Level 5: Mt. Kilimanjaro (60): Jessika attempts a '19-er!

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!}]

Good luck!

[Bev]

Good luck with your increased goal! That book budget thing would never work for me.... :-)

As the quote from Desiderius Erasmus is said to translate: "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes."

[Colleen]

Jessika wrote: "I'm setting my book budget for 2016 at $300."

I'm resolved to only bring 1 book in for every 5 that leave the shelf. I figure buying a book is a good reward for getting rid of a few. Fingers crossed it helps control the number that come in!!

[Maxine]

I only discovered library sales last year and they are the best.
That's an awesome book budget, I like to think I could stick to one, but I'm an impulsive shopper, I never manage to stick to anything.
Happy reading

[Bev]

Wow! Four down already! Doing great....I'm in the midst of my third.

[Bev]

Jessika wrote: "Maxine wrote: "I only discovered library sales last year and they are the best."

Ahh, yes, they are my downfall. I also love indie e-book bundles, where you can get 15-20 books for $5 or $10."

Love the library sales here too! And--we have a community book fair (used to be sponsored by the Red Cross and now by a local food bank) every Fall where I manage to pick 40-60 books every year.

[Laura]

Kudos for your great start! And I give you a *nod* for generously awarding 2 stars for a book you didn't particularly enjoy. I'm thinking I should check out the books you award 5 stars to! :D

[Cath]

You've made a fantastic start, Jessika! 60 is quite a target but I reckon you'll do it. :-)

[Maegan]

Impressive- I like the idea of the book budget!

[Bev]

Jessika, you are doing great!

And thanks so much for being such a great cheerleader for the other climbers--I keep seeing you pop up in my challenge message feed!

[Bev]

Jessika wrote: "And with that, I've finished Pike's Peak!"

Woo Hoo! Onward and upward.

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "And with that, I've finished Pike's Peak!"

Fantastic!!!

[Sophia]

Oh man! I haven't even kept track of what I've added. Those freebies get to me, too.

Nice start, Jessika!

[Sophia]

Jessika wrote: "March Status Update:
Total read: 27/85
Hard copies: 16/50
E-Books: 11/35
Counting for this challenge: 18/60
Total added to TBR 2016: 17
Book Budget: $60.46

I'm cheating a little bit here, because ..."

Love to see your breakdown. I never thought about how many types of books I've read. It would be interesting to track. Onward to next month.
Enjoy that book sale. :)

[Sophia]

Ah, that makes sense.

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "18. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Acquired 8/2012 free on kindle, 3/5 stars. I'm sure I read this when I was in school, but have abs..."

Yay!! I admit that I tried multiple times to read Huckleberry Finn as a youth and later as an adult and just couldn't get into it.

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "Sophia wrote: "Love to see your breakdown. I never thought about how many types of books I've read. It would be interesting to track."

Like many people, my e-book library is growing, but I'm ok wi..."

My e-book library is pretty big and although I'm chipping away at the mountain via my pre-2016 purchases, I still do that easy little One-Click. ;) Amusingly, as to my physical books, my husband said as long as my pile isn't as tall as my nightstand. *snort*

[Brianna]

Jessika wrote: "23. Gone Girl Acquired 10/2012, 5/5 stars. My favorite of the Gillian Flynn novels. Super creepy and makes me want to watch the movie again!"

I'm struggling so hard with this one! I enjoyed her previous works, but I'm finding this one so hard to get into!

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "Yay, my 2nd mountain completed! Onward and upward!"

Congratulations!!!!

[Sophia]

You're on pace, Jessika! :)

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "29. Nelson Mandela: A Life Inspired Acquired 3/2015 as a kindle freebie, 2/5 stars. As a lover of memoirs and NOT biographies, t..."

Thanks for taking one for the team! ;)

[[deleted user]]

Jessika- You are doing great! I like all your monthly stats updates; very organized. I am still slowly making my way up Pike's Peak. Maybe there is still a small ray of hope for ascending onto Mt Blanc...

Also, I can understand how easy it is to acquire more books since they look so inviting at books sales, online, sitting on a friend's bookshelf, lol. After joining this challenge, it has made me more aware of my buying habits and I put a lot more thought into it now.

[Laura]

Lisa Ann wrote: "Jessika- You are doing great! I like all your monthly stats updates; very organized. I am still slowly making my way up Pike's Peak. Maybe there is still a small ray of hope for ascending onto Mt B..." Me, too.

[[deleted user]]

Jessika wrote: "Lisa Ann and Laura - Thanks for the encouragement, ladies! Any progress is good progress, and I don't feel bad about buying new-to-me books, because it's my one and only hobby! Hehe :)"

That is a fun hobby to have, lol!!

[Jane]

Jessika wrote: "April Status Update:
Total read: 35/85
Hard copies: 22/50
E-Books: 13/35
Counting for this challenge: 26/60
Total added to TBR 2016: 21
Book Budget: $62.21

I read 6 books this month and ALL of the..."

I love the stats, I'm not organized enough. :)

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "And with that, Mount Vancouver is done! I'm over halfway to my goal. :)"

*APPLAUSE*

Well done!!!

[Sarah u]

Wow, you're doing a great job!

[Fay]

Keep going, you're doing great :-)

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "42. The Casual Vacancy Acquired 10/2012, 1/5 stars. Sorry, Rowling... I knew it was going to be vastly different than Harry Potter, but MAN, ..."

Consistent reviews like your's kept me away from CV. Thanks for taking one for the team, though! However, I do recommend her Comoran Strike series under pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

[Susan]

I like that you put your stats in your update. I'll have to remember to do that next year.

[Sophia]

Jessika wrote: "51. I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Acquired sometime in 2012, 3.5/5 stars. It breaks my heart to know that her story is a reali..."

Moving up on the big 6-0! :)

[Fay]

Jessika wrote: "October Status Update:
Total read: 67/85
Hard copies: 46/50
E-Books: 21/35
Counting for this challenge: 52/60
Total added to TBR 2016: 119
Book Budget: $109.03

Only managed to read 2 books this wh..."

Keep going, I'm sure you'll make it :-)

[Fay]

Jessika wrote: "53. Cinder Acquired 8/2015, 3.5/5 stars. An entertaining read, interesting premise, but a little predictable. I will probably finish reading the series."

I was really disappointed in this one when I read it last year. Everyone was raving but I found it really predictable and lacking any depth or characterization. I felt it was YA by numbers. I asked around to see if it got better and had more substance further in (like Throne of Glass, I wan't overly keen on that but have loved the series as it got more in depth) but apparently it stays the same level. I don't know if I will bother with the rest. Same with the Red Queen books by Victoria Aveyard and it's actually kind of liberating to think I don't have to finish them just because I started them :-)

[Fay]

I really enjoyed reading Shift together, let me know when if you want to do Dust :-)

[Laura]

Jessika wrote: "I finished my mountain! I have one more book to add by the end of the year, so that I can finish my yearly goal of 80 books. When I finish it, I will update with my overall stats.

I'm going to try..."

Yay!!!! *TossesConfetti*

[Sophia]

Woohoo! Tag that mountain with your flag. :)

[Sophia]

Yes, that was a great finish, Jessika, and a good plan for 2017.