It's 2009! Time for new reading challenges.

It's a brand-new year! A clean slate. I can put aside the disappointing reading year I just had and start fresh. I'm proud to say I'm already halfway through my first read of 2009! (It's only 250 pages, but still ...)

I have until Monday before I return to work, and the extra free time is really helping me to jump-start my reading. My plan for the coming year is to get back into the habit of reading every day and to try to average at least one completed book a week.

If you glance at my sidebar, you'll see I've already signed up for a few reading challenges.

Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings is once again hosting The Sci-Fi Experience from Jan. 1st through Feb. 28. He is encouraging readers to explore the world of science fiction, with no pre-determined goals or book requirements. In that spirit, I will not post a list of science-fiction books I hope to read. We'll see where the next two months take me. However, I am eyeing (to start) two novels focused on time-travel. These will dovetail nicely with a second challenge I am participating in: the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Royal Reviews. I could not resist a challenge focused on my favorite genre (and look at that sexy challenge button!)

The challenge is to read three historical fiction books between Jan. 1 and March 31. Again, I won't post a reading list. (I've found I do better with challenges if I just read where my mood takes me.) One of my books for this challenge will probably be A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith, which is the Book-of-the-Month reading selection of the Historical Fiction group at Paperback Swap. I'm hoping to complete it so I can participate in the discussion on the forums.

That's it for now! Can you tell I'm excited to begin a new year of reading?