Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! I love the whole turning over a new leaf aspect of the New Year. Of course, we readers know that leaf has nothing to do with plants but is all about books!

The New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge is off to a good start but there’s plenty of time to join. What are your goals for the New Year? Are there books that would help you focus on them? Those are the books to read for the New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge.

We had a good turn out for the first Twitter chat of challenge participants and others interested in books at the New Year. I posted instructions for those new to Twitter chats: New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge — The Twitter Chat. Those instructions will be just as applicable this Wednesday, January 2. Join us with the hashtag #NewYearBooks at 9 Eastern / 8 Central / 2am GMT.

There has also been quite a bit of interest in the first of two New Year read-alongs: The Power of Habit — A New Year Group Read. I have discussion questions ready to e-mail anyone who asks. We’ll do our discussion posts for Part 1 this Wednesday, but this book is pretty quick to read so there’s plenty of time to join.

The second read-along came about because of the Twitter chat. It turned out a number of us wanted to read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I’m working up the details for that one.

The Weekend Cooking crowd gave a terrific response to my request for books to support food resolutions. Don’t miss these great books suggested by food and book bloggers for resolutions like eat healthier and cook more: Weekend Cooking: Books to Support New Year’s Resolutions.

Read

I finished Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. A beautiful, but devastating book. The scenes around Leningrad during World War II haunt me, especially when I think about the women and children living in the horror of Syria right now. It breaks my heart that humans won’t do better than this.

Reading

After the too real tragedy of Winter Garden, I decided I needed a break from the real world and went for an urban fantasy — Pale Demon by Kim Harrison. So far, this has me traveling from Cincinnati to St. Louis in a car with a witch, an elf, and a pixy. We expect to meet up with a vampire soon.

I’m reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg for our group read: The Power of Habit — A New Year Group Read. This is a re-read for me and it wasn’t that long ago that I read it the first time, but I’m surprised how much I’m getting out of a second reading.

I’ve started two books on my New Year list: Reading and my New Year’s Resolutions:

• Smart Chefs Stay Slim by Allison Adato
• 2013 Create Your Incredible Year by Leonie Dawson

Will Read

I’ve got so much going on, I’m not sure what’s next. It will be late in the week before I’m ready to pick up something else.

What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What Are Your Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Be sure to check out her post today to see her selections and the list of links to all the other participating bloggers.