2019 reading challenges beckon. It’s only a month away. Blog posts for December are mostly written, and the rest are planned. 2018 reading challenges approach their last gasp. If I don’t read the books on my ‘currently reading’ by the end of December, they’re doomed. For the record, these are:
- Tourist Trap: I promised myself I’d read this last year, let alone this, but I kept putting off because I knew it could influence Curved Space to Corsair
- A Little History of British Gardening, which is my last non-fiction of the year, and at one point I thought I’d fit another in… I need both the above for my 2018 Official TBR Pile challenge
- The Franchise Affair, which I got from the library on audiobook simply to accompany me on a five hour drive in the week before Christmas. Oh, and five hours back again, of course. That’s allowing for some congestion but not the absolute horror that Christmas traffic can be. I have to negotiate nearly half the M25. There is only one feasible route avoiding it, and that has its own nightmare scenarios.
- Outside, which is a net-galley book due for publication on Jan 3rd, so needs review either 29th December or 5th January. In other words, it has to be read over Christmas.
I ought also knock off Rebel of the Sands (from the library) and Birdcage Walk (my physical bookclub’s book, which I’m not really interested in). Rebel of the Sands is better kept for January, because of new reading challenges.
2019 reading challenges
I’m already prevaricating when I should be doing other things, looking at the growing lists of reading challenges for 2019.
The best place to look is the Reading Challenge Addict’s website. Every time I go there, more people have added their challenges.
There is another one, styled The Master List of Reading Challenges 2019 by Girl XOXO, which looks prettier, but I haven’t spotted any different ones yet.
I’m still planning to do reading challenges. It just helps me choose. It also spurs me on to read when I could be lazing about doing nothing (ho-ho).
My shortlist:
Despite my earlier ideas, I’m still going to do an Alphabet one, although I’m tempted by Lori Caswell’s alternative to the Alphabet Soup standard one: Alphabet Soup Authors Edition, where it is the authors’ surnames you need to complete your alphabet.
I’m also continuing to climb my TBR Mountain. I’ll continue to attempt to scale Mount Vancouver (36 books), which I missed by four in 2017, and it looks like I’m only going to get one closer this year, since The Franchise Affair, Outside, Rebel of the Sands, and Birdcage Walk don’t count. Maybe I’ll find a quickie or three to slip in over Christmas.
I want to find a suitable scifi reading challenge, although I could concentrate on those for the authors. I’ve also seen a Net-galley challenge listed, but its link didn’t work. This one from Unconventional Bookworms looks suitable. Since I’ve got three net-galley books to read already, apart from those listed above, I need to make this a maximum challenge, I think.
That would make four challenges, and I have the on-going non-fiction challenge to fit in. Five is probably enough, although continuing with Finishing the Series is attractive, and there are several candidates for finishing on this year’s page. I’ve also been hankering after the Colour-Coded Challenge again. It’s only nine books, and they’d probably all fit other challenges! I do seem to have books in colour themes at the same time, though. I’ve noticed that on my Goodreads shelf of currently reading. It’s pure accident, unless it’s to do with publisher preferences.
Sign ups are open
It’s already time to start signing up for these challenges, although you can of course leave it till the new year starts. Somehow, it’s the planning that I enjoy most. It’s a good thing to waste time on when I should be editing. But then…
Ta-Da!!
I sent Curved Space to Corsair back to my editor last Thursday. I hope she’s got enough time to check it.
My only question is, so audio books count? That’s the only way I can get more than maybe 5 books a year read.
I’m sure audiobooks are fine in most of the challenges. There may even be an audiobook challenge! Good luck!
Since the challenges are really just with yourself, count whatever works for you! I count audio and print books just the same, as I do a lot of audio books.
You’re so good at finding reading challenges. I think the last one I joined, I didn’t finish because I forgot about it. ^^;;
I may not do any challenges this year. I have a feeling my reading will be way down, with all the travel we’ll be doing. I think this year I won’t make my GR challenge, though I’ve done surprisingly well with the two alphabet challenges I do (Middle grade and mysteries). I never quite finish, partly because I seldom pick books to fit the challenges, but rather hope that some of what I read will count 🙂
This might be a good year to work on Mt. TBR, though—with all the travel, often out of range of computers so I can’t get new library books, I’ll need to buy more books.
Ha! Definitely won’t make my GR challenge number–I’m still 26 books short. This fall I’ve had other things to do besides read, somehow, and much less time for audio books as I’ve been doing less housework and exercising more with my husband instead of alone (those are my two big audio-book times). If I finish everything I’m working on now (before they expire), I’ll still top 130 for the year, so I’m not feeling too bad 🙂
I don’t know what you set your GR Challenge at to be so far short, you must read at least one book a week, and that’s all I sign up for. Cut it back for 2019, after all, you’re a writer…
‘Buy’ books? Ebooks if you’re travelling – but don’t forget all the old paperbacks you’ll be able to swap out at the hotels and hostels in NZ. I even read a Jackie Collins when I was travelling in that part of the world, I was so desperate! Have you discovered the delights of Net-galley yet? With the amount of reviews you do, I’m sure you’ll be a welcome addition
In my quest to read more SF, I’m just noting that I’d read 29 of 100 listed here: https://www.listchallenges.com/npr-top-100-science-fiction-and-fantasy-books and so checked through the rest to see what I’d add to my TBR.
Surprisingly I only added seven, two of which were Terry Pratchett and two Neil Gaiman.
I think I have to make my own Scifi challenge, maybe of Hugo/Nebula award winners, or Space Opera Group BOTM or this list or something.