Ah, the reading challenge. There is something about having a little guidance that makes my never-ending log of books I want to read a little more manageable. For the last several years, I’ve focused mostly on the Goodreads Challenge. There are no rules to the Goodreads challenge; just set a book number goal for the year and go for it!
The lack of rules is nice. The pressure is a little crazy. At my peak, I read 155 books one year. But, here’s what I realized about myself last year? With a few exceptions, there were books I didn’t read in 2017 because I knew they would take too long. They were too long or too dense and I knew that giving the time to reading them would mean that I wouldn’t be able to hit my goal. So, I didn’t.
This year, I want my reading life to be different. I’ve set a slightly smaller goal on Goodreads, but I want my reading life to be about things I love and books that challenge me. So, I’m focusing on a couple different challenges.
The Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge
I love Anne Bogel. Like, a lot. I read her blog for awhile and loved it, but then got busy with life. However, her podcast, What Should I Read Next, is one of my favorite things ever. So, I’m focusing on her annual reading challenge first.
The Book Riot Read Harder Challenge
Book Riot is a great reading resource and this challenge is hard! It requires a lot of reading and a lot of stepping out of your comfort zone, book-wise. But they also do regular blogs with the categories and what they suggest reading from each.
Check out all the details here.
I’ll do a post soon about books in each category I’m planning on reading, but what category above excites you the most? What would be the hardest category for you to fulfill?
What book challenges are you doing this year? I’ve had a hard time finding new ones (even though there were approximately 11 billion in 2017).