February

The month of February began with a bang here in the upper Midwest. We were blanketed with a snowstorm for 24 hours here in southeastern Wisconsin, and I have to say, it's finally feeling like winter. In the month of January, I didn't get much reading done, as I was purposely using my time to marathon Friends after it appeared on Netflix. But now, it's time to list my planned books for the year. I have challenged myself to read thirty books, which is a smaller number than in previous years, but the books I have in mind for 2015 are mostly classics and kind of heavy reading. So, thirty books it is.

I do not have every single book planned out, but I have given myself some goals, which should help me to not get distracted too much.

• Mostly read books I already own, but stick to my list if I go to the library.
• Read a classic from each continent.
• Read, specifically, an Italian novel, a Russian novel, and a Spanish novel.
• Revisit Jane Austen's works, also finally completing Mansfield Park.
• Read through the Bible in one year, which I am doing through the She Reads Truth app.
• Complete level one of the Reading England challenge (more about that later).

These are my main goals for 2015, which I will flesh out in my next post. I have a few more goals that are not the top priority, but here are those as well.

• Read at least one Japanese manga series, as well as a Korean one.
• Read one modern novel by an ethnic woman author.
• Revisit The Casual Vacancy, by JK Rowling, and finish it this time.
• Read at least three nonfiction books.

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As easy to read as YA novels are, I want to stay away from them this year. I'm not seriously even a fan of most of them as are most of the book bloggers I follow. That's not a cut against them, it's just an observation. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in English, and I need to continue to train my mind with good, meaty literature. Besides, my fluff reading has tended more towards manga, which is why it's on my secondary goals list. That stuff is a whole other type of reading, and I love the choices.

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Currently Reading:

• Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino
• Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen