2017 Reading Goal Recap

I have so many end-of-year/beginning-of-year posts planned. I sincerely hope I get to them all. I figured one of the more important of these is my end-of-year wrap-up where I look at my goals and how well I met them. So, here goes.


In 2017, I read 150 books: 54 of them were fiction (including kids' fiction), 78 were nonfiction, and 18 of them were poetry. There were Pulitzer Prize winners as well as a poetry anthology written by cats. I read a lot of historical fiction, poetry, and currently published books.
1. Re-read Sense and Sensibility.
Completed: July 16
This was an easy goal. Unfortunately, what I thought might be my favorite Austen book isn't. Hmmm.

2. Read We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, vol. 2.

Completed: April 8
This was a blessing, as spiritual reading always is. I bought vol. 1 for my husband for Christmas, so he can enjoy the books as well.

3. Read 50 books carried over from 2016.

Completed: August 18
I completed this goal quite early, and then continued on to read 73 books off of my 2016 TBR. I really did a number on it, and it felt so good to finally get to some of those books.

4. Read 25 books published in 2017.

Completed: September 10
I ended up reading 48 books published in 2017, across all genres. I liked this goal so much, I made a similar goal for 2018.

5. Read 10 (pre-selected) high-profile books.

Completed: September 14
I completed all ten:

All the Light We Cannot See

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Wonder

In the Garden of Beasts
Wolf Hollow
Eleanor & Park
The Presidents Club
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Homegoing

6. Read 10 chunksters.

Completed: July 9
I finished 16 books over 400 pages, a few of these being on audio.

7. Read 10 contemporary novels.

Completed: March 22
Extended: Read 25 contemporary novels.
Completed: August 23
I read 35 contemporary novels this year, far surpassing my goal of 10, and even my extended goal of 25. I feel like I really started to love fiction this year. It would appear this goal is no longer needed.

8. Read 10 books about presidents, first ladies, first families, the White House, or American history.

Completed: August 15
I actually completed 23 of these this year. This is where about a third of my nonfiction reading came from.

9. Read 10 children’s books.

Completed: August 26
I read 13 children's books this year, mostly to catch up on some recent classics, but also to try some new things. I loved some of the books I read for this challenge, but overall, I'm finding I need a certain kind of children's book to keep my attention. It has to be really well done, and I'm having trouble finding those.

10. Read 1,000 poems. (2,692)

Completed: April 25
Baby, did I ever blow this one out of the water! I read, get this, 2,692 poems last year! This included all the poems I read in books and anthologies as well as daily poems from two email services. I'm working on another post to discuss what this did for me, but it's slow in forming.

11. Read 100 books.

Completed: September 17
I finished 150 books this year, the most I ever have.

12. Read 50 picture books.  

Completed: September 25
I think I read a lot less picture books this year, and most of them are very forgettable. I finished 83, and I'll share my favorites in another post.

13. Do something for national poetry month or regarding poetry in general.

I failed. I put this on the list to push myself, knowing I likely wouldn't complete the goal. I really, really wanted to do something cool, but I couldn't think of anything, and when it came right down to it, I just wanted to read poetry instead of promote it. Maybe another year.

14. Complete 5 mini-challenges. (26)

Completed: March 25
This was kind of a dumb challenge that got away from me. Too many books fit into too many categories, and I think I just fit books I wanted to read into the various challenges instead of trying something I never would have. But, frankly, there's not a lot I won't try. I finished 26 mini-challenges, and then just stopped keeping track. "A reading curveball" was my favorite challenge. I might need to do that again soon.

15. Read 20 modern classics or high-profile books. July 1, 2017 – Dec. 31, 2018

Since I finished so many of my goals early, I added this goal in order to give the second part of the year some structure. I read 16 books for this goal already, so when I extend it into next year, I might raise the overall number to 30.

This is what I have read so far:

Anna and the King of Siam

West with the Night

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Poisonwood Bible

Man’s Search for Meaning

Homegoing

Bess W. Truman

The Oregon Trail

Frankenstein

I Capture the Castle

All Creatures Great and Small

The Essential Emily Dickinson

Ready Player One

Circling the Sun

My Antonia

All in all, this was a fantastic reading year for me. I feel like I read a lot of quality literature, explored books and genres I might not have, formed a better understanding of what I love and need in a book, deepened my love of poetry, and had a lot of fun. I never felt like I was reading for the goal, which would have driven me nuts.

How did your 2017 reading go? Please leave a link to your yearly wrap-up or top ten post in the comments below.