30 Books Challenge - Complete!

Mission Accomplished! I set out to read 30 books this year and I did it! Considering how much I read (at least 20 minutes - if not longer - every day), this doesn't seem to be a challenge YET It's a trickier feat than I expected. I hope to close out my reading year with at least another book...and some blog posts with my reflections. For now, I have a list of those I've finished, and a short reflections on lessons and gains.

In addition to the quantity of books, I wanted to read a variety of stories and ensure I read books inclusive of various cultures, races, and ethnicities. I was also jarred by that first 4 books I read were written by white men, so I wanted to open my list intentionally to more women and more people of color.  I also wanted to read books in a variety of formats based on my whims of fancy - including hardcovers, paperbacks, e-books, and audiobooks(yes, audio books count!). I wanted to see what I would also naturally be drawn to and how my intentions would actually play out as the year continued.


By the numbers

• 30 books
• 15 written by men, 15 by women
• 10 written by people of color
• I read more books by men of color (7) than women of color (3). 
• 12 books that focused on cultures (including ethnicity, faith) different from my own
• 4 non-fiction
• 26 fiction
• 3 young adult/children's
• 11 books with strong female lead/prioritized characters
• 5 hardcovers
• 17 paperbacks
• 4 e-books
• 2 audiobooks
• 2 e-books with audio provided

I am never a reader that plans too far ahead. So much of what I read depends on the 1-3 books I most recently read, and which format I read them in - and what I am in the mood for. So, my list shaped up to be a mix of formats and situations, but I noticed that without my intentionality, I may not have read as many authors that were not white men. I also maybe wouldn't have been exposed to various cultures and perspectives, and so I want to be even more thoughtful in this regard as I continue my reading journey.

I also decided to document my reading year via Instagram (#30Books, #instareading, #instabooks, #mjyearofawesome, #mjreadingchallenge2015 and sometimes #adventuresinreading and #recommendedreading). This was 1) easier than blogging, 2) helpful, at least visually, and 3) affirming. I also stored earmarks in many captions, and short reflections, not only for my own reference but theoretically fodder for future blogs. I also would remark on how I finished the book and how I read it - at my bedside, on a plane, over wine, in between by the pool, during my commute, etc. It's nice to look back and see just how infused reading is in my life.

This made me also think a lot about how much I read how I formed the reading habit. I was an active and social kid, but also read often. I remember days at summer camp when I would take a break from the pool and read my book. I remember weekly library visits, the feeling I had opening a new book, and the reading challenges I completed at school. It made me even more thankful to have a mother and grandmother who encouraged my reading - who didn't let me slide with just telling the story based on the pictures, and let me read aloud to my stuffed animals, our dogs and just generally as dinner was being cooked. I am sure they read to me before I could read, and for all of this I am eternally grateful. The impact reading has had on my life is certainly profound and very much continues, building my perspective and expanding my worldview. It is an incredible privilege and is one I take with both pride and luxury.

I hope to discuss more of which book(s) have stayed with me this year, which I am happy to leave behind and some earmarks. I also am still going to read every day through the end of the calendar year, and listen to an audiobook or two, so the reading year is far from over. I'll also more clearly define my reading goals for 2016 because, reading. Oh, and did I mention that I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone via Illustrated Edition? And that the audiobooks are on Audible? HARRY, I CAN'T QUIT YOU.

To books,

~MJ

Books (in order):
hardcover, paperback, e-book, e-book with audio, audiobook

1. "A Sudden Light" by Garth Stein
2. "Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransome Riggs
3. "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
4. "The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace" by Jeff Hobbs
5. "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz
6. "Flight" by Sherman Alexie
7. "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
8. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
9. "The Last American Vampire"by Seth Grahame-Smith 
10. "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
11. "The One and Only Ivan" by Kathrine Applegate
12. "Paper Towns" by John Green
13. "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng
14. "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton
15. "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd
16. "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee
17. "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" by Haruki Murakami
18. "The Martian" by Andy Weir
19. "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel
20. "The Book of Speculation" by Erika Swyler
21. "The Reincarnationist" by M.J. Rose
22. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
23. "The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen 
24. "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
25. "Euphoria" by Lily King
26. "Yes Please" by Amy Pohler
27. "Sounds Like Me" by Sara Bareilles
28. "Why Not Me?" by Mindy Kaling
29. "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obrecht
30. "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks