2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I've no idea yet what my specific goals will be but here I am, ready to dive into setting up for next month!

The last few years, I tried to pre-plan out books (ie; to fit in with PopSugar or AtoZ book challenges) and discovered it causes me to abandon reading altogether. This year, I joined no challenges, read what I wanted when I wanted and ended up reading 20 books over my goal. My main goal will be to keep knocking out books who've become figuratively dusty waiting for me to take them off my TBR list and finally read them. Hoping to be as fruitful next year too while incorporating a few little challenges along the way!

Happy year end all!

2021 READING STATS

Books Read: 15
Favorite books:
Least favorite: Red, White & Royal Blue. -.-

Book Length
0-200 pages: 8
201-300 pages: 3
301-400 pages: 2
401+ pages: 2
Total pages read: 2,959
Average book length:

Clearing the To-Read Shelf
Only books added prior to 2021 starting will count towards this
Total Books Cleared: 7
Oldest Date: Oct 31, 2017
Newest qualifying date:: Dec 15, 2020

Genres:
[to be added as books are read]

Fantasy -> Fairy Tale Reimagining
Queer -> MM Romance
Queer -> Coming Out
Queer -> Latinx
Queer -> FF
Graphic Novel
Novella
Fiction -> Historical
Fiction -> Speculative
Fiction -> Suspense -> Paranormal

[x saving this spot for masterlist of books read for year]

You know, that's what I love about how experiences teach us something, right? It's great that you've figured out what works for you, and what doesn't.

Good luck with your goals in 2021. I hope you find some great books along the way :)

Lisa wrote: "You know, that's what I love about how experiences teach us something, right? It's great that you've figured out what works for you, and what doesn't.

Good luck with your goals in 2021. I hope yo..."

Lisa, completely agree! Being a life long voracious reader, I love that there's still SO much to learn about my own reading style and ways to challenge it still! Thank you and I hope the same for you in the upcoming year!

╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥ wrote: "Lisa wrote: "You know, that's what I love about how experiences teach us something, right? It's great that you've figured out what works for you, and what doesn't.

Good luck with your goals in 20..."

Exactly! I'm personally more a mood reader. Pre-planning just doesn't fit my personality in general, nor my reading style.

But the funny thing is. I got back into the habit of reading in 2016 after years of not reading anything at all, joined the group and saw all the challenges and was like "gimme, gimme, gimme" :D For some reason, it never occurred to me that my reading style, taste, and interests at 31 wouldn't correlate AT.ALL. with what I remembered from when I was 13-14 :D

Anyways. my point is. that I completely relate to what you said about still having so much to learn about ones own reading style :)

I hope you go beyond your 60 book resolution! Best of Luck!

Blagica wrote: "I hope you go beyond your 60 book resolution! Best of Luck!
"

thank you Blagica!!

Took me long enough but book 1 is finally ~on the book~ so to speak, for 2021.


4.75 stars, 165 pages, queer, set in England/Neverland ;)
Fantasy -> Fairy Tale Reimagining
Queer -> MM Romance
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021, lol oops!

Book 2



The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
5 stars, 256 pages, set in American Midwest/FairyTales
Fantasy -> Fairy Tales (ish)
YA, Graphic Novel. Coming Out. Cultural, Vietnamese.
On TBR shelf since: Dec 7, 2020

<3

This was stunning.
Achingly beautiful artwork of line drawings and the most wonderfully chosen palette to capture the visual tension and depth. A lovely, moving, important story of a young boy and his mother and how they find a way to support and love through the retelling of several fairy tales.
I wanted more while simultaneously feeling like it was executed perfectly.

Book 3



Flamer by Mike Curato
3 stars for me, 4 stars for intended audience., 368 pages
YA, Graphic Novel, Queer, Camp.
On TBR read shelf since: Jan 16, 2021 -- oh no lol I'm terrible at not just adding tons of new books

Book 4


1,5 stars at maximum, 26 pages, novella, fairy tale retelling (supposedly), first in a collection of 5 short stories (Faraway Collection)
So glad it was only 26 pages, I could barely even handle that.
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021

Book 5

Hazel and Gray by Nic Stone
4.5 stars for me
novella, fairy tale retelling (clearly i'm on a kick haha), 30 pages, dark, very dark. second short story in the Faraway Collection
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021

Book 6

The Princess Game by Soman Chainani
2.5 stars, at best, I don't know, this one was a MESS. I feel like it failed as a short story but might've made a kind of retelling as a full-length novel.
53 pages
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021

Book 7

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

4.75 nearly 5 stars for me, 342 pages.
On TBR shelf since October 31, 2017

I was a little slow to get into this story but wow it ended up being enthralling and I could barely put it down. This was chosen as a TBR Twin book read for this group but my book twin didn't end up participating. Still very glad I read it, it's been on my shelf for a few years! Highly recommend and has led me to look into Georgia Tann and her awful real-life baby thieving/abuse.
Historical Fiction -> Loosely Based on a True Story

Book 8

The Cleaners by Ken Liu
3 stars, 28 pages
Had no clue what fairy tale that was supposed to be a re-telling of and don't really have any idea what I read. An interesting concept that I would've like to see flushed out but was so confusing (for me) as an extremely short story. I guess I'm not really *getting* this collection.
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021

Book 9

The Wickeds by Gayle Forman
4 stars, 34 pages
The final in the 5 book mess of the Faraway short story collection. Tied with Hazel and Gray as my favorite story in the set. A truly unique story told through the perspective of the Wicked Stepmothers and it was quite fun.
On TBR shelf since: Jan 2, 2021

Book 10

A History of Scars by Laura Lee
3.75 stars, 208 pages

So many complicated feelings about this one.
Memoir -> Mental Health, Queer + POC.
On TBR shelf since: Dec 15, 2020

Book 11

3 stars for me but could've been a 5 for many, 320 pages

What an interesting and engaging and powerful (possibility) of a story. I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting for something more to come. It's tough because the writing is so good and all the other story elements were great. I don't know, there just felt like something was missing and I can't quite place what it is. Still highly recommend this one.
Fiction -> Speculative
LGBT, Immigration
On TBR shelf since: May 7, 2020

Book 12

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
3.75 stars, 196 pages
Graphic Novel -> Queer - Latinx - Feminism
On TBR shelf since: Nov 2, 2020

Absolutely loved the illustrations in here. But honestly, if I had never read the original book, this graphic novel would not have hit nearly as hard. The graphic adaptation leaves out huge chunks of important things that make the story what it is. Or maybe I would've loved it all the same. It's hard not to compare them. I truly think it's better to read them both to get the full picture. Still one of my favorite queer reads.

First February Book
Book 13

Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon
3 stars, 422 pages
Fiction -> Mystery -> Paranormal -> LGBT W/W
On TBR Shelf Since -> October 26, 2018

It was interesting premise-ish but so one-dimensional with a wholly unsatisfying glossed over ending with the daughter Emma. It was on the cusp of being so good but it just missed the mark in many connecting areas.

Book 14

When Frankie Meets Johnny by Xio Axelrod
2 stars, 86 pages, read for short BR
Novella -> Romance -> MM, meh

Lackluster.

Book 15

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
2 stars, 425 pages
RomCom -> MM
On TBR Shelf since: February 4, 2020

Look at you go do you have a standout favorite yet?