The Hit List: Books I Plan to read this year!

My Reading Goal: 80 Books
My Hit List
Young Adult:
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
Kalona’s Fall by P.C. and Kristin Cast
King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Classic Literature:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontė
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Emma by Jane Austen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickinson
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Non Fiction:

The Girls of the Murder City by Douglas Perry
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Nigger by Randall Kennedy
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney
Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton
We were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World in Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Inspirational Reads:

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
How to here by Rob Bell
What is the Bible by Rob Bell
The Power of I am by Joel Osteen
Sci Fi:
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Romance:

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Transference by Ava Harrison
You Give Good Love by J.J.Murray
I’ll Be your Everything by J.J. Murray
Darker by E.L. James

General Fiction:

Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Man in the High Castle by Phillip Dick
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Balm by Dolen Perkins - Valdez
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Of course several of these books may fall by the wayside; however, It is my intention to read as many of these as possible. But I also, want to make sure my reading as diverse as possible.

To Brooklyn and back....a promise to myself!

New York holds a special place in my heart; and no matter how many times I visit the city I always come away feeling the same clarity about life as I did the last time I visited. I know what your thinking - how can someone find clarity in a city of nearly 9 million people. Easy; be a young woman from a small town, who is a dreamer and an aspiring writer New York always leaves me facing questions about my life. Such as: Am I doing what I love? Am I giving up on my dreams? Am I living my life in a grand way? The short answer to all of these happens to be a mix. I'm not doing what I love. I have given up on my dream of writing full time - this one is a mixed bag. Money, location, and lack of a staple support system has helped this dream die a slow death over time. And am I living my life to the fullest, no I'm not. I chalk this up to location and a lack of money to travel and experience the world the way that I really truly wish that I could.
Trips to New York always remind me of the importance of taking a leap of faith. Of showing up and showing out and doing everything with a little sparkle and a bit of grit. It was on this last visit with my family that I became actuely aware that I needed to look beyond the small confines of home to find inspiration. As a highly creative person I see a need to reignite the spark that lit the fuse on my writing dream. For years I've played around with this project or that project only to scrap it because I was lazy, got bored, or was busy. But I am devoting myself to cultivating my creativity, and holding myself accountable for walking away from a God given talent that I have no right to throw away. The past two days have been a reminder of the reality that my life can be so much more than what its become. So...Heres to setting new goals, living more fully and writing from the heart.

Goals for 2016....

2015 did bring some very good reads but  2016 is going to be an even better year. Several of my favorite authors are coming out with new books this year. What I am most excited about 2016 is that I have made a commitment to read more diverse books; which I hope will allow me to branch out to different genres. Here a four genres I hope to read/reintroduce myself to:

1) Mysteries

2) Horror 

3) Non fiction

4) Sci fi

I do also plan to read more classics this year. Starting with Emma by Jane Austen this month. My top five classics I hope to read this year:

1) Emma by Jane Austen

2) Little a Women by Louisa May Alcott

3) From the Maddening Crowd by Thomas Hardy

4) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

5) Persuasion by Jane Austen

My Book goal for the year is 50 +! I think I can do it. So let's cheer teach other on this coming year as we strive to meet our goals. Good Luck Bookies! And Happy New Year!