Mid-Year Reading Progress

 

Every year around this time, I do one of the posts. Last year at this time, I found myself at fewer than 100 by this time of year, with only two needed then to reach 100. This year, however, I have even fewer, not even at 90 yet. I'm slowing down even more than I realized. I now wonder when I'll reach the 100 mark this year.

As far as my challenge progress goes, I have already finished four, one back in February. I did a discussion post on that one then, but no one seemed to notice! It was this one, that only has nine categories.

Then three more finished this month alone:

Color Coded 6/2

The last one I needed to find was one for Brown. It seems that color is getting harder to find in titles. I attempted to look for this book, but to no avail. The Zip Books at the library is currently on hold, something unbeknownst to me when I attempted to order it that way.

What's in a Name 6/4

This was one was late in getting posted, and the last one I needed was for "Peace." I often finish this one early. 

My Reader's Journey Bingo 6/25

I was surprised how fast I got this one done.

As always seemed to be true, there are several challenges for which I am one or two books short of completing. For Alphabet Soup Authors, however, I still need three more. I actually found an author whose last name starts with X, an always-challenging letter. I have a book by a Y author lined up as well. Still trying to find an O author. U is the only one I need for Alphabet Soup Titles, but I do have something planned for that one. For X on that one, I had to once again use something with X somewhere in the title. 

How has your reading been so far this year?

 

13 Things

Colleen at The Thursday 13 holds a weekly blogging prompt where bloggers make a list of 13 things on Thursdays. The topic is for you to choose. The blog host doesn't have any official graphics to display on the Thursday 13 posts, so I decided to whip one up myself. 🙂  

A random mix of stuff. I wanted to get one more Thursday 13 this month. Another month almost over. 

Stuff like this below was inescapable this past week.

But enough of that.  Here is some more stuff I decided to share.

Book Discussion: Finding New Releases

 

When it comes to reading new releases, it can be difficult to find some such books without having to buy them. I'm just too hesitant to buy something so new. Every time I see new releases mentioned, I immediately guess it won't be at my library, and most often that is the case. When it is there, I often can't believe it, but am glad. I also look at the digital library. If the book is on the service, it most often will be on a wait for up to 6 months. Sadly the Zip Books program at my library is currently on hold, or I would use that to order a new release not already at the library. 

Every year, this summer challenge has what is called "Ultimate Beach Reads" for each year. All of these are new releases and I'm already having trouble locating any of these without having to buy a copy. I'm trying to reduce the number of books bought and get rid of some I have already read and don't intend to read again.  I haven't yet looked for some of them, whether at the library or on the digital reading sites, but I'm already getting the feeling the search is gong to be hard. I don't want to be negative, but that's' just how it usually is when out comes to new releases. 

How soon do you read new releases? Do you wait to read them digitally or to see if your library has them, or rush out to buy them?

First Week of Summer

 

How was the Summer Solstice in your area yesterday? In mine, it wasn't very hot and I mostly stayed home. I still got tired from the weather. Now it's expected to be in the 70s and 80s for the rest of this week. I can't imagine how tired I'm going to get from that. Just glad it isn't expected to be in the 100s. 

I only wish it had been this warm when we went to beach at work a week ago. But then the location of the beach tends to be a little foggy. 

Beach Day

It's become an annual trip at work. It was this Monday, at Lovers Point, the same beach we attended last year.  It was a bit foggy at first, but some sun, though not a lot, came out for a while. Here are few phots from several I took.

Stuff For Today

I won't speak too much on the Orange Menace's birthday, but here are some photos I just want to get out. One of these came up on my Facebook memories today, along with photos from the first No Kings Protest in my hometown.

 

Now this is the kind of king we'd want to see...

 And let's remember today is:

 And this:

Graduations

All the major graduations at the various levels of schools have taken place this past week, ending with the high school.

How many graduations did you have during your school years? And were the pre-high-school ceremonies called "graduations" or promotions"? I was of a time when there were no pre-school or kindergarten graduations. Not to mention that Pre-K or TK did not exist then. For me, graduations were just for junior high school (now called middle school), high school, community college and university. Our eight-grade graduation (which  people now insist be called a promotion) did not have caps. Yet, now it seems pre-schoolers and kindergarteners sport caps at their graduations. 

 

I also graduated in the years before social media, and do not recall any of my ceremonies getting out of hand as described in this video.

Not having children, I have not seen any ceremonies like this in person. However, on Facebook groups focused on my neighborhood happenings, people have been asking for someone to make graduation leis out of paper money or candy. And the high school has forbidden wearing high-heels, carrying balls or other decorations  during the procession. I don't recall any of this happening at my graduation. One thing I enjoyed about growing up in the 1980s. Nothing had to be that elaborate then. But in the age of social media, people think events like this should be filled with action and decorations just to go viral online. All we had in my day were still photographs that are now lying in a box somewhere in the garage.