Year in Review and Looking Ahead

I feel like I got the year off to a decent start with some writing work. Now to really buckle down and do even more so I can meet that deadline. The weather is cooperating, with a nice cold front coming in, so there’s not much temptation to do anything other than write. And read, I guess. It is a good time to curl up with a good book, but I’m going to focus on writing them.

I did hit my goal of reading 100 books last year. My other reading achievement was reading the entire Bible through. I may have done that when I was a teenager, but it’s possible I fizzled out somewhere along the way. This time, I did it, and kept it up every day. The big change for me in reading this year was getting a tablet so I could start reading e-books. The bulk of my reading is still on paper (mostly from the library), but I’ve tried some things I might not have otherwise when there were special discounts. And then I discovered the ways you can check e-books out from the library. I may now be doomed. Those times when I finish a book in the evening after the library closes and I need something new to read (I mean other than those hundreds of books in the Strategic Book Reserve) are now no longer a crisis. I can just jump on the library’s web site, find something to read, check it out, and start reading right away. Yep, I can go to the library in my pajamas without getting out of bed.

I didn’t see a lot of movies last year. The big ones obviously were Fantastic Beasts and Rogue One. This year, I’m really looking forward to the live-action Beauty and the Beast, and I’m intrigued by the Dunkirk movie coming out this summer. I’m not sure what else is coming out.

I’m trying to make more time for reading this year, mostly by making myself step away from the computer in the evening instead of giving in to the temptation to keep surfing late into the night. Yeah, it’s only been a couple of nights so far, but I seem to be sleeping better in addition to getting more reading done. Really, stepping away from the computer more — other than when I’m actually writing — is high on my list of goals for the year. That will free up time to do other things.