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I've noticed a lot of talk in the comments about books lately, so let's discuss: Is anyone doing a book challenge? (Should we make our own for Corporette? Hmmn — maybe something that could work with various categories of books, like a Bingo card…)
I've seen a number of book challenges in the wild, from alphabetical ones (read 26 books with titles that start with all the letters of the alphabet!), to quarterly Bingo versions (with everything from specific tropes to vague squares like “beach setting”), to challenges with specific numbers. Last year there was also a diversity challenge that was going around, focusing on reading a more diverse group of authors.
Personally, I'm trying to keep track of my reading with one of those Bullet Journal images of a bookshelf — for my digital journaling I just used Google image search to find a challenge with 40 books, which is around the number I'd like to read this year (five more than last year). There are a ton of beautiful bookmarks and inserts you can buy online, though — Etsy seller Callista Shop looks like she has a ton of lovely ones.
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There are a TON of book challenges out there, as the huge roundups at spots like Book Riot and Girl XOXO can attest — what challenges are you doing this year?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Anonymous
Just a total number of books challenge for me this year (100). I’ve done the categorical ones before and while I occasionally found some books I liked that I wouldn’t have otherwise read, usually I didn’t love the picks, and if this year is anything like the last two (so far, yes), I mostly want to exclusively read contemporary romance and Reese Witherspoon type picks.
I am trying to track my reading on Storygraph in addition to Goodreads with the hope of dropping GR. I haven’t been on SG long enough to really try it out, but moving away from Amazon a bit (and GR’s horrible functionality, honestly) is encouraging me to give it a year.
Senior Attorney
I’m pretty much done doing any kind of challenges, but I, too, am shooting for 100 books this year (did 118 last year, yay!). I like to do a mix of educational nonfiction, literary fiction, and super trashy “pick a free ebook a month from Amazon” kinds of things.
Right now I’m reading Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad and it is knocking my socks off.
Anon
Thank you for the Piranesi reference! I enjoyed it, though it was over too quickly. (Ironically perhaps, since that was not exactly my experience of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell; I didn’t realize at the first that it was the same writer!)
Senior Attorney
Confession: I didn’t make it to the end of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell, either when it came out or on the second try!
Ses
I made it through, but yeah – it was like a series of unrelated short stories about a central cast of characters. Not really pulled together.
Pirenisi was totally different and I loved it.
The common thread was that the writer is so good at creating charming and beautiful descriptions of worlds and situations.
Anon
I’ve never bothered doing a formal challenge, but I read a lot and log all the books I read in a spreadsheet, tracking info on author demographics and setting, which works to push me to read books by a greater diversity of authors and books from other countries.
For this year, I also put together a goal list of books that I’ve had for a long time and haven’t gotten around to reading, either ones I own or ones that have been on my library wishlist for years. It includes some classic authors I’ve somehow never read (Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Dostoyevsky) and a bunch of more recent stuff.
Anon
I rarely read a book that I enjoy more than some of the classic books I was assigned in school; I don’t really know why I don’t go back and read classic authors more often. I feel a little jealous and curious what you’ll think of Dickens, Woolf, and Dostoyevsky! I’ve been trying to read more Joseph Conrad since I never regret it when I do; there just isn’t a particular push making me pick up one of his books.
I’m also curious if you would strongly recommend any less commonly known books you came across through seeking out greater diversity of authors? I don’t have much to read right now but was thinking I should start a list so I can get my Libby hold shelf in order for the year.
Anon
I don’t think I do a great job of finding lesser known books. Most of my reading just ends up being whatever is on the new books list at my library, so a lot of it is the stuff that shows up on everyone’s best books of the year lists. But some of the things I’ve read recently and enjoyed were Louise Erdrich’s latest book (The Sentence, but I like most of her books), Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian, How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara, and The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See.
Anon
Thank you!
I started the year with Dawn of Everything, and I know I’ll want some fiction on hand soon.
CB
I’m doing two – continuing Year 3 of my decade long read around the world, a book from every country (interpreted broadly – diaspora stories count). And the Big Read of War and Peace which I am loving, I’m a very fast reader and being forced to slow down and only read 1 chapter a day means I’m thinking about the plot in so much more depth.
Calrayo
I’m curious about your Big Read – do you have a discussion group you’re talking about the book with? Are there ancillary materials you’re digging into? My 2021 project was In Search of Lost Time (interspersed with lighter reads), and I don’t have a new specific challenge for myself this year (I’ve read War and Peace and prefer Anna Karenina, I see your war logistics and raise you farm reform).
CB
There is a substack by Jeremy Anderberg, with a weekly email and discussion forum. It is 361 chapters, so finish by Christmas and then binge rewatch the BBC series. I was inspired by Laura Vanderkam.
Anon
I don’t try to meet a number because it gets me all upset and stressed out, but I prefer to read by award nominees rather than by “lists” or recommendations. My spare time is not conducive to books for the past couple of years, so I’ve been prioritizing Hugo- and Nebula-nominated short stories.
CB
Have you tried the Women’s Prize shortlist, they are nearly always winners for me.
Vicky Austin
I’m just doing the same book challenge I do every year, which is where I try to read more books than I did last year.
Ribena
I have set my Goodreads target to 75 again (I read 100 in 2021) but because one of my goals is to read more non fiction, which for me generally means slower reading than light frothy fiction, I fully expect not to meet it.
CB
All my colleagues post their heavy nonfiction reading and I read so much for work, I want novels! I successfully badgered a male colleague to read more female authors, he said he read 90/10 and I sent him off to Toppings with a list.
Anon
I’m challenging myself to keep at least four books in my holds queue on Overdrive (the service/app my local library uses for e-book loans) at all times. If I put holds on books, I read them when they become available. If I let the queue lapse, then I end up not reading as much, or impulse-buying Kindle books that turn out to be not very good/not worth buying.
Sue W
My challenge is NOT to read/buy so many books this year. I still have a stack from the last 2 years to read. I’ve already broken my January book-buying-ban by ordering 3 new books. Can’t help myself. I’ve got 2 Karl Popper books coming. This is because I’m taking an online history class and I want to read more about the topics we are studying.
Sloan Sabbith
I’m not doing a set challenge (or challenges), for the first time since 2017. I didn’t like the pressure to find books I don’t really care about reading to fit a prompt. I made a list of books I want to read (“historical romance,” “memoir or biography”) but I didn’t put any type on it that I wouldn’t already have read. No poetry, no fantasy, etc. I just like checking off things on a list, so it’s more that than it is a real challenge. Shrug.