Bookish Resolutions - Month 1 Update

In January, I set some goals for the year and now it's time to see how I did for the first month. The challenge is called Bookish Resolutions, and it's hosted by Laura @ trips down imagination road and Michelle @ Because Reading. I didn't set my goals until midway through the month, and I must admit that I did not do well in this first month. But it sounds like this may be considered a bit of a practice month!

Here are my goals and my progress for January:

Reading Goals

Read 60 books by the end of the year ~ I've read 4 books so far. 4x12 is only 48...
Read 5 books that I already own as of today (1/17) ~ 0
Read every book chosen for my book club this year ~ so far on track
Commit to reading no more than 2 review books per month ~ I read two in January

Blogging Goals

Write a weekly reading recap every week ~ I missed last week but hit all the others
Write at least one review each week ~ I missed one week
Visit and comment on 5 blogs per week ~ not doing well on this one at all
Send out Book Club Picks newsletter every month ~ sent January's on time

Personal Goals

Fit in three workouts per week ~ not yet but I did work out on Monday...
Drink 64 ounces of water per day ~ I think I'm doing okay with this one
Get 7500 steps in at least 5 days per week ~ nope

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Banned Books Week: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

This is the end of Banned Books Week and unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to write about banned books this year. But I did want to include at least one post about it, so today I wanted to share one of the book series that it seems most people are surprised to find on the list: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park.

According to Wikipedia:
The Junie B. Jones series came in at #71 on the American Library Association's list of the Top 100 Banned or Challenged Books from 2000-2009. Reasons cited are poor social values taught by the books and Junie B. Jones not being considered a good role model due to her mouthiness and bad spelling/grammar. This is an interesting example of a banned book. Many times there are serious, controversial topics featured in books that are challenged. Things like homosexuality, drugs, vulgar language, etc. You can actually understand why people may not want their children to read those books, and why they may challenge their inclusion in school libra…

Book Review: I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Title: I See You
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Genre: thriller
Published: February 21, 2017
Format: ebook (NetGalley)
Source: publisher
Buy on Amazon(affiliate link)

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? You will after reading Clare Mackintosh's latest release I See You. Told from the perspectives of two women, one who appears to be targeted by a criminal and the other who is the police officer working the case, this psychological thriller will have you looking over your own shoulder by the end.

Zoe is a typical working mother who takes the Underground through London to her office every day. Like most commuters, she has a routine that she follows every day, leaving home at the same time, sitting in the same train car, taking the same route to work from the station. It's habit. But she starts to realize this may not be a good idea after seeing her own photo in an advertisement in the newspaper. Another woman who appears in the advertisement is murdered and Zoe starts to ge…

Book Review: The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Title: The Darkest Corners
Author: Kara Thomas
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Published: May 9, 2017
Format: Paperback
Source: Random House Children's Books
Buy on Amazon (affiliate link)

Tessa Lowell left Fayette, Pennsylvania, when she was just 9 years old, moving to Florida with her grandmother. Now she's a recent high school graduate and heading back to town to say goodbye to her dying father. With no family in town anymore, Tessa stays with the family of her former friend Callie, which is pretty awkward since she and Callie haven't spoken since they were little. Being with Callie also brings up questions that Tessa has held onto for the years since she's been gone. Questions about the testimony the young girls gave that sent a man to death row.

I don't read many young adult novels, but The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas was touted as "the next twisted psychological thriller," so I decided to give it a try... and I'm glad I did. While the story moves r…

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