December, Goal Updates, etc.

Well, my my...having a new job is tiring! Even though I've been a librarian for a while and basically know what I'm doing, aside from some organization-specific things, it's still a lot of energy getting to know new people (especially when those new people include 400+ students between the ages of five and twelve), learning the ropes, and getting used to working again. I really thought I would have more energy for blogging again before now, but clearly that was not to be. If I can get ahead on lesson planning during winter break, my goal is to start up again January...we shall see.

In the meantime, I figured now that it's December (HOW is it December?) I probably owed everyone (all the one people who read this) a Read Harder update. You ready for this?

I am very behind. (Shocking, I know. I also still need to read 24 books for the year to hit my goal of 150 books total. Yeesh, how did I let this happen?)

I DID manage to finish all my books through August, so that's...something? Maybe? I'm working on Long Walk to Freedom right now, from September - spoiler alert, it is LONG - and will probably read Love is a Revolution this week while my husband is working nights. I tend to get more reading done when I'm supposed to be asleep while he isn't here but can't actually sleep. I also read one of my November picks and one of my December picks, woo! Hopefully I can get through the last six books I have to finish in the next three weeks...tall order...anyway, my remaining choices for the year are below.

October:

Historical Fiction with a POC or LGBTQ protagonist: My choice was Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie, which is set in post-WW2 Japan and has a beautiful cover. I can't wait to get into it!

A book of nature poems: I've actually started reading one, but it's a nature poem for every day, so I only read one poem a day...that's gonna take a while. My other pick for this category is Earth Keeper, which I have on hold at the library right now.

November:

A children's book that centers a disabled character but not their disability: Ok, so, I technically have already read a book for this category, but it was a picture book, so I picked two. The book I already read is Mommy Sayang by by Rosana Sullivan, which is just a lovely, lovely book. The one I still need to read is Lila and Hadley by Kody Keplinger. I actually did a book talk of this book for some of my classes before I found it as an option for this category, and a couple students read it and really liked it, so I'm looking forward to reading it and being able to talk to them about it.

A book set in the midwest: Done! For this one, I chose You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, which I have wanted to read for.ev.er. While I could not wrap my brain around earning a huge scholarship for winning prom queen, I still adored this book. Lea Johnson does a great job of depicting the multiple facets to every story and showing character growth. Excellent read.

December:

A book that demystifies a common mental illness: My choice for this is The Edge of Every Day by Marin Sardy. It's about schizophrenia, which I think is a pretty misunderstood and heavily judged mental illness. I picked it up from the library a little bit ago, so I'm ready to go as soon as I have time.

A book with a beloved pet where the pet doesn't die: Also done! I chose The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill for this, and it is ADORABLE. It's a graphic novel with beautiful illustrations, and I finished the series and dearly love all three books. So gorgeous.

What would you have chosen for each of these challenges?