Goodreads and My 2014 Reading Goal

It's been 11 months since my last post.  I can't believe it.  I was warned that after a vacation where I wouldn't be able to blog or use the Internet that my usage would change.  Yep, that happened and now it's been months since my last post.  Anyway, I'm back after almost a year hiatus.  It's been an amazing year, so at least I wasn't sitting around bored!

In 2014, I set some pretty serious goals for myself and I'm not letting myself slack, even a little bit.  The hubby is going back to school so I have some extra time alone at the house and I plan to take full advantage of this new "free time."  (But let's be honest, I'd love to have him around more.)

My first goal is to Read 50 books in 2014.  I've joined Goodreads and I'm using the website/app to keep track of my read books, my progress while reading each book, and all of the books I want to read.  Is anyone out there using Goodreads?  Do you want to be my friend?  My username is KatieAtlanta.  So far, I've read 13 of my 50 book goal and I'm just past the halfway point of my 14th book, but this one is a doozy at over 950 pages.

Above are the books I've read so far.  I'm currently reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.  It's the first in a LONG trilogy, but I welcome the challenge. The most rewarding books so far have been The Road, The Glass Castle and Devil in the White City.  Each of those books I would recommend to anyone.  All are very different from the next, but each of them has stuck with me long after the final page.  I'll write a book review post in the next week or two that will run down each of these books.

Overall, I love using Goodreads and I update my reading status every day.  I loving having lists, checking my lists and crossing off completed items on my lists so having a website that tracks all of my books lists for me is genius.  I have only have one friend on the site, so I'm not using it for it's full potential and I don't really follow along with the reading lists of the groups I'm in because none of them have really appealed to me, but it's great for tracking what I am reading and what I plan to read.  I also like that I have a place where I can go back to see my completed books and re-read my reviews so I don't forget what I've read and accomplished.  I don't want to just fly through 100-page books just to reach my goal.  I'm looking for books that interest me and books that have been recommended to me as "books I must read".  Any suggestions?

So there you have it.  My first big goal of 2014 - 50 books in 12 months.