Currently Reading, January TBR, and 2018 Goals!

Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of The CW Torch! Today, I will be talking about what I am currently reading, what I want to read in the month of January, and my 2018 Reading and Writing goals!

This will be the only month when I'll be doing a To-Be-Read post, because I am more of a mood reader. Meaning, I pick books to read, based on my current mood, for instance right now, I am in the mood to read fantasy. So, most of the books I've recently read, have been fantasy novels. But, for the month of January, I will be participating in the Winter Biannual Bibliothon, presented by a number of Booktubers. This is a Biannual Reading Event, that happens twice a year, once in the Winter and once in the Summer. I stumbled across this reading event, last summer when I started following Booktubers on Youtube. Since, I've been getting back into reading, I definitely want to participate in this Week-Long, Read-A-Thon (Jan. 20th-26th) Which will require for me to do a January TBR, because of the Reading Challenges that go along with this Event.

Along with telling you which books I plan on reading in the month of January, I also wanted to tell you my reading and writing goals for 2018.

Currently Reading:

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Synopsis (As told on the back of the book):

In a world where the suns almost never set, a woman gains entry to a school of infamous assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers that destroyed her family. Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father's failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she wanders a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and its thugs. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the hearth of a retired killer and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic -- the Red Church. Deadly trials await her within the Church's halls: blades and poisons, treachery and death. If she survives the initiation, she'll be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder and be one step closer to the only thing she deserves: Revenge.

January TBR:

SlaughterHouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegaut

Synopsis (As told on Goodreads):

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

I will be reading this as a part of another booktube bookclub, presented by Book_Roast, called Book in a Jar. Her category for the month of January, was Banned Books, and SlaughterHouse won. If anyone is interested in joining the bookclub, you can follow her group on Goodreads, called Book in a Jar.

Winter Biannual Bibliothon, Reading Challenges TBR:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCax5iInFtxgYeqG6MKhTPJg

The Challenges:

1. Read the group book, to participate in the live show on Jan. 27th.

2. Read a sequel.

3. Read a book you've never heard of before.

4. Read a book about Mental Illness.

5. Read a book referenced in another book, movie, or tv show.

6. Read a book under 200 pages.

7. Read a backlist title (a book that came out before 2017).

My TBR:

*I will be participating in five of the seven challenges.

1. Read the group book - Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kristen Miller. Synopsis (As told on Goodreads):

The company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.And it’s about to change humanity forever.Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.

Format: I will be reading this book via audible.

2. Read a sequel - Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Synopsis (As told on Goodreads)

*Since this is the second book of a duology, I will only give the synopsis of the first book, Stalking Jack the Ripper, which I have already read and given reviews for. To avoid potential spoilers of the second book.

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

Format: I will be reading the hardcover version of this book.

3. Read a book you've never heard of before - The Treemakers by Christina L. Rozelle

Synopsis (As told on Goodreads):

* I was actually going to skip this challenge, and read a book about Mental Illness. But, I ended up stumbling across this book on Amazon Kindle, when searching a book about Mental Illness. The synopsis intrigued me, it was only .99cents, and it's a series I have never heard of before. So, it totally works for this challenge.

Sixteen-year-old Joy Montgomery, daughter of Zephyr the Magnificent, the great magician, can only reminisce of better times. Before the Superiors. Before the uprisings. Long ago. Before the dying Earth ripped the family she loved away from her. In this desolate dystopian future, the Greenleigh orphans are “privileged” with the task of building mechanical trees for Bygonne, so their world behind The Wall can breathe another day, and so the Superiors may continue their malevolent reign. Lured by a yearning for freedom, tenacious curiosity, and hunger for adventure, Joy discovers hope and magic amid the misery, and power in her promise to care for those remaining, whom she loves enough to risk her life for. To save them, herself, and the boy she adores from the abuse and slavery by the Superiors, Joy must entrust the aid of an unlikely ally who harbors a dangerous secret. With an intriguing stranger at the helm, Joy and the treemakers embark on an intense and terrifying, yet liberating quest for the truth about the existence of the forbidden paradise beyond The Wall. This is the first book in the Treemakers Trilogy. This series is intended for mature YA audiences, as there are certain mature themes (abuse, character deaths, etc.,) which may be too emotionally intense for younger readers.

Format: I will be reading this via kindle.

*I will not be participating in challenges 4 and 5.

6. Read a book under 200 pages - The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia series #1), by C.S. Lewis.

Synopsis (As told on Goodreads):

Four English children are moved to a large, old country house following a wartime evacuation. Upon exploring the house, the youngest walks through the wardrobe in a spare room and comes across the magical land of Narnia where animals talk and a White Witch has ruled for a hundred years of deep winter. All four children are together on Lucy's third visit, which confirms her extraordinary tales to them. The siblings proceed to fulfill an old prophecy and venture both to save Narnia and their own lives.

Format: I will be reading The Complete and Illustrated edition of this book.

7. Read a backlist title (A book that came out before 2017) - Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.

Synopsis (As told on Goodreads):

*This novel is soon to be a major motion picture titled, Love, Simon.

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Format: I will be reading this book via Kindle.

So, there you have it, all the books I plan on reading in the month of January. This is a pretty ambitious tbr for me, as I usually read about 4.5 books per month. But, with the different formats I will be reading from, I hope to get through all of the books. I will be updating my reading progress on Twitter, and will be filming a Reading Vlog throughout the Winter Biannual Bibliothon. If you are at all interested in seeing my progress, definitely check those out.

Now with my TBR out of the way, here are my reading and writing goals for 2018.

Reading Goals for 2018:

1. Goodreads Goal: 45 books, for 2018.

-Last year, I started reading in the middle of the year, and read about 23 books. Since, I will be continuing to read at the start of the year, I hope to double that number. I set my total at 45 books, since I usually read between 4 and 5 books per month. So, I thought this would be a doable goal. If I reach this goal, or even end up reading more than my goal, that would be awesome. But, I am not going to pressure myself in achieving this total. However, I do want to read more than 23 books, and if I surpass that mark, I will be extremely pleased with myself.

2. Read at least one classic a month.

-Over the course of the last couple of months, I found myself reading a lot of books that are considered to be classics. Since I've actually been enjoying most of those classics, I hope to continue this trend. Of reading at least one classic a month.

3. Start reading more comic books/mangas/graphic novels.

- I want to start reading more comic books/mangas/graphic novels, because since following certain people on Booktube, I have gained more interest in these types of books. I also figured, since I watch a lot of Comic Book adapted TV shows, I thought why not start reading the original comics?

4. Read more Contemporary Novels.

- My last reading goal, includes reading more Contemporary novels. This is a genre I hardly reach for, but recently I've been seeing a lot more books within this genre that actually intrigue me. For example, Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda, and The Hate You Give. I read a lot of Fantasy, Dystopia, and Paranormal books, but hardly any Contemporary. I definitely want to change that, since there are so many books within that genre, that I really want to read.

I hope to stick with these reading goals, and will keep you updated on my progress, right here on this blog. With that being said, I do have some writing goals that I wish to accomplish in 2018.

Writing Goals of 2018:

1. Be more active on my Goodreads reviews.

- For the last half of 2017, I became a reviewer for Oftomes Publishing. Meaning, that this small, independent Publishing Company would give me a free ebook, in return for an honest review. Because of this, I got really into book reviewing, especially on Goodreads. Since I enjoyed writing those reviews, I hope to still write reviews for other books I have read. I found that towards the end of the year, I became less active on Goodreads, because I didn't have the time to write. But, I don't want that to happen again, because writing these reviews actually gives me more practice for my writing, and helps improve my writing quality.

2. Write more Book to Movie/TV Adaption Comparison blogs.

- When I started this blog, my very first blogpost was a comparison of American Gods the Novel vs. American Gods the TV show. I had a lot of fun, diving deep into critiquing this book and TV adaption. But, since then, I haven't written another comparison, because I haven't watched too many Book to Movie/TV Adaptions. But, in 2018 there are so many Movie adaptions coming out, based on Young Adult novels that I really want to read. So, I hope to read these books, watch the movies, and write the comparisons for them.

3. Write and Complete a Novel.

-A lot of people don't know this about me, but a part from writing my blog, I really enjoy creative writing. In the past, I have started many stories, but never completed them. Until last year, when I actually finished an entire novel. I had a lot of fun writing this novel, that it's really pushed me to start another. I have already begun outlining another project, and hope to start writing it soon. I really hope to complete this novel sometime this year. Will I end up publishing it, who knows? But, my main goal is to finish writing this novel, which I think I can certainly do, if I put the time and effort into it.

There you have it folks; my current read, January TBR, and my Goals for 2018! I hope you enjoyed this blogpost, definitely let me know what your goals are for 2018, and what you plan on reading this year! I am extremely excited for 2018, as I have so many plans and ideas for this new year, and I hope that everyone has a very successful and fun year!

TTFN,

Chynna Williams @TheCWTorch

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