Eleni's Reading for 2018

As mentioned in my previous post, my results from last year were mixed. While I read over 126 items, they were mainly audio books and books in series not always in the TBR pile. That is I borrowed them from the library to read or listen to.

While that's fine-it allows me to discover new authors-that's not so good for the TBR piles and mine are in absolute Mt. Everest sized proportions.

So in 2018, while I will continue listening to audio, it won't be the main focus. The TBR piles will be the ones I concentrate on.

Here is a list of the challenges I will be doing. Click the image to links to the challenge page.

  

This is the overall 2018 TBR list.

Of course, I'll continue to read series, which should fall into one or more of the challenges above.  To see the series I'm currently reading, click HERE.

I'll also list any Graphic Novels I'm reading on a seperate page.

Happy Reading! Yia!

~Eleni x

2017 Reading Challenges - lace up those shoes!

The one good thing in 2016 I can safely say is that it had been a good year of reading. I'm aiming to do more challenges in 2017 to keep motivated and to maybe put some order into the chaotic world of my reading lists and TBR piles.

100 book challenge

Goodreads asks that you set the number of books you would like to read in a given year. For 2017, I chose 100 books. It's more than the 60 I set last year but less than the actual achievement of last year. This year, I'll be including short stories/picture books that are published separately as one read each. It makes it easier to equal that up with the Goodreads read count.

I've already finished off six titles:

• Hands of Flame (Negotiator/Old Races Universe #3) by C.E. Murphy
• City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
• Someday, Someday, Maybe by  Lauren Graham (audio)
• Kiss Me, Annabel (Essex Sisters #2) by Eloisa James
• Helloween: a collection of horror short stories by Samantha Comb 
• Fairy Dust (Sookie Stackhouse #4.1) (short story) by Charlaine Harris

100 book challenge page



Audio

I'm aiming for 45 books this year, the 'My Precious' level or should that be My Precioussss?

I'm currently listening to

• The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern
• Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
• Split Second (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #1) by David Baldacci

Audio Challenge page



Australian Women Writers Challenge

I'm aiming for 25 books this year and to review 15 of these.

I'm currently reading

• Stone Castles by Trish Morey
• Dead Actually by Kaz Delaney

AWW page

TBR list

I'm tackling the TBR pile a little different this year. While I will have both print and ebook lists, I will be having two (count them - one, two) challenges to tackle them. I'll accept books from other non-TBR challenges to fill these but not between the two challenges.

Author Name -TBR Challenge

I decided this year the Author Name challenged should be linked to my TBR pile. This will help me read more a wider ranger of authors. This will be with either the first letter of either of the first or last name of the author corresponding with the letter of the alphabet.

This means 52 books - 26 for print and 26 for ebooks.

Author name - TBR page 



Book Title -TBR Challenge

For those books that don't fit into the Author Name challenge, I'll be using the book titles to correspond to the alphabet. Again, I hope to have one list for print and one list for ebooks. However, I won't be as strict with this one if at the end of the year, I need to combine them. After all that will be another 26 to 52 books on top of the challenges above (which really add up to more than 100 books).

Book title - TBR page

Hopefully this will help clear a backlog from the TBR pile!!


I'll also be keeping a master list of TBR books read from all the lists.



A-Z Author Name Reading Challenge

This one is not my own personal one but one by the group I belong to, DarkSide DownUnder. The name of the game is to read as many DarkSider author books that fit into the alphabet. I'm able to use other challenges in this one if I want to.

DarkSider A-Z Author Name page


As you can see these challenges will keep me out of trouble - I hope *wink*.

Why not join me in a challenge or two?

Happy Reading to you all in 2017!

2016 and tackling the TBR piles

courtesy of Pixabay

I made a real effort to tackle the TBR (to be read)  piles this year - both in print and in e-books.

Certain books like the A Song of Ice and Fire series have been sitting on my bookshelf for a very long time to read. I am talking many many years here folks. It's not like I didn't want to read these books. Alas my reading had decreased as I got busier initially and then because of my health.

The other factor is that while I want to know what happens in a series, my brain needs time to percolate on the book I have just read. In the old days I could have inhaled a series one book after another, but now days this is rare.

I think being a writer is a factor as not to unconsciously emulate the work I'm reading. Hence the shuffle of different books and the multiple books at the same time.

Still I have boxes of books that I want to read and don't get me started on my eTBR pile! Eeek!

My TBR pile on Goodreads is about 253 books but this is mainly series titles and books I know off by heart that I have. There are boxes more! Eeeek!

My name is Eleni and I'm a book purchasing addict!

I buy books when they are released or on sale, when it's next in my series reading. I buy when friends have book launches or book signings, and auto-buy authors who I have read for years. I don't know when I'm going to read all these books, but I can't stop buying. And it's not only print - there's ebooks which gives me digital only books especially novellas  (occasionally short stories), but also it's a lower price point so I can get more for the same amount. I would say I'm about 1/2 and 1/2 now - I still love my physical books but there is definitely room in my life for ebooks.

To help me catch up (and the budget), I'm currently on a print book buying freeze except for series. With ebooks it will be authors I have read or be part of a series.

In 2016, I aimed for 15 print books and 15 ebooks. I achieved both with 22 for print and 16 for ebooks, totalling 38 books, which is not a bad effort.



Print books

1. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent [2013]
2. The Patterson Girls by Rachael Johns [2015]
3. Spirit Dances by C.E. Murphy [2015]
4. How to Get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan [2013]
5. To Catch A Bride by Anne Gracie [2009]
6. The Seven Month Itch by Allison Rushby [2009]
7. Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman [2006]
8. Burning Bridges by Laura Anne Gilman [2007]
9. What the Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie [>1 year]
10. Little Gems Short Story Anthology: Diamond (2012) by Romance Writers of Australia [2012]
11. His Princess in the Making by Melissa James [2009]
12. The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie [2010]
13. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn [2010]
14. The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti [2011]
15. A Dance with Dragons, Part 1: Dreams and Dust by George R.R. Martin [2014]
16. Bound by the Unborn Baby by Bella Bucannon [2016]
17. Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie [2016]
18. The Misted Cliffs by Catherine Asaro [2005]
19. Darkness Rising by Keri Arthur [2011]
20. Captive of Sin by Anna Campbell [2009]
21. If I Die by Rachel Vincent [2015]
22. Christmas at the Castle by Marion Lennox [2013]

E-books

1. Bloodlust Denied by Christina Phillips [2013]
2. The Christmas Gift by Monica McInnery 
3. Hellcursed (Shadowfae #0.5) by Erica Hayes (short story) [2009]
4. Chaos Born by Rebekah Turner [2012]
5. Write or Die by Scott Nicholson [2011]
6. This is Your Afterlife by Vanessa Barneveld [2014]
7. Blind Attraction by Eden Summers [2013]
8. Dead Faint by Lizzie T. Leaf [2014]
9. A Pretty Mess by Carla Caruso [2014]
10. The Short Story Toolshed by Della Galton [2015]
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [2013] - read half as ebook and listened to half as audio
12. The Final Wish by Tracey O'Hara [2012]
13. Legend of the Timekeepers by Sharon Ledwith [2013]
14. Dark Child (Awakenings) Episode 1 by Adina West [2013]
15. Angel Thief (Out of the Bottle #2) by Jenny Schwarz [2012]
16. South of Salem (Allegra Fairweather Mystery #2) by Janni Nell [2012]

~Happy Reading~

More for the TBR pile...AussieCon 4

Yes, well of course I would buy books at AussieCon 4. How could I not?

Below is a look at the books, programs, souvenir books, and magazines I got. :))

I managed to get my Carrie Vaughn, Shaun Tan books (one is a gift), Gail Carriger, and John Scalzi signed. I also got book plates for Nicole Murphy and Rowena Cory Daniells. So I did quite well. 

Ah the joys of conferences and conventions. :))

I really don't need to take a trip to the library but you know, I always seem too go. I'm like a kid in the lolly store.

Now to build the time stopper so I can pause time to be able to read everything I want to!!

Happy reading all!

~yia~