I’m just 1 person who is constantly chasing my annual reading goal. I set an ambitious goal of 150 books this year on Goodreads. For the past 3 years, my goal has been 125 books, and it was just 100 books a year before that. But I have consistently read more than my goal; in 2019, I read 208 books, for example! However, mid-year, I start to worry if I’ll make my goal. I am currently 6 books behind schedule. And even though I know I still have 7 months, I’m starting to panic a little. My hope is that by setting myself a reading challenge in June, I will be able to not only catch up but pull ahead and give myself a comfortable buffer.
Every book I read this month helps me out and moves me closer to my goal, even the picture books or the books I didn’t like as much. This month, I had three books that I rated 5 stars, so I’m especially glad to have read those.
My Month of Reading
| Title | Author | Genres | My Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mama, Do You Love Me? | Barbara M. Joosse | Picture Book | ***** | |
| Bombshells (Brooklyn Bruisers #8) | Sarina Bowen | Hockey Romance | ***** | eBook |
| The Fire Next Time | James Baldwin | Nonfiction Essays | ***** | Audio |
| Treasure | Mireille Messier | Picture Book | *** | |
| My Best Friend’s Exorcism | Grady Hendrix | Fiction, Thriller | *** | Audio |
| Home Time, Vol 1: Under the River | Campbell Whyte | Graphic Novel | **** | eBook |
| Awk-Weird (Ice Knights #2) | Avery Flynn | Hockey Romance | **** | eBook |
| The Capybaras | Alfredo Soderguit | Picture Book | ***** | |
| The Green Umbrella | Jackie Azúa Kramer | Picture Book | **** |
Total: 9 books read
My favorite book this month was difficult to choose. I feel like the smart choice would be to select The Fire Next Time. This book by James Baldwin is the second of his I’ve read, and the first nonfiction. It is two heartfelt letters to his nephew about what it means to be Black in society and has been considered a seminal work in racial injustice since it was published in 1963. I found them to be powerful, moving, and all too relevant for today’s society still.
However, truthfully, I think I enjoyed Bombshells just as much, though for much different reasons. I don’t read much hetero romance, but I always make an exception for hockey romances. I’m not always thrilled with them, but Sarina Bowen is one of my two favorite hockey romance writers. I always except high quality from her, and book eight in her Brooklyn Bruisers series did not disappoint. As always, it was a wonderful escape into fluff and romance and hockey. I especially loved that it involved two hockey players, one from the Bruisers and one from the Bombshells, the team in the new women’s league.
Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash