would run out of ideas soon! Aside from “original” discussions, I feel like I’ve done a better job of participating in tags and writing personal posts. My blog has gotten to be a littttle more than just books, which I love! This is definitely a “pass” for me. A+ Lauren.

Complete my Goodreads Challenge (again), except this time with many more books: My Goodreads challenge was originally set for 200 books, but I decided to decrease to 175. I wanted to give myself more freedom to do other things, like watch TV or just relax. I don’t want books to be my ONLY hobby. As of July 1st, the halfway point of the year, I am over the 50% mark! I can consider this one a “pass” even though the year isn’t over; I’m exactly where I want to be.

DNF more books: Although this could be a strange goal, it was important for me. I have a problem with DNFing books for some reason. I feel like I waste my time. BUT, NO MORE! I even DNFed a book by my favorite author because I’ve gotten so good at it 😉 I’ve also secretly started a few audiobooks and DNFed them within the first 10-20 minutes, just because I wasn’t feeling it. Woo!

Only request review books that I’ve been desperate for: If you looked at my request on NetGalley or EW, you’d be impressed. I’ve barely requested anything, and those that I did request are on my major I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW list. I’m very pleased with myself. My reading is all about my moods, so I didn’t want to waste my time requesting books that sounded KINDA interesting, only to feel BLAH about them later on.

ehhhhFind a reading/blogging organizational method that works and doesn’t pressure me: I hopped right on the Foxy Dori train and have been really pleased with it! I have all of my bloggy things in one place. I usually do a good job of taking notes, tracking the books I bought, and writing down quotes. I also use an Excel spreadsheet for tracking review books, reviews I’ve written, books I’ve read, and challenges. I’ve done a good job of keeping up with the challenge tab, but have been bad about the other ones. I also have an Erin Condren planner that I don’t use to its fullest potential. I’m not 100% happy yet, but I’m working on it.

Participate in memes and monthly wrap-ups whenever I want: I definitely still participate in memes and wrap-ups, but I feel weird if I miss them. It seems to be all or nothing for me. I do TTT every single week and LOVE it, so I don’t see that changing… but I feel like I need to link my wrap-ups somewhere! I tried Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, etc. but I just don’t keep up with it. Oh well. We’ll see what happens next.

Interact more with other bloggers: I went to BEA, which was lovely because I got to meet a lot of people, but I need to get out there more. I feel like I’ve actually gotten worse with this. I don’t reach out to people nearly as often as I used to. Maybe I feel like I’m bothering them? I have more bloggers I would consider FRIENDS at this point, so thats a good thing, but feel like I still need to engage and interact more.

Utilize the library like nobody’s business: I’ve been okay with checking things out, but really bad with reading the books! I take out a huge stack and end up reading one of the books. I hope this changes, because I really want to utilize the library instead of spending money. I said that this year is the year for buying books I already read and loved, that way I can’t be mad if I buy a book and dislike it. GO TO THE LIBRARY AND THEN READ THE BOOKS, LAUREN.
failWrite more top 10 lists and recommendation lists: HAHAHA, good one. I started a “Read-Bait” series, which featured books that I wanted to read or loved from certain categories that I consider read-bait. (Like click-bait, except for books.) I think I did five posts out of the ten I had planned. Kind of a fail. Even then, those are more discussion-oriented than “lists.” I did one list of favorite book quotes in April, but otherwise I’ve dropped the ball.

Expand my horizons and follow my mood reading tendencies: So, I’ve done okay with allowing myself to read backlist books and following my mood… but not totally perfect. I have this period of time in the middle of the month where things start to get crazy: I have to read my Book Buddies pick, I have my IRL book club read, the inevitable blog tours I sign up for, and the ARC tour  books that arrive on my doorstep way too often. It’s my own fault, but it definitely hinders my mood reading. I’ve decided to cut back on some of the tours (both blog and ARC) because I really don’t need to read some of these books so early. If it adds stress, why bother?


Challenge Updates

Fairytale (Retelling) Challenge – Goal 30-50% Complete

I’ve read 5 out of 10-15 books for this challenge so far:

  • Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman

My reading plans for the second half of the year: I plan to binge-read the Lunar Chronicles between now and the end of the year, which will account for five more books. I’ll be right on target with that, even if I don’t read any more!

Reread Challenge – Goal 35% Complete

I’ve read 6 out of 17 books for this challenge so far:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

My reading plans for the second half of the year: I’ve been planning on doing my big ol’ Dessen reread soon. The other ones on the list of 17 include all of John Green’s books. I’m not sure if I’m going to get to them, but I definitely want to try. I also want to get to the Libba Bray books I promised myself I’d reread. We’ll see!

105 Challenge – Goal 68% Complete

I’ve read 71 out of 105 books for this challenge so far:

My reading plans for the second half of the year: I’m pretty much done with all of the big, easy categories… so I just have to finish up with a few of the trickier ones! I have a feeling I can handle it, but I’m not going to pressure myself too much.

TBR Pile Challenge – Goal 180% Complete

I’ve read 18 out of 12 books for this challenge so far:

  • The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
  • Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
  • Just One Day by Gayle Forman
  • Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer
  • The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise
  • The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
  • Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
  • Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
  • These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
  • Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
  • Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
  • Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult
  • The Program by Suzanne Young
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  • Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
  • Things I Can’t Forget by Miranda Kenneally
  • Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally
  • Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

My reading plans for the second half of the year: NOTHING! I can do whatever I want, bitches. I’ve already exceed my backlist goal. However, it would be nice if I read more books I already own off of that initial TBR list. We’ll see how I feel.

Library Challenge – Goal 54% Complete

I’ve read 15 out of 28 books for this challenge so far:

  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
  • The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer
  • My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal
  • This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
  • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
  • Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
  • The Falconer by Elizabeth May
  • All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
  • The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
  • Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
  • Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
  • These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
  • Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
  • Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
  • Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

My reading plans for the second half of the year: Instead of buying books I really want to read, I need to start getting them from the library. I need to save money and only buy books I’ve already read and know that I love. I think part of the reason I hardly ever read the books I own is because I’m afraid I won’t like them, and will regret spending money on them…

Flights of Fantasy Challenge – Goal 75% Complete

I’ve read 15 out of 20 books for this challenge so far:

  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
  • Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay
  • The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
  • Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
  • The Falconer by Elizabeth May
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  • Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

My reading plans for the second half of the year: Woooo only five more to go! I know I’ll achieve this just by reading the regular ol’ books I plan to get to.

Audiobook Challenge – Goal 43% Complete

I’ve read 15 out of 35 books for this challenge so far:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
  • Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  • Get Even by Gretchen McNeil
  • Losing It by Cora Carmack
  • Landline by Rainbow Rowell
  • Tease by Amanda Maciel
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
  • When by Victoria Laurie
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
  • Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  • Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

My reading plans for the second half of the year: Because I spent so much time on the Harry Potter audiobooks, I’ve definitely not listened to as many as I expected. I think I should have made a goal more like “listen to x hours of audiobooks” instead of a set number of books. Regardless, I only have couple more of HP to go. I plan to keep mixing audio/physical as well.

Series a Month Challenge
  • None in January
  • February: True Love Trilogy by Kieran Scott, Just One Day by Gayle Forman
  • None in March
  • April: First half of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty
  • May: Second half of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty
  • June: Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally (minus the 2 I’ve already read)

My reading plans for the second half of the year: Because I also joined the Summer of Series, I’m hoping to accomplish this goal pretty easily through those planned series reads for the rest of the summer. I’ve been good so far! We’ll see what happens.


Goals for the Rest of 2015

♥ Keep on trucking with reading whatever I want.

I’ve been good about not requesting a lot of ARCs and really reading what I want to read. I do my best to keep the ARCs going by the right “due date” but I otherwise focus on whatever books I’m in the mood for. It’s really the only way I can enjoy reading.

♥ Relax on the ARC tours a bit.

I really love ARC tours because I can grab and read ARCs that I usually won’t receive from the publisher. It’s a lot of fun and I always get a huge thrill when I see some of my coveted titles appear on their list. I definitely overdo it though. If it’s a book I’m not utterly desperate for, I cannot let myself request it. I just end up stressed out when it arrives.

♥ More discussion posts!

I feel like I was reaaaally good about this for a while, but my blogging schedule has gotten really packed with new features lately! I have so many posts sitting in my drafts; I definitely need to focus on finishing those up.

♥ Get a bit more creative on Instagram.

I love participating in monthly or weekly challenges, but am pretty bad at making my pictures look good. I want to find some more locations around my apartment that will look nice for pictures. I also have a lot of random trinkets all over the place that I can use to make them a little more interesting.


What do you guys think?
How are your challenges going?
Can you believe its July?!

16 responses to “Mid-Year Blogging Update & Goals

  1. You’re killing it at your challenges! And I loved hearing about your updates on your blogging/book goals in your post. I totally think you can get all of them to “pass” status before the year ends 😉 I feel you on being creative with photos, by the way. It’s a personal goal of mine to try and be more thoughtful with photos that I share on Instagram too!

    Alexa S. recently posted: Find Me Tag
  2. Dang, looks like overall you’re doing an amazing job this year Lauren! Some of the things you’re struggling with are things I struggle with – especially the social interaction. I’ve been failing at commenting on other blogs lately, but have been at least trying to tweet links and interact on Twitter when I can. And look, I’m actually commenting on your blog right now so I’ll consider that a minor success! haha. One step at a time, I guess. But hey, I’m super excited you have more discussion posts planned, I’m always a fan! Expect to see them linked in our weekly recap ;D

    (PS. I love your layout! I usually look at all my posts through Feedly so it’s been a while since I’ve actually opened your site – so if this layout is super old sorry! But it’s super pretty!)

    Asti recently posted: Bookish Month: June 2015
  3. Ya know I haven’t even really thought about my 2015 goals until I saw this post haha. Looking back on them, it seems like I’ve been rather ‘eh’ overall on my goals. I’ve been doing fairly well on 3 our of my 7 goals, so I guess that’s good 🙂

    Looks like you’ve been doing pretty awesome on your goals and reading challenges! Congrats 😀 I’ve been trying to find a good blogging organizational method too and have started using a planner these past couple months. I mostly use it to plan posts and create to-do lists for blogging related things. It’s been somewhat useful but I need to get myself more in the habit of using it regularly.

  4. I know I’m super late to comment on this post, but YAY FOR YOUR EXCELLENT UPDATE! I loved reading through your goals, your progress on them and finding out what you’re aiming for in the rest of 2015. I can’t wait to see how you’ve done at the end of the year, and I have no doubt it will be lots of completed goals!

    Hannah @ So Obsessed With recently posted: July 2015: Recap + On My Shelves

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