Reading Envy 237: Reading Goals 2022

Jenny talks about her reading goals for 2022, starts thinking about Russian novels, and reflects on reading goals for 2021. Next time we'll be back to our regular episodes!

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Reading Envy 237: Reading Goals 2022

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Discussion Links:

Reading Envy Russia - shared folder with challenge documents, etc.
Reading Envy Readers - discussion in Goodreads (join the group)
The Possessed by Elif Batuman
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Brothers Karamazov by Leo Tolstoy
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Lolita by Vladimir Nobokov
Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov
Untraceable by Sergei Lebedev
Oblivion by Sergei Lebedev
Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina
Brisbane by Eugene Vodolazkin
An Evening with Claire by Gaito Gazdanov
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders

Furrowed Middlebrow
Indigenous Reading Circle
Reading Around the World - countries still needed
Updated Europe focus for 2021
The Free Black Women's Library
#ReadtheWorld21 (look for it in Instagram)

Related episodes:

Episode 210 - Reading Goals 2021

Stalk me online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy


All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 222: Minty Fresh with Courtney

Courtney drops by to discuss reading goals updates, to school Jenny on using Reddit for reading, and we may go on a few mutiny and gardening tangents. There is a content warning at the top of this episode so please listen closely!

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Reading Envy 222: Minty Fresh

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Books discussed: 

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Sparrow Envy by J. Drew Lanham
Unbowed by Wangari Maathai
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell; narrated by Grace Gummer
The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Other mentions:

Reddit r/fantasy
Reddit - Suggest me a Book
Reddit - What's that book called?
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Fool by Christopher Moore
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
On Being Podcast - J. Drew Lanham
-ologies podcast
The Home Place by J. Drew Lanham
We Are Each Other's Harvest by Natalie Baszile
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Serpent in Paradise by Dea Birkett
The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore
The Galaxy and The Ground Within by Becky Chambers
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone

Related episodes:

Episode 064 - Reading Down the Rabbit Hole with guest Tracy Landrith
Episode 104 - Uppity Lives and Jelly Melons with Jason Roland 
Episode 179 - Think of the Bees with Courtney Burson
Episode 210 - Reading Goals 2021

Stalk us online:

Courtney at Goodreads
Courtney is @conservio on Litsy
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 210: 2021 Reading Goals

Jenny reports back on how she did on her 2020 reading goals in the midst of challenging circumstances, then sets goals for 2021. Then a handful of podcast and reading friends share their reading goals for 2021.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 210: 2021 Reading Goals

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Jenny’s Goals 

1. Focus on reading Europe 
2. Catch up on books with music as a central theme 
3. Authors to try list 
4. Keep up with subscriptions 
5. Participate in challenges

Audrey (@dreesreads in Instagram) 

1. Be more relaxed
2. One big non-fiction read
3. Booker International long/shortlist
4. National Book Award Poetry Longlist
5. Continue listening to audiobooks

Laurie

1. Pop Sugar 2021 Reading Challenge 
2. Back to the Classics 2021 Challenge (Books and Chocolate blog) 

Ellie (@shatterlings in Instagram)

1. Russian classics
2. Vassily Grossman buddy reads 

Scott  

1. Emphasis on reading, continue checking off TBR 
2. Shakespeare plays 
3. Presidential biographies 

Courtney 

1. Read 40 books
2. Read 20 books she already owns 

Robin 

1. Be consistent about journaling about books read 
2. Slow down and be more reflective after finishing 
3. More classics, more Willa Cather, maybe Proust 
4. Authors around the world 
5. Read more from physical TBR 

Karen Naughton (@BarkerForBooks in Instagram)

1. Complete reading Thomas Hardy, hopefully 1 book a month
   

Paula 

1. This year's theme will be nature books

Books discussed: 

The Ensemble by Aja Gabal
Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel
The Student Conductor by Robert Ford
Music and Silence by Rose Tremain
Songbook by Nick Hornby
Grace Notes by Bernard MacLaverty
The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita
Compass by Mathias Enard
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Devils by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Neverness by David Zindell
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Wilson by A. Scott Berg
A Full Life by Jimmy Carter
Life in the Garden by Penelope Lively
At Hawthorne Time by Melissa Harrison
Station Life in New Zealand by Lady Barker
Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui 

Other mentions:

Two Lines Press
Restless Books
Graywolf Galley Club
ND New Classics
Erin and Dani's Book Club on Instagram
ReadtheWorld21 in Instagram
Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club
The Free Black Women's Library on Instagram
The Free Black Women's Library

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
If you want to hear more from one of the guests who appeared on this episode, go to the episode guide and do a search.

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate.

Reading Envy 107: Reading Goals 2018

It is the very best time of the year, the time to pick new reading goals and to see how we did the last time around. I share progress on the goals from 2017, new goals for 2018, and a few surprise guests join me to offer their ideas for one of my goals. At the end, I rattle off a few statistics from my 2017 reading year.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 107: Reading Goals 2018

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Listen via Stitcher

I am scheduling guests for 2018! If you are interested in appearing on the podcast: FAQ


Goals for 2018

1. Read Canada and Alaska

(See some recommendations below)

2. Complete six book speed-dating projects

3. Host two Reading Envy readalongs

4. Reading challenges

Reading Women Challenge
Unread Shelf Project 2018 (found in Instagram)
#theunreadshelfproject2018 @theunreadshelf @calsreads @katereadsbooks

5. Keep book data outside of Goodreads

Canadian recommendations from guests:

Lindy recommends: 
Bear by Marian Engel
Half World by Hiromi Goto
Rumi and the Red Handbag by Shawna Lemay
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
Mr and Mrs Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath
The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill

Shawn recommends:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
As For Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
The Lamb at Noon and Other Stories by Sinclair Ross
Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
The Break by Katherina Vermette
Brother by David Chariandy
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Memory Board by Jane Rule
We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night by Joel Hynes
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

Casey recommends:
The Mystics of Mile End by Sigal Samuel
Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway
Canary by Nancy Jo Cullen
Queer Can Lit Links (from Casey's blog)

Additional Canadian Lit Resources:
The Best Canadian Fiction of 2017 (CBC)
The Best Canadian Non-Fiction of 2017 (CBC)
The Best Canadian Poetry of 2017 (CBC)
Can't Lit Podcast
Governor General's Literary Award
Scotiabank Giller Prize
Writers & Company Podcast (Eleanor Watchel, CBC)

Stalk us online:

Lindy Reads and Reviews (blog)
Lindy on Twitter
Lindy is @Lindy on Litsy
Shawn at Goodreads
Shawn on Twitter 
Shawn the Book Maniac (YouTube)
Shawn is @shawnmooney on Litsy
Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian (blog)
Casey at Goodreads
Casey on Twitter
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Reading Envy 076: Borderlands (Reading Goals 2017)

Jenny sits in a corner alone at the Reading Envy pub and reflects on the goals of 2016, establishes new goals for the new year, and finishes up a few book speed-dating projects.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 076: Borderlands.


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Relevant links:
Original 2016 reading goals
Africa2016 reading report (this is where the top five are listed)

Goals for 2017:

1. Read books from the borders, from people who are displaced or forced out, and maybe indigenous groups. 
2. Host a Reading Envy readalong of East of Eden by John Steinbeck
3. Read about mythology
4. Actually read books from book subscriptions I have
5. Explore indie/micro/small presses

Speed-Dating Round 5 of 2016

Wave by Sonya Deraniyagala
The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets by Deb Richardson-Moore
Time and Again by Jack Finney
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre 
Boston Noir: Stories edited by Dennis Lehane
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith


Speed-Dating Round 6 of 2016

Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
A Short History of a Small Place by T.R. Pearson
Edible Stories: A Novel in Sixteen Parts by Mark Kurlansky
Bluebeard's Egg: Stories by Margaret Atwood
Skinned Alive: Stories by Edmund White
House Rules by Rachel Sontag
Devils in the Sugar Shop by Timothy Schaffert
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers


Stalk me online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy 

2016 Reading Wrap-Up: Africa2016

I have been working on a project to read a book from every country for several years now. For 2016, I turned my focus to Africa and made quite a bit of progress, although there are still some holes in that map. In the image, the orange represents countries I had read books from years previous to 2016, the green represents countries I read for the first time in 2016, and the orange with green stripes indicates countries where although I had previously read books from those countries, I read additional books this year. The full list of 37 titles from 2016 is below, and I'd be happy to send a link of my full list to anyone who requests it. Links with the year in parentheses will take you to my review in Goodreads while title links will take you to Amazon.

There are a few countries I still need ideas for - Benin, Gabon, and Niger. Any ideas?

My top reads from Africa for this year would be:

1. The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane
2. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
3. Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga
4. Walking with Abel: Journeys with the Nomads of the African Savannah by Anna Badkhen
5. New-Generation African Poets: A Chapbook Set (tatu) edited by Kwame Dawes

I'm particularly proud of this year's list because it has more female authors than male, and more native authors than non-native. An increase in translated literature by small presses has really helped, and I can't wait to see what they bring us in 2017.

Algeria
The Stranger by Albert Camus (read 2011 and 2016)
The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud (read 2016)

Angola
A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (read 2016)
The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (October 2016)

Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)
Historia, Historia by Eleanor Stanford (read 2016)

Cameroon
Mystique: A Collection of Lake Myths by Beatrice Bime (read 2016)

Democratic Republic of the Congo & Republic of the Congo
Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou (read December 2016)

Egypt
The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz (read 2016)

Ghana
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (read 2016)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (read 2016)

Kenya
The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji (read 2016)

Mali
Walking with Abel by Anna Badkhen (read 2016)
The Cruelest Journey by Kira Salak (read 2016)
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer (read 2016)

Mozambique
The First Wife by Pauline Chiziane (read 2016)

Nigeria
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (read 2016)
The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi (read 2016)
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor (read 2016)

Rwanda
Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga (read 2016)
Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga (read 2016)

Senegal
Xala by Ousmane Sembene (read 2016)

Sierra Leone
Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna (read December 2016)

South Sudan
Beyond the River Wei by Binyavonga Wainanga (read 2016)
There is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan by various (read 2016)

Sudan
The January Children by January Elhillo (read December 2016)
Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih (read 2016)

Swaziland
When Hoopoes Go To Heaven by Gaile Parkin (read 2016)

Tanzania
Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar by Emily Ruete (read December 2016)

Uganda
Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (read 2016)
All our Names by Dinaw Mengestu (read 2016)
The Gravity of Sunlight by Rosa Shand (read 2016)
Thirty Girls by Susan Minot (read 2016)

Zimbabwe
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (read July 2016)

Multi
New-Generation African Poets (tatu) ed. By Kwame Dawes (read April 2016)
New-Generation African Poets (nne) ed. By Kwame Dawes (read December 2016)
Passages: Africa (PEN America) (read December 2016)
Water: New Short Story Fiction from Africa edited by Nick Mulgrew (read November 2016)

Mid-Year Reading Goal Check-In

A lot of readers in Litsy have been reporting on their goals, picking best reads for the year, etc. I started to get curious about the progress I have made on my reading goals, and decided to both investigate and share it with you. If you want to go back and listen to me discuss more behind the initial intent behind the goals, check out Episode 048 of the podcast.

Goal 1: Read a book from the countries left in Africa (from my ongoing "read a book from every country" project)

I'm encountering a minor version to what happened last year, when I got stuck reading books from New Guinea for four months - instead of reading one book in every country, I have read several books for many of the countries I aim to read. So while I've read 20 books for this challenge, I have only covered 11 countries. 31 to go if I'm going to read all the countries I've never read from. Five a month? I'm not sure that's going to happen, but here is what has:

Algeria

The Stranger by Albert Camus (February 2016)

The Meursault Investigation (April 2016)

Ghana

Wife of the Gods (June 2016)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (June 2016)

Kenya
The Book of Secrets by M.J. Vassanji (February 2016)

Mali

The Cruelest Journey: Six Hundred Miles To Timbuktu by Kira Salak (March 2016)

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer (March 2016)

Mozambique

The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane (April 2016)

Nigeria
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor (January 2016)

Rwanda

Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga (February 2016)

Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga (June 2016)

South Sudan

Beyond the River Yei (January 2016)

There is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan (January 2016)

Sudan

Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih (March 2016)

Swaziland

When Hoopoes Go to Heaven by Gaile Parkin (May 2016)

Uganda
Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (February 2016)

All Our Names by Dinew Mengestu (January 2016)

The Gravity of Sunlight by Rosa Shand (January 2016)

Thirty Girls by Susan Minot (January 2016)

Multi

New-Generation African Poets ed. By Kwame Dawes (April 2016)

Goal 2: Read some of my shelf of anthologies (perhaps develop strategies for this)

FAIL. I have made it through one anthology, and that was one I purchased after making these reading goals. Sigh.

Goal 3: Don't be a hoarder - complete six more book speed dating projects to make decisions about books I'm not sure about

I haven't been so great about not adding more books, but to be fair (to me) that wasn't the goal. I have done one speed dating project every two months, so for 2016, I have done three. I will work on another one sometime in July.

I recorded about each of them, so you can hear my thoughts:

Speed Dating 2016 #1
Speed Dating 2016 #2
Speed Dating 2016 #3

Goal 4: Reflective reading - experiment with journaling, video reviews, etc.

I definitely worked a lot with this although most of it is not something I can show. I absolutely prefer to record my thoughts in audio over video.

Goal 5: Read genres I usually ignore - crime and romance, maybe others
Heck yeah. I have read more romance this year than any other time in my life. That discussion is in the same episode as speed date #2, "The Wall of Romance." When I gave my students this project, I picked up a sportsing book.  I have read a few more crime novels this year, although I'm not sure if it's more than normal, and it is likely not the titles I had in mind when I made the goal.

Reading Envy 048: Reading Goals 2016

This episode wraps up 2015's reading goals, throws in a few more favorite reads for the year from a few more guests and friends, and announces Jenny's Reading Goals for 2016. Do you have any goals for your reading in the new year?

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 048: Reading Goals 2016.

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A few books related to my 2015 reading goals:

 
Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak
Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben McIntyre
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam by G. Willow Wilson
Minnow by James McTeer II


Favorite reads of 2015 from Bryan, Thomas, and Facebook friends:


Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert Putnam
Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy by Judd Apatow
Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders
On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sachs
Americanah by Adichie
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Giant Days Vol. 1 by Lissa Treiman
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family by Diana Wiessinger

The official list of Jenny's 2016 Reading Goals:

1. Read a book from the countries left in Africa (from my ongoing "read a book from every country" project)
2. Read some of my shelf of anthologies (perhaps develop strategies for this)
3. Don't be a hoarder - complete six more book speed dating projects to make decisions about books I'm not sure about
4. Reflective reading - experiment with journaling, video reviews, etc. 
5. Read genres I usually ignore - crime and romance, maybe others

Other mentions:
The World's Literature Group
Great African Reads Group
Emma's War by Deborah Scroggins
Beyond the River Yei: Life in the Land Where Sleeping Is a Disease by Binyavanga Wainaina
Thirty Girls by Susan Minot
The Gravity of Sunlight by Rosa Shand
Africa 2016: The Working List
Jenny's new Anthology Shelf in Goodreads
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Related episodes:
Episode 020 - Goals!
Episode 036 - The Reader Sense of Ann VanderMeer with guest Ann VanderMeer
Episode 038 - Monica Byrne Wants to Make People (Want to) Scream with guest Monica Byrne
Episode 041 - Grotesque Beauty with Nathan Ballingrud
Episode 046 - Books for Your Kitty Party (The Best of 2015) with Libby Young and many other guests
Episode 047 - Sex with Elvis: Bonus Book Speed Dating Episode

Stalk me online:
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter