OMP 2010 Halfway Checkpoint

What do you know, it’s July! It’s the second half of 2010 — I echo everyone with what they’re saying: where did time go?

I thought I’d take a break from the scheduled Sample Fridays and instead, do the (obligatory) halfway checkpoint for my 2010 challenges, things that happened (as far as my reading habits and books are concerned) and plans for the next half of the year. I originally planned to post this Wednesday, but alas, I have no access to Internet or even a linksys router anywhere.

BUT FIRST! Time to announce the winner of my Feed book giveaway! Thanks to everyone who joined this first giveaway — I had so much fun reading your answers! I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t be able to get people to join this (but come on, who doesn’t want a free book?), and I even got…well, questioned with my choice of a giveaway. :o But nevertheless, I’m just happy to be able to share one of my favorite books to someone.

So, using Random.org List Randomizer, I put the names, and the extra entries, and the winner of Feed is…*drumroll*

HONEY

Congratulations! She did not only leave a comment, but she tweeted this contest too — so multiple entries do count. :D Her weapon of choice in case of a zombie apocalypse: shotgun with unlimited ammo. That’s a good choice — just make sure to aim for the head to kill them fast!

I’ll be sending you an email about shipping and stuff I make this post. :D

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Now onto the 2010 halfway checkpoint. Here are my 2010 statistics as of June 30:

• 50 out of 100 books in 2010
• 26 out of 20 (!) fantasy books
• 2 out of 10 classic novel
• 7 out of 20 for Project 20:10
• 2 out of 12 in TBR challenge
• 43 books reviewed

On the overall challenge, I think I did pretty well — halfway point on half of the year. That’s the most that I read in six months so far, and I still wonder how I managed to achieve that, really. :) I’m quite glad about the fantasy books, too. I knew it would be an easy one, and I don’t even count the fantasy books I read anymore — I just read them. :D I find that I gravitate towards fantasy now, but I have yet to read the classic ones like His Dark Materials or Narnia (yes I haven’t read The Chronicles of Narnia! Gasp!) to…I don’t know, get a better understanding?

I am obviously doing very poorly on the classic challenge, and ergo, the TBR challenge, since most of them are classics. I try, really, but because I need to finish a fantasy book in a week, I can’t put it down for a classic because classics need more focus. I will try harder, though, to bring the count up. I think I need some Austen.

Project 20:10 is proving to be a challenge too, but I’m not giving up. There’s lots more to read in local fiction, I just need to find them.

As for reviews, I’d like to think I’m improving in the way I review. Granted, I know my writing style can still improve, but I think I’m getting the hang of reviewing books in detail and trying not to spoil it. I do need to remind myself that not everyone will agree with what I wrote, and I must leave people to their opinions. I am still pretty satisfied with my rating system, but I may have to be a bit critical and ask a myself a few questions before I give the rating, like Am I willing to read this one again? Writing for Pinoy Pop helps a lot, too, because it makes me see the other themes in the story and not just focus on the usual character-plot-ending elements.

Furthermore, I think I might need to fix the structure of my reviews, just so there’s more detail about what I read, and disclose how I got the book. There’s more to that for another post, plus I think it’s one of those FTC guidelines thing that I’m not sure if I’m counted since I’m not in the US.

So, resolutions for the next six months:

• Read at least 1 more classic — I don’t think I’ll reach my goal of 10, but 3 shouldn’t be a bad number.
• Make a dent on the TBR pile at home — too many books, too little space! I need to read those books first before buying anything else. Good luck with that, of course, but I must try. :p
• Give away/sell/donate books that I know I will not read anymore — time to clear stuff from the shelves, and say goodbye to books that I know I won’t be reading. This means more giveaways! And book exchanges! But wait…is it right to give away a book I reviewed negatively? I feel bad doing that. What do you think?
• Write more comprehensive/detailed reviews — this means I’ll be taking a bit more time writing my reviews, but then I think I need to really figure out what I liked and not in my reviews, for them to be helpful. This reminds me, I have overdue reviews to write.

I don’t want to pressure myself for the next 6 months, so I’ll leave it at that. :) Best Books of 2010 so far will be posted next, so stay tuned! :)