Well, it is the last Sunday Salon of 2008. Though I have not participated as much in the latter part of the year, finding this group has been a great experience. I love talking about and sharing experiences with books. Looking back it has been a very successful reading year for me and in part that is because of blogging and fellow book bloggers. Thanks to all of your for sharing your insights and expereinces.
I am curious to know how you enjoyed 2008 and what you will be doing in 2009.
What was the best book you read in 2008?
What are your reading goals for 2009?
How has The Sunday Salon impacted your reading experience?
Is there one book you read in the past year and enjoyed that you would have never read without the encouragement of your fellow bloggers?
What is one of the things that motivates you to read?
The best young adult book I read in 2008 was easily Wake, though there were other great young adult books I read, this book had a uniqueness that I really found refreshing. The best adult book I read was The Sixteen Pleasures or The Handmaid's Tale. I find it really hard to pick a book and be fair to the whole year. I think we generally tend to pick newer reads as favorites.
2009
I have a lot of book related goals for 2009. But one of the biggest ones is that I am going to keep better track of the books I have read. I am going to join a 100 books challenge and make a post for it and just keep it updated as I finish books. So the goal is in two parts, to keep records and to read 100 books in the year. So far I have read approximately 85 books in 2008. Because I didn't keep good records I can't know how many for sure. But when I was adding up the titles I felt a great sense of accomplishment.
I am also making a conscious effort to add more variety in my reading. This includes more classic young adult, popular fiction (aka "fluff"), classics, and more science fiction. Are you planning on reading any genre or author new to you in 2009?
The Sunday Salon has been great for me because I don't read book reviews. I don't like to know much about a book before I read it. But I love to read about how a person reacted and interacted with a book. I particularly enjoy reading passages that speak to a reader. There are definitely books that I pulled off my shelf after seeing other bloggers and saloners talk about them. Also it was fun to be exposed to new books and then find them while book shopping. Even when I have not read a book finding it in a thrift store makes me feel like I am sharing a special secret with a person that enjoyed it.
I find the idea of sharing what I am reading very motivating. Also mini goals publically encourages me even when I don't complete them. Hearing about author's lives and writing experiences also excites me to read their books. I love reading interviews and guest posts and participating in contests.
I still have 5 books left to finish my Well Read Challenge befor the end of the year as I had hoped to. I have abandoned some of my 13 books from a few weeks ago to focus on the smaller challenge. The five books I am rushing to complete are Stranger in a Strange Land, Hitchhiker's Guife to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Cat's Eye, and The Iron Heel.
I am curious to know how you enjoyed 2008 and what you will be doing in 2009.
What was the best book you read in 2008?
What are your reading goals for 2009?
How has The Sunday Salon impacted your reading experience?
Is there one book you read in the past year and enjoyed that you would have never read without the encouragement of your fellow bloggers?
What is one of the things that motivates you to read?
The best young adult book I read in 2008 was easily Wake, though there were other great young adult books I read, this book had a uniqueness that I really found refreshing. The best adult book I read was The Sixteen Pleasures or The Handmaid's Tale. I find it really hard to pick a book and be fair to the whole year. I think we generally tend to pick newer reads as favorites.
2009
I have a lot of book related goals for 2009. But one of the biggest ones is that I am going to keep better track of the books I have read. I am going to join a 100 books challenge and make a post for it and just keep it updated as I finish books. So the goal is in two parts, to keep records and to read 100 books in the year. So far I have read approximately 85 books in 2008. Because I didn't keep good records I can't know how many for sure. But when I was adding up the titles I felt a great sense of accomplishment.
I am also making a conscious effort to add more variety in my reading. This includes more classic young adult, popular fiction (aka "fluff"), classics, and more science fiction. Are you planning on reading any genre or author new to you in 2009?
The Sunday Salon has been great for me because I don't read book reviews. I don't like to know much about a book before I read it. But I love to read about how a person reacted and interacted with a book. I particularly enjoy reading passages that speak to a reader. There are definitely books that I pulled off my shelf after seeing other bloggers and saloners talk about them. Also it was fun to be exposed to new books and then find them while book shopping. Even when I have not read a book finding it in a thrift store makes me feel like I am sharing a special secret with a person that enjoyed it.
I find the idea of sharing what I am reading very motivating. Also mini goals publically encourages me even when I don't complete them. Hearing about author's lives and writing experiences also excites me to read their books. I love reading interviews and guest posts and participating in contests.
I still have 5 books left to finish my Well Read Challenge befor the end of the year as I had hoped to. I have abandoned some of my 13 books from a few weeks ago to focus on the smaller challenge. The five books I am rushing to complete are Stranger in a Strange Land, Hitchhiker's Guife to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Cat's Eye, and The Iron Heel.
I started using Goodreads to track my reading and it has been very helpful. I initially just wanted to have a place to keep my TBR list, but I now track what I've read on there, as well. It encourages me to read more and reminds me that I'm not doing that bad.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't feel possible that it's the last Saturday of the year, but it certainly is, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet compiled my list of favorites read this year yet. I'm still hoping to fit at least one more book in before the year is out and maybe that will be The One. Okay, so not likely. :-)
I do want to join some of the reading challenges this next year, but I am still trying to work out which ones.
Good luck with the 100 Books Challenge!
If you get to Stranger in a Strange Land and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'd love to hear what you think. I really liked both of those novels.
Have a Happy New Year!