I’m trying hard to keep track of my reading challenges this year, something I don’t usually do. But I figured a quarterly check-in was the best way to track my progress and hold myself accountable, so here we are taking a look at the first quarter of 2023. And surprisingly, I’m doing pretty good! Here’s a recap of the challenges I’ve set for myself, and what I’ve been able to cross of the list:
1. 2023 Goodreads Challenge:
I deliberately set my Goodreads challenge low this year, hoping for a more positive reading experience. There’s nothing worse than someone telling you you’re ten books behind, lol. I’m pretty happy with where I am right now.
2. bookforager’s Picture Prompt Book Bingo 2023:
Check out Mayri’s post here if you want to join in too!
So far, I’ve done seven out of sixteen prompts, which feels pretty good to me! (I’m counting squares from top to bottom, left to right)
- A single flintlock gun – Lone Women by Victor LaValle. This horror/western takes place in the early twentieth century and has plenty of guns.
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An idyllic looking castle – The Girl From Rawblood by Catriona Ward. Rawblood might not be idyllic, but it is a castle-like mansion, so I thought it would work.
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A lion’s head door knocker – Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire. Since this is a story about different magical doors, I thought it would be perfect for this image.
11. A human brain – This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham. This YA horror story involves an epidemic where some people turn into cannibals. So there’s lots of eating of brains in this story!
- Raven – Bad Cree by Jessica Johns. This is the perfect book for this prompt, which revolves around indigenous characters and themes, including crows.
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A beetle – A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. The main character in this book is an entomologist, so the beetle image works well.
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Old books – The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz. I interpreted this rather loosely, but all the characters in this story are writers and they are all working on books.
3. 2023 SFF Title Challenge
Check out Annemieke’s blog post that explains how it works here.
9 out of 25 for my first quarter isn’t too bad! This challenge is a little harder than I expected, though.
“Down” – World Running Down by Al Hess
“World(s)” – One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake
“Song” –
“Gate” – Infinity Gate by M.R. Care
“Universe” –
“Dead” –
“Witch” –
“Wood(s)” – What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
“Life” –
“Deep” –
“Wolf” –
“Fierce” –
“Mission” –
“Bone(s)” – A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
“Robot(s)” –
“Star(s)” – The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
“Back” –
“Soul(s)” –
“Memory” –
“Way” –
“Library” –
“Side” – On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
“How” – How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
“Ghost(s)” –
“Lost” – Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
4. The Year Long Scavenger Hunt
Check out Jordyn’s blog post here if you’d like to join in too!
I love this challenge, it’s proving to be pretty easy. I managed to cross off 19 out of 31, over half!
2023 release – Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Animal sidekick – Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee
Cool weapon – Death Watch by Stona Fitch
Debut – Weyward by Emilia Hart
Dragons – The Keeper’s Six by Kate Elliott
Female villain – The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
Final book in a series –
First person POV – Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Found family – Hel’s Eight by Stark Holborn
Green cover –
High fantasy –
Hugo winner – Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
Inspired by a culture other than Western Europe – Linghun by Ai Jiang
LGBTQ+ main character – This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham
Magic house –
Merlin character –
More than 2 women – Lone Women by Victor LaValle
New to you author – The Drift by C.J. Tuor
Over 500 pages
Pirates
POC author – Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Retelling – The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
Set on a space ship – The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
Space opera – Descendant Machine by Gareth L. Powell
Standalone – A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Sword on the cover –
Time Travel –
Title __ of __ –
Urban fantasy
Witches –
YA book – One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake
5. Tammy’s personal backlist challenge:
I’m glad I’m not doing any of these other than the Goodreads one. Especially not #3, as I’d only have gotten 2/25. 3/16 for #2, 23/31 for #4, and I haven’t read any of you backlist books:/ Sorry, Tammy! Keep up the good work, though!
LOL thanks Will!
Looks like you’re doing a great job overall with your challenges. Aside from Goodreads, I’m just doing my own personal backlist challenge. I haven’t counted recently but I think I’m doing pretty well on that so far this year thanks to audiobooks.
I definitely need to step up my backlist reading:-)
You have my respect for working towards all these challenges and keeping your sanity. 🙂 As for myself, the only one I’m doing is Goodreads and I’m 1 book behind after I enter the most recent one I finished. I do have a long backlist I’m trying to work through but haven’t really set any specific goals for it. As for yours, keep on keeping on. You’re on a good roll so far.
We’ll see if I can keep up the momentum:-)
I don’t do much challenges except the Goodreads one and I’m at 35/50 so I’m doing pretty well. Also wanted to read more backlist books but I haven’t made much progress there either so you’re not alone, Tammy 😛
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Hopefully we’ll both get to some backlist books soon:-)
I’m so glad you’re finding my challenge easy! I wanted it to be simple, but fun to participate in!
It’s a blast! There are a couple that will challenge me though, and that’s a good thing:-)
Wow, very ambitious! I try to avoid challenges (other than the annual Goodreads challenge) — they just stress me out! I love your backlist challenge choices — I’ve read 3 of the 5, and loved them! Good luck with all these.
I probably put them on my list because of you:-)
I hope you’ll love The Hacienda when you get to it, Tammy! Good luck!
Thanks Lauren!
I love seeing updates like this! You’re doing great, especially with so many challenges and prompts! 😀 This has inspired me to check in on my 2023 goals, too – I’m a little nervous LOL!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries recently posted…‘The Gathering Dark’: a YA horror anthology that will stick with me
I’m glad we both did a check in. I think it helps!
Great job so far! Lone Women is new to me but sounds good… I like a good western and horror to boot!
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Lone Women is worth picking up!
Well I think you are doing great and chose some fun challenges.
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They are fun. And I’ll admit they are pretty easy;-)
I think you’ve done brilliantly with your challenges, given that you’ve had the winter to contend with. And aren’t those challenges fun?? My main reading challenge is to try and keep my reviews going in a steady stream and catch up with the Netgalley arcs piling up! Perhaps when my energy levels are more consistent and I am able to do more, I can start to consider some of these – I particularly like the Year-Long Scavenger Hunt:). I hope the coming quarter is just as successful!
Those are great challenges, and you seem to be doing well too:-)
Your doing really good!
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Thanks Stormi!
It looks like you’re doing really well with plenty of breathing room to spare! I agree it’s disheartening to see GR tell you you’re behind on your goal. It’s much more fun to keep the goal attainable since reading isn’t supposed to be super stressful.
Exactly. I’ve learned my lesson from Goodreads challenges, lol.
You are doing great!!
Thanks Susy:-)
You’re doing good! You’ll get to those backlist ones soon enough.
I definitely will!
You’re doing so well. I have no clue where or how I’d be doing with any of these and I’m afraid to open Goodreads because it’s going to give me a ticking off for being so far behind.
Lynn 😀
I don’t usually do challenges but I do like the quarterly check in. It’s forcing me to see how I’m doing.
WHOA! That’s all I can say about your reading accomplishments. WHOA!
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Thank you! I’m actually just reading my usual TBR and they just happen to work with these challenges.
Some of these challenges look fun! Out of curiosity, I have to go and see how many I can get off the SFF title bingo challenge now, lol!
Honestly, I’m not really trying, just slotting in the books I would normally read, lol. It’s working out!
Well done on your challenges!
I’m doing good so far too on my Goodreads challenge: 52/120 (43%). And good too on my reviews (which is a first). I just got late these past 2 weeks, because of my plate full with church activities, but should be able to catch up
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Thanks Emma! Wow you’re doing great with your Goodreads challenge, congrats!
You’re off to a great start with all your challenges.
I like the look of the year-long scavenger hunt and would have been tempted by that but I’m still reading so slowly this year that I think I’ll stick to the couple I’ve already started.
Good luck for the rest of the year 😀
Thanks! Good luck to both of us:-)
Well done, you’re doing wonderfully on most of these challenges. And I totally relate to not wanting Goodreads constantly telling you how far behind schedule you are. I hope you get to some of your blacklist books soon too, I’m actually planning to order Hacienda into the library in a couple of weeks. Good luck for the rest of the year.
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Thanks Charlotte! I hope we both get to read The Hacienda:-)
Oh you are doing so well. I have a nice amount on Mayri’s too but so little on my own haha.
You’re doing pretty good! I set my Goodreads goal at 200 even though I’ve gotten like 210 or so the last couple years and know I’m reading more because of the library committee I’m on but I’m still behind 2 on Goodreads. Trying not to stress over it though!
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