Hello my friends! I decided to take an extended break from book blogging for a number of reasons. First, work was extremely insane during the month of March. Then, I decided to better myself by taking a few free courses online over some different subjects. Never stop learning! The other reason for my hiatus is that I was having some struggles with reading and getting my thoughts down in a coherent format. In my research on this terrible matter, I learned that reader’s block is a very real affliction! The good news is that I believe the storm has passed, and I’m back on the right path. I thought a good place to restart would be in the form of a check-in to see how much progress I have made toward my 2019 goals.
#1 Read and review at least 75 books (12/75): Unfortunately, I am not as far along on the path as I would like. Although 12 books are completed, I have reviewed only 8 of them so the next two weeks are all about getting those reviews written. The good news is that my next review is on a book that has become an all-time favorite, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I’m very excited to write this review as well as explore another writer that has endeared himself to me. I recently finished some short stories by the phenomenal Gabriel García Márquez, and without a doubt I’m a changed reader.
#2 Read more of my own damn books and slow down on the book buying: Considering I just bought a bunch of books at a sale, I think this goal will be harder than I thought. Don’t judge me!
#3 Read 20 Books off my Classics Club list (3/20): I have been pleased with my choices so far and look forward to reviewing more classics in 2019.
#3 Back to the Classics Challenge (2/12): I read two great science fiction classics so far for this challenge. Going forward, I plan to continue to read some classic sci-fi with a couple of selections in other genres.
#4 TBR Pile Challenge (5/12): Although I’ve finished five books for this challenge, I still need to catch up on reviews. One of my upcoming reviews will be David Mitchell’s surreal number9dream.
#5 European Reading Challenge (3/50): One of my goals is to read more works from around the world. I already have some great titles on my shelves, so hopefully I will increase this number in the near future.
#6 Jane Austen Challenge (2/6): This has been one of my favorite challenges for this year as I’m a proud Janeite. I’m excited to reread all of her main novels.
#7 Nonfiction Reading Challenge (0/10): Yikes! I really need to get my butt in gear. Hopefully, no more reader’s block.
Finally, here are my three favorite books for the first quarter of 2019:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Widdershins by Charles de Lint
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I will continue to update progress for my 2019 Reading Challenges throughout the year. Hopefully, April will prove to be an excellent reading month.
I Would Rather Be Reading 
Glad you’re back Joel!
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Nice check in! I love that we both have Sense and Sensibility as one of our top three titles this quarter! I’ve been dealing with a bit of Reader’s Block myself. Hope yours cleared up!
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Thanks Allison! I really loved reading S&S for the second time. It looks like my reader’s block has passed, and I’m looking forward to posting my thoughts on ‘number9dream’ soon. I hope your reader’s block clears up too.
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Thanks. I think the issue is I’m reading a number of difficult books. So while I LIKE them, I can’t read them for long. Perhaps I need to break them up with something a little lighter.
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I have to do the same thing. I try to break up harder books with something lighter or a collection of short stories.
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