Reading Challenge: Halfway!

So, now that June is ending, and we have reached the halfway point in the calendar, how far have I progressed with the 2017 Reading Challenge?

Since my end of the first quarter update, I have been able to check off another 3 categories on the 26 book long list, including a self-published book. And when it came to reading a book with a character who has the same first name as me, wow! What an odd reading experience, seeing my own name on nearly every page in a book! Definitely a first for me. Which makes me wonder how people who have more common names than I do feel when they read a book with a character who shares their name. Are you used to it? Or is it still a bit odd?

I have also read another 9 books from the extra 26 categories of the 52 book long list, including a play, a graphic novel, historical fiction, and a collection of short stories.

This brings my total categories read so far to 25 out of 52. This is just one behind the 'one book a week' rate, which would have me at 26 books already. Here are the categories I have finished:

I am also partway through another four books! This is not a very common experience for me, but as one is about psychology and one is a collection of poetry I've deliberately been reading them in small chunks. It is more normal for me to read books consecutively, not starting a new one until I've finished the one I've already started, unless one of them is a textbook. So once I finish those, I might be ahead of schedule again!

One of the things I have found interesting is the challenge of finding titles to match categories - or the similar challenge of considering what category or categories a certain book I am reading may fit within. I have asked a few people about 'a personal growth book', and one person (working in my local library) interpreted it as a book in which a character experiences personal growth - quite different from my own initial interpretation of it being a book which would lead to my own personal growth as a result of reading it. The new interpretation happens to fit a book I had already decided to borrow, recommended by a friend - a book about how books have helped the writer grow as a human being, about how characters can help us grow and flourish in different times and situations.

I have had quite a bit of help with finding titles for this challenge. One category I know will be difficult is 'a book you were supposed to read in school', as I believe I read everything I was supposed to at school - as well as plenty more for personal interest. A friend has suggested considering it as a book I think I should have read in school, or a book I wish I had read while I was still in school. Once I've read a book for that category, I will let you know how I chose one in the end!

So, as we head into winter in the southern hemisphere, it is time to curl up in a comfy spot with a good book. Meanwhile, for those experiencing summer in the northern hemisphere, it is time to find a nice sunny spot with a bit of shade and maybe a nice view so you can curl up with a good book! I wish you well in your reading experiences!