Can you believe 2023 ends tomorrow night? I feel like this year flew by! Anyway, I thought I’d evaluate my 2023 reading goals. Last December, I made three bookish goals. They are:
Read at least 24 books.
Read 50% of my book club books.
Read 50% of my Book of the Month (BOTM) books.
I’ve kept track of my reading on my 2023 Reads page.
Yearly Goal
My goal for the year was to read 24 books and I read 12.
My favorite book was MEET ME AT THE LAKE by Carley Fortune. My least favorite book was THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME by Alexandra Benedict. I didn’t hate it; I just didn’t love it either.
Reading Stats
New Reads: 9
Rereads: 3
Pages Read: 5,070
Source
Own: 4
Library: 1
Borrowed: 7
Format
Hard Cover: 0
Paperback: 1
Kindle: 2
Audio: 9
Age Group
Adult: 6
Young Adult: 4
Middle Grade: 0
N/A: 2
Pages
0 – 99: 0
100 – 249: 2
250 – 499: 7
500 – 999: 3
1000+: 0
Primary Reason Read
Book Club: 2
Personal Interest: 10
Primary Genre
Contemporary: 3
Fantasy: 3
Mystery/Thriller: 2
Non-Fiction: 3
Science Fiction: 1
IRL Book Club
I made a goal to read at least 50% of my IRL book club books this year. I read 2 out of 12. Here are the books I read:
Book of the Month
I made a goal to read 50% of the books I got from BOTM. I read zero out of 12 books.
Conclusion and 2024 Goals
I had an abysmal reading year and didn’t accomplish any goals. Next year, I’d like to read more, but I’m going to set my Goodreads Challenge low so I don’t feel the pressure. My goals for 2024 are:
Read at least 12 books.
Read at least 50% of my IRL book club books.
Read at least 50% of my BOTM books.
I’ll keep track of my progress over on my 2024 Reads page.
How did you do on your goals this year? What are your goals for 2024?
At the end of each year, I like to reflect on what has happened, how I’ve grown, and what’s to come.
Without a year’s worth of Sunday News posts, I’m having a little bit of a hard time remembering what’s happened. … This year amounts to three main things: 1) playing the Switch, 2) helping a friend in need, and 3) reflecting on my mental health.
At the end of each year, Nintendo let’s players download their Switch stats which includes: total number of hours played, number of hours played each month, total number of games played, and games played the most during the year. Last year, I played for a little over 200 hours. (That may seem like a lot, but it’s really not.)
According to Nintendo, this year I played the Switch for 922 hours. I played 16 different games. (This stat isn’t completely accurate. Nintendo counts a game as played even if you accidentally open it and then close it right away.) The games I spent the most time playing are:
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Super Mario Odyssey
Ultimate Chicken Horse (the greatest four-player game ever)
Pikmin 4
Mario Kart
Stardew Valley
One of my friends is going through a trying time. She was a stay-at-home-mom of three, ages 13 (f), 7 (f), and 3 (m). In June, however, it became necessary for her to get a part time job. Her 13 year old often babysits the younger two, but my friend didn’t want to rob the 13 year old of her childhood by putting too much responsibility on her all at once so I offered to watch her kids.
The summer was great. The 3 year old had his siblings to play with and keep him company. I mostly made sure they didn’t kill themselves or burn the house down. Once school started, I burned out quickly. I love my friend’s kids a lot and 3 year old’s are a handful when they have no one to play with or entertain them.
I still watch the 3 year old, but my friend has cut back her hours because she knows I’m burned out and her 3 year old misses having her at home.
My mental health has been pretty good this year. I’ve had ups and downs like everyone else. During the summer, I noticed no depression or suicidal ideation. That continued until November when SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) hit. My depression and suicidal ideation are manageable, especially when I use the skills I learned in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). Even though I’m dealing with SAD right now, I’m in a much better place emotionally than I have been in almost a decade.
I’m proud I’ve stuck with helping my friend even though I’ve wanted to tell her I can’t anymore. I’m proud I use the skills I learned in DBT when I need help regulating my emotions, tolerating distress, or making sure my needs are met. Even though I feel like I haven’t done much this year, I know that what I have done is huge. I feel hopeful, content, and I’m looking forward to the new year and its opportunities. I’m grateful for my support system and I’m looking forward to connecting more with this amazing online community.
Here’s to many wonderful possibilities! May your 2024 be merry and bright!
Are you looking forward to 2024? Do you have any resolutions?
At the end of December, I wrote about my yearly goals in my Evaluating My 2022 Goals post. At the time, I settled on six goals and one challenge-related goal. However, I’ve decided to make some changes. My NEW goals for 2023 are:
Read at least 50% of the Book of the Month choices I didn’t get to last year.
I got rid of two goals and my challenge-related goal. All three of those goals were tied to the Play Book Tag Goodreads group I was a part of. While I enjoyed reading a book based on a specific topic each month, my reading tastes were so different from the main contributors that I wasn’t enjoying my experience. I finally decided to leave and focus my reading elsewhere.
A few people from my IRL book club are participating in the Pioneer Book Reading Challenge (hosted by a local independent bookstore) and the POP Sugar Reading Challenge this year. I was considering joining them, but I really don’t feel like doing the Pioneer Book Challenge and I’m still on the fence about the PS Challenge. I’ll probably participate in the PS Challenge because I can always change my mind later if I’m not enjoying the books I’m reading.
Anyway, I’ll keep track of my reading progress on my 2023 Reads page if you’re interested in seeing what I’ve put together.
How about you? Do you ever adjust your goals, reading or otherwise, during the year?
Can you believe 2022 ends tonight? I feel like this year flew by! Anyway, I thought I’d evaluate my 2022 reading goals. Last December, I made four bookish goals. They are:
Read at least 24 books.
Read at least 50% of my IRL book club books.
Read a book for 50% of the monthly tags hosted by my Goodreads group: Play Book Tag (PBT).
Read every Book of the Month book I selected before the end of the year.
I also made two challenge-related goals. They are:
Participate in the Narniathon hosted by Chris (Calmgrove).
I’ve kept track of my reading on my 2022 Reads page. (You can read my review of each book below by clicking the cover. I don’t have a review yet for THE HUNDREDTH QUEEN. I’ll be posting that next week.)
Yearly Goal
My goal for the year was to read 24 books and I read 32.
I’ll share my favorite books of the year on Tuesday for Top Ten Tuesday. My least favorite book was KEEP MOVING: NOTES ON LOSS, CREATIVITY, AND CHANGE by Maggie Smith. I didn’t hate it; I just didn’t love it either.
Reading Stats
New Reads: 21
Rereads: 11
Pages Read: 11,447
Source
Own: 10
Library: 22
Format
Hard Cover: 12
Paperback: 4
Kindle: 12
Audio: 4
Age Group
Adult: 13
Young Adult: 9
Middle Grade: 7
N/A: 3
Pages
0 – 99: 0
100 – 249: 6
250 – 499: 22
500 – 999: 4
1000+: 0
Primary Reason Read
Book Club: 7
Book of the Month: 3
Personal Interest: 8
PBT: 4
Read-alongs: 7
Unofficial Trim: 3
Primary Genre
Contemporary: 1
Fantasy: 11
Historical Fiction: 3
LGBTQ+: 1
Mystery/Thriller: 4
Non-Fiction: 3
Romance: 8
Science Fiction: 1
IRL Book Club
I made a goal to read at least 50% of my IRL book club books this year. I read seven out of 12. Here are the books I read:
Play Book Tag
Each month my Goodreads group votes on a “tag” (theme) and share, discuss, and review books that fit the tag. I wanted to read one book for at least 50% of the tags. I read books for six of the 12 tags. Here are the books I read:
Book of the Month
I joined Book of the Month in January and I made a goal to read every book I selected by the end of the year. Unfortunately, I only read three out of 12 books. Here are the books I read:
Unofficial Trim Challenge
Each of us created a list of 24 books on our TBR. Each month, a participating member randomly picked a remaining number between 1 through 24 and we’d read the book associated with that number from our lists. Because there are 24 books, this challenge will continue into 2023. I read six out of 12 books. (I read two as book club books, but they still count because they’re not on my TBR anymore.) I’m counting this as a win because I read half of what I set out to do. Here are the books I read:
Narniathon
The Narniathon started in December 2021 and technically ran until July so participants could read an extra book if they wanted to. My goal was to read all seven books of the Narniad and I did.
Conclusion and 2023 Goals
I’m really happy with my reading this year despite it slowing down in the latter half. I read more in 2022 than I have for the last seven years. I’m excited that my reading mojo seems to better. It’s been a lot of fun to discover so many great books and authors. I can’t wait to discover more next year.
Next year, I have similar goals. While I want to make reading a priority, I’ll be in school again and I need to make it a priority as well. Because of school, some of my reading goals are lower than they’d normally be after such a fantastic year of reading. Hopefully, I’ll be able to exceed my expectations. My goals for 2023 are:
Read at least 24 books.
Read at least 50% of my IRL book club books.
Read a book for 50% of the monthly tags hosted by Play Book Tag (PBT).
Read every Book of the Month book I select before the end of the year.
Read the backlog of my Book of the Month picks from 2022.
Read the backlog for the Unofficial Trim Challenge hosted by PBT from 2022.
I also have one challenge-related goal:
Participate in the Unofficial Trim Challenge.
I’ll keep track of my progress over on my 2023 Reads page.
How did you do on your goals this year? What are your goals for 2023?
At the end of each year, I like to reflect on what has happened, how I’ve grown, and what’s to come.
I graduated from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in May. DBT changed my life. Because of the skills I learned, I can navigate my emotions rather than fall apart and shutdown. I can now cope instead of wanting to get out of hard situations and feelings.
I started Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) in August. PE focused on helping me heal from my past trauma and resultant PTSD. I graduated in November. It was the most difficult work I’ve ever had to do AND my trauma no longer controls me thanks to the time and effort I put in to heal.
I was interviewed by a Huffington Post writer about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and the stigma surrounding it in May. It was such a rewarding opportunity to talk about my experience with BPD and to help others learn that perpetuating myths are harmful to everyone.
In June, Corey and I sold our townhome of 13.5 years and moved in to a rental property. I really like our new digs despite it being a rental. The floor plan’s laid out logically with wide halls and stairs, 10-foot ceilings, big walk-in closets in each bedroom, and our first garage. We’re extremely blessed to live where we do.
Sadly, we said goodbye to our beautiful Dax in August. She was almost 19 years old and her kidneys decided they’d functioned long enough. Her passing was bittersweet as Izzy, Corey, and I miss her dearly and we’re happy she’s no longer suffering.
We adopted Luci, a four-month-old kitten, in November. She’s very energetic, friendly, and cuddly. Corey and I are smitten and Izzy’s still making up her mind.
My health took a ride on the proverbial roller coaster, having lots of ups and downs:
a bacterial infection in January;
suspected C. difficile in March which turned out to be a chronic case of acid reflux;
COVID in June;
injured shoulder, arm, and ankle from October until December;
and chronic hives that started in November.
I had LASIK done on both my eyes in August. Sometimes I have buyer’s remorse and wish I’d only had one eye done so I’d be able to see both near and far. Most of the time, however, I’m just glad I had LASIK because I only need glasses for reading when I’m extremely tired. I love being able to wear real sunglasses instead of my old transition lenses. I’m especially looking forward to being able to see when I go swimming in the summer.
I had a lot of great opportunities to make new friends and strengthen my relationship with old ones. I befriended so many wonderful bloggers who I always look forward to connecting with. I went outside of my usual group of friends to make new relationships with people I wouldn’t have in the past. I also learned to weather difficult situations and changes in some of my established friendships, helping strengthen them rather than dissolve them.
I learned to accept my family’s strengths and weaknesses, and create healthy boundaries. For the first time in more than a decade, I look forward to spending time with those who aren’t toxic.
School was hard due to my health and I nearly gave up, thinking I was going for the wrong reasons. I learned, however, that school helps me regulate my emotions more easily and boosts my self-efficacy. When I’m productive, learning, and not isolating, my depression and anhedonia are only memories.
I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished in 2022 and how much I’ve grown. I’ve improved so much and I’m no longer the same person I was in March 2021. I feel hopeful, content, and I’m looking forward to the new year and its opportunities. I’m glad I’ve been able to weather life’s hardships and I know I can cope with whatever’s thrown at me. I’m grateful to everyone who helped me become a stronger person, and I’m looking forward to continuing to connect with this amazing online community and the people I love IRL.
Here’s to many wonderful possibilities! May your 2023 be merry and bright!
Are you looking forward to 2023? Do you have any resolutions?
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