2016: Reading Goals Check-In

Unbelievably, it’s over halfway through 2016 and it’s time to check in with my reading challenges. As ever, some of these are going brilliantly and others, well, they’re not really going at all…

Read 125 books

I am ROCKING this challenge! As of writing this (end of June), I've read 113 books. I’m now hoping to hit around 200. You can see everything I’ve read on my Goodreads.

Read 1 classic a month for the #2016ClassicsChallenge

I've surprised myself with how well I’m doing with this – it’s a lot easier than it was last year! I've read 16 classics so far and I’m in the middle of two. Here’s what I’ve read so far:

I’m so pleased with myself! I can feel reading classics getting easier and more natural and I'm only getting more and more interested in reading them.

Keep expanding my reading

I’m getting there with this one, but I'm still pushing myself further. My classics, short story collections and adult novels are climbing, but graphic novels and middle grade has fallen a little, and so has non-fiction. I did, however, read my first ever poetry collection outside of the classroom! It was Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur and I LOVED it.

I've bought some literary non-fiction that I'm hoping will kick-start my non-fiction reading again and I’m excited about them so I’m hoping I can at least make 12 by the end of the year – I’m on 7.

Read at least 6 adult novels

My target for this challenge has already been doubled! I’ve read 13 adult novels so far. I’m finding that audiobooks are a really good way to get more adult books into my reading diet and I've started to become more aware of new releases and I've also been getting them from NetGalley. Here’s what I’ve read so far:

Read 10 books from BAME authors

I’m not doing as well as I had hoped for this challenge just yet as I've only read 4 books that fit into this classification, but I have so many on my TBR! Here are the ones I’m hoping to read this year:

And now for the real failures!

Read the YA Prize shortlist

I technically did okay with this, but that’s only because I had already read 5 of the 10 books when the shortlist was announced… I have to admit that of the other 5, only 1 appeals to me.

Read the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist

This one was an impressive failure. I’d read one on the longlist (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) and I bought one on the shortlist (The Improbability of Love) and I'd like to read Ruby and the winner, The Glorious Heresies, but the others don’t appeal to me. I’m happy to leave this one as well.

Finish The Princess Diaries

I haven’t even picked one up this year, but I do now have all ten and they’re quick, fun reads so I’m hopeful that I’ll manage the final eight, or at least 4.

Finish Artemis Fowl

Now this challenge is one I had completely forgotten about. Whoops! I’m not really in a big hurry to complete this anymore. As much as I enjoy this series, my reading tastes are moving and changing and I’m finally happy to go along for the ride.

How are your 2016 challenges going?

Sophie