This Week’s Topic: 2019 Reading/Blogging Challenges
It's that time of year again! The time to shift through all those awesome reading and blogging challenges that are out there, and select the few that may my reading. I actually only "officially" join one challenge, but I track my progress in the all the others.
I always do the Goodreads Challenge. I like all the encouragement GR sends me. It reminds me that I am minimally good at one thing in life. Last year looked like this for me:
Because I don't rate DNFs and because I DNF, when I am not enjoying a book, my books all tend to come in at 3 or more stars. The bulk of my books tend to come in at 3.5 - 4 stars, but I also read a bunch of fantastic books earning 4.5 - 5 stars.
I had been reading/listening to about 7 books a week, so that is where that odd number came from. I feel like the number is challenging without being out of reach.
To offset my Goodreads Challenge, I will share two challenges I failed at last year
Now a challenge I have been doing for years, and actually completed
I have done the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge for several years now, and I really enjoy it. In fact, I like prompt style challenges so much, I am adding several more.
I have done the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge before, but skipped it last year due to too many prompts I had zero interest in. I know! I am sort of missing the point of it being a challenge with that attitude, but seriously, I read for fun.
I really embraced both my Reading Across the USA and the AtoZ reading challenge, and the Reading Takes You Places Challenge kind of combines them both. For each letter of the alphabet, I need to find a book set in a place beginning with that letter. The place can be fictional or real, which opens up the possibilities for me.
I saw a bunch of color and word challenges, and I decided this one could be a lot of fun for me. For the Key Word Challenge, I am tasked with reading a book containing one of the key words for the month.
I am still looking for a diversity challenge with monthly prompts, like the one I did several years ago, and I loved the idea behind the #2017Throwback challenge, and I will continue trying to read those books I missed from the previous year.
Now it's your turn!
Are you participating in any reading challenges?
Let us know in the comments!
ohmy, you read a lot of books! You're technically reading one book a day which is amazing!
ReplyDeleteAside from goodreads, I'm participating in 2 reading challenges this year: the Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge as well as the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. Both of these are my first time participating. Apart from these official challenges though, I also made some personal challenges for myself :)
Contemporaries are on the shorter side, usually between 300 - 400 pages. It's easy to knock them out in a day. I low-key do Backlist. I like the bingo board and the push to read backlist, but I don't "officially" do it. I
DeleteI hope you do well when it comes to your Goodread challenge for this year! I am still in awe of how many books you read all the time. I don't really do any challenges. I challenged myself to read 100 books this year but I don't use Goodreads to properly track what I read. And I do challenges for read-a-thons but those only last a few weeks at most, really...
ReplyDeleteI am all about using GR to track my books. I have even added more shelves this year. I don't tend to do read-a-thons, because I read every day, but I do love reading about everyone else doing them.
DeleteIt's amazing how many different challenges are out there. Truly something for everyone. A couple years ago I took place in a few (a contemporary romance one, which seemed like a no-brainer LOL) but last year and this year I'm challenge-free. Just me and GoodReads. :) I'm amazed that you can get through a 300-400 contemporary in one day. I know you have a daily commute, but still... that's amazing! In addition to the time spent reading, you must also be a fast reader. Good luck with all the challenges, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI read contemporaries pretty quickly. A fantasy book is not read at my normal page rate though. Remember, my numbers are a combination of books and audiobooks. I am lucky I can listen to audiobooks as I read, because they have really helped me with my backlist.
DeleteGood luck! I’m still astounded that you can read so much. I’m doing the Discussion Challenge, too. It’s my favorite blogging challenge. I always try to click a few of the links in the linkup each month.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Reading is a cheap way to fill my spare time. A lot of the blogs I visit on a regular basis participate in the discussion challenge, so I inevitably read a lot of the discussion posts, but I want to make an effort to check out more outside of my "squad"
DeleteI love doing challenges, but try to limit myself. Too hard keeping up with everything. I am thinking about adding the discussion challenge. I am always on the lookout for new blogs and that may be another way of finding some.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Like I said, I really don't do any officially. That eliminates all the update posts and what not. It's just me keeping track on my spreadsheet, and it adds a little fun, when I am selecting my weekly TBR. I have been really happy with the discussion challenge. It's not always easy finding something to talk about, and I prefer to keep it bookish, but I enjoy the resulting engagement.
DeleteWhoa, you read so many books last year! Good luck with your challenges this year!
ReplyDeleteI see lots of people who dwarf me, but I know I read more than the average person. But like don't ask me anything about movies or TV.
DeleteGood luck with all of these! Can't wait to read your discussion posts!
ReplyDeleteYou mean my weekly stressing post? I think I actually have a topic for next week, so I am pretty stoked about that.
DeleteWow, I'm amazed at how many books you're able to read in a year! I agree, reading is for fun, so you shouldn't force yourself to read a bunch of books you're not interested in just for the sake of a challenge. You did do a lot of discussions last year, I enjoyed them! Good luck with your goals :-)
ReplyDeleteI skip the prompts that are just no fun for me. Non Fiction? No, thank you. I can usually find something on my TBR to fit, and I like checking the boxes off.
DeleteYou have listed some great challenges that I need to check out! I don't rate my DNF books either and I always feel as though it affects my overall ratings. Good luck with your 2019 reads! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like my ratings look inflated, but if you consider the fact, that I only finish books I like (meaning 3 stars or higher), it makes sense that my average is high. I don't force myself to finish a book I am not enjoying.
DeleteThat's...a lot of books. I don't meet many people who read as much as I do, let alone people who read twice as much or more! This post inspired me to go write my own challenge post for 2019. I get kind of resistant to challenges that feel too bossy to me, yet what's the point in challenges that don't actually CHALLENGE you, right?
ReplyDeleteYou still have kids at home and mom-ing to do. My only child lives over 700 miles away, and without all her activities, I have a lot of free time. I was never able to pleasure read when I was teaching either. I felt like almost every second I was awake was spent planning, grading, or prepping. It's nice to have a job that I only do when I am physically at my desk. I giggled when I read about bossy challenges, because there are some out there with so many rules, I just can't even consider them. I am pretty loose with all the ones I sign up for, since I don't do all the linking up and whatnot, but they are fun to use as a guide. Good luck writing your challenge. I can't wait to see it.
DeleteOh my gosh 364 books! Thats an amazing goal to set! I barely made it to 200. I am going to do the popsugar challenge too. Last year it felt really restrictive and I don't like challenges like that. This year though it seems doable!
ReplyDeleteThat's why I stepped away from Pop Sugar last year, but like you, I feel it's more doable this year.
DeleteI have always hesitated to sign up for challenges. I like the idea of them but I don't want to have to keep track of too many things. I found out during 2018 that I love keeping track of my reading on spreadsheets so I decided to sign up for a few this year. We will see how it goes. I completely agree that reading should be fun!
ReplyDeleteI don't sign up for these challenges, but it's fun to pretend that I'm all in. I am somewhat competitive by nature, and like having the challenges to drive me. That's why I stopped doing the contemporary romance and new release challenge. I read a ton of those, so no challenge there. Prompts tend to make me work a little harder, and there are some good ones out there.
DeleteI don't know which impresses me more: the fact that you read 4freaking29 books, or that you LIKED all 429. OR that it doesn't even INCLUDE DNFs. I just... wow. You are officially my hero, I bow to you. And 51 discussions!??! Nicole and I COMBINED didn't have that many, and we host the thing! 😂
ReplyDeleteOh, as for my challenges, I only do Goodreads. And I let random.org pick my number, which was nice and low this year (9, ha!) I take them wayyy too seriously otherwise, so I cannot allow myself to start them! But I wish you the best of luck, and I have every confidence that you'll do amazing!
I think you will finish your GR challenge this month! Hey, my payoff for the discussion challenge was winning one month and finally reading The Anatomical Shape of a Heart (which I loved!). I need to find a job, that can exploit my reading prowess. Too bad I didn't major in English.
DeleteTotally blown away by the number of books you've read! Ugh, I can only dream of reading the same amount of books in a year, but you amazing you, freaking does it IRL! And 51 discussion posts, mine can be counted in my fingers! I am joining the Discussion Challenge like you and another one, Beat the Backlist challenge to tackle all the backlist books I own. I haven't officially done my sign-up posts yet but I'll get there soon! Good luck with all your challenges this year, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteJennilyn @ Rurouni Jenni Reads
Yeah. I am boring. I read a lot. I tend to doze off when I watch TV, because it's so passive. Therefore, I am apt to pick up a book, when I have nothing else to do. It keeps me from spending money. Backlist is always a goal for me. I have an actual wall of unread books, that mock me every morning when they are the first thing I see, when I wake.
DeleteSo many great challenges and I didn't know about Nicole's - Feed Your Fiction Addiction discussion post. This might be something I can do - I don't know yet tho. I will have to check out a few of these. I can't even compare to all the books you read. I only put in for 25 for the year. I am hoping to do 50 tho.
ReplyDeleteMary
Oh, yes! Join the discussion challenge. There was a great group last year, and the more the merrier. I think with kids at home and going to school, 25 books is a great goal. I don't really have many responsibilities outside of work, and I listen to audiobooks while I am there.
DeleteAnd I thought I read a lot. Wow! And you did great with your challenges. I failed the same one last year as the year before and am determined to succeed this year. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI was sad about the AtoZ challenge, because I did succeed last year, but I got myself in deep with ARCs this past year, and just couldn't fit in those odd books. I was close though, and I am determined to get 26/26 this year.
DeleteWell I've entered some challenges and I am all very willing but can't seem to complete theme. It's like everything is fizzeling out after some weeks/months. GD challenge aside so far none worked for me ... Sophie @bewareofthereader
ReplyDeleteI think things with only one requirement per month are great, because they are not a huge commitment. That's why I miss the diversity challenge I did in 2017. I liked having that monthly prompt. Reading challenges aren't for everyone, but I do enjoy having something to guide me a little.
DeleteI used to do my own version of Read Across The USA but it has been a while since I did one. The vast majority of my books are set in the US so it might've been fun to do it again. I'll see how many different states I read this year but won't be joining the challenge itself.
ReplyDeleteI guess I shouldn't have been surprised by what I learned from tracking the states, but I do wish we saw some more of the "middle". I don't really join any challenges. It makes me claustrophobic, but I track on my own.
DeleteGood luck with your challenges this year! I'm so impressed that you did 51 discussion posts in 2018.
ReplyDeleteI knew I was pretty consistent with posting one each week, but I was really impressed too.
DeleteLove seeing what challenges you did and which ones you'll do this year. I did the Across the States challenge one year and really had fun. I might have to try some more of the themed ones, too. That is amazing how you hit your discussions like that. I need to improve on those type posts.
ReplyDeleteCheering you on, Sam!
The states challenge is hard. Finding books set in the middle is definitely difficult. I have to get a jump on those states this year. I try to post a discussion every Friday. The struggle is real for topics, but that's when I will check out some of the TMST or blog hopper topics, and participate in those discussions.
DeleteGood luck with your goals! I typically do the Goodreads challenge and now my TBR jar. I hope you have an excellent year!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter did the TBR jar one year. It's a fun idea, but I am such a mood reader, I would probably override fate's choices.
DeleteI like the look of your reading takes you places challenge! I will look into that one more. You are so prolific Sam! Most people who know me think my 200 book goal is a big ol' brag fest... I love your discussions so I'm not surprised at how well you did! ;)
ReplyDeleteReading Places is fun, because the places can be fictional. It's good for people, who read more SFF than me. I sometimes read non-US authors too, and can slot them in on that challenge. I have seen readers with higher stats than mine, but I look the challenges for me and my situation - no husband, no kids to care for, long commute. It gives me a lot of time to read.
DeleteI have no idea how you read so many books! Seven audiobooks in a week?? I'm lucky if I get through one, haha. A lot of these challenges are new to me, so I'm going to look into them, but I did participate in the Goodreads challenge last year. Like you, I like the encouraging prompts it provides. ;) I'm going to attempt the Discussion Post Challenge this year, so we'll see how that goes. I think I did three or four discussion posts last year, but that was just for things that randomly popped into my head.
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Combined audiobooks and books are 7. I listen to 2-3, depending on how busy we are at work, which is where I do the bulk of my listening. Last week, we were super busy, and I listened to 4. I read 5 - 6 a week. Oh, yes! Do the discussion challenge. It is probably the most difficult for me, because coming up with topics is hard, but people like discussions and there is a lot of interaction when you post them.
DeleteYou read so many books! Seriously, I'm in awe. That's awesome. I still need to do my challenge post, but definitely Goodreads and I want to do the discussion challenge.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I am not reading any massive tomes. They are almost always under 500 pages. I have to see what my breakdown was (book/audiobook). GR and the discussion challenge are a must for me. I hope you join us at the discussion challenge.
DeleteI am doing A-Z challenge this year as well, pumped with the last year's success. I am participating in the discussion challenge and few other challenges.
ReplyDeleteHope you reach your goals! Have a great week ahead.
Gayathri @ Elgee Writes
I admire that you were able to get those pesky letters. I have to knock those out first. It's still fun and I get a sense of accomplishment when I succeed.
DeleteGood luck to all your challenges, Sam. :) I'm joining 2019 Discussion Challenge. It seems to be a great challenge to write discussions posts (something I rarely write).
ReplyDeleteHope you reach your goals.
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
Yeah! I love seeing everyone signing up for the discussion challenge. Those are some of my most viewed posts. It seems people like discussing.
DeleteI'm in awe of how many books you read! I failed to make my goodreads challenge and it was only 104 books, lol.
ReplyDeleteMy life situation gives me a lot of time to read. You have a family, and you moved, and your mom, and lots of other things I don't deal with. 104 is a lot of books. Keep in mind, most adults will read ZERO books this year.
DeleteYou don't count your DNF? I do but it's more so I can keep track of them because I am terrible for forgetting books I have read. I don't rate DNFs though so I suppose they don't really alter my ratings and then the majority of books I finish tend to be 3+ stars as I rate generously. It sucks you didn't quite manage to finish the US states challenge and you were so close! I understand DNF if you didn't enjoy the books fitting a certain state, though. This years Popsugar challenge interested me, I might do it off blog simply because it looks good and there's a choose your own adventure category which I just love the sound of!
ReplyDeleteI don't track DNFs in GR, but I keep track of them on my spreadsheet. I really only do the discussion challenge officially, and I only talk about my challenges at the beginning and end of year. I found trying to keep up with all the check in posts exhausting, but I love doing the challenges.
Delete3 letters short on the AtoZ challenge still puts you at the highest rank of BookDragon, which isn't LOSING the challenge at all! It's just not a 100% success rate, haha. :) What's your plan for the letter X??
ReplyDeleteIt's just that I had done all 26 in 2017. I was thinking of finishing The X-Files or hitting up a Sue Grafton book. She finished almost all the letters.
DeleteI'm just going to echo everyone else's awe here. Over 400 books is insane and amazing, no matter what your personal circumstances. I'm so glad that you're going to be continuing the Discussion Challenge because I LOVE your discussions!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Thanks! I glad you guys host the discussion challenge, because it lights a fire under me to write those discussions
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