Earlier this year I did a post about my reading goals for 2018 so I thought since it’s June (somehow, already–where did the time go?) I thought I’d take a look to see how I’m doing.
Reading Goals Progress
Goodreads Challenge – Read at least 100 Books
I’m currently sitting at 74 books read and something ridiculous like 33 books ahead of schedule. I don’t think I’ll have an issue making this goal at all. Last year I finished at 150 but I didn’t want to set my goal so high and pressure myself. Maybe I’ll up it to 120 as a compromise.
r/Fantasy Book Bingo Challenge – 25 books to complete the card
Not sure what this is? You can read about the challenge here.
I think I’m actually a third of the way complete, maybe half. I spent half the day updating my bingo log but now the sheet isn’t work correctly, something is off about the formula, so I don’t have an exact count. But I have a lot more squares marked off than I thought I would already and I have until next April to finish. I think the hardest squares for me this year are going to be ‘Takes Place Entirely Within One City’ and ‘Novel Published Before You Were Born’. Does Godsgrave take place all within one city? I can’t remember.
Cathing Up – Finish catching up on Series / Work on TBR in 2018 GR Shelf
I think I’ve been doing pretty good with this goal so far.
- I’ve checked off 32 books from my ‘to be read in 2018’ shelf.
- Only 1 book I’ve read is a SFF book that has sequels that I’m not completely caught up on (for now, until some sequels to things come out next year or so).
- I’ve completed 11 series.
- I’ve caught up on 9 other series that are still ongoing but have no new books out.
Favorite Books of the Year So Far
Honestly there are so many books I could list here, but I’m focusing on just a few. These are the ones that have really stood out to me in one way or another.
- The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer – Oh man. This book. This touched something deep inside my psyche and I spent half of the book sobbing on my cat struggling to control my emotions. It’s a weird and beautifully told fairy tale about learning to love yourself. Link to Full Review.
- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee – This book was so much fun and also incredibly poignant at times. Sure, it was very light on the fantasy, but it was a full-on adventure! Link to Full Review.
- Circe by Madeline Miller – What a great retelling of Circe’s tale from her perspective. I feel like this stayed close to the mythology while also challenging our perceptions of her character. This was also about what it means to be human. Link to Full Review.
- Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng – This book perfectly captured the gothic atmosphere. It’s such a strange book and I loved every minute spent reading it. Link to Full Review.
- Iron Gold by Pierce Brown – This was a great addition to the Red Rising series. The start of a new trilogy sent 10 years after the first, we’re dealing with toppling the old empire and building a new one. Loyalties are being tested under the strain of war and bureaucracy. Link to Full Review.
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – This book is both hilarious and brutal and full of weird drugged out magic. It feels weird saying I loved such a grim book but man, this book slayed me. In a good way. Link to Full Review.
So, that’s how my year’s been going so far. I think I’ve been doing really good about meeting my goals. Do you have any reading goals? How are you doing with them so far? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to hear from you about your reading!
Way Too Fantasy 
I’m only doing two challenges, Goodreads and Women of SFF. I did update my progress after the first quarter, but it seems like a good time to check out the half way point. Sounds like you’re doing really good!
Thanks, Tammy! My goodreads challenge doesn’t feel really challenging at the moment because I’ve been reading so much lately. 🙂 Right now I’m really only concentrating on my catching up on series challenge because bingo I don’t really worry about until later in the year when I see what books I have left for it.
Good luck with your challenges!
Ooh, cool to see The Oddling Prince on here – I have a copy but had so a disastrous May in terms of reading I still haven’t got to it. Hoping to pick it up soon.
Lynn 😀
It’s an interesting book and I don’t think the style will be for everyone, but this one just made me *feel*. So. Much.
Well you sure are doing well on your goal! I set mine on the lower end so that I don’t pressure myself as well, it’s just much better that way– plus then I feel even better when I pass up my goal, haha. I always forget to actively pay attention to r/fantasy’s Book Bingo, and then in the last few months I’m looking through trying to fill in any gaps. I should work on that. The Poppy War and Circe are two that are on my top reads of the year so far as well–they were both SO well written and interesting. The Oddling Prince and Under the Pendulum Sun both look super interesting, so I might have to check that one out. Glad to see you’re doing so well with your reading, I hope the rest of your year is just as good!
Thanks! The goodreads goal–I agree, it definitely feels better not to put too much pressure on yourself. Then it makes reading a chore instead of fun. Also, I *make* book bingo and I usually wait til the last few months to actively start filling out my card. 😂
If you liked Circe, then you need to read The Song of Achilles by the same author. It blow me away.
Thanks, I will add it to my list! 🙂
Congrats on meeting your goals! I set my reading goals low, but in my heart I really want to read 100 books this year (which I’ve never done before). I’m at 60-ish right now – so right on track! It’s really exciting, right?
Oh great job, if you’re at 60 it’s totally doable! Good luck!
I need to get Circe and read Under the Pendulum Sun before the year ends. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the Oddling Prince as much. I thought I would, but it didn’t work well for me.
Circe is so good! Loved it. Under the Pendulum Sun is another one of those books (like The Oddling Prince) where I can firmly say it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Personally, I thought it was fantastic as I really enjoyed the gothic atmosphere. Sorry you didn’t enjoy The Oddling Prince, but I totally get why it’s not a great fit for every reader. 🙂