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 second 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:
These are my stats at the end of June, and I feel very good about where I am at the halfway point of the year.
2. bookforager’s Picture Prompt Book Bingo 2023:
Check out Mayri’s post here if you want to join in too!
At halfway through the year, I’ve managed to fill in ten out of sixteen squares. (I’m counting squares from top to bottom, left to right)
1. A single flintlock gun – Lone Women by Victor LaValle. This horror/western takes place in the early twentieth century and has plenty of guns.
2. 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.
4. A gnarly old tree – Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker. The story revolves around a forest, so the tree image is perfect for this book.
5. 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!
12. Raven – Bad Cree by Jessica Johns. This is the perfect book for this prompt, which revolves around indigenous characters and themes, including crows.
13. A laurel wreath – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. A laurel wreath signifies success and victory, so I think it’s perfect for a book about a deadly competition.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. A sorcerer’s hand – Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is about occultism, so I think this picture works great!
3. 2023 SFF Title Challenge
Check out Annemieke’s blog post that explains how it works here.
This challenge is harder than I thought. I’m currently at 11 out of 25 prompts. Hopefully I’ll find more titles that fit in the second half of the year.
“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” – All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
“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” – Deadly Memory by David Walton
“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!
My progress is slowing down, but I’m still in good shape with this challenge. I’ve crossed off 22 our 34!
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 – Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker
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 – The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Title __ of __ – Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
Urban fantasy
Witches –
YA book – One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake
5. Tammy’s personal backlist challenge:
You’re doing so well.
I’m doing Bookforager’s Bingo too and probably have about the same number of pics left as you, some of them the same (I can’t think of anything for the airship at all).
Good luck for the next quarter 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: The Cove (Summer Suspense Mysteries #1) by L. J. Ross
Airship is hard!
2023 SFF Title Challenge looks really fun! I might give it a go next year if it’s still being hosted. You’re doing really well with all the challenges!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish
Thanks Stephanie!
You’re doing great! I just finished Episode Thirteen and I loved it too. I listened to the audiobook and the production was so cool.
I’m so glad! It’s such a great idea for a story.
I think you are doing great so far. I hope to get back on the challenge train next year!
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…Farm News – July 23, 2023
It definitely helps when I do a quarterly check in:-)
Good job on your challenges.
Have haven’t started any besides the Goodreads one.
Snapdragon recently posted…The House on the Borderlands by William Hope Hodgson
Good job on your challenges.
I haven’t started any besides the Goodreads one.
Snapdragon recently posted…The House on the Borderlands by William Hope Hodgson
Sometimes the Goodreads challenge is enough:-)
Wow, that’s a lot! Good luck! For your backlist challenge, I’ve read three of the five, and loved them… so stick with it!! (T&T&T, Remarkly Bright Creatures, and Lavender House — all excellent)
I really want to read all three:-)
Wow Tammy you are nailing it!
Thanks Sophie!
You are doing brilliantly, and I love the books you’ve used to fill in your picture prompt bingo card!
Thanks! Such a fun challenge:-)
Looks like you’re knocking them out of the park. And good luck with the ones giving you some trouble.
Rolé @ Hooked By That Book recently posted…Review: Tricked – by Kevin Hearne
Thank you!
You’re doing very well especially considered the time you spent moving and all.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Bishop’s Flight by Elizabeth Hunter @EHunterWrites @valentine_pr_
Ha ha so true!
I’m so impressed by your progress:)). These look so much fun – I very much hope you manage to read all the books in your backlist before the end of the year.
Me too, I’m really going to try:-)
Looks like you’re doing great so far! But how have you not read any urban fantasy this year lol?
Good question…maybe I have and I need to go through my list again, lol.
Congrats! You are doing great.
I used to do tons of challenges.
Now I focus more on my TBRs and the classics.
Looks like I’m going to smash my Goodreads goal, as I have read 96/120 (80%). Am 29 books ahead. I guess I can explain it by a few manga, and a lot of audiobooks. But also by really reading books I have always wanted to read. I’m slower with less exciting books. I read 165 in 2021, we’ll see if actually go over that.
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Sunday Post #89 – 07/23/2023: Book Giveaways galore!
Wow that’s amazing!
You’re making such great progress on all of your challenges. From your five at the bottom, I definitely recommend Remarkably Bright Creatures. I read that one at the beginning of the year and still think about it sometimes because it was so unusual.
I remember your review of Remarkably Bright Creatures, I think that’s why I chose it:-)
The picture prompt bingo looks like a fun one, I like the ones that give readers a wider interpretation since a lot of the other challenges I’ve seen fall under very narrow genres.
I like it for that reason, it’s pretty easy to make books fit the pictures:-)
I’ve not been keeping track of my challenges as closely as you, so good job! For “Skin” I suggest SKIN OF THE SEA by Natasha Bowen, if you don’t mind YA fantasy. For “Library,” THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY comes to mind. And for “Wolf” there’s FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Whitten; THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO by K.S. Villoso; or THE WOLF DEN by Elodie Harper, though this one is more of a historical fiction.
Great suggestions! I’ve still got six months (actually five now) to figure it out, but these could be contenders:-)
You’re doing great. You’re on track for 100 books this year and I think that definitely helps with all these other challenges. Good luck with your backlist reads.
Lynn 😀
You are still doing better than me at my own challenge ;). I think you’ve made great progress. It is quite a bit harder than expected. I might need make a smaller list next year or easier words lol
Annemieke @ A Dance with Books recently posted…Grave Suspicions | Book 3 of The Lavington Windsor Mysteries | Book Review