Sarah the Librarian

As usual I'll be attempting to read 100 books in 2018. Total Books Read: 102 of 100 I'm also going to valiantly try to read 20 books I own and get through the backlog on my bookcase. It would really help if I didn't do so much of my reading on audio (nearly all of which are borrowed at work) or get distracted when I'm looking for my next print read by all the pretty books at work. Books I Own: 2 of 20 Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl  by Carol Bodensteiner Say No to the Bro  by Kat Helgeson I'm also adjusting my series finishing goal this year. Life is too short to spend finishing series I only feel meh about, so finishing 5 series this year is plenty. Series Finished/Caught Up: 10 of 5 The War That Saved My Life Series by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Six of Crows Series by Leigh Bardugo A Narwhal and Jelly Book Series by Ben Clanton His Fair Assassin Series by Robin LaFevers (next book expected in 2019) A Court of Thorns and Ro...

Ever since my grandmother bought a book about all the presidents for one of my early birthdays, I've had a bit of an obsession with the (so far only) men who've occupied the highest office in the nation. This has manifested itself in various ways over the years, but with my recent obsession with reading lists, I've decided to go ahead and try to read a book about each President in order. #1 - George Washington - George Washington  by Ron Chernow - finished 10/23/2017 #1 - George Washington - George Washington  by John MacGregor Burns - finished 2/8/2018 #1 - George Washington - You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington  by Alexis Coe - finished 1/3/2021 #2 - John Adams - John Adams  by David McCullough - finished c. 7/2003 #2 - John Adams - John Adams  by John Patrick Diggins - finished 2/16/2018 #3 - Thomas Jefferson - Thomas Jefferson  by Joyce Appleby - finished 3/1/2018 #4 - James Madison - James Madison  by Gary W...

Last year, I just barely squeaked out my 100 books, so I'm going to do attempt doing the same this year. Total Books: 102 of 100 My year of reading in review on GoodReads As in previous years, I'd also like to focus on reading books I own that have been languishing on my shelves. I'll be a little more realistic in my goal, though, and try to make this year the first I actually reach this particular milestone. Books I Own: 16 of 25 The Elephants in My Backyard: A Memoir  by Rajiv Surendra Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story  by Jewel Suddenly One Summer  by Julie James On the Construction Site  by Carron Brown On the Space Station  by Carron Brown Secrets of the Seashore  by Carron Brown Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here  by Anna Breslaw Breaking Character  by Cameron Grey Finanicial Peace Junior: Teaching Kids How to Win With Money  by Dave Ramsey The Wedding Trap  by Adrienne Bell The 500 Hats of Bartholome...

I just barely got through my 100 book goal this year (and I'll admit, there were a lot of children's books padding that total), but I have to say I really enjoyed what I read. So now, without further ado, my favorites from what I read this year: The Holy Bible  - This was, without a doubt, my biggest reading accomplishment of the year. A feat I've attempted several times, but 2016 was the year I was successful. Reading this epic work as a whole helped me make sense of the less exciting parts and get a much better big picture view of the work as whole. Hamilton: The Revolution  by Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jeremy McCarter  - Was there anything I was more obsessed with this year than  Hamilton ? That's why this annotated script interspersed with short pieces about the show that's revolutionized Broadway has to be on this list. In 2017, I have tickets to finally see the production in Chicago. White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America ...

It's funny, because I'm now in a position where I don't buy a lot of books, and even then they're more technical manuals and online reference materials than books you read from cover to cover for enjoyment. But my habit of reviewing what I read on my own time is certainly still in tact. And I do find the easy organization of what I've read in Goodreads to be a really helpful Readers Advisory tool, especially now that answering random questions at the reference desk is just about the only time I spend any significant time on RA. Anyway, I felt this milestone should be marked, but I'm out of profound organized thoughts on the subject.

As has become the norm in recent years, I'm going to try to read 100 books total, but I'm not going to get picky about counting them, so how ever many books Goodreads said I read this year is my total. Progress: 100 of 100 I really hated reading from a specific list of titles last year, so this year I'm going to go back to an Alphabet Soup Challenge. This year, I'll try to read a book written by an author whose last name starts with each of the 26 letters of the alphabet. Progress: 23 of 26 A: Alire, Benjamin Saenz - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe B: Bradley, Anna - A Wicked Way to Win an Earl C: Cline, Ernest - Ready Player One D: Dickens, Charles - Oliver Twist E: Ellison, Ralph -   Invisible Man F: Faulkner, William - Absalom, Absalom! G: Garcia, Kami and Margaret Stohl - Beautiful Darkness H: Holm, Jennifer L. - The Fourteenth Goldfish I: Ishiguro, Kazuo - The Remains of the Day J: Johnston, Aaron and Orson Scott Card - Ea...

This year I'm squeaking in under the wire with 100 books in my Goodreads timeline, although I'll admit a lot of them are picture books I've read with my kids, but I guess the millions of times I read and re-read most of them covers about the same amount of time as a longer book. I tried to focus on reading classics of literature for my main reading challenge and I really didn't get very far. I'm glad I tried and I did find some new favorites, but the ones that weren't favorites were a real slog to get through and it really slowed me down. I still managed to keep up the trend of finishing a lot of series and I got better about reading the books I own, so that's something. Without further ado, my top 5 reads of 2015 and 10 honorable mentions (listed in alphabetical order) Daring Greatly  by Brene Brown (2012) I've heard about Brene Brown for years, but finally reading one of her books just crystalized in my heart a lot of things that I alrea...