My goals for 2014

Happy New Year!  I must confess that it's been a while since my last post.  That being said, one of my goals for 2014 (see post title) is to post more frequently on my blog.  I find that it holds me accountable with my reading, pushing me to read more often and reflect more carefully during and after my reading. 

Since my last post, I've finished two books and started a third (yay me!).  I finished Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman.  I really enjoyed this book and the break from fiction; I typically always read fiction because that's what I enjoy, but it's good to break out of my Jodi Picoult / Veronica Roth-filled comfort zone every now and then.  My previous post mentioned that I have a bit of a strange obsession with the prison system, and this book pointed out a lot of the disfunctions within the prison system in our country.  The fact that it's written from a female's perspective also gave me a different "appreciation" (not really the right word, but I don't know what would be for this description) for the struggles female prisoners deal with daily that are different from those of male prisoners.  For example, many are loving mothers who have made bad choices, sometimes with the intent of providing for their children.  It brings up a lot of interesting questions about poverty and inequality in our country. 

Over break, I read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.  One of the main reasons I read it was because it was a Kindle Daily Deal last month, and it's always a satisfying feeling to be able to purchase a book for $1.99.  I also read the description and was intrigued when I read that the setting was the 1980s.  As a true child of the 80s (born in 1980, thank you very much), I am in love with that time period and all things that go along with it (leg warmers, Cabbage Patch dolls, "Hair Bands", etc.).  I recently read Tell the Wolves I'm Home, which also takes place in the 80s, so I guess I was on a roll.   Here is the Goodreads summary of Eleanor and Park:

 TWO MISFITS. ONE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE. 
It's 1986 and two star-crossed teens are smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love--and just how hard it pulled you under.

 A cross between the iconic '80s movie Sixteen Candles and the classic coming-of-age novel Looking for Alaska, Eleanor & Park is a brilliantly written young adult novel.

I found the book entertaining, and it was a pretty quick read for me.  The author does a terrific job of developing the relationship between the two main characters, and also manages to make the sassy, angsty Eleanor a sympathetic character by showing all the trials she must deal with at home.  My heart breaks for her in more than one place in the book, especially when she is being bullied by other girls at school, which was hard for me to read.  This book is a little "gritty" and raw, with questionable language in some parts, but it's a relatable read for anyone who is or has been in high school and in love. 

Currently, I am reading The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  It's another Kindle Daily Deal, and I'm not completely sold on it, even though I'm over 1/3 of the way through it.  Here is the summary:

An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

I find Don and Rosie to be somewhat predictable, and their love story so far also seems to fit that description.  It's entertaining, and I am enjoying their interactions, but the book just hasn't grabbed my attention and probably won't by this point.  However, I am invested and enjoying it enough to keep going, so I'll try to get it finished over the upcoming long weekend. 

All that being said, my reading goal for this year is to read 30 books.  While it doesn't seem like I'm currently on track, I know that I typically read much more in the summer, especially while my two little boys are sleeping.  What are you reading right now?  How did you pick this book?  What is your reading goal for the year?