Hello readers and bloggers,
The year is almost over in, what feels like, the blink of an eye. And with that, we are at the end of our time for completing the Goodreads annual reading challenge. I have been struggling to make ends meet as I fell out of my reading routine the past couple of months where I managed only 2 books instead of the targeted 8 books in a month.
Consequently, I am quite literally burning the midnight oil to meet my target for this year which is 90 books. I have accomplished 69 books so far but I am starting to feel that I might, after all, not be able to complete the challenge, 2nd year in a row. Makes me disheartened already, but I am trying to pull the reins as hard and swift as I can. Wish me luck, fellas?
Talking of the books read, of all the books I managed so far, I was lucky to stack a few on my favorites shelf. There were authors I had never before heard of. Some, I didn’t like previously, but gave them a second chance nonetheless. Looking back, I am proud of all the choices I made, and here’s a look of my favorites list for 2019. You can checkout my reviews by clicking on the links.
All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy
Susanna’s Seven Husbands by Ruskin Bond
A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple
Then there were some other titles that were really quite good and I am sure I might read them again some time in the near future. These didn’t, however, make it to my favorites shelf but I am glad I picked them up because I did enjoy reading them. These are:
A Man called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Why I Write by Saadat Hasan Manto
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Going forward. For the next 2 months, I have a few books on my mind. Of which, I am currently reading Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and given the breadth of the book, it’ll take a good while before I finish it.
In any case, I hope to finish the rest on my TBR of 2019 before the year calls for an end. That’s all for now, folks.
Tell me all about your Goodreads challenge 2019, the books you read, the TBR for 2019, if you have a set routine, and other reading rituals, etc.
~~~~~
Asha Seth
Asha Seth 
I fell short of 5 books, last year to meet my goal of 60 books. So this year my goal was again 60 books only. Glad to say that I’m done with 56 books and I will hopefully surpass my goal this year.
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It sounds like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself to meet a self-imposed goal. I tend to do the same thing, but at the age of 66 I’m trying to learn to give myself some slack. Stop and ask yourself what your real goal was in reading in 2019. Perhaps it was to enjoy reading more. Perhaps it was to include books on your TBR that you knew would broaden your horizons and make you think — possibly even change your thinking on a particular issue. If you can look back over the list of books you’ve read in 2019, I bet you’ll see that you’ve met your real goals even if you fall short of the number of books you wanted to read. Life is full of stressors. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Thank you for your post today. It was like looking in a mirror for me. It prompted me to re-evaluate some of the goals I set for myself. I’m still a work in progress.
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Thanks for sharing Asha, and thanks for the ideas, I think I’ll put some on my 2020 list!!!
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I agree, some of the books on your favorites list sound super intriguing!
Also, American Gods is excellent – the payoff at the end is definitely worth the length of the book. Hope you’re enjoying it!
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Sixty-nine books is an impressive feat in itself, you can reach your target though, and if you need a cheerleader you know where I am.
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You’re a quiet good reader.. I hope You’ll be able to meet your goal of reading for this year.. all the best 😊😊
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you’ve read quite a lot, but I admire your desire to achieve the goal you had set from the very beginning
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Excellent selection .
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My Goodreads challenge is to read 40 books. Currently reading 35th and so I hope to complete it. Last year I couldn’t complete the challenge. My favorite book among the ones I read this year is The Dalai Lama’s Cat.
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