Recap and Goals.

I am in the midst of a big blog post writing marathon. I'll admit that I am a bit overwhelmed by the fact that I have let the blog go...in so many ways. When I first began blogging, I was very on top of my posts. I made sure things were published shortly after writing them, and the posts going up were about books I was still reading or had just finished.

And that has slowly gone away over the course of the last year. Of course there are a million reasons why that is, but I'm not going to rehash them. However, I will say that the feeling of guilt that these lack of posts brings is one of the main reasons I have let the blog go and have a hard time returning to it as faithfully as I did in the first couple of years. I also know that the blogging climate has changed. A couple of my favorite bloggers have disappeared, others have become incredibly focused on other things, and my own life has picked up in terms of excitement (hello, full-time employment). I miss the community and feeling like I'm a part of something wonderful.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to make my come back. :) I miss writing about my reading, and I miss reading what you're reading. I'm going to remedy all that by becoming a better blogger.

Anyway, before I can finish my blog post writeathon, and before I can get back on track, let me tell you what I have been doing...

1. Teaching.
2. Reading.

Sounds like fun, right? Obviously teaching requires a lot of my mental energy and sometimes when I get home, I don't want to read. But, I realized that was making me cranky-my life became teaching at a few points over the last couple of months. I need breaks from that kind of mental strain! So, I turned back to reading, and sadly, while I did read some good books, I have thrown my lists and classics out the window. My focus has been on YA and fluff, and while I like that, I need a better book diet. :) To put it in perspective, this year I have read 11 books that I would qualify as classics...and 12 YA/fluffy stuff titles. Egads. That is way out of balance!

So, I am planning on getting my enthusiasm back this month and focusing on some of those classics I have abandoned on my shelves. Some of the titles I am hoping to get through in the next couple of months include:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: I started this in January. And for reasons unknown, I have utterly abandoned it. It is currently sitting under a pile of crap (okay, other books and randomness) on my desk. I don't know why I abandoned it-I really like it!
2. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I started this one for my failed "A Modern March" event (and I say failed referring to my own participation....or lack thereof). Again, this is a good book that I just need to finish.
3. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather: The next title in my Cather project...again, started it and abandoned it. This one has a home on my nightstand...under a pile of books.
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: This was my Classics Spin book. I took it off the shelf. It's sitting on our coffee table. Haven't even started it.
5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore: Okay, granted this isn't a classic, but I'm still going to read it this month anyway. I flew through Graceling and Fire in one sitting each, and ADORED them (seriously, Graceling is an amazing piece of fantasy. READ IT), so I want to finish out Cashore's work. 

All perfectly doable. I also have some lingering plans to bust through my Willa Cather project by the end of the summer, so we'll see how I do with that.

But my main goals?

Blog more. Be active. Read blogs and comment.

I missed you all!