A Year Measured in Pages

I have a lot in mind for 2015. I learned so much about myself this past year, and there are a number of ways that I want to challenge myself. I want to be the best person that I can be. I want to be understanding, compassionate, and healthy. I want to be as good to myself as I am to others. 

Last year, I challenged myself to balance my life and I feel that I achieved that more in 2014 than any other year. I worked, had social and romantic relationships, held my family close, and made difficult changes. However, for this year, I wanted to add a tangible goal.
Last year, I didn't read nearly as much as I wanted to. Reading has always been a constant in my life. I know that the way I grew up, in a rural area with very little media, had a great deal to do with my desire to escape into literature. I could experience different countries, societies, dystopias and utopias, and people I would otherwise never be able to imagine or understand. I majored in English in college and graduate school, so the reading continued. 
It's been nearly seven years since walking across the stage in my green and gold to pick up my Master of Arts degree, and it seems as though, progressively, my passion for reading has slowed. 
I want to read more. So on December 31st, as I was perusing a local bookstore, chatting with one of the employees, it seemed like utter destiny that she told me about the 2015 Book Challenge. It's like a scavenger hunt for books. Each book has to fit a certain criteria (see below). I'm currently on my second book of the year and it's been wonderful and rewarding. At the end of each month, I will be sharing my thoughts. Stay tuned...