With school starting today, I decided to look at how I am doing with the reading goals I set in January.
Read 200 Picture Books – I’ve met this goal… plus some. According to my Goodreads account, I’ve read 321. I’ll continue to read every picture book the library purchases this year; and others I’ve missed throughout the years. Should probably up the goal to 500. I’m certain I can achieve it.
Read 10 Juvenile Chapter Books – I’ve achieved this and will continue to read more. Or at least the first twenty-five pages of books being discussed on librarian blogs as possible Newbery Award contenders.
Read 5 Young Adult Novels – I can check this goal off too.
Read 52 Nonfiction Books For Children – 63.4% percent accomplished. 19 books to go.
200 Blog Postings In 2014 – I may reach this goal; but I’m not counting on it. Today’s post is number 123. With only 128 days left in 2014, it’s going to be close. However, I do have 270 posts in draft form yet to be published. Admittedly, some only have the title of a book I want to share and no other words. I hope to polish up 77 of them in the next four months.
What I’ve learned most from these goals is reading is much easier than writing. I can read a picture book in three minutes. It takes days, even weeks for me to write and edit a blog post. My estimate is each blog post takes somewhere from thirty minutes to four hours of focused energy to write, link to authors and books, and check for mistakes.
It’s worth it. My knowledge of children’s literature is better than ever. I reference this blog daily to remember books I want to share with kids. In years past, specific titles of books for First Graders Who Fly Through Magic Tree House Books, A Third Grade Girl Obsessed With Harry Potter, To Read After The Ivy + Bean Series flew straight from my brain to my mouth. Not the case these days. This summer, this blog was my crutch at least two times a day. I printed the post Books for Boys: Series Fiction For Elementary Boys for over fifteen families.
One More Goal – Find one more person to follow my blog. Then, I’ll have 100 followers. Pretty amazing for something I started on a whim.
What is ML Reading? 