2018 Challenges Round Up

I've started participating in a number of challenges, mostly through Goodreads, but there are a few full-year ones for 2018 I'd like to talk about here. I'm trying not to overwhelm myself too much with really restrictive challenges, especially as I'm already starting to feel the pressure to plow through ARCs for review.

2018 Book Blog Discussion Challenge

With such a focus on reviewing things, I thought this 2018 Book Blog Discussion Challenge would be a fun one to get me out of that zone.

This challenge is hosted by hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight, and the goal is to post more discussions on your blog. They've set fun ranking based on the number of discussions posted, and I'm aiming for the Creative Conversationalist (11-20 discussions over the course of the year) ranking. I figure that can be accomplished in one discussion post per month - totally doable, right? Right!

 

2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Another break from all the ARCs, I need to get my to read monster under control. This led me to the 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge hosted by Novel Knight.

 

 

This reading challenge is focused on knocking off titles that have been on your TBR for a while, or even ones that get pushed aside for new releases.

 

My goal for this challenge is to read 40 of the books that are currently piled up (yes, literally piled up) on a bookcase at my bedtime. They've overflowed the bookcase and are actually climbing my walls, haha. Other acceptable books include ones added to my To Read shelf on Goodreads prior to 2018. These rules are stricter than the actual challenge rules, but that's what I'M counting because I need to get these piles gone!!

 

I don't have a solid TBR list here because I have well over a hundred books on the unread shelf in my bedroom (it's not hoarding if it's books...) so I will just update this post with a listing of the books I read for the Beat the Backlist Challenge.

 

To make it more fun, there are teams and points and keeping score. I'm on Team Book Bards!

#BookBardPride

 

1. You Say It First by Susan Mallery (read 1.2 - review)

2. The Winter King by C.L. Wilson (read 1.10 - review

3. Wintersong (in progress)

 

2018 A to Z Challenge

 

 

I told myself and told myself I was not going to add ANY MORE CHALLENGES... but then I just had to add this one hosted by Ginger Mom & the Kindle Quest.

THE QUEST: Read a book starting with every letter of the alphabet in 365 days.

(For the difficult letters like Q, X, and Z they're going to give one "pass" it sounds like, but my goal is to read ALL the dang letters! I've already got a couple options lined up for X, and Q and Z really shouldn't be that hard. Also, leading words "The, A" don't count.)

 

Deep breath, and here we go:

 

 

A: About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis (read 2.1 - review coming soon)

B: By A Charm and a Curse by Jaime Questell (read 1.30 - review)

C: Caraval by Stephanie Garber (read 1.18 - review)

D: A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch (read 1.21 - review)

E:

F:

G: Game of Hearts by Cathy Yardley (read 2.3 - review coming soon)

H: Hotline by Quinn Anderson (read 2.4 - review coming soon)

I: If Ever I Should Love You by Cathy Maxwell (in progress)

J:

K:

L: Leo Loves Aries by Anyta (read 1.27 - review)

M: Midsummer Delights (read 2.4 - review coming soon)

N:

O:

P:

Q:

R: Red Rising by Pierce Brown (in progress)

S: Surrender to the Highlander by Lynsay Sands (read 1.25 - review)

T: The Trouble with True Love by Laura Lee Guhrke (read 1.12 - review)

U:

V:

W: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson (read 1.10 - review)

X:

Y: You Say It First by Susan Mallery (read 1.2 - review)

Z:

 

12 Months, 24 Covers

The last 2018 Challenge I'm doing is 12 Months, 24 Covers, from The Hufflepuff Basement on Goodreads. I'm sincerely hoping I can manage to double up some of these challenge books with the Unapologetic Romance Readers challenge ones, or I'm screwed, haha. I'll update this post with the covers each month.

 

Challenge: 12 Months, 12 Covers

Choose one of the elements below each month and read a book with that element on the title.

 

Bonus Mode: 12 Months, 24 Covers
Read two titles each month, one for each element listed.
January: snow, feather

Snow :: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

Feather :: Red Rising by Pierce Brown (I'm still reading this, but I'm more than halfway through so I'm counting it!)

February: hearts, chocolate/cake
March: flowers, book/paper
April: rain, umbrella
May: clouds/fog, ship/boat
June: dog/cat, bicycle
July: water, stairs
August: sun, hat/crown
September: fire, chair/throne
October: moon, skull
November: leaves, lock/key
December: shoes, mask   

 

Are you doing any challenges for the New Year? How are you stretching and growing this year?