Did you participate in any reading challenges this year? We are big reading challenges fan here – and usually participate in a few. Here’s how we did.
+ TANYA PATRICE +
This year I chose to focus on the 3 challenges that we host because they require a monthly book choice – the Monthly Book Award Reading Challenge 2020, Monthly Motif Reading Challenge 2020 and the Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge 2020. We also created a GXO Goodreads Challenge Group which is where I posted each monthly update.
+ KIM +
I’m always tempted by all the challenges on our Master List of Reading Challenges but, just like Tanya, in 2020 I decided to focus only on finishing the three challenges we host. I actually did pretty well with them!
Monthly Motif Reading Challenge Recap
Number of Months Completed
✩ KIM – 12/12. I was a week or so off schedule but I managed to read all the books I planned to for this challenge.
✩ TANYA – 8/12. I got into a reading slump in the Spring and to get out of it, I turned to comfort reads and previously known authors
Favorite Books Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – It’s so hard to pick a favorite but I really enjoyed reading House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune for the August Creature Feature prompt.
- ✩ TANYA – The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden for the January – Winter Wonderland theme and When No One is Watching, Alyssa Cole for the November – Dynamic Duo challenge.
Least Favorite Book Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – I didn’t dislike any of the books I read but I read Dark Matter, Blake Crouch for the February Seeing Red prompt and it just wasn’t all that memorable for me.
- ✩ TANYA – I liked every book I read for the challenge.
Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge Recap
Number of Months Completed
- ✩ KIM – 12/12. Woo hoo!
- ✩ TANYA – 10/12 – I missed 2 months because of that pandemic reading funk.
Favorite Book Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – I really loved Silver in the Wood, Emily Tesh which I read for the December key word ‘Silver’. It’s the second in a novella duology and I felt it wrapped up the story so well.
- ✩ TANYA – My favorite is The Girl in the Tower, Katherine Arden.
Least Favorite Book Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – In April I read Night Theater, Vikram Paralkar and although I enjoyed it, it was probably my least favorite of all the books I read for this challenge.
- ✩ TANYA – My least favorite read was Night Shadow, Nora Roberts – this romance novel had just one too many tropes for my liking.
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Number of Months Completed
- ✩ KIM – 9/12 I almost finished this one but ran into trouble getting books from my library. Also, I am currently reading The Starless Sea even though I was supposed to read it in September.
- ✩ TANYA – 10/12 – I missed April and June. I used December’s “freebie” month to catch up on May and November.
Favorite Book Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – I really enjoyed my May book, Every Heart A Doorway, Seanan McGuire, which won a Nebula Award for best Novella in 2017.
- ✩ TANYA – In February, I read All Systems Red, Martha Wells. which won a won a 2018 Alex Award. I went on to read the entire series (4 novellas and 1 novel) in 2020. Also loved Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, which won a 2019 Booker Prize.
Least Favorite Book Read for the Challenge
- ✩ KIM – I absolutely hated my January book, Life After Life, Kate Atkinson. It won a 2013 Costa Award for Best Novel. I thought it was painfully boring.
- ✩ TANYA – This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar which won 2020 Hugo Award – Best Novella, was my least favorite read. It was slow and I found it hard to get into.
How did you do with your reading challenges?
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