Dreaming BIG

I've been trying to work out what my goals are, in reading, life, everything.

I have a reading challenge already, as I do every year since I started using goodreads in earnest (2016), and while I'm a bit behind, I'll be fine. As of today, I've read 72 of 150, I'm 2 books behind schedule, and I'm currently reading/listening to Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes for NetGalley. I have a bad habit of procrastinating and this book was released on March 2 and I'm only getting to it now.

So, I guess Goal # 1 is "read the books before they're released, Raine," that would be a good start.

Last year, I read 250 books and finished at like, 11:30 p.m. on December 31. It was incredibly stressful and frankly sucked a lot of the joy out of reading for me. It required a book be read every 36 hours, and while that was doable, I constantly felt like there was a deadline on my tail.

A few years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to write at least 3 sentences about every book I read/listened to and that helped me become a more active reader, and to think more critically about what I was reading. I highly recommend it. Many things I read before that point I honestly can't remember much about.

I could go on and start waxing about how This Is My Year or New Leaf Etc. but honestly, it's too hot out to make any actual commitments of the kind, not to mention it's July, so I'm just going to keep rocking out (or rocking in, under my ceiling fan) as I have been, for better or for worse.

In addition to Burning Girls and Other Stories, I received an advance copy of The Complete American Gods graphic novel and my license for that expires on the weekend I think, despite it not being released until September 14, 2021. The thing is a beast at more than 700 pages, so I have to get on it, and from what I've seen so far it is gorgeous and does the source material proud. I love when they do graphic novels of work I already enjoy. The one they did for Kindred by Octavia E. Butler was great (and I should re-read it), and I liked the Outlander companion The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel.

One I haven't picked up but want to is The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel. I have complicated feelings about Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale tv series, and The Testaments (as well as its upcoming tv adaptation), but you can't deny how excellent THT is as a novel.

So, now that I've waffled on and on about not much, I will leave it at that. If you have any books/graphic novels based on books you think I'd like, please let me know! <3 R