Halfway Point -- Goal Progress Report!

Hey guys! I was inspired by Regan of PeruseProject's recent video (here) to do a sort of check-in on my progress in completing my goals and resolutions for the year, especially since it is now July and we are officially in the second half of the year. So I went back to the beginning of the year and found three posts about my year to come that I can check in on. So without further adieu, here we go!

Bookish Resolutions/Goals

1. Post more often!

I've actually been doing pretty well on this! There have been very few weeks (other than my vacation hiatus) when I didn't post at all. And in participating in the Bout of Books readathon, it actually forced me to update every day, which has been a good thing! 

2. Booktube more often!

I've been doing okay at this. I've definitely uploaded several videos, and I have plans to do more. It's just hard to find the time and space to do it while living with my parents. But I shall persevere!

3. Tweet/Instagram more often!

I've been trying to remember to tweet my links all the time, so that's better. And as for Instagram, I had a lull for a while, but I'm getting back! Thanks to the readathons and monthly photo-a-day challenges, I've been posting more often than I used to! 

4. Be more active in the community in general!

I've been trying to comment on more videos and liking more Instagram photos. I still need to be more active in the blogosphere especially, but I'm trying! 

5. Read Insurgent and Allegiant before March 20th! 

I actually finished Allegiant ON March 20th, but it still counts! I did it! 

6. Finish more series than I start! 

I was doing really well on this at the beginning of the year, finishing FOUR series in January alone! I'm starting to slide a bit, but I'm still on track. So far, I've finished NINE series and started SEVEN. But three of those seven are already completed trilogies, so I marathoned them. I'm currently reading Ashes to Ashes, the third book in the Burn for Burn trilogy by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, so I'll be adding another series to my finished list! 

By the way, I've decided not to include graphic novels or comic book series in these counts. It's too hard to keep track of when and how many volumes come out in trades, so they just aren't counted in the series counts. 

7. Read more contemporary!

I have definitely read more contemporary this year. I've actually read more contemporary than any other genre this year, which is crazy. It never would have been the case in years past. But I'm learning to love the romance/angst/realism of contemporary YA!

8. Limit the book buying!

Well...? Hehe. I don't know how to answer this. I definitely haven't gone quite as overboard as I did in the second half of last year. But I haven't really cut down enough, either. I'm still buying a ton of books. But many of them are graphic novels that I've started really getting into. And many are the result of sales I just couldn't pass up, or my mom bought them for me! So we'll see how it goes for the rest of this year. But I definitely wouldn't expect me to really achieve this goal. :P

9. Participate in at least ONE readathon! 

I did! I participated in TWO actually! I did the Bout of Books 13 and RYBSAT in May and ended up reading six books between the two. Six books in two weeks? That's amazing for me, so I'll definitely continue participating in readathons whenever I can! 

10. Read 40 books in 2015!

YES!! I already completed this goal in June when I read my 40th book on my way home from vacation! I have now read 47 books. BUT, my mom keeps accusing me of cheating because I've been counting graphic novels and novellas into the count. So without those factored in, I have read 35 full-length novels. So my new goal is to read 50 full-length novels by the end of the the year. But I have a feeling I'll accomplish that in no time!

Most Anticipated Releases of 2015

Let's see how many of these I have already read, which ones I own but have not read yet, or which haven't been released yet!

11. Fairest by Marissa Meyer -- READ

10. 99 Days by Katie Cotugno -- OWNED, UNREAD

9. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West -- READ

8. Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan -- OWNED, UNREAD

7. Forged by Erin Bowman -- READ

6. The Rose Society by Marie Lu -- UNRELEASED

5. Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers -- READ

4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo -- UNRELEASED

3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas -- READ

2. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas -- UNRELEASED

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer -- UNRELEASED

So I've read 5/11, I own 2 more that I need to read, and 4 are not released yet. I'd say that's pretty good for mid-year!

Books I HAVE to Read in 2015

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth -- READ

2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth -- READ

3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare -- UNREAD

4. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare -- UNREAD

5. Lark Ascending by Meagan Spooner -- READ

6. Echoes of Us by Kat Zhang -- READ

7. Forged by Erin Bowman -- READ

8, 9, 10. The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken -- UNREAD

11. The Body Electric by Beth Revis -- UNREAD

12. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld -- UNREAD

13. Reached by Ally Condie -- UNREAD

So I've read five of these 13. OOPS. I need to really get on the ball! I'd actually forgotten that I made this list until I saw Regan's video. So now, I have no excuse. I have to read them!

So that's it for this post, everybody! I think I'm doing pretty good so far, and for those areas that I still need to improve? I've got almost six months still to do it! I think I can, I think I can. 

Tell me: how are YOU doing in your goals for the year? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday (12): 2015 Bookish Resolutions/Goals

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish!

2015!

Happy New Year (almost!) Can you believe it's already almost 2015?

This year has flown by. I can't believe it's already been MONTHS since I started this blog! I have never been big on New Year's Resolutions. I'm not sure I've ever done any. BUT, giving myself goals unofficially this year has really helped my reading, so I decided to do some OFFICIALLY for 2015, so you can help keep me on my toes! So today, I'm sharing my bookish goals or resolutions for 2015! 

Social Media

1. Post more often! 

I've been slacking off on my blogging duties here. I know that this is because this blog is a hobby of mine, and not something that I'm being expected to do for a job. I do not receive review copies, so I don't really have deadlines. That said, I started this blog to actually blog, and recently, I've been way too lazy about it. So I hope to have at least three blog posts up a week in 2015. This may not always happen, as I am not the fastest readers, so I don't have reviews as often as other bloggers, but between Top Ten Tuesday, Waiting on Wednesday, and other fun features I have planned, I'll try to keep it up as long as I can! 

2. Booktube more often! 

I received a new camcorder for Christmas, so now I have absolutely no excuse for not filming my wrap-ups, TBRs and book hauls. I'm planning on doing a bunch of tags, as well, and I have plans for at least one tag of my own! So look forward to that, coming in April most likely. 

3. Tweet/Instagram more often! 

Are you sensing a pattern here? Really, I just want to be more involved in the social media sphere again, like I was when I first started this blog, or when I first got my Instagram. I've been slacking there, as well, and I'd like to get back into it. 

4. Be more active in the community in general! 

I hope to start making more friends. I want to be a better community member, and that means actually communicating with other booktubers and bloggers and Instagrammers. So I want to start commenting more on other videos and posts, and making sure to reply to any comments I get on MY videos or blog posts. 

Reading/Books

5. Read Insurgent and Allegiant before March 20th!  

I know. I still haven't read Insurgent, let alone Allegiant. I tried to read Insurgent last fall, but it had been so long since I'd read Divergent that I'd completely forgotten what happened in the first book, and especially who all the characters were. But now that I've seen the movie and gotten a refresher course on the first book, I'd like to finish out the series before the next movie comes out in March!

6. Finish more series than I start! 

This one's tricky, because I love finding new series to start. But I'm trying to whittle down my TBR pile, and this is definitely one way to do it! Like I said in my Year in Review post yesterday, I started TEN series this year, but only finished EIGHT. So next year, I'd like that number reversed! And goal number 5 will definitely help this goal.

7. Read more contemporary! 

I've always been a fantasy/paranormal/dystopian fan, but this year I really started to get into the contemporary mood again. After reading three Rainbow Rowell books this year, plus We Were Liars and the If I Stay duology, I'm finding more and more contemporary books that catch my interest. Next year, I hope to read a bunch of Morgan Matson and Huntley Fitzpatrick, and even more!

8. Limit the book buying! 

This has become a serious problem. I didn't do too bad in November, but I got close to 40 books for Christmas. And I have very few places to put them anymore. So I'm going to be limiting the amount of books I buy in 2015, especially in the beginning. There are a few books that I'm definitely going to be buying immediately, like Fairest by Marissa Meyer and Please Remain Calm by Courtney Summers, but I won't be buying every new release that looks interesting. And of course, if there are epic sales that I just can't pass up, I won't. I'm not that self-controlled. ;)

9. Participate in at least ONE readathon! 

There have been several readathons this year that have sounded like so much fun! Unfortunately, they have taken place when I just didn't have the time to commit to them, or I found out about them after they had begun already. So next year, I'm hoping to find at least one to participate in, hopefully during the summer. And who knows? Maybe I'll love it so much that I'll do even more!

10. Read 40 books in 2015! 

I read 11 books in 2013, so my goal for 2014 was 20 books. And I just finished book number 50. Wooo! So my goal is 40 for next year, because I'd rather aim a little low and surpass my goal than to go for the gold and fall short. So hopefully I'll be able to read more than 40, but if I at least reach that number, I'll be happy!

Tell me: what are some of YOUR bookish resolutions for 2015? Do any of yours match mine? Let me know in the comments below!