2018 Reading Challenges - Epic Fail

Graphic from ebaum's world

Sometimes you meet your goals. This year, I:

• Participated in and won STORYSTORM
• Increased my sales volume in real estate and listed more homes than previous years
• Cleaned out my house
• Sent out Christmas cards for the first time in four years

Sometimes you only make progress on your goals. This year, I:

• Didn't send Clever Tom (my next picture book) out to agents, but I performed agent research and participated in #PBPITCH on Twitter a few times. 
• Didn't finish Amelia's Mission (my middle grade historical), but I wrote several chapters and attended almost all our writer's group meetings to get feedback.
• Didn't blog as much as intended, but have managed to keep five blogs going, resurrected another blog, and now contribute to two more blogs instead of only Christian Children's Authors. 

Then there are goals you simply don't even come close to. My 2018 reading challenges fit in that epic fail category. Since I knew time would be limited, and my responsibilities for my in-laws have increased, I promised myself to aim low. Well, the three challenges I signed up for never saw the light of day. 

I didn't even crack open one of the 12 books on my 2018 TBR Pile Challenge list. New books will always catch my eye, and virtual book tours are still of interest, so I have to realize that my TBR Pile will remain a mountain until I become independently wealthy and can stop working, or until I find the willpower to stop signing up for new virtual book tours. Neither seems likely.

On a good note, I read 43 books this year, which is 12 more than last year. I am going to set myself a reading goal of 50 books again this year and see how it goes. I'm also planning to join the 2019 Reading Challenge at Linz The Bookworm. It seems more manageable than what I have tried in the past. 

How did your reading challenges go? Have you decided what challenges you'll participate in for 2019? What will your first book be for 2019?