Part 1 of 3: Year in Review of 2017 Reading Challenges

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series of posts reviewing the year-long reading challenges I participated in 2017. In this post, you will see a recap of my progress on the Goodreads Reading Challenge and also My Personal Reading Challenge.

In Part 2, you will find a recap of the 2017 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by Hot Listens and Caffeinated Book Reviewer. I posted about my progress back in May, at roughly the half-way point when I first learned about this challenge.

In Part 3, you will see a recap of my progress on 2 challenges from the Goodreads group called Read Women. Those challenges are aptly called Read Women 2017 and Read Women Around the World. 

In March, I participated in a challenge that was only for the month. That was the Take Control of Your TBR Pile, and won't be recapped in this series which is focused solely on my year-long challenges.

Goodreads Reading Challenge

Summary: If you remember my 2017 Reading Challenge post from January, I set myself a pretty lofty goal of reading 55 books this year on Goodreads. As much as I love to read, 55 is a high number for me.

Challenge progress: I'm at 17 books out of 55, with 9 that I'm currently reading. See below for my read list, and currently reading list. Some readers will change their goal throughout the year. I'm not changing my goal this close to the end of the year because that's just not fair and I'd feel like I'm cheating. I had a year to complete this goal or adjust it as needed and since I failed to do either, I'll do the best I can to get as close as possible to it. I also just really want to see how close I can get to reaching this 55 goal with 2 weeks left.

Goal for remainder of 2017: I'm shooting for 25 total for this year, or 8 books in the next 2 weeks!

2018 Goal: I'll set the bar a little lower to a yet to be determined number that I think will be a bit more attainable, and I also won't limit myself to specific books. Reading is supposed to be fun!

Check my Goodreads 2017 Year in Review to see my progress: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2017/

My Personal Reading Challenge

Summary: I challenged myself to read a set list of books that I currently own, plus the selections for book club. View the complete list here: 2017 Reading List Challenge. This set list ended up being a detrimental to my success because it made reading become a chore. Having "assigned" reading was like homework hanging over my head so I procrastinated on reading or didn't enjoy it.

Challenge progress: 15 out of the 17 books I've read this year were on the list, or 15 out of 55! Only 2 were unplanned. I could say that 8 were unplanned, but that 8 counts the book club ones that I knew I'd read but didn't know the titles of yet since we pick about a month ahead.

Goal for remainder of 2017: however many of my currently reading pile I can complete.

2018 Goal: Lesson learned! I won't be doing "assigned reading" any more!

Read as of 12/14/17 - This list is in order of dates read starting in January, and I've linked them to my own review (no link means no review). Visit Part 2 and Part 3 of this series to see which sub-challenges these books fall into. 

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Invisible Target: Breaking the Cycle of Educator Sexual Abuse by Andrea Clemens
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and the first review
5. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
6. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
7. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
8. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
9. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
10. Home Front by Kristin Hannah
11. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
12. Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise by Thich Nhat Hanh
13. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
14. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
15. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
16. The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand
17. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Currently Reading - see Part 2 and Part 3 of this series to see which shelves/sub-challenges these books will end up in if I finish them this year.

1. Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel
2. Pursuing Gold: A Novel of the Civil War by Cynthia L. Simmons
3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
4. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
6. The Dharma of Star Wars by Matthew Bortolin
7. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
8. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
9. Rokitansky by Alice Darwin

Check back for the next posts in the series!

Review: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Paperback, 487 pages
Published April 2016 by Ballantine Books
Dates Read: Nov. 22 - Dec. 11, 2017

My book club, Vermont Books n Brews, selected Lilac Girls for our November discussion. Since it's historical fiction, based during the WWII era, the subject matter is right up my alley. The review from Library Journal on the cover reads, "extremely moving and memorable . . . should appeal strongly to [readers of] Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See." and this is quite accurate to me considering how much I enjoyed The Nightingale! I am now even more convinced I should read All the Light We Cannot See because of enjoying both of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale.

Now back to the discussion. Of course, I lived up to my reputation and didn't finish the book in time for the discussion, but my book club LOVED Martha Hall Kelly's debut novel. Once I was able to sit down and read it for real, I read it in a week. That's a record for me. I just could not put it down.

Have you ever gotten to the end of a book, closed it and sighed in relief? That happened for me with this book. I felt relief for Kasia that she finally got the closure she so desperately needed about what happened to her mother.

Lilac Girls is based on the real-life story of three women whose lives are forever transformed and connected by horrendous acts during WWII. Caroline Ferriday is a New York socialite, former Broadway actress, and liaison to the French consulate who works to provide aid for French citizens during the war, and eventually for victims of war crimes. Kasia Kuzmerick is a Polish teenager who becomes a courier for the underground resistance movement and ends up in the only women's only concentration camp of the war with her mother and sister. Herta Oberheuser is a young German doctor who answers an ad for a government medical position, thinking it'd be a great experience for her medical career, but is unknowingly getting herself into a position that will have drastic consequences.

For decades, these women manage to endure the impossible pain and heartache of war, and yet still manage to experience the love, redemption, and friendship that comes with the healing powers of the truth.

Martha Hall Kelly eloquently tells the story of these strong, brave women who went through hell and back to survive in a world that eventually forgot about them. A story that seems to get brushed aside amidst the stories of the soldiers who fought the wars.

Kelly did an amazing job with her debut novel. Her 10 years of research and attention to detail are apparent.  Perhaps I enjoyed it even more because I am a sucker for historical fiction, especially that of the WWII era, and with chapters written from different characters perspectives. Regardless of the reason, I am looking forward to Kelly's next two novels, both prequels to Lilac Girls.

Rating: 5 out of 5 - I fell in love with multiple aspects. Highly recommend.

**
Side note 1: Read the Author's Note and interview at the end of the book. Despite always being an avid reader, I rarely read the extras at the end of books such as the Author's Notes, acknowledgements, and interviews once the book ends. For some readers, that may come as a surprise. For others, you're probably thinking "Me too! Why bother?" I always thought it was a waste of time and it'd ruin the story for me. Well, let me tell you, I learned the hard way that I'm missing out! If you're like me and don't read those extras, please read them for Lilac Girls, you won't be sorry.

Side note 2: There are discussion questions in the back of the book. For book club discussion activity ideas and more questions, visit marthahallkelly.com/lilac-girls/for-book-clubs/.

Side note 3: There is a documentary being made about the Rabbits of Ravensbruck. To learn more and follow the story, follow their progress on Facebook and watch this video on YouTube.

Poem: I Go To Nature To Be Soothed

the sounds of nature, the sights and smells blanketed, surrounded by the reminder of the outside world, civilization. two somehow become one and blend together to coexist amidst the chaos. i am constantly reminded of the other.

i go to nature to be soothed, to recharge, to be mindful, to nourish, and to welcome my newfound calmness.

nature helps me think, re-balance. reminds me that i am just one small cell, one small part of this larger thing called life. nature soothes me. silences me.

nature makes me think. clears my mind. reminds me of what's important in this life. gets me to
put pen to paper, mind to matter and to forget
about life for awhile. i get to shut off.
recharge. reset. and,
remember who i am.

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." - John Burroughs

Poem: Strength and Unity: MRKH Warrior Strong

Grief has its own unique way of isolating us into a cruel, dark world we don't always know how to come back from. It is in these moments we struggle the most, yet draw the most inspiration. A good friend of mine, Meredith Brookes, recently passed away after a brief illness on Sept. 22. The last conversation we had was on Sept. 20th, 2 days before she passed. We had finally narrowed down a date about 10 days later to finally get together - the first time since she moved closer to me this summer. That conversation made the news of her unexpected passing that much harder to process. And then, I heard on Oct. 2nd, the day after we had planned to do something that she was gone...making me feel guilty I hadn't reached out to her sooner and more often.

Yet, I know she was watching over me somehow, leading me to write this poem about our friendship, and her commitment to the MRKH community.

Strength and Unity: MRKH Warrior Strong

All through the years, I'd yearned for a connection like ours.
I hoped that one day I wouldn't be alone in this battle.
I waited, patiently, for you, my friend.
And yet, here we are...

You've come and gone.
We had a bond, so strong.
Stronger through the mutual struggles, forged into
MRKH Warrior Strong.

My heart, and your heart spoke so eloquently
Our souls knew the same language.
You will always be my soul sister.
My MRKH Warrior Sister.

I didn't have to explain myself to you.
You somehow knew, without a doubt,
just what to say to make me laugh.
You knew, yet without knowing, that your sarcasm
and morbid humor would make everything better in it's own way.
You knew, in the way that only a fellow MRKH Warrior could know.

And like the phoenix, our sisters and I will rise together
from this grief, we'll build a stronger foundation.
We will rise together to discover our newfound life without you.
We will forge ahead into the unknown,
amidst the ashes left behind.
We will rise in the face of adversity
in honor of your image, and with your strength.

We will rise together as one, in unity...
MRKH WARRIOR STRONG.