Goodreads

One of my goals last year was to read more. I have found that when I read more for fun, I do better in school (as long as I also read for class, of course). I felt that I did read a lot more last year and now it's just a habit. If I'm not currently reading a book, I'm all antsy and feel empty. 

Just recently, one of my best friends, Nina, graduated from BYU (yay Nina!). With more time on her hands, she's been reading. It has been so fun to share books and talk about the characters, what we like and don't like, and how we feel about the book in general. Having a reading buddy makes reading even more fun. 

Nina also introduced me to this website called goodreads.com. I don't know how I didn't know about this before. But let's just say that it's awesome. It's a great way to gauge if you'll like a book or not, depending on your friends' and others' reviews. I also love that you can create read and to-read lists. I was just browsing books and came across a ton of books that I read as a child that I had completely forgotten about! I rediscovered the memories of Wayside High, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Holes, Little House on the Prairie, and so many other books. I remember loving these, although I vaguely remember what they were about. Now I want to reread these childhood favorites. I also remembered books that I had read as a middle school-er, that seemed way too dark and deep for a 12 year-old. I wonder if I really understood what I was reading. Those books also deserve a reread. 

I'm also very excited for the long list of books to read. I've always had a current to-read list, but having it online makes it so much easier to manage. If you have a goodreads account, add me. If you don't, create one! Here's to 2012 and a year full of good reads!