Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2023 Plans
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Rachel's Refresh 2023 Challenge Plans
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PopSugar1. A book you meant to read in 2022 - Things We Do in the Dark
2. A book you bought from an independent bookstore - The Other Passenger
3. A book about a vacation - Happy Place
4. A book by a first-time author - The Writing Retreat
5. A book with mythical creatures - The Dragon's Promise
6. A book about a forbidden romance - Our Wayward Fate
7. A book with "Girl" in the title - I'm the Girl
8. A celebrity memoir - Wildflower
9. A book with a color in the title - Ashes of Gold
10. A romance with a fat lead - The Fastest Way to Fall
11. A book about or set in Hollywood - While We Were Dating
12. A book published in spring 2023 - The True Love Experiment
13. A book published the year you were born - maybe While My Pretty One Sleeps
14. A modern retelling of a classic - She's Too Pretty to Burn
15. A book with a song lyric as its title - As You Walk on By
16. A book where the main character's name is in the title - Jameela Green Ruins Everything
17. A book with a love triangle - Kate in Waiting
18. A book that's been banned or challenged in any state in 2022 - The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
19. -26. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge
(2015 – a popular author’s first book – Forever, Interrupted
2016 – a graphic novel – Giant Days, Vol. 14
(2017 – a book with a family member word in the title – The Cousins
2018 – the next book in a series you started – The Golden Enclaves
2019 – a book set on a college or university campus – The Lies We Tell
2020 – a book about or involving social media – People Like Her
2021 – a book about do-overs or fresh starts – Begin Again
2022 – a social horror book – When No One Is Watching
27. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2023 - All Her Little Secrets
28. A book set in the decade you were born - The Monsters We Make
29. A book with a queer lead - I'm So (Not) Over You
30. A book with a map - Fable
31. A book with a rabbit on the cover - Hell Bent
32. A book with just text on the cover - My Favorite Half-Night Stand
33. The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list - any Kevin Henkes book
34. A #BookTok recommendation - The Spanish Love Deception
35. A book you bought secondhand - All the Missing Girls
36. A book your friend recommended
37. A book that's on a celebrity book-club list - Such a Fun Age
38. A book about a family - Daisy Darker
39. A book that comes out in the second half of 2023 - A Twisted Love Story
40. A book about an athlete/sport - Carrie Soto Is Back
41. A historical-fiction book - I Must Betray You
42. A book about divorce - The Younger Wife
43. A book you think your best friend would like - Foul Lady Fortune (Combo of fantasy, historical fiction and Shakespeare so has something for everyone)
44. A book you should have read in high school - We Used to Be Friends
45. A book you read more than 10 years ago - The Pact
46. A book you wish you could read for the first time again - Call Down the Hawk (read it toward the start of the pandemic, and I don't feel like I gave it a fair chance)
47. A book by an author with the same initials as you - The Ruined
48. A book written during NaNoWriMo - Side Effects May Vary
49. A book based on a popular movie - Sea Witch
50. A book that takes place entirely in one day - Five Survive
51. A book that was self-published - The Atlas Six
52. A book that started out as fan fiction - Big Bad or Bloody Fool for Love (may be stretching the prompt a bit)
53. A book with a pet character - You Lucky Dog
54. A book about a holiday that's not Christmas - A Holly Jolly Diwali
55. A book that features two languages - Vicious Spirits
56. The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list - The Ink Black Heart
57. A book with alliteration in the title - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
ATY Rejects, BookishFirst Bingo, and LeftoversThis challenge is a combo of three different things -- the prompts I voted for that didn't make the ATY list, my favourite prompts from BookishFirst Bingo's challenge, and many of the prompts I had leftover from 2022 that I couldn't fit in anywhere else or that I loved and didn't want to give up.
1. A book with a shoe on the cover - The Sisters
2. A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman - Legendborn
3. A book involving an “ism” - Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
4. A book with a title beginning with a W - What Never Happened
5. A book with a female or nonbinary main character who is an explorer/traveller - Eighty Days to Elsewhere
6. 3 Weeks:A book related to a Warner Brothers fiilm - The Wedding Crasher (related to The Wedding Crashers)
7. 3 Weeks: A book related to a Disney film - Darling (relates to Peter Pan)
8. 3 weeks: A book related to a BBC film - My Plain Jane (related to Jane Eyre)
9. A book that includes a ritual or ceremony - The Gilded Ones
10. A book with a character who is an orphan - Belladonna
11. A book with a pronoun in the title - I Know You Know
12. A book about crossing over to another world - Beyond the Black Door
13. A book set in an apartment building or house - Her Every Fear
14. A book featuring a character with paranormal or supernatural abilities - The Dead Romantics
15. A book in which someone is captured, taken hostage, trapped or imprisoned - The Chain
16. A story with a curse - All the Bad Apples
17. A book with one of the 7 most used verbs in English in the title (be, have, do, say, get, make, go) - Do I Know You?
18. A book related to loneliness or isolation - Alone Out Here
19. A book that involves a moral dilemma or question - My Sister's Keeper
20. A book related to something lucky - When You Wish Upon a Lantern (need to check if lanterns considered lucky)
21. A book featuring a character who is engaged in a typically compassionate profession or career - The Wrong Family
22. A book about words or language, or emphasizing the spoken word - maybe Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution or The Silent Treatment
23. A book related to “On the Road” - One of the Good Ones
24. A book from one of the Millions Most Anticipated listsNotes on an Execution
25. A book featuring the Widow, the Wallflower, or the Woman Scorned - The Next Wife
26. A book involving genetics or DNA - The Half Sister
27. A dark academia book - Ace of Spades
28. A book related to game, set, match - These Deadly Games
29. A book involving journalists or journalism - Off the Record
30. A book related to “The Five Love Languages” - Love Her or Lose Her
31. A book using the word wife or daughter in the title - The Replacement Wife
32. A book where one of the senses plays an important part - Tell Me Your Secret
33. A book with a secret passage - Under Lock & Skeleton Key
34. A book inspired by news from the 1950s - The Weight of Blood
35. A book which includes addictive behaviour - Transcendent Kingdom
36. A book with a door on the cover - Lost in the Moment and Found
37. A book club read - The Club
38. A book told from the villain’s perspective - The Nothing Man
39. A romance novel - Built to Last
40. A book about a “fish out of water”
41. A magical realism book - The Mirror Season
42. A book related to first contact - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
43. A book set during a revolution or uprising - The Last Grand Duchess
________________________________________
44. Character owns a bookstore - Better than Fiction
45. Published during your birth month - Kingdom of the Cursed (October 2021)
46. Highly-anticipated 2022 release - Seasonal Fears
47. Cozy mystery - Arsenic and Adobo
48. Two-word title - Nine Lives
49. Book about best friends - When You Were Everything
50. Sports romance - The Dating Playbook
51. Flowers on the cover - House of Roots and Ruin
52. Comic or graphic novel by a queer author - Heartstopper: Volume Five
53. Author’s debut in a new genre - Pretty Little Wife
54. Green cover - The Last Graduate
55. Illustrated cover - Hook, Line, and Sinker
56. A crime occurs - A Nearly Normal Family
57. Character wins the lottery - Lucky in Love
58. Autistic protagonist - The Rosie Result
59. Shakespeare or Shakespeare retelling - If I'm Being Honest
60. American abroad
61. Yellow cover - Yolk
62. Explores mother and child relationship - Pieces of Her
63. Addresses mental health - Everything Here Is Beautiful
64. Title begins with Y - Yours Truly
65. Bird on the cover - Magpie Murders
66. Recommended on social media - Bunny
68. Highly-anticipated read - Loathe to Love You
69. Thriller - Dear Wife
70. Author’s first name begins with B - The Switch
71. Backlist book - She Was the Quiet One
72. Character owns their own business - Crazy Stupid Bromance
73. Author you’ve read before - False Witness
74. Urban fantasy - Wings of Ebony
75. Character has or uses a nickname - A Deadly Education
76. Wedding - We Can't Keep Meeting Like This
77. Backlist from a new-to-you author - Best Day Ever
78. Historical fiction with a protagonist of colour - The Forest of Stolen Girls
79. Murder mystery - A Line To Kill
80. Book recommended by a favourite author - The Wife Stalker(recommended by Riley Sager)
81. Cover is your favourite colour - Blood Like Magic
82. Latinx protagonist by Latinx author - You Had Me at Hola
83. Sunset or sunrise on the cover - Lucky Caller
84. Set at a school - Catherine House
85. Autobuy-author - Cursed
86. Author’s name begins with K - The Last Wife
87. Halloween - The Bone Houses
88. Character wears a disguise or costume - We Hunt the Flame
89. Inspired by real events - The Lindbergh Nanny
90. Sweet as candy romance - The Dating Plan or Hang the Moon
91. Closed setting - Anxious People
92. Skull or bones on cover - The Damned
93. Family business - Last Chance Books
94. There’s a dramatic dinner - Not a Happy Family
95. Characters travel by plane - The Perfect Girlfriend
96. Generational story - Family Lore
97. Author has written adult and YA - Mister Magic
98. Home is built or restored - Tools of Engagement
99. BookishFirst staff favourite - All My Rage
100. Published in December - The Last Invitation
101. Hockey - Beartown
102. Published in 2022 - maybe The Prisoner
103. Title includes a temperature description - Cool for the Summer
104. Author you want to read more of in 2023 - The Family Game
105. A mistletoe kiss occurs or is avoided - Kiss Her Once for Me
________________________________________
106. A book connected to a book you read in 2021 - One of Us Is Next
107. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover - The Road Trip
108. A book related to a game - Mother May I
109. A book with handwriting on the cover - Dear Child
110. A book with a time-related word in the title - Today Tonight Tomorrow
111. A book set on a plane, train or cruise ship - Hostage
112. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title - In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
113. A romance novel by a BIPOC author - The Right Swipe
114. A book with the name of a board game in the title - Guess Who
115. A book with quote from your favourite author on the cover or Amazon page - Where the Drowned Girls Go
116. A book with a palindromic title - Madam
117. A book featuring a parallel reality - Maybe in Another Life
Leftovers Continued118. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (Hear No Evil) – The Silent Suspect
119. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (Speak No Evil) – I Have No Secrets
120. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (See No Evil) –Forget You Know Me
121. A retelling with a BIPOC main character - Of Curses and Kisses
122. A book related to a nursery rhyme - They All Fall Down
123. A book related to the song It’s the End of the World as We Know It - I Hope You Get This Message
124. A book whose title contains on honorific - The Other Mrs.
125. A book with a character whose name you can’t pronounce - Each of Us a Desert
126. A book by or about an everyday hero - Things You Save in a Fire
127. A book that fits a 2021 prompt suggestion that didn’t make the list (A book related to blackjack or gambling) - Jackpot
128. A second-person narrative - You
129. A title starting with the letter F - Friends Like These
130. Jane Austen-inspired - Ayesha at Last
131. A book that has an alternate title - The Hiding Place
132. A book with an unlikely detective - The Red Palace
133. A book by an author with an X,Y, or Z in their name - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
134. Technology-themed - The Perfect Wife
135. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover! - All Is Not Forgotten
136. A book that involves a second chance - See You Yesterday
137. A book with the word “game” in the title - The Blame Game
138. A fairytale retelling - Gilded
139. A book whose title is translated differently - What She Knew (also called Burnt Paper Sky)
140. A book that relates to a magical number (pi, 7, 3, 13, etc.) - Three Perfect Liars
141. A book you spotted on social media - Too Good to Be True
142. A book featuring a prophecy - Blood Like Fate
143. A book related to your zodiac sign - The Scorpio Races
144. A book that contains a death - The Last Time I Saw You
145. A book that mentions a historical witch or wizard - The Excalibur Curse
146. A book that includes a shapeshifter - My Lady Jane
147. A book about being a first-time parent - The Rosie Effect
148. A book about a comedian - This Will Be Funny Someday
149. A book about a hotel - Moonflower Murders
150. A book with the word “house” in the title - House of Salt and Sorrows
151. A book with “poison” in the title - This Poison Heart
152. A book about a librarian or bookseller - You Love Me
153. A book with a dead body on the cover - The Drowning Kind
154. A book about taking in a stranger - The Perfect Daughter
155. A book with a typewriter on the cover - Very Sincerely Yours
156. A book with “words” in the title - Love and Other Words
157. A book with a mirror on the cover - Behind the Red Door
158. A book with a shape on the cover that reminds you of a Rorschach test - A History of Wild Places
159. A book by an author whose name is a colour - Book of Night
160. A book with a photograph on the cover - Girl Gone Viral
161. A fairytale or myth retelling in a modern setting - Lore
162. A book set after a major word event - They Went Left
163. A book with the word “better” in the title - The Better Sister
164. A discussion-worthy book club book - The Gifted School
165. A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana Cards - The Game of Love and Death
166. A book set in a small town or rural area - Don't Look for Me
167. A book about independence - Just Like Other Daughters
168. A book involving a power struggle - You Deserve Each Other
169. A book that shares a similar title to another book - Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating
170. A book with there words in the title - Perfect Little Children
171. A book related to STEAM - The Soulmate Equation
172. A book that includes a romance - Would Like to Meet
Would Like To Meet
173. A book with the word “hard” in the title - No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
174. A book with a cover that features a view from above - The Push
175. A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read - Everything That Burns
52 Book Club1. A book with a subtitle - Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother's Suggestions
2. Featuring an inheritance - These Fleeting Shadows
3. Title starting with the letter “G” - Girl A
4. Title starting with the letter “H” - How We Fall Apart
5. Title starting with the letter “I” - I Found You
6. Under 200 pages - Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye
7. A city or country name in the title - Tokyo Ever After
8. Dystopian Fiction - Monsters of Men
9. A book with a dedication - The River Has Teeth
10. Takes place during the roaring twenties - Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
11. A book about secrets - Two Can Keep a Secret
12. High Fantasy - Immortal Longings
13. Published posthumously - The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
14. A survival story - Wilder Girls
15. Set in Australia - The Island
16. Featuring one of the “seven deadly sins” - Kingdom of the Wicked
17. By a Caribbean author - Instructions for Dancing
18. Set during a war other than WWI or WWII - The Fountains of Silence
19. Typographic cover - The It Girl
20. A book about siblings - Blanca & Roja
21. A second-hand book - The Perfect Girl (my copy is a library remainder)
22. A body-positive message - I'll Be the One
23. An alliterative title - Perfect on Paper
24. Nordic Noir - The Lost Village
25. A fashionable character - It Happened One Summer
26. Has an epilogue - How to Fail at Flirting
27. Newbery Medal Winner - New Kid
28. Includes a funeral - The Pallbearers Club
29. Sends you down a rabbit hole - Sandy Hook
30. An author with a same name as you - The Villa
31. Set in a workplace - The Other Black Girl
32. Published by Macmillan - What Lies in the Woods
33. A banned book - Good Girl, Bad Blood(banned in school libraries in Texas, January 2022)
34. Featuring mythology - Heart of the Sun Warrior
35. A book you meant to read last year - The Guilt Trip
36. Chapters have cliffhangers - The End of Her
37. Written in present tense - The First Mistake or The Dilemma
38. An enemies-to-lovers plot - The Worst Best Man
39. The final book in a series - Kingdom of the Feared
40. Written by a comedian - Dan and Phil Go Outside
41. A character who is a refugee - Odd Child Out
42. Time in the title - Confessions on the 7:45
43. A book “everyone” has read - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
44. A contemporary setting - Fix Her Up
45. First word in the book is “The” - The Breakdown
46. Script font on the spine - Not the Girls You're Looking For
47. Set in the city of Dublin - The Liar's Girl
48. A book by Octavia E. Butler - Parable of the Sower
49. Books on the cover - One True Loves
50. Related to the word “Murder” - Killers of a Certain Age
51. A book that doesn’t fit any of the other 51 prompts
52. Published in 2023 - The Senator's Wife
BookList Queen1. A winter read - The Overnight Guest
2. A Goodreads Winner in 2022 - Hidden Pictures
3. A book by a black author - I Know What You've Done
4. A book with more than 500 pages - Bloodmarked
5. A book published in your birth year - maybe A Time to Kill
6. A book by a famous author you’ve avoided - Colleen Hoover (I've avoided everything except Verity)
7. A book with a character with a disability - Jessi's Secret Language
8. A fiction and non-fiction pairing - Go Ask Alice
9. A fiction and non-fiction pairing - Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries
10. A book by a local author - Robert Munsch
11. A western -
12. A book you own but haven’t read - You Are Not Alone
13. A book with an animal on the cover - Greywaren
14. A book recommended by a librarian - All the Dangerous Things (LibraryReads.org recommendation for January 2023)
15. A Newbery Award winner
16. A book about royalty - Enchantée
17. A book written before 1850 - any Shakespeare book, Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. or The Double
18. A book with dual timelines - The Lost Apothecary
19. A book found in the Dewey Decimal System 300s
20. A mother-daughter story - Harvesting the Heart
21. An empowering read - Watch Us Rise
22. A World War I book - The Girl You Left Behind
23. A domestic thriller - A Stranger in the House
24. A 2023 new release - The Only Survivors
25. A Read with Jenna Book Club Pick - The Turnout
26. A book everyone is talking about - Love on the Brain
27. A book becoming a movie in 2023 - A Man Called Ove
28. A book about complicated relationships - Thicker Than Water
29. A book recommended on TikTok
30. An audiobook
31. A book set in the 1930s - Daughter of the Reich
32. A contemporary fiction bestseller - All Good People Here
33. A book about adoption - Far from the Tree
34. A book from a genre you don’t usually read - Master Class
35. A book with a title that starts with A - All I Want
36. A book set in South America - The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
37. A detective story - The Sentence is Death
38. A book about power - The Widow
39. A 2022 bestseller - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
40. A book by an author you love - The Night She Disappeared
41. A book with a long title - All That Is Mine I Carry with Me
42. A five-star read - The Kind Worth Killing
43. A YA historical fiction - Pulp or Music from Another World
44. A book about magic - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
45. A book that makes you happy - Dinosaur Therapy
46. An award-winning nonfiction - Know My Name
47. A modern classic
48. A book borrowed from a friend
49. A book with a red cover - Like a Sister
50. Reread a favourite - Ninth House
51. A book at the bottom of your to-read list - Tell Me Three Things
52. A holiday romance - A Very Merry Bromance
Flourish & Blotts: Quidditch World Cup1. Quidditch: Involving a sport - Intercepted
2. Quidditch World Cup: Set in a country you’ve never been to - The Silvered Serpents
3. Quidditch Pitch: Set in nature - I Am Still Alive
4. Quidditch Throughout the Ages: A historical fiction - The Hidden Child
5. Golden Snidget: Includes a magical creature - Across the Green Grass Fields
6. Quaffle: With a title including the letter Q - Dark Room Etiquette
7. Bludger: A book you think will knock your socks off (or off your broom!) - A Lesson in Vengeance
8. Snitch: A book with a Golden Aspect (edges or cover foiled, etc) - Infinity Son
9. Catching the Snitch: A book with isbn# that includes 1, 5, and 0 - Us Against You
10. Nimbus 2000: Set or written before 2000 - Songs of the Humpback Whale
11. Nimbus 2001: Set or written after 2001 - Hope and Other Punchlines
12. Firebolt: Contains a special gift - Infinity Reaper (gift in the sense of special powers/Chosen One)
13. Quidditch Gloves: Set in winter - You Can Go Your Own Way
14. Quidditch Goggles: Includes a character that wears glasses - The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
15. Chaser: A hard to catch book (always out of stock, hard to find copies of, long library wait list) - The Lying Game
16. Beater: Includes a competition - The Sunbearer Trials
17. Keeper: Includes a character you fall in love with - The Rosie Project
18. Seeker: Includes a found family - The Disasters
19. Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland: Set in the British Isles - Do Not Disturb
20. Applebee Arrows: Related to archery - Sherwood
21. Ballycastle Bats: A regency era book
22. Chudley Cannons: Includes a battle - Children of Virtue and Vengeance
23. Holy Head Harpies: Includes a group of strong females - In Every Generation
24. Pride of Portree: Related to the LGBTQIA+ Community - Imogen, Obviously
25. Puddlemere United: With multiple points of view - This Is All Your Fault
26. Tutshill Tornados: Includes a weather event - The Drift
27. Wingtown Wanderers: Includes travel or adventure - The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks
28. Hogwarts House Cup: Includes a celebration - The Guest List
29. Gryffindor: Related to Gryffindor house/traits - The Rose & the Dagger
30. Hufflepuff: Related to Hufflepuff house/traits - The Lost Ticket
31. Ravenclaw: Related to Ravenclaw house/traits - What's Not to Love
32. Slytherin: Related to Slytherin house/traits - The Shadows Between Us
33. Harry Potter: Includes a celebrity - All the Feels
34. Oliver Wood: Includes a fanatical character - A Stranger on the Beach
35. Angelina Johnson: Written by a BIPOC author - Fumbled
36. Katie Bell: Includes a character who gets cursed - The Star-Touched Queen
37. Alicia Spinett: Written by a female author - Something She's Not Telling Us
38. Fred Weasley: Read a duology (book 1) - All of Us Villains
39. George Weasley: Read a duology (book 2) - All of Our Demise
40. Ginny Weasley: A poetry book
41. Cho Chang: Written by an Asian or AAPI author - Unravel the Dusk
42. Marcus Flint: Involves a fire - The Burning Girls
43. Cedric Diggory: Includes vampires - The Beautiful
44. Viktor Krum: With a character who speaks a different language - Isn't It Bromantic?
45. Draco Malfoy: A book that has a large fandom following - Chain of Gold
46. Weasley is our King: Contains royalty - Tokyo Dreaming
47. Starfish Stick: Related to the sea - The Ex-Husband (takes place on a cruise ship)
48. Wronski Feint: Includes misdirection - Just Like the Other Girls (reviews mention twists and red herrings)
49. Slothgrip Roll: A book that’s taken you a long time to read - Before the Storm
50. Dionysus Dive: Contains a character with a vice - Lies, Lies, Lies (main character's husband drinks too much)
51. Body Blow: With a body part on the cover - The Death of Jane Lawrence
52. Double Eight Loop: Written by multiple authors - My Imaginary Mary
53. Bonus: A book that mentions Harry Potter - What If It's Us
Pick Your Poison - 2020 ListMaking Stuff Up
1. A book with the word maker in the title - The Angel Maker
2. A book featuring a fictional language
3. A book about crafts or handiwork
4. A book about lies - To Tell You the Truth
Dark Genres
5. A cult classic book
6. A dark fantasy book - The Heart Forger
7. A gothic horror book - Mexican Gothic
8. A speculative fiction book - Curfew
Seconds
9. A book you find in a second-hand store - The Ask and the Answer
10. The second book by an author - The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
11. A book with a clock or stopwatch on the cover - Troubled Blood
12. A book about eating - We Don't Eat Our Classmates
Quick Decisions
13. A book based solely on the title or cover - Skyhunter
14. A book you buy on impulse - The Last Goodbye
15. A book by an author you always read - None of This is True
16. A book about living with consequences
Birds of a Feather
17. A book with a feather or wings on the cover - Six Crimson Cranes
18. A book about difference - Part of Your World
19. A book about community - The Last Chance Library
20. A book about twins - The Good Sister
Where We Live
21. A book about an apartment building - The Heights
22. A book with a mansion on the cover - One Last Secret
23. A book about nomads - The Giver of Stars
24. A book about moving to the country - Twice Shy
Careers
25. A book written by a current/former journalist - The Child
26. A book about doctors/nurses/health care professionals
27. A book about a teacher - Kill All Your Darlings
28. A book about blue collar workers
Body Parts
29. A book with feet on the cover - Business or Pleasure
30. A book with “hand” in the title - Give Me Your Hand
31. A book about heads
32. A book with a nose on the cover - Sister Dear (not the best fit, but I really wanted to find a place for this one!)
Reading Cliches
33. A book someone called a “page turner” - The Stranger in the Mirror
34. A beach read - Bring Me Back
35. A book by an author “everyone has read” - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
36. A bestseller you’ve never heard of - Seven Days in June (bit of a stretch – heard of it, but had absolutely no idea what it was about)
Music Genres
37. A book whose title could be a country song - It All Comes Back to You
38. A book with “opera” in the title
39. A book whose cover makes you think about Heavy Metal - The Shadowglass
40. A book you think should have a jazz soundtrack - The Christie Affair
Recovery
41. A book about recovering from an accident or illness - Layla
42. A book about dealing with death - Bear Necessity
43. A book about a missing person - Local Woman Missing
44. A book that has been re-issued with a new cover - The Arrangement
Next Door
45. A book with the word “neighbor” in the title - The Neighbors
46. A book with binoculars on the cover
47. A book by a local author - Everyone Here is Lying
48. A book about the creepy old house in the neighbourhood - The Last House on Needless Street
Brought To You By the Letter N
49. A book with the word “novice” in the title
50. A book that takes place in a country that begins with N - The Boy at the Door (Norway)
51. A book with the word “name” in the title - Tell Me My Name
52. A book by an author whose name starts with N - The Merciless Ones
Inspirations
53. A book that inspires you to go for a walk
54. A book about improving self-image
55. A book about a place you hope to visit this year
56. A book by or about a person you admire - Mad Honey
Diversity
57. A book by an author from a different culture - The Marriage Game
58. A book about gender identity
59. A folk/fairytale retelling in a non-western setting - The Wrath and the Dawn
60. A book about a character with a disability - El Deafo
Check Out Those Lists
61. A book from NPRs Top 100 Books list - Children of Blood and Bone
62. A book from the NY Times Best Sellers list - A Slow Fire Burning (spent 6 weeks on the list in 2021)
63. A book inspired by your shopping list this week - A Taste for Love
64. A book from a recommended list you find on the internet - The Golden Couple (LibraryReads.org Hall of Fame - March 2022)
Singles
65. A story about a widow or widower - The Marriage Lie
66. A book with a single-word title - Insomnia
67. A standalone book - A Thousand Steps into Night
68. A book with a single figure on the cover - Someone We Know
Animal Kingdom
69. An author whose name includes an animal (ie. CAThertine) - Run Time
70. A non-fiction book about animals
71. A book with a talking animal - The Knife of Never Letting Go
72. A book with an animal on the cover - It Started with a Dog
Hidden
73. A book with a mask on the cover - Foxglove
74. A book written by an author who uses a pseudonym - My Darling Daughter
75. A book with the word “hidden” in the title - Hidden Bodies
76. A book about a treasure - A Million to One
TBR Crushers
77. A book from your bookshelves you have to dust off - Don't Try to Find Me
78. A book you’ve been meaning to read forever - I See You
79. Anything you want
80. The first book you see on your bookshelf
Shorts
81. A book less than 100 pages
82. A book by an author with fewer than 10 letters in their name - Steelstriker
83. A book with character being “towered over” on the cover - We Free the Stars
84. A book of short stories
Movie Quotes
85. “I see dead people” – a ghost story - The Invited
86. “I coulda been a contender” – A book about sports - Running With Lions
87. “There’s no place like home” – A book about going home - How to Sell a Haunted House
88. “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way” – A graphic novel
Places
89. A book with a place name in the title - The Camelot Betrayal
90. A book with a map on the cover
91. A book set in the mountains - The Last to Vanish
92. A book about traveling - One True Loves
Selfies
93. A memoir
94. A book written in first person - The Perfect Family
95. A book with a narcissistic character - For You and Only You
96. A self-improvement book - Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy
How Old?
97. A book with obsolete technology on the cover - Last Violent Call
98. A contemporary book written by an author older than you - One Night on the Island
99. A book about your parents’ generation
100. A book written before you were born
Reading Women
101. A non-fiction book about a famous woman
102. A book by a woman of colour - This Wicked Fate
103. A book with a kick-ass woman on the cover - Namesake
104. A children’s book with a strong female lead
Wildcards
105. A manga book
106. A book that includes an ocean journey - Lying in the Deep
107. A book about geeks - Love, Decoded
108. A book about Zodiac signs or astrology - Written in the Stars
109. A book that centers around a group of friends - The Long Weekend
Pick Your Poison - 2022 ListA – Z
1. A book with the letter Z in the title - Version Zero
2. A book by an author whose name starts with A or Z - Spells for Forgetting
3. A book about letters - With My Little Eye
4. A “comprehensive” book
The Same, But Not
5. A book with the colour red or the word “read” on the cover - When You Read This
6. A book by an author whose last name could also be a first name - The Girls Who Disappeared
7. A retelling of a classic - What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix
8. A “he said, she said” book - My Wife is Missing
What’s the Dish
9. A book with a mug or cup on the cover - Just My Luck
10. A book with a food-related pun in the title - A Pho Love Story
11. A book about food from another culture - Homicide and Halo-Halo
12. A book about gossip - Something to Talk About
Memories
13. A book about memory loss - The Couple at Number 9
14. An author whose name you remember easily - The Girl from Widow Hills
15. A book with the word “remember” in the title - You Will Remember Me
16. A diary or memoir
Back to Basics
17. A classic novel
18. A biography - Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life
19. A book by a well-known author - The First to Die at the End
20. A paperback - The Friend Zone
Time Is Ticking
21. A book with a clock on the cover - Giant Days, Vol. 13
22. A book about time travel - The Dream Daughter
23. A suspense novel - The Personal Assistant
24. A book to pass the time while your favourite author finishes their next book - Admission
Til The Fat Lady Sings
25. A book about body image - One to Watch
26. A space opera - Saga, Volume 10
27. A book with the word “over” in the title - Head Over Heels
28. A book about a singer or musician - The Happy Ever After Playlist
It’s All Relative
29. A book about animal families - Maybe something in the Little Critter series
30. A book that relates to an interest you have - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
31. A book about finding family - Tear Me Apart
32. A book with “aunt” or “uncle” in the title - Dial A for Aunties
Geekery
33. A book by an author who sounds like a geek - Ship Wrecked (author describes herself in her bio as a nerd)
34. A book with a cover that reminds you of a video game - Giant Days, Vol. 12
35. A book about an obsessive hobby - Before She Knew Him
36. A book about a fandom or fanfic - Spoiler Alert
Working for a Living
37. A book by an author whose name is a trade or profession - The Husbands
38. A memoir focused on the author’s profession - This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
39. A book where the protagonist works in a similar field to you - maybe Necessary Lies
40. A nonfiction book about worker’s rights
Cover Up
41. A book with someone on the cover who could use some clothes - An Honest Lie
42. A book with a blue cover - My Other Husband
43. A book with multiple fonts on the cover - Undead Girl Gang
44. A book where the author’s name is above the title - Playing Nice
Taking the Plunge
45. A book with a picture of a cliff or ocean on the cover - The Soulmate
46. A book by an author you’ve always wanted to read - Then She Vanishes
47. A book over 600 pages - Chain of Thorns
48. A book someone dares you to read
Shorts
49. A book set somewhere you might wear shorts - The Golden Hour
50. A book under 150 pages - You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time: Rules for Couples
51. A book of short stories - Serendipity
52. A book wider than it is tall
Locations
53. A book with the word “attic” or “kitchen” in the title - The Kitchen Front
54. A book by an author who lives in another country - The Family Next Door
55. A book about a movie being filmed on location - On Location
56. A book about your homeland - The Home for Unwanted Girls
TBR Guilt
57. A book that’s dusty from waiting to be read - Once Upon a River
58. A book that someone gave you that you haven’t read yet - Favourite Daughter
59. A book you’ve been meaning to read - I Know Who You Are
60. A new release you feel guilty reading because your TBR list is so long - The Kind Worth Saving
Crafty
61. A book with a devious villain - This Savage Song
62. A book about a craft you do or would like to learn about - These Toxic Things
63. A book with a craft-related pun in the title - Knot Again or Knit One, Girl Two
64. A book known for having an unexpected twist at the end - The Night Before
People We Should Know
65. A book about women’s issues - Rules for Being a Girl
66. A book by a BIPOC author - The Boyfriend Project
67. A book with an LGBTQIA+ protagonist - Right Where I Left You
68. A book written by an immigrant - Hollow Fires
Heroes
69. A book about a heroic event - What Remains
70. A non-fiction book about someone you admire
71. A book with the word “feet” or “clay” in the title
72. A book with a cape or cloak on the cover - Vespertine
Crossing Over
73. A book with the word “bridge” in the title - Bridge to Terabithia
74. A book about a ghost - Rules for Vanishing
75. A book that crosses two genres - The Confessions of Frannie Langton
76. A book with an X or a cross on the cover - Nothing More to Tell
Childhood Days
77. Reread a childhood favourite - Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery
78. A book about the circus
79. A book set within 10 years of your birth - The Only One Left
80. A coming-of-age story - How to Be Remy Cameron
Legends
81. A book about a mythical creature - Burn
82. A book about a legendary hero - My Calamity Jane
83. A book about a lost treasure - Wicked Fox
Wicked Fox (Kat Cho)
84. A book by an author you consider amazing - Threads of Power by VE Schwab
Alternating
85. A book with alternating timelines or narrators - You'll Be the Death of Me
86. A book that features a classic car - We Lie Here
87. A book that takes place on both land and sea - A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix
88. An alternate history
Musical Inspirations
89. West Side Story: A tragic love story - They Both Die at the End
90. Sweeney Todd: A book about revenge - The Collective
91. Phantom of the Opera: A book about a hidden world - Only a Monster
92. Chicago: A book set in a jail or prison - Dear Justyce
Other Lands
93. A book translated from another language - The Aosawa Murders
94. A book by an author from a country you’d like to visit - Not My Problem
95. A book set in an area geographically different from your home - The Restless Dark
96. A book with the word “land” in the title
Timely Topics
97. A book about a pandemic - Defy the Night
98. A book about climate change - The Ones We're Meant to Find
99. A book about a social movement - Amelia Westlake Was Never Here
100. A book about space travel - On the Edge of Gone
Stories with Grit
101. A western - Upright Women Wanted
102. A book with a desert on the cover - Sundial or Something Wilder
103. A beach read - The Romantic Agenda
104. A gritty detective story - Career of Evil
Wildcards
105. A book with an orange cover - Drunk on Love
106. An epistolary book - Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails
107. An award-winning book - Firekeeper's Daughter
108. A book at least 20 years older than you
109. A book about your favourite animal - Remarkably Bright Creatures
Pick Your Poison 2023 ListStandards
1. A classic
2. A mystery - As Good As Dead
3. A historical fiction book - We Are Not Free
4. A thriller - Those People
Lost and Found
5. A book about a missing person - And Now She's Gone
6. A book about a civilization that no longer exists
7. A book about self-discovery - Honey Girl??
8. A book you find on your TBR list - Believe Me or Her Pretty Face
Hobbies
9. A book about a hobby you do or would like to do - The Upside of Unrequited (edible cookie dough jars)
10. A cozy mystery with a hobby-related pun title
11. A memoir or biography about someone with an unusual hobby
12. A book from your “collection” - One Girl In All The World (part of my collection of Buffy-related books)
Who Wrote That
13. Twofer: Two books by the same author using different names (1) - 10 Things I Hate About Pinky
14. Twofer: Two books by the same author using different names (2) - Make Up Break Up
15. An author you have always wanted to read - A Simple Favour
16. A local author - Little Secrets
Series or Not
17. Read (or reread) the first book in a series - The Cuckoo's Calling
18. The second book in a series - Chain of Iron
19. Any book from a series - Lethal White
20. A standalone book - A Wilderness of Stars
Cuddly and Cute
21. A book by an author you’d like to hug - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
22. A book with a toy on the cover - Everybody Has Everything
23. A book that makes you think of warm fires and cozy beds - maybe Serious Moonlight
24. A book with a pair of slippers on the cover
Regarding the Moon
25. A book with the word “tide” in the title - All the Tides of Fate
26. A book with a moon on the cover - Twice in a Blue Moon
27. A book about a werewolf - Such Sharp Teeth
28. A book with a word in the title that rhymes with “moon” or “moony” - The Golden Spoon
The Number Four
29. A book published in a year that includes a 4 - After I Do
30. A book with a cult - This Might Hurt
31. A book with an author whose name (first or last) is only 4 letters - More Than Maybe
32. A book with a four-word title - Every Vow You Break
Preparing for the Robot Uprising
33. A book with the word “machine” or “mechanic” in the title - Machines Like Me
34. A book about rocket science
35. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character - In the Lives of Puppets
36. A steampunk book
Road Trips
37. A book with the name of a street or highway in the title
38. A book with luggage on the front cover - Happily Ever Afters
39. A travel memoir
40. A book with a car, truck, or bus on the cover - Mister Impossible
Initial Impressions
41. Go ahead – choose a book because of it’s cover! - A Crown of Wishes
42. A book by an author with initials in their name - The New Husband
43. A book your initial reaction to is “I know I’ll love this” - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
44. A book you expect will expand your initial knowledge of a subject
Weather or Not
45. A book with a picture of a foggy street on the cover - The Next to Die
46. A book with the word “chill” in the title
47. A nonfiction book about a natural disaster or weather event
48. A book set in winter - The Last Party
Not As It Seems
49. A fiction book with a real person as protagonist - My Contrary Mary
50. A book with an animal on the cover that is not about that animal - The Kiss Curse
51. A book with a title that begins “how to” that is not a “how to” book - How to Kill Your Best Friend
52. A book written by an author using a pseudonym of the opposite gender -The Silkworm
Take a Flying Leap
53. A book with a person jumping on the cover - Never Saw You Coming
54. A book you want to dive into - Idol
55. A memoir or biography of a “daredevil”
56. A book about taking chances - The Dating Dare
Sparkles and Glitter
57. A book with a gem in the title
58. A book whose cover makes you think of a middle school girl - When You Get the Chance
59. A memoir by someone who might use glitter regularly
60. A book with gold writing on the cover - In an Orchard Grown from Ash
Matching
61. A book with a cover that matches your shirt (on the day you start it)
62. A book about marriage - The Wife Who Knew Too Much
63. A book about twins - In a Garden Burning Gold
64. A book with something that can be lit by a match on the cover - My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix
Love Them Critters
65. A book by an author who has a pet listed in their bio - Blitzed
66. A book with the word “lion,” “elephant” or “mouse” in the title
67. A book with a house pet on the cover - Life's Too Short
68. A book you would wrestle from the jaws of a tiger to read - Luckiest Girl Alive
Shakespeare Inspired
69. Romeo and Juliet: A book with a balcony on the cover - The Neighbor Favor
70. Midsummer Night’s Dream: A book about fairies - The Righteous
71. Sonnets: A book of poetry
72. Macbeth: A book set in Scotland - Anatomy: A Love Story
Bucket List
73. A book with an elderly protagonist - Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
74. A book you definitely want to read before you die - The Bone Witch (took me forever to find a hardcover copy, so now I have to make sure I read it!)
75. A book with a beach on the cover - Never Vacation with Your Ex
76. A book about a place you want to visit - Here's to Us
Spirits
77. A book about alcoholic beverages
78. A book about ghosts
79. A book you hope will soothe your soul
80. A book with a super cheerful person on the cover - With and Without You
Museums
81. Natural history: A book with dinosaurs in it
82. Art: A book with a well-known painting on the cover
83. Children’s: A book with a protagonist 12 years old or younger - Allergic: A Graphic Novel or Karen's Birthday
84. Maritime: A book about ships or sailing - Luck of the Titanic
Dinner Time!
85. A book with a restaurant on the cover - The No-Show
86. A book you’d skip a dinner date for - Stay Awake
87. A book off a “Sizzling Summer Reads” list - The Hookup Plan
88. A book you’ve been waiting to gobble up - Apples Never Fall
Roots
89. A book about going home - Delilah Green Doesn't Care
90. A book with a tree on the cover - The Drowned Woods
91. A book with the word “teeth” in the title - All the Stars and Teeth
92. A book about our ancestors
The Darkness Around Us
93. A book that employs dark humour - Sign Here
94. A “noir” book - Velvet Was the Night
95. A book set someplace that has a “long night” during the winter - Sea Witch Rising
96. A book about finding hope when life is challenging - Thoughts & Prayers
Ain’t That Sweet
97. A nonfiction book about sugar
98. A book with an adorable cover - Rent a Boyfriend
99. A book with the word “ain’t” or “sweet” in the title - A Sweet Mess
100. A book set in a bakery or sweet shop - Kiss My Cupcake
Music
101. A book with an instrument in the title
102. A book with a title that is a song name - Don't You Forget About Me
103. A book with musical notes on the cover - Well Traveled (has only one)
104. A memoir by a singer or musician
Wildcards
105. A book set in the 1800s - The Gilded Wolves
106. A book you can read in a day - Several People Are Typing
107. A book you wish you’d written - I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us
108. A book with a chess piece on the cover - The Midnight Library
109. A book translated from a different language - The Resting Place
2023 GoalsChallenge Goals
1) Have less than 30 books remaining on each of ATY and PopSugar by the end of the year
2) Reach the 50% mark on each of my other shorter challenges: BookList Queen, 52 Book Club, and Flourish & Blotts
3) Finish at least half of each section of Rejects, Leftovers and BookishFirst Bingo challenge
4) Finish at least 30% of each Pick Your Poison challenge
General Goals
1) Read at least 175 books (but ideally 200!)
2) Learn to use Storygraph in addition to Goodreads
Priority Series
Read all of these series:
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (3 books)
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (3 books)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (rereads, 3 books)
You by Caroline Kepnes (4 books, 2 of which are rereads)
The Lady Janies by Cynthia Hand, Brody Ashton and Jodi Meadows (3 books)
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik (3 books)
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (3 books)
Read at least 4 series that are fully published:
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (3 books)
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (3 books)
The Dreamer trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater (3 books, one of which is a reread)
The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (6 books, 2 of which are rereads)
The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare (3 books)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (3 books, 2 of which are rereads)
The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (3 books)
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (4 books that I have not yet read)
Read at least half (11) of the these duologies
Monsters of Verity by VE Schwab
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
Sands of Arawiya by Hafsah Faizal
The Blood of Stars by Elizabeth Lim
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Fable by Adrienne Young
Enchantee by Gita Trelease
All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Daughter of the moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
Read at least 2 of these unfinished series
The Infinity Cycle by Adam Silvera (2 books currently published)
Legacy of Orisha by Tomi Adeyemi (2 books currently published, third rumoured to be out this year)
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh (3 books currently published, fourth due in December)
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (2 books currently published, no date known for third)
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (2 books currently published, third due in September)
Priority Authors
Read at least one book (but ideally, at least two books!) by each of these authors
Kate Alice Marshall
Emily Lloyd-Jones
Diana Urban
Katie Zhao
Erin A. Craig
Traci Chee
Julie Buxbaum
Erin Hahn
Julian Winters
Claire Douglas
Karen Hamilton
Darby Kane
Kimberley Belle
Kaira Rouda
Adrian McKinty
Stacy Willingham
Adele Parks
Hannah Mary McKinnon
Sarah Gailey
Tessa Bailey
Rachel Howzell Hall
Darcey Bell
Ashley Winstead
Top 23 to Read in 2023
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay
Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Begin Again by Emma Lord
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Pallbearer’s Club by Paul Tremblay
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
I’m The Girl by Courtney Summers
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
What Remains by Wendy Walker
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Genre Goals
- Read at least 40 thrillers
- Read at least 15 historical fiction
- Read at least 20 adult contemporary romance
- Read at least 20 non-fiction books
January UpdateIt's so weird to think that the first month of the year is already over! I spent most of last year feeling perpetually behind on all of my goals, so I've been looking forward to getting a bit of a refresh this year. Even though I've taken on more challenges than ever, I've tailored my goals accordingly so that the intent is not necessarily to finish everything shown above, but to treat these as lists of options and just reading as much as I can. I think this year has been off to a pretty solid start so far, with a total of 13 books finished in January! It's great to get the year off to a positive start, and I hope that sets the tone for the rest of the year.
Around the Year
A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal - Undercover Bromance
A book that is dark - A Flicker in the Dark
Total: 2/57 (3.51%)
PopSugar
A book with a rabbit on the cover - Hell Bent
Total: 1/57 (1.75%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Character owns their own business - Crazy Stupid Bromance
Total: 1/175 (0.57%)
52 Book Club
Sends you down a rabbit hole - Sandy Hook
Published posthumously – The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
Under 200 pages - Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye
Total: 3/52 (5.77%)
Booklist Queen
Reread a favourite - Ninth House
A book found in the Dewey Decimal System 300s – Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
A winter read - The Overnight Guest
Total: 3/52 (5.77%)
Flourish & Blotts
Nothing this month!
Total: 0/53
Pick Your Poison 2020
Nothing this month!
Total: 0/109
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book that relates to an interest you have - I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
Total: 1/109 (0.92%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book set in winter - The Last Party
A book you can read in a day - Several People Are Typing
Total: 2/109 (1.83%)
Series Goals
I kind of regret not including Ninth House and Hell Bent on my priority series list. I keep thinking it's there and then getting a bit annoyed that it doesn't count toward this goal, since it technically would have counted on my list of "unfinished" series. I didn't include it because Hell Bent was on my 5-Star Predictions list instead, and it seemed a bit weird to double count. Even without that however, I finished 2 out of the 4 remaining books in the Bromance Book Club series, so it's a small amount of progress on this goal!
Total So Far:
0.5/7 completed series (previously on my list)
0/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
0/11 duologies (22 total listed)
0/2 unfinished series (5 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I didn't include my 5 Star Predictions above because the post was getting too long, but I can link to my blog posts about it if anyone is interested! I also just realized that I spent all of last year labelling this section "Top 21 to Read in 2021" instead of "Top 22" so that's a bit embarrassing!
In any case, in January I did not read anything from my Top 23 list, but I did read Hell Bent which was one of the 27 books that I had on my 5-Star Predictions list. I really tried to narrow it down to 23 books to fit with 2023, but I decided to stick to the structure of 3 books per challenge instead since that was much easier to manage.
Total So Far:
0/23 Priority Books
1/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I read A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, who was one of the authors on my priority list for this year! I didn't split it up on my list above, but I did divide my list into YA and Non-YA authors. This year was a little different since my list was a little more skewed toward non-YA authors. Also, I had a couple of authors on my list who had written in both age categories, and I had to decide where to place them. I divided it based on where the majority of their books would be classified.
Total So Far:
1/14 Non-YA authors
0/9 YA authors
Read more thrillers
I think this goal is off to a very sold start! I read a total of 3 thrillers this month: The Overnight Guest, A Flicker in the Dark, and The Last Party. I upped my goal slightly from previous years from 30 thrillers to a total of 40 since I found myself stagnating around the same number every year despite wanting to read more. I would like the majority to be adult thrillers, but I'm not opposed to including YA thrillers as well for this goal.
Total So Far: 3/40
Other Genre Goals
I feel like the other genre goals may be a little more annoying to track. I've been trying to use Storygraph to help me keep track of which books count toward which genre so I can be consistent month after month, but I suspect this will fall apart quickly. As far as I can see, Storygraph does not include historical fiction on its list of genres, and the romance category includes YA, fantasy books, etc. when I'm specifically trying to look at adult contemporary romance only. If anyone knows a way to adjust settings or something, please let me know!
This month, I read a total of 3 non-fiction books: Sandy Hook, Because Internet, and I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf. Personally, I'd be a little on the fence about counting that third one as a non-fiction since it's a graphic novel/comic, but I guess it counts. It's tagged as nonfiction on both Goodreads and Storygraph, so I'll include it.
I did not read any historical fiction yet, but I did read two adult contemporary romances because of my progress on the Bromance Book Club series. It's great when goals match up with each other like that, and I can make double progress!
Totals So Far:
3/20 non-fiction
2/20 adult contemporary romance
0/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Overall, I think it has been a pretty solid start to the year! I did find a couple of books a little slower than expected at times, but I think I balanced them out quite well with other shorter or fast-paced options, so I still ended up reading a good amount. I decided to switch up how I'm tracking my goals here to include a count at the bottom of each goal section so I can accurately keep track from month to month instead of having to try to remember which books I had counted toward specific genres (for example) every single time.
I'm still at a point in the year where I'm working on trying to memorize what exactly is on my various priority lists so I can make sure to choose books that fit whenever possible. I've also made it a loose goal to try to read a little less seasonally so I don't get too hung up on reading books at the "right" time. There are still some books that I think fit well for certain seasons (ie. snowstorm or Christmas books in winter), but the majority don't necessarily fit that pattern and I want to feel free to read them whenever I want.
Ironically, February tends to be one of the months where I read most seasonally. I tend to prioritize reading a mix of romances and domestic thrillers in February, both linked to a Valentine's Day (or anti-Valentine's Day, for the thrillers) theme. That's still my intent for this month for the most part, but it works out well since many of my priority authors write domestic thrillers, so it could be a great chance to fit several of them in! The challenge I always have with February is that I always feel like I don't read as much since it's a couple of days shorter than other months. I'd also like to make some progress on a few series in February if possible too!
February UpdateFebruary was a bit of a frustrating month for me, since I felt like I read so little! I always find February a bit of an annoying month in terms of tracking progress since it's 2-3 days shorter than other months, and that's often enough time for me to finish at least one more book. I only ended up finishing a total of 9 books in February, although I very strongly debated including the 10th book as well since I was 75% of the way through and easily would have finished it off if it had been a normal month. I decided against it just for the sake of consistency in tracking going forward, but I couldn't help being a little disappointed that it seemed like I had read so little. I was actually holding off posting my update in general since I wasn't sure which way I'd count that one book!
Around the Year
A book that is light - The Odd 1s Out: How to Be Cool and Other Things I Definitely Learned from Growing Up
Total: 3/57 (5.26%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 1/57 (1.75%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Author’s name begins with K - The Last Wife
Cover is your favourite colour - Blood Like Magic
Total: 3/175 (1.71%)
52 Book Club
Nothing this month!
Total: 3/52 (5.77%)
Booklist Queen
A holiday romance - A Very Merry Bromance
A book everyone is talking about - Love on the Brain
Total: 5/52 (9.61%)
Flourish & Blotts
Includes a weather event - The Drift
With a character who speaks a different language - Isn't It Bromantic?
Total: 2/53 (3.77%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
Nothing this month!
Total: 0/109
Pick Your Poison 2022
A memoir focused on the author’s profession - This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay
Total: 2/109 (1.83%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book about our ancestors – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Total: 3/109 (2.75%)
Series Goals
My other main frustration with not finishing my 10th book of the month is that it was the second half of the Blood Like Magic duology, so that would have allowed me to cross another series off my list! At the very least, this month I finished the last two books of the Bromance Book Club series, so at least I still managed to complete something. I also realized that I'd tracked that series on the wrong line last month, so it's been corrected below! By accident I'd put the Bromance Book Club as a series that was previously a goal, but it was supposed to be a newly added series.
Total So Far:
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
1/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
0.5/11 duologies (22 total listed)
0/2 unfinished series (5 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I did not read any of my Top 23 Books to read in 2023 this month, but I did read Love on the Brain which is one of my 5 Star Predictions! I definitely need to put more effort into remembering what is on both of these lists so I can make sure I prioritize them. There are also quite a few books on my 5 Star Prediction list that I just don't have copies of yet since they aren't out, so it's definitely a goal I'll have to pay attention to.
Total So Far:
0/23 Priority Books
2/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I read The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton, who was on my Non-YA priority list. I was actually intending to read quite a few more of those authors since I was hoping to read several domestic thrillers within the month as a sort of anti-Valentine's Day theme, but that didn't quite work out. I was happy to have made at least a little progress toward this goal, and I'm hoping to read quite a few more in March.
Total So Far:
2/14 Non-YA authors
0/9 YA authors
Read more thrillers
I think this was one of the goals that I was most successful on this month, since I added another two completed thrillers: The Last Wife, and The Drift. Again, this is another goal that I would have been much further ahead on if I'd actually read the domestic thrillers I'd had planned, but I can't really complain since I ended up reading quite a few romance books instead.
Total So Far: 5/40
Other Genre Goals
Embarrassingly enough, I still have not read any historical fiction! I am determined not to completely fail on this goal again this year so I will have to make a conscious effort to fit in some of them as soon as possible. I'm including YA historical fiction as well so it shouldn't be too hard.
On the other hand, I did read 3 more non-fiction books: The Odd 1s Out (which technically counts as non-fiction although I might not have thought of it), Sapiens, and This is Going to Hurt. I always find it funny that this is the goal that I have the easiest time accomplishing since it's a genre I really don't reach for. I completely credit audiobooks for my success on this goal. At only two months into the year, I'm already almost a third of the way finished this goal!
Similarly, I also made great progress on my adult contemporary goal, adding another 3 to my list: Love on the Brain, Isn't It Bromantic? and A Very Merry Bromance. It definitely helps that these three books all helped double up on other goals since they are priority books and series as well. I am very happy to be a quarter of the way finished this goal already, and may even end up exceeding my minimum of 20 if all goes well!
6/20 non-fiction
5/20 adult contemporary romance
0/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Overall, I guess I can't complain too much about my reading this month since I made some solid progress on at least a few of my goals, especially my genre-specific goals. I was a bit disappointed to see that 9 was the lowest total I've had for the month of February since 2017, and the second-lowest total I've read in a single month at all since starting to do reading challenges. The lowest was 8 books in May 2016, and there were a handful of times over the years that I only read 9. I don't track page count at all, but I'd be curious to see if those months that had lower numbers of books overall ended up having a similar number of page counts so other months where I read more, since it's possible some months were just affected by longer books.
I'm still working on trying to memorize what books and what authors are on all of my goal lists to make sure to prioritize them effectively, and I'm really looking forward to getting copies of some of the high priority books on my list that I don't have yet! As much as I've been trying not to read too seasonally, I've definitely been prioritizing some of the snowier books on my list recently, although I have one or two that I've decided to save for next winter since they are more Christmas-themed. I know I can read them at any time, but some just make sense to save.
For March, I'm definitely planning to try to squeeze in a ton of reading, but I don't have a solid plan of what I want to read. I have a ton of books in mind that I'd like to try to read as soon as possible (for a variety of reasons), so I think I'll likely end up mood-reading quite a bit and just picking up what I feel like at the time. I would like to make a conscious effort to keep working toward my series goal specifically since that is one that can easily go by the wayside, so I might pick one or two series or at least duologies to prioritize soon if possible. I've noticed that I have several series on my list this year that easily can be split up so I don't necessarily read all of the books right in a row, and I'm curious to see if that helps me prioritize them better.
March UpdateMarch was a bit of a strange reading month overall. I felt like I ended up reading quite the mixed bag of things, mostly because I had a few longer, slower-paced books and then tried to balance them out with some lighter options. It worked out reasonably well in the end since I managed to finish a total of 13 books within the month. Interestingly enough, despite reading 4 more books than in February, the overall page counts for both months (at least according to Storygraph) was not that different. In February, I read a total of 3386 pages, and in March it was 3596. I definitely would have expected 3 extra books to make more than a 200 page difference, although I'm not really sure if audiobooks are counted into that number. Even though my book choices were a bit all over the place, I think I made some pretty solid progress overall.
Around the Year
Nothing this month!
Total: 3/57 (5.26%)
PopSugar
A book by a first-time author - The Writing Retreat
Total: 2/57 (3.5%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book featuring a prophecy - Blood Like Fate
Hockey - Beartown
Total: 5/175 (2.89%)
52 Book Club
Newbery Medal Winner - New Kid
Published by Macmillan - What Lies in the Woods
Total: 5/52 (9.62%)
Booklist Queen
A book with a character with a disability - Jessi's Secret Language
A 2022 bestseller - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Total: 7/52 (13.46%)
Flourish & Blotts
A book with isbn# that includes 1, 5, and 0 - Us Against You
Total: 3/53 (5.66%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book about heads – The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI’s Original Mindhunter
A self-improvement book – Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy
Total: 2/109 (1.83%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
Reread a childhood favourite- Mary Anne's Bad Luck MysteryAllergic
Total: 3/109 (2.75%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book with a protagonist 12 years old or younger - Allergic
A book you’d skip a dinner date for - Stay Awake
Total: 4/109 (3.67%)
Series Goals
This was probably my most frustrating goal this month! I technically finished off a series since I finished the rest of Blood Like Fate early this month. Come to think of it, I wonder if Storygraph is tracking page counts in the literal, day-by-day sense in which case most of this book would have counted toward February. That could definitely explain the page counts being so similar. I also read 2/3 of the Beartown trilogy, but wasn't able to get to the third book because I decided I needed a break between each one. The books are great, but they are slower/denser so they take a lot longer for me to read, especially when I'm trying to read them after work!
Total so far:
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
1.67/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (22 total listed)
0/2 unfinished series (5 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I read 2 books that are on my Top 23 list this month! Both Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and The Writing Retreat were on my list for this year, making these the first two books I've now finished from this list! I did not read any more of my 5 Star Predictions yet, but I did grab copies of several of the ones I was missing so that should make progress much easier!
Total So Far:
2/23 Priority Books
2/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I read one book by Kate Alice Marshall this month! Ironically enough, she is on my YA list since the majority of her books are YA, but the one book that I read was her first adult thriller. Either way, it is still a book by the author, so I'm counting it. I had a few authors that I had to make a bit of an arbitrary distinction of which list they belonged on, so in hindsight, it might have made sense just to have one list instead of dividing into two.
Total So Far:
2/14 Non-YA Authors
1/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
This is definitely one of the goals that I'm happiest with my progress on! This month, I read 3 more thrillers: The Writing Retreat, What Lies in the Woods, and Stay Awake. Not only did this add 3 more books toward my goal, but at least 2 of these were among my favourite books of the month and possibly even of the year so far. All three were very strong and engaging thrillers, and so much fun to read!
Total So Far: 8/40
Other Genre Goals
Unfortunately, I am still failing miserably on my historical fiction goal. I once again did not read a single historical fiction book all month. To be fair, I had a couple in mind to squeeze in toward the end of the month but Us Against You ended up taking longer than expected. I guess theoretically, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow might partially count since it spans 30 years but I don't really consider it historical, so I won't count it at this point.
However, I did quite well with my non-fiction goal and added another 2 to my list: The Killer Across the Table, and Toxic Positivity! Strangely enough, both of those were also for the same reading challenge. I did not read any more contemporary romances this month, although I definitely have a few in mind for April.
Total So Far:
8/20 non-fiction
5/20 adult contemporary romance
0/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Overall, I think this was a pretty strong reading month in general even if my book selections were a lot more random than I expected. I'm especially happy to have made solid progress on my thrillers goal, and that I read two books from my Top 23 list since that's a goal that often gets a bit neglected. I did feel like my progress got slowed down a bit this month by reading several longer, more dense books in general, but I thought I did a pretty good job balancing them out with shorter and lighter books or even audiobooks which I can generally finish in a day or two.
For April, I'm hoping to be able to get some extra reading in since I have a few days off and a few half-days in the first couple of weeks. I might end up using that time to focus on some of the longer books on my list that are a little more challenging to tackle when I'm only reading after work, so I'm hoping the extra time will help me read them a little quicker overall. It's not a race, but I definitely start to feel a little bogged down when I'm spending one week on just one book.
I also really want to get a good start on my historical fiction goal so I don't keep putting it off! I'm sure I will end up really liking most of those books once I actually start them, but for some reason, it's been a challenge to push myself to pick one up even though I do want to. Also, even though I'm trying not to read seasonally, I have a few books that very obviously seem to fit for spring that I might try to prioritize. I also have a few lighter romances and YA books that seem like a good fit for this month and that could help counterbalance some of the longer choices in the first half of the month.
April UpdateUsually March is the month that feels like the biggest slog to me, but somehow, this time it was April! I finished the month initially feeling a little disappointed since I didn't feel like I had read very much, despite having a few extra days off. I finished a total of 10 books in April, but upon looking at Storygraph, I realized that number was a bit misleading. When I looked at the page count graph that it offers, I very quickly realized that despite it being a lower number of books overall, I'd actually read the most in terms of pages! I read a total of 3783 pages in April, and listened to a total of 1534 minutes (25.5 hours) of audiobook, both of which were my highest totals of the year so far! It's definitely made me question myself for times in the past where I didn't feel like I'd read much, but getting those stats would involve a lot of data entry into Storygraph that I don't think I have the patience for. After seeing those numbers, it's a bit harder to be disappointed in my progress!
Around the Year
A book by an author from continental Europe - The Winners
Total: 4/57 (7.02%)
PopSugar
A celebrity memoir – Wildflower
Total: 3/57 (5.26%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Nothing this month!
Total: 5/175 (2.89%)
52 Book Club
Nothing this month!
Total: 5/52 (9.62%)
Booklist Queen
An award-winning nonfiction – Know My Name
Total: 8/52 (15.38%)
Flourish & Blotts
A book that has a large fandom following – Chain of Gold
Total: 4/53 (7.55%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book with a single-word title - Insomnia
A book about eating - We Don't Eat Our Classmates
A book about a character with a disability - El Deafo
A non-fiction book about animals – An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
Total: 6/109 (5.50%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
An epistolary book - Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails
Total: 4/109 (3.67%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
The second book in a series – Chain of Iron
Total: 6/109 (5.50%)
Series Goals
I was really hoping to finish off two series this month, but the size of the books got the best of my time. I ended up finishing off the last book in the Beartown series, and reading 2/3 of Cassandra Clare's Last Hours series, so it was pretty close! All of those books are between 500 - 700 pages, so they each took quite a while. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't seem to get past my average of 100 pages per day, even on days where I had some extra time, but at least I've now knocked out some of the longest books I've had on my list for the year (although there are still a few more to come!).
Total so far:
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
2.67/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (22 total listed)
0/2 unfinished series (5 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
This was a goal that got heavily impacted by how long the series were taking me. I had a few of books from both of these lists in mind to fit in this month, but just ran out of time before I could get to any of them. It's unfortunate since I really would have liked to make at least a little progress!
Total So Far:
2/23 Priority Books
2/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
The exact same can be said for this goal as well. I had at least 2 or 3 authors that I was planning to squeeze in once I'd finished off the Cassandra Clare series, but I didn't have enough time. Those authors are now high priority for May instead.
Total So Far:
2/14 Non-YA Authors
1/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
Finally, a goal I made at least a tiny bit of progress on! I finished off one more thriller right at the start of the month (Insomnia), which brings me up to a total of 9 for the year so far! As with the other goals above, I had a few thrillers in mind that I was aiming to read, but couldn't get to any of them.
Total So Far: 9/40
Other Genre Goals
The only one of the three other genres that I made any progress on at all this month was non-fiction. To be fair, I made some great progress on that one! I read a total of 4 non-fiction books this month, including El Deafo. I personally didn't really think of that book as non-fiction when I chose it, but it is based on the author's real life, and it is classified as such as on Goodreads and Storygraph so I'm going with it.
Total So Far:
12/20 non-fiction
5/20 adult contemporary romance
0/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Even though I'm happy with the overall amount I read in terms of number of pages, I wasn't too happy to see that so many of my goals got pushed aside because of a few longer books. Even though it's completely reasonable that books of that size would take the amount of time they took (close to a week each), it still gets a little frustrating when it prevents me from getting to other books that I also really wanted to pick up. I usually can't manage more than one book at a time without defaulting to just focusing on one or the other, so either way I have to finish one before starting the next (except maybe an audiobook).
Because so many of the books I was planning to read ended up getting pushed back, most of those are now on my list for May instead. I have several specific books and authors in mind that I'd really like to fit in this month, although it may be a bit challenging since this is a month where I don't have any extra time. It's also a month that tends to be especially busy at work, so it makes it that much harder to read as much as I want to!
Because I've been feeling a little bogged down with some longer books lately, I'm definitely looking forward to trying to read some shorter and faster options in general. I've noticed that aside from series, I haven't read very much YA at all yet this year, and I still have a number of thrillers and romances that I'd really like to get to soon too! I'd love to make some progress on my Top 23 list and/or 5-Star Prediction list too.
May UpdateMay was a very strange month overall. I started the month feeling like I had so much time ahead since it was one of those months that lasts almost 5 weeks instead of 4, but somehow got partway through and realized that I'd barely read anything at all. It did end up being a particularly busy month right at the end (not to mention the heatwave in the last week that really affected my concentration), but luckily, checking my Storygraph stats once again helped me feel a bit better about how much I'd ended up reading. As with April, I only read a total of 10 books in May, but it was a total of 3623 pages (only about 150 pages less than in April), and a total of 1516 minutes (25.3 hours) which was virtually identical to my total in April. I guess it was another case of many of the books I read being on the longer side!
Around the Year
A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter - Delicious Monsters
Total: 5/57 (8.77%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 3/57 (5.26%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Recommended on social media - Bunny
A book with a cover that features a view from above - The Push
Total: 7/175 (4%)
52 Book Club
Total: 5/52 (9.62%)
Booklist Queen
A book recommended by a librarian - All the Dangerous Things
Total: 9/52 (17.3%)
Flourish & Blotts
Total: 4/53 (7.55%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
“I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way” – A graphic novel – Karen's Birthday
Total: 7/109 (6.4%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book over 600 pages - Chain of Thorns
A book with the word “attic” or “kitchen” in the title - The Kitchen Front
A book about body image - One to Watch
A diary or memoir – The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy
Total: 8/109 (7.33%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A memoir by someone who might use glitter regularly – A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages
Total: 7/109 (6.4%)
Series Goals
I always feel a bit weird about counting a series as finished in a particular month when I'd actually read the majority of it the previous month, but I finished off Chain of Thorns within eh first week of May. I'd been hoping to squeeze in (or at least start) another series before the end of the month, but time completely got away from me. At least finishing this series brought me one step closer to completing part of my series goal overall!
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (22 total listed)
0/2 unfinished series (5 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I didn't not read any more of my Top 23 list yet, but I did read Delicious Monsters which was on my 5-Star Predictions list! Like last month, I had a whole bunch of books from both of these lists in mind as options to pick up this month, but didn't get to any of them in time. I'd like to say I'm going to prioritize several of them in June, so I hope I actually end up following through with that. I'm much further behind on these goal than I'd like to be at this point of the year, but to be fair, I don't have copies of several of the books yet.
Total So Far:
2/23 Priority Books
3/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
Unfortunately the only progress I made on this goal doesn't "really" count since it is by one of the few authors on my list that I'd already tried! I read (and loved) my second book by Stacy Willingham this month. It doesn't really help me with my goal, but it does help with my "bonus" goal of trying to read more than one book per author at least.
Total So Far:
2/14 Non-YA Authors
1/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
Finally, a goal I can actually say I made a little progress on! In May, I read 2 more thrillers: All the Dangerous Things, and The Push. Those two brought me up to a total of 11 thrillers so far this year, which is still around a quarter of my expected total of around 40. I'm happy I'm making fairly steady progress on this goal, and I'm sure the pace will pick up a bit once I start reading more of my priority authors since most of them write thrillers.
Total so far: 11/40
Other Genre Goals
I finally got started on my historical fiction goal! The Kitchen Front was the first and so far only historical fiction that I've read all year, although unfortunately, I didn't love it. I'm hoping that at least broke through the self-imposed block enough that I'm now more motivated to pick up others in the genre.
I also read one more adult contemporary romance with One to Watch, and two more non-fiction books as well with the Kristin Chenowith memoir and Ann Rule's book about Ted Bundy. I was very happy to have made at least a little progress on each of these goals!
Total So Far:
14/20 non-fiction
6/20 adult contemporary romance
1/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
I'm really hoping to get a lot more reading done in June in general. I recently got an email from Scribd offering me another free trial month, and I might take them up on that, which would give me access to a bunch of graphic novels that I can't find so far through my library. Even though I'm still reading a solid number of pages per month, just because the books happen to be longer in general, I would love to get my total up a bit. I do have several children's books and graphic novels on my list but I'm hesitant to read many of them all at once since it feels like a bit of a cheat (and also helps to save some for later on in the year, in case I need to split up other very long books).
Otherwise, I think I mostly have the same plans in mind for June as I had for May. It was another month where a lot of what I had in mind to read kept getting pushed back, so they have now become my list for June instead. I would especially like to focus on reading a few more of the authors on my priority list, and it would be great to get to some of my Top 23 list as well. On the other hand, I did have a few specific books in mind that I really wanted to get to in May (Delicious Monsters, The Push) and I was happy that I at least got to those.
June tends to be a busy month at work because we have a lot of our end-of-year paperwork, but it's a bit less tiring than trying to gear up for our annual play. We do have another big annual event one evening later this month, but that doesn't involve as much prep work during the day so hopefully it will be less exhausting. I have a whole bunch of books that I'd really like to prioritize this month, so I'll have to make sure I put the time into getting to them if I can!
June UpdateI'm very annoyed right now because I was halfway through my update, misclicked and accidentally refreshed my age, so I've lost everything I wrote. I'll do my best to recreate the majority of it, but definitely don't remember everything. June was a month that flew by, I definitely didn't feel like I'd read nearly as much as I'd planned to. I was surprised to check out my stats on Storygraph and see that even though I'd read the highest number of books in total all year, I had the second-lowest page count and the third-lowest audiobook time count, somehow. I guess it goes to show that the number of books isn't everything!
Around the Year
A book related to pride - Friday I'm in Love
Total: 6/57 (10.53%)
PopSugar
A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past challenge (2016 – a graphic novel) – Giant Days, Vol. 14
Total: 4/57 (7.02%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman - Legendborn
A book inspired by news from the 1950s - The Weight of Blood
Total: 9/175 (5.14%)
52 Book Club
Nothing this month!
Total: 5/52 (9.62%)
Booklist Queen
A book with more than 500 pages - Bloodmarked
A book that makes you happy – Soppy
Total: 11/52 (21.15%)
Flourish & Blotts
Related to the LGBTQIA+ Community - Imogen, Obviously
Total: 5/53 (9.43%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book about twins - The Good Sister
A book by or about a person you admire - Mad Honey
Total: 9/109 (8.25%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A “comprehensive” book – Why Cats are Assholes
A book with a cover that reminds you of a video game - Giant Days, Vol. 12
A book with a clock on the cover - Giant Days, Vol. 13
Total: 11/109 (10.1%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book you wish you’d written - I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us
A book you expect will expand your initial knowledge of a subject – Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library
A memoir or biography about someone with an unusual hobby – The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
A book you hope will soothe your soul – Dinosaur Therapy
Total: 11/109 (10.1%)
Series Goals
I had to do a bit of "housekeeping" with this goal because I realized that 3 of the series I had listed as duologies actually have more books due out, and one was listed twice by accident. I decided to add those 3 to my list of unfinished series (Legendborn, Defend the Dawn, and Belladonna) and up the expectation accordingly to read at least 4 out of 8, instead of just 2. Similarly, to make up for the missing options on the duology list, I decided to switch in In a Garden Burning Gold, What If It's Us, and They Both Die at the End. These were duologies already on my list so it seemed fair, and it makes my list 21 options instead of 22. I'd strongly considered also adding House of Salt and Sorrows, but Erin A. Craig is on my priority author list already so it felt like double-dipping.
I only noticed this because I read the first two books in the Legendborn series this month and was surprised to realize they they ended on a cliffhanger, with at least one more book due out at some point! It's a little frustrating since I probably would have waited to try to read them closer together if possible, but I'm also glad I read them now because I loved them!
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
This was the goal where I unexpectedly made the most progress! I still haven't read any more of my Top 23 list yet, unfortunately, but I read 3 books from my 5-Star Predictions: Imogen, Obviously; The Weight of Blood; and Mad Honey. I didn't even actively plan to prioritize so many, but it just happened naturally because of books I was already planning to read this month. Really that's how I've always intended this kind of goal to be accomplished, even though it rarely seems to go that way.
Total So Far:
2/23 Priority Books
6/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority AuthorsUnfortunately, this was the goal that got the most impacted by my workload interfering with my reading. I had to work on two of the biggest newsletters of the year for work this month which basically ate half of my weekends, and although I listened to audiobooks while working, it affected how quickly I was reading other books and limited my time. Effectively, what that meant was that I ended up pushing back all of the books I had in mind by priority authors! I definitely want to make sure I pick at least a few of them up in July instead.
Total So Far:
2/14 Non-YA Authors
1/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
I seem to differ from Storygraph in terms of what books I classify as a thriller. They include The Weight of Blood (which is horror to me) and Mad Honey (a courtroom drama and at best, a mystery) as thrillers. Personally, I'd consider The Good Sister the only thriller I read this month. Technically, even that one's a little questionable since it's also mostly a domestic drama but there was enough of a thriller element toward the end that I feel comfortable counting it. It's a bit annoying that my count doesn't line up with Storygraph anymore, but it shouldn't be too hard to track on my own.
Total so far: 12/40
Other Genre Goals
This was another goal that mostly fell by the wayside this month, except for non-fiction. I didn't read any historical fiction or adult contemporary romances at all within the month.
Again, my classification of what counts as non-fiction seems to differ from Storygraph. Bizarrely, they include Dinosaur Therapy as non-fiction, which I can't fully understand. They also classify I Am Quiet, which is a little more understandable since I would assume it's based on the author or someone she knows, but since she's created a character to tell the story, I'd consider it fiction.
I'm willing to accept Soppy as non-fiction since it's illustrating the author's real relationship with her boyfriend, and even Why Cats are Assholes because it contains a lot of real information about the history and behaviour of cats. So those two along with the two audiobooks I listened to add another 4 non-fiction books, bringing me up to a total of 18! As usual, my non-fiction goal somehow becomes the one I'm likely to accomplish first, even though its one of the genres I like the least.
Total So Far:
18/20 non-fiction
6/20 adult contemporary romance
1/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
July is going to be a bit of a tricky reading month for me. The first two weeks consist of staff training instead of working directly with participants, so I'm hoping they will be less exhausting. On the other hand, sometimes working with just the staff is even more stressful and tiring, and it definitely doesn't help that it's going to be extremely hot this week. For the last two weeks of the month, I'll be on vacation and I'm limited on how many books I can bring. I may be able to access a few ebooks but I don't love reading off a screen if I can avoid it.
In terms of goals, I definitely want to put a bit more of a conscious effort into my Top 23 list and especially my priority authors list. I'm a bit annoyed that I keep planning to read these books and they always get pushed back because of other factors (often series). I'd really love to be able to read at least 2 books per priority author before the end of the year, but I'm not off to the best start right now.
I have a few specific books in mind that I'd really like to get to this month, but I also keep changing my mind to try to plan around my trip. I keep going back and forth on which books I want to bring with me. I would love to make sure to get as much reading as possible in before I leave just in case my time is more limited than I expect while away, but I'm not sure whether that will be possible. So far, all my weekends are taken up by prewriting a bunch of blog posts, trying to make arrangements to see friends I haven't seen in forever, and any last-minute things needed before my trip!
July UpdateI always feel like I'm so late with these updates! I know a lot of people here tend to update their threads as they finish each book, and I wish I had the time to do that. This update is definitely a little later than usual. I was on vacation for the last two weeks of July, so I've been kind of playing catch-up on a bunch of posts ever since. My vacation time is always a little hit-or-miss in terms of how much I'm going to read. I always assume I'm going to have a lot more time for reading than I actually do, but this year turned out to be one of my better years. I read a total of 15 books in July, 5 of which were just in the time when I was away (out of the 7 in total that I'd brought with me).
Around the Year
Nothing this month!
Total: 6/57 (10.53%)
PopSugar
A book about a family - Daisy Darker
A book about an athlete/sport - Carrie Soto Is Back
A book about a vacation - Happy Place
Total: 7/57 (12.28%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book related to STEAM - The Soulmate Equation
A book that shares a similar title to another book - Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating
Author’s debut in a new genre - Pretty Little Wife
A book with one of the 7 most used verbs in English in the title (be, have, do, say, get, make, go) - Do I Know You?
Book recommended by a favourite author - The Wife Stalker
Inspired by real events - The Lindbergh Nanny
Total: 15/175 (8.57%)
52 Book Club
A book with a subtitle - Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It?: A Mother's Suggestions
Total: 6/52 (11.53%)
Booklist Queen
Nothing this month!
Total: 11/52 (21.15%)
Flourish & Blotts
Nothing this month!
Total: 5/53 (9.43%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book featuring a fictional language – Strange Planet
Total: 10/109 (9.17%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A biography - Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life
A book about an obsessive hobby - Before She Knew Him
A book under 150 pages - You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time: Rules for Couples
A book about animal families – The Berenstain Bears and the Eager Beavers
Total: 15/109 (13.76%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
Nothing this month!
Total: 11/109 (10.1%)
Series Goals
Unfortunately, this was the goal that was most strongly impacted by my trip. I really wanted to fit in at least one book from a series sometime within the month, but didn't get to any before I left. I'd considered bringing a short duology with me but couldn't really find anything that fit easily into my bag without being too heavy. I definitely need to get a move on with this goal!
Total so far:
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
This was a goal that I actually made some good progress on! Both Daisy Darker and Carrie Soto is Back were on my list of Top 23 Books to Read in 2023, and Happy Place was one of my 5-Star Predictions! I didn't necessarily consciously plan to read these because they were on my lists, but definitely read at least two of these because they seemed seasonal so it worked out well. This brings me up to a total of just 4 of my 23 priority books, which is much lower than where I'd like to be so late in the year, but 7 out of 27 5-Star Predictions, which seems like pretty decent progress.
Total So Far:
4/23 Priority Books
7/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I read only one book by an author (Darby Kane) who was on my "official" priority authors list, but I was a bit surprised to notice that I'd read quite a few books by authors who were on my "bonus challenge" for this goal. At the beginning of the year, I'd set myself an extra list of 11 authors that I'd been meaning to catch up on, and this month alone, I read one book each by Peter Swanson, Liv Constantine, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegmund-Broka. It's a little ironic that I've made much more progress on the bonus list than the main list, but I still count it as progress!
Total So Far:
3/14 Non-YA Authors
1/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
This was another goal where I was very happy to see some good progress! I'm not particularly surprised since I often prioritize reading a few thrillers while on vacation, and within the month, I ended up reading a total of 4 more thrillers. Once again, this is an annoying goal to track since my definition of thrillers seems to differ from Storygraph's, but I can safely say that 4 of the books I read this month would definitely fall into the thriller category, bringing me up to a solid total of 16. I may need to step it up a bit to reach my total of 40, but it's great progress either way.
Total so far: 16/40
Other Genre Goals
Last month, this goal completely fell by the wayside, but I think I more than made up for it this month! I read a total of 3 adult contemporary romances (Happy Place, Do I Know You?, and The Soulmate Equation), which brings my total for the year so far up to 9! That means I am just about at the halfway point of my goal to read a minimum of 20 this year. It definitely would have been nice to be at the halfway point halfway through the year, but I'm not too far behind.
I was also pleasantly surprised to realize that two of the books that I read this month would count as historical fiction. I knew The Lindbergh Nanny would definitely count, but was a little on the fence about Carrie Soto is Back. Storygraph does not seem to count it as historical but Goodreads does. As much as it makes me cringe a bit to count a book that was set partially within my lifetime as historical, I think I have to count it. The majority of the book takes place in the years leading up to 1994 when Carrie comes out of retirement, and even those sections are about 30 years ago now, so I think it's safe to count it.
As usual, my nonfiction goal also gets a bit tricky to classify. The Charles Addams biography definitely counts, and I'd even include Why Don't You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? because it's based on real-life quotes from the author's mother, even if it's not what I'd traditionally consider nonfiction. That author's other comic collection You Can Only Yell At Me For One Thing at a Time: Rules for Couples seems a little more questionable to me. I guess it's similar enough to a self-help kind of book that I can justify including it, so that adds another 3 non-fiction books. With that, I've accomplished my goal to read a minimum of 20 non-fiction books this year!
Total So Far:
21/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
9/20 adult contemporary romance
3/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
I think I can safely say that this was the single month where I felt that I made the most progress across the board on many of my goals, even if there are some individual goals that are further behind than where I'd like. August could potentially be a great reading month for me since I have another full week off coming up, and also have my weekends free of any work projects for now. Sometimes I find that having all that "extra" time doesn't actually translate into more reading though.
In terms of which goals to prioritize, I definitely want to make a bit more of a dent on my series goal since there are still so many options to choose from. I'd also really like to focus on a few more of the authors who are on my priority list for this year too, especially since many of these will end up doing double duty and fulfilling some other genre goals at the same time. As much as I'm trying not to read too seasonally, there are definitely some summer-themed books that I'd like to squeeze in before the end of the month.
Another goal that I'd mostly forgotten about was trying to read a certain percentage of each of my different challenges. When I'm choosing what to read next, I very rarely look at which challenge it comes from so it's very easy for this goal to be missed. So far, I'm not technically doing particularly great on any challenge individually but I also want to leave myself room to mood read and pick up what I genuinely feel like reading at the time. The quickest way to put me off any book, even if it's something I'd otherwise love, is to feel like I'm forced to read it. I may want to go back and refresh myself a bit on which books are for which challenge, but I'm not sure it will make much difference.
August UpdateAugust ended up being a weirdly slow reading month for me, and I have no idea why! It just felt like almost every book was taking 1-2 days longer than it should have, and that's even with having an extra week off work! I only ended up reading a total of 10 books within the month, which is definitely on the lower side for me. Luckily, many of the books that I did read at least counted toward some of my goals so I made some great progress there. I was also very happy that I read the majority of the books that were on my "summer TBR" for the year, 5 of which were read this month alone. I definitely want to pick up the pace a little to work on more of my goals before the end of the year!
Around the Year
A book with a con, deception, or fake - The Plot
Total: 7/57 (12.38%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/57 (12.28%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Nothing this month!
Total: 15/175 (8.57%)
52 Book Club
A fashionable character - It Happened One Summer
Total: 7/52 (13.46%)
Booklist Queen
Nothing this month!
Total: 11/52 (21.15%)
Flourish & Blotts
Related to the sea - The Ex-Husband
Total: 6/53 (11.32%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
Nothing this month!
Total: 10/109 (9.17%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book with a craft-related pun in the title – Batter Royale
A western - Upright Women Wanted
A book with an LGBTQIA+ protagonist - Right Where I Left You
A book with a picture of a cliff or ocean on the cover - The Soulmate
A beach read - The Romantic Agenda
Total: 20/109 (18.35%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book with a beach on the cover - Never Vacation with Your Ex
A book you want to dive into - Idol
Total: 13/109 (11.93%)
Series Goals
This was the goal that I was most embarrassed not to make any progress on at all this month! I had a few series in mind that I was thinking of reading during my week off toward the end of August, but decided to prioritize my Summer TBR list instead, which may not have made the most sense since that wasn't really a specific goal of mine (although several of the books on it did count toward other goals, at least). I feel super behind on my series goal in general, and given that many series can take longer to read, I'm not sure how well I can catch up at this point, but I will definitely try!
Total so far:
0/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I read The Soulmate, which was on my Top 23 list! This one was actually a conscious choice to pick this book up over another one that I was equally interested in reading at the time. I ended up choosing that one because I saw that it was on my list, and luckily for me, I ended up loving it! This book brought me up to a total of just 5 of my priority books so far, which isn't the best but it's at least slow and steady progress.
I also read Idol which was one of my 5-Star Predictions for the year, making a total of 8 so far. I'm still hoping to actively prioritize some of these books as soon as possible, although there are still a couple on this list (as well as my Top 23 list) that I just don't have copies of yet.
Total So Far:
5/23 Priority Books
8/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
This was one of the goals where I actually made the most progress this month! I read one book by Sarah Gailey, one by Tessa Bailey, and my second book of the year by Karen Hamilton. I also read one book by Julian Winters, which finally crosses another author off my priority YA list! I think this is the most progress I've made toward this goal in a single month, and although I still have a long way to go, it was great to see such a leap forward.
Total So Far:
5/14 Non-YA Authors
2/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
This was another goal where I made some excellent progress! I read another 4 books that I think can be safely classified as thrillers. Again, Storygraph seems to differ a bit in their classifications since they don't seem to count Idol as a thriller, but I'm including it since it is tagged as one on Goodreads. I can kind of see how it's questionable, but I found that it had enough thriller elements that I feel comfortable counting it. This brings me exactly to the halfway point of my goal for the year! To be fair, it took me 8 months to reach the halfway mark, so I'm not sure how easy it will be to finish, but I'm hoping to at least get very close. Many of the thrillers will do double-duty with other goals, so that helps a lot too.
Total so far: 20/40
Other Genre Goals
I only made progress on one of my three other genre goals this month. I didn't read any non-fiction, which is not a big deal since that goal has already been accomplished. I keep wanting to count Upright Women Wanted as historical because the setting feels like it should be, but it's actually set in a futuristic dystopian world so it does not count. However, I did read two more adult contemporary romances: It Happened One Summer and The Romantic Agenda, which brings me just past the halfway point on this goal as well!
Total So Far:
21/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
11/20 adult contemporary romance
3/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Even though I didn't read as many books in total as I might have liked, this was another month where I felt like I made some great progress on many of my goals. I didn't necessarily specifically choose each book with the intent of fitting a goal, but it was nice to see that the vast majority of what I read counted toward many of the goals that I've been working on. I just wish I'd been able to make better use of my "extra" time by not having to do any work on weekends and having an entire week off to get some extra reading in!
In terms of which goals to prioritize next, I definitely need to get moving on my series goal. I seem to keep getting to this mental block where even though I want to read series, I put them off because I feel like they're going to take too much time away from other goals. I think it might be good to start out with some duologies or series that can be read with some separation between each book, so I don't feel too bogged down by having to read so many in a row.
I also want to keep prioritizing my Top 23 list and priority authors list, and hope that I can complete at least one of those (if not both) by the end of this year! These are goals that I've struggled to complete in the past somehow, despite the fact that these books and authors are supposed to be my top priority! I find that I tend to get a little hung up on wanting to read an author's books in publication order even when they are all standalones, so I need to push myself to just pick one up if it's what I want to read at that moment, even if the author has more on their backlist. I also want to make sure I find copies (even from the library, if needed) of my priority books so I can get to all of those soon!
September UpdateI'm a little late to post last month's update but I feel like I've had so little time within the past week! September felt like it absolutely flew by for me somehow, and it was a completely mixed bag in terms of what I was reading. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I finished the month with a total of 13 books read which is pretty on par with my average (I typically read between 12-15 books per month), although that total was very much helped along by some shorter options mid-month. Given the number of books, I was a little surprised to see that this month had the lowest total page count of the year so far, but only by a margin of about 100 pages so it's really not that bad! I definitely did not get to the majority of the books that I'd planned to read in September, so hopefully I can get a few of them read this month instead!
Around the Year
A book with a tropical setting - Meet Me in Paradise
A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Posh) – The Summer Wives
A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Baby) – It's One of Us
A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Sporty) - Set on You
A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Scary) - Ghost 19
A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Ginger) - Honey & Spice
Total: 13/57 (22.8%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/57 (12.28%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Generational story - Family Lore
Total: 16/175 (9.14%)
52 Book Club
A book “everyone” has read - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Total: 8/52 (15.38%)
Booklist Queen
An audiobook – Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
Total: 12/52 (23.07%)
Flourish & Blotts
A poetry book – Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty
Total: 7/53 (13.21%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book that inspires you to go for a walk – Stranger Planet
Total: 11/109 (10.09%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A nonfiction book about worker’s rights – Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home
Total: 21/109 (19.27%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book with dinosaurs in it – Dinosaurs Before Dark
Total: 14/109 (12.84%)
Series Goals
Unfortunately, I did not complete any series in September, but I did at least get started on one! I read the first book and about 30% of the second book in the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, so at least that's one I'll be able to easily finish off in October. I had a few duologies I was planning to read in September, but I got a bit derailed by the Spice Girls prompt which I had treated like a multiweek and wanted to read all 5 books in a row.
Total so far:
0.3/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
I did not make any progress on either of these lists. This was another case where I had a couple of books earmarked to read in September, but got behind because of prioritizing other prompts/goals instead, which is a little frustrating. Several of the books I read in September took much longer for me to finish than expected, so it ate into the time I'd planned to spend on some of these.
Total So Far:
5/23 Priority Books
8/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I wish I had put Beatriz Williams on my priority authors list like I'd originally planned, but unfortunately I didn't, so this is another goal that I made absolutely no progress on.
Total So Far:
5/14 Non-YA Authors
2/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
Luckily, I had much more success with most of my genre-specific goals! I'm realizing now that I don't really have a solid rule in mind for how to handle horror books when many of them are also tagged as thrillers. I feel like it comes down to a bit of a questionable, very subjective call. I personally felt that Ghost 19 was predominantly horror and not really a thriller, so I'm not counting it at this time, but I will note it on the side as a potential option. It's One Of Us by JT Ellison definitely counts though, bringing my total up to 21 so far. I am excluding YA mystery/thrillers, so A Good Girl's Guide to Murder does not count.
Total so far: 21/40 (+1 maybe)
Other Genre Goals
Even though my non-ficton goal is already accomplished, I still managed to add a few more! I read Out of Office and Street Gang, both as audiobooks, which count toward my non-fiction goal. That brings me to a grand total of 23 non-fiction books so far this year.
I think romance is possibly where I made one of the largest leaps this month! Even though Meet Me in Paradise is not entirely a romance, it is definitely marketed and tagged as one, so I will count it. I also read Set On You and Honey & Spice, both of which are adult contemporary romances. Those three books bring me to a total of 14 so far this year, bringing me much closer to my goal of 20!
In terms of historical fiction, I am once again faced with the question of how to count Ghost 19. It is set in the 1950s and that setting does have an impact on the plot, but I wouldn't consider historical fiction its primary genre, which is what I originally had in mind for this goal. However, I never specified that the historical books I read couldn't involve other genres, so it still seems fair to count it. Of course, I may be a little biased since this is a goal I could really use a boost on, but I other books coming up that are historical and other genres that I would count, so it seems fair. With that said, I read Ghost 19 and also The Summer Wives, both of which are historical fiction, bringing my total for the year up to 5.
Total So Far:
23/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
14/20 adult contemporary romance
5/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Overall, this month was a completely mixed bag in terms of what I read and how much I enjoyed what I read. This month only really solidified for me why I'm not such a fan of multiweek prompts. Those prompts only really make sense to me if I read all the books back-to-back, but doing so can take so much time away from other goals that it becomes frustrating. Going forward, I may need to consider putting some of my high-priority books into the multiweeks as extra motivation to tackle them. To be fair, Spice Girls was a self-imposed multiweek since the prompt as written on the list only had to fit one of them.
I was quite disappointed to see that I'd made no progress at all on my priority books, 5 Star Predictions, or priority authors, and only a tiny bit of progress on one series. These are some of my highest priority goals and it's frustrating that I didn't get to work on any of them at all, despite having plans to read several books that should have counted toward them. On the other hand, I was very happy with how much progress I made toward all of my genre-specific goals, and I'm now much more confident that I'll be able to finish the majority (if not all) of them!
In terms of what's next, I definitely tend to read very seasonally around October, so I'm expecting to read a lot of thrillers and creepy books. I also have a couple of romances I may try to squeeze in quickly before transitioning over the the Halloween-ish books. I have a whole bunch of books that I've purposely been waiting to read until closer to spooky season, so now is the perfect time to get to them! I'm hoping to have a much better reading month overall in terms of the quality of the books I pick and definitely hoping to get some more progress on my goals.
October UpdateI am extremely late to posting this time, but the past few weeks have been an absolute mess. Much of my October was derailed by the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has taken a huge toll on my mental health especially because of the heightened risk of attacks elsewhere. I definitely saw the impact of that anxiety and distraction my reading throughout the month. On top of that, updating the thread got a bit derailed because in the past week I broke a tooth and found out I'll need a root canal, which has also caused a ton of anxiety. I was really hoping to get a lot of reading done in October, but once again failed to get to most of the Halloween-themed reads that I planned because everything took longer than expected. I still managed to read 11 books in total, but there were a ton more that I was hoping to get to!
Around the Year
A book related to science - Love, Theoretically
Total: 14/57 (24.56%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/57 (12.28%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Total: 16/175 (9.14%)
52 Book Club
A banned book - Good Girl, Bad Blood
Total: 9/52 (17.31%)
Booklist Queen
Nothing this month!
Total: 12/52 (23.07%)
Flourish & Blotts
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/53 (13.21%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book less than 100 pages – Fangs
A book about going home - How to Sell a Haunted House
Total: 13/109 (11.93%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book set within 10 years of your birth - The Only One Left
A book about letters - With My Little Eye
A book at least 20 years older than you – ABC Murders
Total: 24/109 (22.02%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A mystery - As Good As Dead
A book with a balcony on the cover - The Neighbor Favor
A classic – The Invisible Man
A book with a cover that matches your shirt (on the day you start it) – Cryptid Club
Total: 18/109 (16.51%)
Series Goals
I was hoping to read at least 1 or 2 more series in October, but didn't get to because of how long each book was taking me! However, I did manage to finish off the remaining books of the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, which at least crosses that one off my list fully now.
Total so far:
1/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
Surprisingly, this was a goal where I actually felt like I made a good amount of progress. I read How to Sell a Haunted House and Love, Theoretically, which were both on my Top 23 list! That brings my total up to 7, which still isn't great but at least it's progress.
I also read The Only One Left and With My Little Eye which were both 5-star predictions, bringing me up to a total of 10. I did have several other books on both lists that I'd hoped to read in October, but unfortunately didn't get to them. Still, I'm happy I made some progress on both of these lists.
Total So Far:
7/23 Priority Books
10/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
This was the goal that was most heavily impacted by how slowly I was reading everything. I had several of these authors earmarked to specifically read around Halloween, and time just got away from me. I did not end up reading anything by any of my priority authors this month, which is frustrating.
Total So Far:
5/14 Non-YA Authors
2/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
I'm realizing now that one thing I didn't really account for with this goal is what to do about the potential overlap between thriller and horror. I had one of those cases as well in September, and I find myself wondering the same thing about whether to count How to Sell a Haunted House. I think for sake of consistency, I will count it as a "maybe" for now, and I'll make a decision at the end of the year about what to do. Either way, I also read another 2 books that were definitely thrillers (With My Little Eye and The Only One Left) so that's two more added to my total!
Total so far: 23/40 (+2 maybe)
Other Genre Goals
I did not read any more non-fiction books this month, but that does not really matter since that goal has already been accomplished.
However, I did read 2 more adult contemporary romances with Love, Theoretically and The Neighbor Favor! This brings me very close to my goal for the year, with a total of 16 out of 20 so far! It definitely seems like a very achievable goal from here.
In terms of historical fiction, I find myself in a similar issue of debating whether certain books count. The Only One Left is technically set in the early 1980s (with past chapters set even earlier) although I didn't really get a strong sense of the time period at all. I may be a little biased including it since it's a goal I'm a little behind on, but it does seem fair since the entirety of the book was set in the past. Including that one, it brings my total up to 6 which is just over a third of what I need
Total So Far:
23/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
16/20 adult contemporary romance
6/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
I very much want to get back on track this month and really specifically tackle some of my goals. I know the series goal at this point is a complete longshot unless I prioritize it and nothing else, but I'd like to at least make a little progress. I'd also really like to focus on prioritizing the authors that I've identified as being high priority. I'd have to look back at old threads to compare, but I don't think I've ever been quite so behind on that goal, so that's pretty annoying.
Overall, I'm happy that I got to several of my most anticipated books within the past month, but also disappointed that I didn't read anywhere near as much as I'd expected. It's been an ongoing pattern this year so far that most books are taking me longer than I'd expect, but the past month has hit me especially hard. I'm hoping to be able to pick things back up a bit now that some of the initial shock/stress has worn off, and especially with so many of my highly anticipated books still left to read!
November UpdateNovember was another very strange reading month for me. Most of the first half of the month was once again heavily impacted by anxiety, this time mostly due to my tooth situation (turned out I had to get the tooth pulled, not a root canal). I was expecting to get quite a bit of reading done in November and was very surprised to realize that I'd hardly read any books at all by the end of the month! I managed to squeeze in a few shorter options to bring my total up to 11 again, but couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that I didn't get to more of the books I was so excited to read. On the other hand, while going over my summaries of what I'd read in the month, I at least realized I'd made some progress on several goals.
Around the Year
A book with the theme of returning home - Just Like Home
Total: 15/57 (26.32%)
PopSugar
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/57 (12.28%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Halloween - The Bone Houses
Total: 17/175 (9.71%)
52 Book Club
Nothing this month!
Total: 9/52 (17.31%)
Booklist Queen
A Goodreads Winner in 2022 - Hidden Pictures
A book by a local author – Pigs
Total: 14/52 (26.92%)
Flourish & Blotts
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/53 (13.21%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book about improving self-image – I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt
A book with feet on the cover - Business or Pleasure
A children’s book with a strong female lead – Sheila Rae, the Brave
Total: 16/109 (14.68%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book about memory loss - The Couple at Number 9
A book about a craft you do or would like to learn about - These Toxic Things
A space opera - Saga, Volume 10
Total: 27/109 (24.77%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A memoir by a singer or musician – The Woman in Me
Total: 19/109 (17.43%)
Series Goals
This was once again my biggest disappointment of the month! I did not read any series or even begin any series the entire month. I very likely would have if I'd been a little more on track toward the start of the month, but I've found that if I don't start early, I tend not to read from series at all because I feel like they'll take "too long" and "waste" time I could put toward other books. I definitely need to look at how to restructure this goal for next year.
Total so far:
1/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
This was a goal where I actually made a little progress. I didn't read any of my Top 23 list, but I read Hidden Pictures and The Couple Next at Number 9, both of which were 5-star predictions. That brings me to almost half of all of my 5-Star Predictions list for the year. Of course, I would love to be much further ahead on both of these goals given that it's almost the end of the year, but I'm happy that I at least accomplished some of them.
Total So Far:
7/23 Priority Books
12/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
This was the goal where I was the most surprised to see that I'd made quite a bit of progress! I read a second book by Sarah Gailey, who was an author I already had crossed off my list. I also read one book by Emily Lloyd-Jones, and one book each by Claire Douglas and Rachel Howzell Hall! So far, I have read at least one book by half of the authors on my non-YA list and one third of the authors on my YA list (or just under half of my overall list of 23). Again, I would love to be a little further ahead since it seems unlikely I'll be able to finish them all by the end of December, but at least this is a goal where I've been fairly productive.
Total So Far:
7/14 Non-YA Authors
3/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
This was another goal where I made some pretty solid progress! Again I had two books that are probably really horror, but I think at least Hidden Pictures was a thriller equally as much as a horror. Just Like Home was a little more questionable since I found it a bit too slow to really feel like a thriller, so for now I'm classifying it as another "maybe." However, I also had The Couple at Number 9 and These Toxic Things which were definitely thrillers, bringing my total up to 26 (+3 maybes).
Total so far: 26/40 (+3 maybe)
Other Genre Goals
I did not read any more historical fiction this month, unfortunately. That was the goal most heavily impacted by my failure to read any series because I'd meant to read the Guinevere Deception series this month and didn't even start it. However, I did end up reading 2 more non-fiction books which can be added to my already-accomplished goal of reading at least 20 non-fiction.
I also managed to squeeze in one more adult contemporary romance! Right at the end of the month I read Business or Pleasure, which was a great romance! That brings my total up to 17 out of 20, so I'm very close to completing this goal!
Total So Far:
25/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
17/20 adult contemporary romance
6/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Last month, I'd commented that I wanted to get back on track and read some books that would work toward some of my goals, and I definitely have done that. I've been low-key annoyed with how far behind I've been on several of my goals this year given that I had one of my most exciting lists of plans this year! For some reason, everything has just taken me longer than expected almost all year.
Looking ahead to December (or what's left of it, given that it's already halfway through the month now), I don't know whether I'll be able to complete any more goals fully, but I'd like to at least make some progress and get closer to finishing at least some of them. It will definitely be a challenge to try to read enough to make a serious dent in any of them, but it's worth a try!
December UpdateI am so late to updating this thread that I almost decided it just wasn't worth it, but I didn't like having it hanging over my head incomplete either. I am definitely planning to modify my tracking approach next year to keep my monthly updates a bit shorter, since I've been finding myself procrastinating on them all year because of the amount of time involved! December ended up being my most productive month of the year with 17 books read, but only because I squeezed in a ton of very short books in the last weekend as a final push. Overall, it was quite a slow reading year for me although I still managed to read a lot of books in total.
Around the Year
A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story - James and the Giant Peach
An author's debut book - All Your Twisted Secrets
Total: 17/57 (29.82%)
PopSugar
A book about a holiday that's not Christmas - A Holly Jolly Diwali
The shortest book on your TBR – Wemberly Worried
Total: 9/57 (15.79%)
ATY Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A mistletoe kiss occurs or is avoided - Kiss Her Once for Me
Comic or graphic novel by a queer author - Heartstopper #5: A Graphic Novel
Total: 19/175 (10.86%)
52 Book Club
Written by a comedian – The Odd 1s Out: The First Sequel
Total: 15/52 (28.85%)
Booklist Queen
A book with a long title - All That Is Mine I Carry with Me
Total: 15/52 (28.85%)
Flourish & Blotts
Nothing this month!
Total: 7/53 (13.21%)
Pick Your Poison 2020
A book by an author you always read - None of This Is True
A book with the word maker in the title - The Angel Maker
A memoir – Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls
Total: 19/109 (17.43%)
Pick Your Poison 2022
A book wider than it is tall –We Will Rock Our Classmates
A classic novel – The Gift of the Magi
Total: 29/109 (26.60%)
Pick Your Poison 2023
A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character - In the Lives of Puppets
A book with an elderly protagonist - Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
A book with the word “lion,” “elephant,” or “mouse” in the title – A Parade of Elephants
A book of poetry – A Light in the Attic
Total: 23/109 (21.10%)
Series Goals
Unfortunately, I basically gave up on my series goal by the end of the year because I had to choose between working towards it, or making progress on other goals that I was much closer to achieving. I was frustrated not to have really prioritized this goal anywhere near as much as I'd hoped this year!
Total so far:
1/7 completed series (previously on my list)
3/4 completed series (newly added) (8 total listed)
1/11 duologies (21 total listed)
1/4 unfinished series (8 total listed)
Top 23 to Read in 2023 and 5-Star Predictions
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers was on my Top 23 list, bringing me up to a total of just 8 of my 23 books. However, I did read several books that were on my 5-Star Predictions list: In the Lives of Puppets, The Angel Maker, None of This is True, and All That Is Mine I Carry With Me! That brings me to a total of 16 out of 27 predictions, which is a reasonably solid total.
Total So Far:
8/23 Priority Books
16/27 5-Star Predictions
Priority Authors
I only managed to squeeze in one more priority author, which was Diana Urban! This brought me to a total of 4 out of 9 YA authors, and 11 out of 23 authors overall. This is another goal that I'd hoped to make a lot more progress on, since it is one that I typically come close to accomplishing. However, I did read two books each by some of my priority authors!
Total So Far:
7/14 Non-YA Authors
4/9 YA Authors
Read more thrillers
I realized while doing my wrap-up post for my blog that I'd never specified whether YA thrillers would count or not toward this goal! I spent most of the year discounting them because I'd assumed I'd limited myself to adult only, but when I went back to look at my original goals post, I saw that I'd written that I'd prefer the majority to be adult, but I wasn't opposed to counting YA.
If I count adult thrillers only, I ended my year with a total of 32 read, which also includes a few books that I'd counted as "maybes" since they were borderline horror/thrillers. However, counting YA thrillers as well my total would be 37, which is very, very close to my goal of 40!
Total so far: 32/40 (or 37/40 if counting YA!)
Other Genre Goals
I read 2 more non-fiction books, which only contributes further to my already exceeded goal. On the other hand, I did not read any more historical fiction books, so that was another goal that mostly fell by the wayside this year.
Luckily, I did make good progress on my romance goal overall. I read two more romance books, bringing me up to a very frustrating total of 19/20!
Total So Far:
27/20 non-fiction GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
19/20 adult contemporary romance
6/15 historical fiction
Overall & Looking Ahead
Despite still reading a 148 books, I couldn't help feeling like I was in a bit of a slump for the majority of the year. Most books took longer to read than I expected, which often meant pushing back books that I was really excited for. However, I was happy to see that even if I didn't accomplish many of my goals, I was much closer than I thought on several of them, and I still ended up finding some amazing books!
Looking ahead, I would love for 2024 to be a bit of a reset in my reading habits so I can start to prioritize reading again instead of leaving it until so late in the evening. To be fair, I'm not off to a great start with how long it's taken to sort out my challenge plans, but there are a ton of books I'm looking forward to this year. I'm hoping that will motivate me to actively prioritize the books I'm most excited for! I have several goals that I'd like to attempt again, maybe with a little more structure to them if I can find a way to balance that without making it feel like a chore.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
All Your Twisted Secrets (other topics)Kiss Her Once for Me (other topics)
A Holly Jolly Diwali (other topics)
Wemberly Worried (other topics)
A Light in the Attic (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Colleen Hoover (other topics)Robert Munsch (other topics)
Kevin Henkes (other topics)
These are my plans for each of my challenges, but things will most like change as the year goes on. Please feel free to offer suggestions, especially for anything left blank!
Goodreads ATY
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y - My Darling Husband
2. A book by an author you read in 2022 - The Drowning Woman
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list – A winner or nominee from the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Ballad of Never After
4. A book with an interracial relationship - Party of Two
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover - The Sentence
6. A book where books are important - Suggested Reading
7. A book with ONE of the five "W" question words in the title - What Have We Done
8. An author's debut book - All Your Twisted Secrets
9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W - An American Marriage
10.-14. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
Posh – The Summer Wives
Baby – It's One of Us
Sporty - Set on You
Scary – Keep It In The Family
Ginger – Honey & Spice
15. A book about a person/character with a disability - The Whispering Dark
16. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies - Small Favors
17. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover - The Echo Wife
18. A book with a con, deception, or fake - The Plot
19. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 1 - So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
20. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 2 - Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix
21. Three books, each of which is set in a different century: Book 3 - The Guinevere Deception
22. A book related to science - Love, Theoretically
23. A book related to the arts - An Enchantment of Ravens
24. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel - The Bronzed Beasts
25. A book by an Asian diaspora author - Our Missing Hearts
26. A book with a faceless person on the cover - Stone Mothers
27. A book with a body of water in the title - Stranger in the Lake
28. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy - Spin the Dawn
29. A book with a tropical setting - Meet Me in Paradise
30. A book related to pride - Friday I'm in Love
31. A book by an author from continental Europe - The Winners
32. A book that is dark - A Flicker in the Dark
33. A book that is light - The Odd 1s Out: How to Be Cool and Other Things I Definitely Learned from Growing Up
34. A book related to a chess piece - Defend the Dawn
35. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com - Woman Last Seen (found by inputting Lisa Jewell)
36. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature - Just Last Night
37. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923 - Just the Nicest Couple
38. A novella - Love, Creekwood
39. A book with a school subject in the title - Lessons in Chemistry
40. A book that has been translated from another language - The Only Child
41. A book with the theme of returning home - Just Like Home
42. A book with the sun, moon, or stars on the cover - Daughter of the Moon Goddess
43. A western - Under a Painted Sky
44. A book with a full name in the title - Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead
45. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists - The Final Girl Support Group
46. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter - Delicious Monsters
47. A book that involves a murder - Never Coming Home
48. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal - Undercover Bromance
49. A book whose author has published more than 7 books - The Friend
50. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe - A Dash of Salt and Pepper
51. A book related to a geometric shape - Once Upon a Broken Heart
52. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story - probably James and the Giant Peach
53. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023 - The Woman in the Library
54. A second book that fits your favorite prompt – a book with a theme of returning home - Such a Quiet Place
55. A book published in 2023 - Dark Corners
56. A book with an unusual or surprising title - The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder
57. Wild Card - A book featuring a blog or podcast - The Last Housewife