2026 Reading Challenge discussion

2018 reading goals:
2018 Reading Challenge: 18/18
Let's turn pages: 6620/5500

Challenges:
I'm not joining any of the challenges that determine what to read by various criteria (like colors or the alfabet), as I don't want to read just to tick off boxes.
I have set myself a personal challenge and also joined one to tackle my TBR list (instead of just adding to it...) :
- I'll (try to) read at least 6 group/buddy reads, so I get to discuss the books I've read here (or in other groups). Could be more if I really like it.
- I joined the TBR jar challenge (minus the jar, as I'm just going to use the Goodreads randomiser to do the picking) for 4 books.

I'm not going to commit to anything else at the moment, as reading is supposed to be fun and stress-free :)

Group/Buddy reads:

1. The Raven Boys - january read Of Wonderland Book Club - finished 9/1/2018 review
2.The Picture of Dorian Gray january read of 2018 Reading Challenge - finished 31/1/2018 - review
3.
4.
5.
6.

(stopped tracking although I didn't stop reading group reads)

TBR jar challenge:

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
2.Uncommon Type: Some Stories - finished 30/8/2018
3.Cracked
4.Assassin's Apprentice

Edit august 2018: I ordered a test sample of the first of this list, because I wasn't sure reading a screenplay would please me. It wasn't long enough to base definitve judgement on, but I did not really care for it, so I decided not to read this now. Maybe if the price drops, someday, but I don't want to spend much money on something that I probably won't like reading. So I'm skipping that, and adding a new one, also chosen at random of my TBR list:

5. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Kim wrote: "2018 reading goals:
0/18 books
0/5500 pages (also tracked in the 'Let's turn pages' challenge)

Challenges:
I'm not joining any of the challenges that determine what to read by various criteria (l..."

That sounds really good Kim. More and more people are choosing not to do (many) challenges because it stresses them out and as you say reading should be fun and relaxing. I hope you’ll have a great reading year!
The group/buddy reads are awesome so maybe we’ll get to meet there to discuss some interesting books!
Happy reading!

Ok, a lot of these challenges look too inviting :)

I decided to track the ones I think look fun without setting a goal, just to see how I like it and maybe join them for real next year.

Popsugar challenge (message #170): 8/50 (officially 4/50)
A-Z Challenge (message #160): 4/26
Verbeelding Challenge (message #3): 12/30

Edit: stopped tracking those rather quickly, so I'm not going to join this kind of challenges again...

Updated everything with my first book of the year: Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett. (review) finished 3/1/2018.

Updated with second book of the year: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. review finished 9/1/2018

Updated with:

- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. review - finished 31/01/2018
- Closet Full of Bones by A.J. Aalto. (review to come later) - finished 14/02/2018

So....

I've been a bad girl...

Not with the reading in itself, because this site and its challenges have succeeded in me having a regular reading 'routine' again, and I'm actually 2 books ahead on my challenge for 2018. So that's a good thing.

But I haven't been following my set challenges, and neither have I been writing my reviews as I promised myself I would, to be a little more 'invested' in what I read.

So, to make amends I'll start by adding the books I have read (I did track them on GR) here. I also have the intention to get back to those books and review them (even though that may be a little less in depth because of the time that has passed since I read them. But that will take a little more time :).

Since my last post I read:
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christiana Miller
- The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
- Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl
- The Witch Squad by M.Z. Andrews

Awesome job keep it up!

Kim wrote: "because this site and its challenges have succeeded in me having a regular reading 'routine' again, and I'm actually 2 books ahead on my challenge for 2018. So that's a good thing.

Congratulations Kim! Sounds great!

But I haven't been following my set challenges, and neither have I been writing my reviews as I promised myself I would, to be a little more 'invested' in what I read.

So, to make amends I'll start by adding the books I have read (I did track them on GR) here. I also have the intention to get back to those books and review them (even though that may be a little less in depth because of the time that has passed since I read them...."

Same here lol

New addition to the 2018 list:

Red Queen, group read of August of the 2018 Reading challenge group. Rated it only two stars. Review here.

Update:

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks. review.

Am I being/becoming too hard on books? I seem to give rather low ratings compared to other people, and I think writing the reviews here makes me a bit more critical while reading.

On the other hand, I wish more people would actually use the full rating scale instead of never going lower than 3. It would make it less hard to find the real gems...

Kim wrote: "Update:

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks. review.

Am I being/becoming too hard on books? I seem to give rather low ratings compared to other people, and ..."

While I have given one or two-star readings on occasion, I find myself giving three stars and above mostly because by now I've got a fairly good idea of what books I'll enjoy reading, and which I won't and will try to avoid. Hence my ratings will be skewed towards three stars and above. Don't know if that is what's going on with others, but it may be.

That's a good point Jennifer. I guess my drop in ratings has a lot to do with trying to come out of my comfort zone and read some things I wouldn't have picked a few years ago. So I guess I'm having the opposite effect you're having.

Update:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
Interesting group read for the the-catch-up-book-club

Full review to follow but here's my first impression.

Picked from the list of the TBR-challenge, because after Jane Eyre I was in the mood for something light and humorous:
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.
I thought it was amusing but a bit long in the middle section. Fortunately it got better again towards the end. Here's the full review.

From the TBR jar (although after Red Queen I promised myself no more seventeen-year-olds for the remainder of 2018...:

Cracked by Eliza Crewe - review

Last update:

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Review

Yes! I made it to 18 books (and some of them weren't small, as evidenced by the number of pages I exceeded that goal with).