2015 Return and Report; Also, Big Blog Changes

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since you've heard from me; I'll explain why in a minute. First things first, though. Here's my report on my 2015 challenges:

2015 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
Hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen

Level: Getting My Heart Rate Up
Goal: 51-55 books
Tag: 2015 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Result:
I did it! My official count was 62.

Newbery Reading Challenge 2015
Hosted by Julie at Smiling Shelves

Level: L'Engle
Goal: 15-29 points
Tag: Newbery Reading Challenge 2015

Result:
Epic failure. The only Newbery book I read was A Wrinkle in Time, giving me 3 points. :(

The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2015
Hosted by Shellyrae at Book'd Out

Goal: 12 books, one in each category
Tag: The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2015

Categories:

1. Retellings -- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
2.  A book set in a country starting with the letter S (eg. Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Slovakia)
3.  PI Crime -- Jackaby by William Ritter
4.  A novel published before you were born -- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
5. Contemporary romance -- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
6. Fiction for foodies  --  Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay
7. Microhistory (Non Fiction)
8. Science Fiction set in space -- No Life But This by Anna Sheehan
9. Sports -- On the Fence by Kasie West
10. Featuring diversity -- A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
11. Epistolary Fiction -- Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
12. Middle Grade/YA Adventure -- The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Result:
10 out of 12 isn't bad, in my opinion, but still falls short of my goal.

I Love Library Books 2015
hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair

Level: Early Reader
Goal: 9 books
Tag: I Love Library Books 2015

Result:
Oh, thank goodness. One I actually did well on! I read 32 library books -- success!


2015 EBooks Reading Challenge

hosted by Annette at Annette's Book Spot

Level: Megabytes

Goal: 25 books

Tag: 2015 EBook Reading Challenge

Result:
I mentioned when I signed up for this challenge that most of my reading was going to be electronic, and I was definitely right. I read 59 ebooks last year, which means, for those following along at home, that I only read 3 paper books last year. O_O


~*~*~

Now for my other news. I'm switching blogs! Y'all. I started a new blog over on WordPress, and because of Lack of Motivation, I unfortunately haven't gotten much traction on it yet. But you're welcome to go find me there! It's called Novel Diplomacy.

Things coming soon on it:
-Joining some 2016 Reading Challenges
-Possibly some book reviews
-General news about my life

I'll see you there!

2015 Challenges

Well friends, I had such a great time with the 2014 Outdo Yourself Challenge that I want to find a couple more to do this year!

Here are my challenges, along with my goals:

2015 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
Hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen

So last year I really REALLY outdid myself. My official 2013 count was 9, and it looks like my 2014 count is going to be at least 50. This challenge was exactly the kind of jumpstart I needed to get myself reading again. I don't know that I'm gonna try TOO hard to outdo my total again, because there are a lot of other things in my life that I need to focus on besides just reading, so I'm gonna stick with the lowest level right now.

Level: Getting My Heart Rate Up
Goal: 51-55 books

Newbery Reading Challenge 2015
Hosted by Julie at Smiling Shelves

I feel like I've been doing a lot of cotton candy reading lately. This next year I want to try to read more books with substance, and one of the places I'm gonna start is with Newbery winners. Julie grades on a points system - 3 for Newbery Medal Winners, 2 for Newbery Honor Books, and 1 for Caldecott Medal Winners. I'm not shooting for quantity as much as substance, so again, I'm choosing the lowest level. For now.

Level: L'Engle
Goal: 15-29 points

The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2015
Hosted by Shellyrae at Book'd Out

I also want to diversify. I feel like I constantly read the same book over and over these days, so in the interest of not doing that... here I am. Shellyrae has picked out several genres, and I get to pick a book for each one.

Goal: 12 books, one in each category

I Love Library Books 2015
hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair

So those of you who know me in real life (or pay very close attention, because I've mentioned it on the blog a couple times now) know that I recently moved to Bangladesh. Which, among other changes, kind of restricts my access to paper books. I have what I brought with me, and I know of a couple "libraries" (community shelves where people just leave what they want to share). So thank goodness for my Nook, and thank goodness for OverDrive! Luckily I still have a library card from the States, and I can use it to check out ebooks on my library's website. (Or else I'd have to plan on paying Barnes and Noble a fortune in Nook Books.) I've been here for a month, and I've already checked out four. So I'm really excited about Gina's challenge to read books from the library. Even though I already know I'm gonna use it plenty, I DO still have a ton of books on my Nook that I own and want to read, so like my other challenges, I'm gonna start small and reserve the right to go up a level (or two) later.

Level: Early Reader
Goal: 9 books


Wish me luck, guys! I'm really excited for 2015!