December 2015 Reading Plans and November in a Nutshell.

Well then. Hello.

I found that I needed to take a step back from blogging early in the month. With my grandma passing away in late October and missing almost an entire week of work, I spent weeks trying to play catch up. I also got bogged down with 3 debate tournments in 2 weeks (I'm one of the coaches this year), as well as regular grading and other commitments. Needless to say, reading and blogging took a backseat to everything else going on. To put it in perspective, I read a grand total of 2 books this month. One was Macbeth, which I read with my Shakespeare class. And the other was a romance novel I read on Wednesday as I was home sick. So....yeah. After the success of #15in31 in October, everything came to a crashing halt.

So, for December, I have grand reading plans. I have that HP challenge going on, and since December is usually the time of year that I comfort read, I think that'll fit in wonderfully. I'm also 6 books away from my book challenge number on Goodreads (of 75 books for the year), so that's some good motivation.

But I miss the excitement of #15in31, so I decided to host my own this month. I'm not sure if anyone wants to join, but I found it to be a good push in October, and I want to get more reading done.

Feel free to let me know if you want to join in!

I'm not pulling a big pile of books for this month, but I do have some things I know I want to finish:

• The last 2 volumes of Fables by Bill Willingham: For some reason, I have been putting these off. I read the other 20 volumes this year, so what's 2 more? Truthfully, I don't want the series to end.
• Harry Potter: I'm taking part in the #potterbinge readalong, but haven't picked up anything. I really want to reread the series, plus the schoolbooks and Beedle the Bard, so that's 10 books right there!
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: It's been a couple years since reading this one, and I am definitely feeling it this year. 
• Little Women by Louise May Alcott: This is another title that will be a reread, but I'm craving it. It also reminds me of the holidays, so it's another great fit.
• Austen. I used to read an Austen every Christmas, but I missed it last year. I'm thinking it'll be Persuasion or Emma this year. 
• The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway: I started this in early November...and didn't finish it. I feel like that's pathetic. It's 80 pages.
• The Shadow and Bone trilogy: I had planned on reading these over Thanksgiving, but you can see how well that turned out...
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: I was so excited to get my hands on this...and there it sits on my shelf, mocking me.
• Stand-off by Andrew Smith: Yep. Another book I was so excited to get. And there is sits. 

Anyway, I really just want to relax and read, and I need to find the time to do so. I miss that part of my life!