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2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Monday, January 04, 2021
Rockin' and Rollin' With 2021 Reading Challenges
4:20 PM
I love reading challenges, but historically I have not done well with actually completing them. In 2020, I actually finished six of the eight I signed up for—go me! I'm still riding that high, so this year I'm going for broke and doing eight again. We'll see how I do. As always, I'll be keeping track of my challenge progress on the right sidebar of my blog.
These are the challenges I'm tackling:
1. 2021 Children's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
I'm hosting this challenge, which encourages participants to read historical fiction written for children (including teens) by fulfilling 20 reading prompts. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
I love historical fiction of all kinds, so I'm excited for this one. I'm going to aim for the "Prehistoric" level by reading 50+ historical novels. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
I signed up for this 52-prompt challenge halfway through last year, so I didn't complete the 2020 version, although I did finish about 70% of the prompts. I'm aiming for 100% this year. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
This annual challenge features 40 prompts, with an additional 10 for an "Advanced" experience. Naturally, I plan to do all 50 like I did in 2020. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment! You can get all the information on this challenge here. No sign up is required.
Although I do this challenge every year, 2020 was the first year I actually completed it. It's a fun one, so I'm doing it again in 2021. The aim is to read one book set in every state, plus D.C. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
If you enjoy mysteries, this is a morbid but fun challenge. You read murder mysteries, keep track of the body count, and earn points for every corpse you add to the morgue. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
I've been enjoying cozy mysteries lately, so I'm going to take on this one as well. There are different levels. I'm going to play it safe and go with the lowest one, "Peckish," which requires reading 25 cozies. Shouldn't be too tough. I hope. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
Think you can read 52 books in 52 weeks? Then this is the challenge for you! It has 52 prompts to fulfill by the end of the year. You can get all the information on this challenge and sign up here.
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Think I can do complete all these? I do. Which challenges are you excited about this year? If you're still looking for 2021 challenges, don't forget to check out my Ready for a Reading Challenge blog. If you're hosting a challenge that you don't see listed over there, please let me know so I can get it in my database. Wish me luck with my reading challenges and best of luck with yours!
Another Year in the Books
3:07 PM
We did it! We made it to 2021! Happy New Year, everyone!
I know I'm a little bit late to the party, but things have been a little hectic around here. My son and his beautiful bride were married on Saturday. It was a lovely event in every way and even though it was stressful to hold a wedding during the holidays, it was a fun way to start the new year.
Now that my company has gone home, I can turn my attention to looking at my reading stats from 2020. It's always interesting and fun for me to look back at what I read and how it compares/contrasts with other years' numbers. So, without further ado, here we go:
Total Books Read: 191 - Although I did not meet my goal of reading 200 books, I got pretty darn close. I blew past last year's total of 168 and even beat my all-time record of 186 (from 2011). Not bad!
Number of fiction books read: 183 (96%)
Number of non-fiction books read: 8 (4%)
Number of adult books read: 119 (62%)
Number of YA books read: 23 (12%)
Number of MG books read: 49 (26%)
Number of books by female authors: 164 (86%)
Number of books by male authors: 22 (12%)
Number of books by multiple authors, male and female: 5 (2%)
Number of books read, personal collection: 37 (19%)
Number of books read, review copies: 53 (28%)
Number of books read, borrowed from library: 101 (53%)
Number of books read, paper: 126 (66%)
Number of books read, electronic: 60 (31%)
Number of books read, audio: 6 (3%)
Number of reading challenges joined: 8
Number of reading challenges completed: 6
For the Literary Escapes Challenge, I kept track of the states and countries where the books I read took place. The top three states I visited most were: California, New York, and North Carolina (a three-way tie as I read 11 books set in each). The top three countries besides the U.S. were: England (13), France (3), and Russia (3).
As is true every year, in 2020 I read mostly adult fiction set in the United States that was written by women. Unlike other years, the majority of the books I read this year came from the library, which is interesting since my local libraries were not open for several months because of the pandemic. In previous years, I've read mostly review books. Another big change this year is that I completed almost all of the reading challenges I signed up for. That has never happened before!
Overall, I have to say that 2020 was a very good reading year for me. I'm hoping 2021 will be even better. How did your year in reading go?
Just for my records, the following is a list of books I read this year:
BOOKS READ IN 2020 (ASTERISKS DENOTE FAVORITES)
- 191. THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD BY LAURA MCHUGH (DEC)
- 190. THE ARCTIC FURY BY GREER MACALLISTER (DEC)
- 189. SUGAR AND VICE BY EVE CALDER (DEC)
- 188. BORN A CRIME BY TREVOR NOAH (DEC)
- 187. THE TWENTY-ONE BALLOONS BY WILLIAM PENE DU BOIS (DEC)
- 186. THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD BY AGATHA CHRISTIE (DEC)
- 185. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT BY CHRIS BOHJALIAN (DEC)
- 184. WITHOUT A BREW BY ELLIE ALEXANDER (DEC)
- 183. THE ONLY BLACK GIRLS IN TOWN BY BRANDY COLBERT (DEC)
- 182. VIVA JACQUELINA! BY L.A. MEYER* (DEC)
- 181. THE FAMILY ROMANOV BY CANDACE FLEMING (DEC)
- 180. DRAGON PEARL BY YOON HA LEE (DEC)
- 179. ROOM BY EMMA DONOGHUE (DEC)
- 178. HUNGRY HEARTS BY VARIOUS AUTHORS (DEC)
- 177. BEAUTY AND THE BARON BY JOANNA BARKER (DEC)
- 176. THE SIMPLE FAITH OF MISTER ROGERS BY AMY HOLLINGSWORTH (DEC)
- 175. THE LOOP BY BEN OLIVER* (DEC)
- 174. WHEN I HIT THE ROAD BY NANCY J. CAVANAUGH (DEC)
- 173. THE TRUTH PROJECT BY DANTE MEDEMA (DEC)
- 172. PINE ISLAND HOME BY POLLY HORVATH (DEC)
- 171. A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS [RE-READ]* (DEC)
- 170. SHOOT THE MOON BY BILLIE LETTS (DEC)
- 169. AS YOU WISH BY CHELSEA SEDOTI (NOV)
- 168. A PROMISE FOR ELLIE BY LAURAINE SNELLING (NOV)
- 167. COOP KNOWS THE SCOOP BY TARYN SOUDERS (NOV)
- 166. A SEPARATE PEACE BY JOHN KNOWLES (NOV)
- 165. CODE TALKER BY JOSEPH BRUCHAC (NOV)
- 164. MURDER AT THE BREAKERS BY ALYSSA MAXWELL (NOV)
- 163. SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE BY JO WATSON HACKL (NOV)
- 162. GOLD RUSH GIRL BY AVI (NOV)
- 161. STATE OF THE ONION BY JULIE HYZY (NOV)
- 160. THE SEARCHER BY TANA FRENCH (NOV)
- 159. LIGHTING TREE BY SARAH DUNSTER (NOV)
- 158. SURVIVING SAVANNAH BY PATTI CALLAHAN (NOV)
- 157. CLEAN GETAWAY BY NIC STONE (NOV)
- 156. WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR BY ALLY CARTER (NOV)
- 155. EVERY MISSING PIECE BY MELANIE CONKLIN (NOV)
- 154. BROTHER'S KEEPER BY JULIE LEE* (NOV)
- 153. MY LIFE IN THE FISH TANK BY BARBARA DEE (NOV)
- 152. ISAIAH DUNN IS MY HERO BY KELLY J. BAPTIST (OCT)
- 151. STARTING FROM SENECA FALLS BY KAREN SCHWABACH (OCT)
- 150. MY LIFE AS A POTATO BY ARIANNE COSTNER* (OCT)
- 149. WE DREAM OF SPACE BY ERIN ENTRADA KELLY (OCT)
- 148. CLOSER TO NOWHERE BY ELLEN HOPKINS (OCT)
- 147. DRESS CODED BY CARRIE FIRESTONE (OCT)
- 146. EFREN DIVIDED BY ERNESTO CISNEROS (OCT)
- 145. HERE IN THE REAL WORLD BY SARA PENNYPACKER (OCT)
- 144. STAND UP, YUMI CHUNG! BY JESSICA KIM (OCT)
- 143. WHAT STARS ARE MADE OF BY SARAH ALLEN (OCT)
- 142. THE CANYON'S EDGE BY DUSTI BOWLING (OCT)
- 141. FIGHTING WORDS BY KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY* (OCT)
- 140. THE AMELIA SIX BY KRISTIN L. GRAY (OCT)
- 139. A PLACE AT THE TABLE BY SAADIA FARUQI AND LAURA SHOVAN* (OCT)
- 138. BEFORE THE EVER AFTER BY JACQUELINE WOODSON (OCT)
- 137. THE WESTING GAME BY ELLEN RASKIN (OCT)
- 136. WAYS TO MAKE SUNSHINE BY RENEE WATSON (OCT)
- 135. WE COULD BE HEROES BY MARGARET FINNEGAN (OCT)
- 134. ECHO MOUNTAIN BY LAUREN WOLK (OCT)
- 133. TUNE IT OUT BY JAMIE SUMNER (OCT)
- 132. LAND OF THE CRANES BY AIDA SALAZAR (OCT)
- 131. WARRIORS DON'T CRY BY MELBA PATILLO BEALS (OCT)
- 130. THE ONE AND ONLY BOB BY KATHERINE APPLEGATE (OCT)
- 129. THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN BY KATHERINE APPLEGATE* [RE-READ] (OCT)
- 128. FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS BY NATALIE D. RICHARDS (OCT)
- 127. BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER BY JEWELL PARKER RHODES (OCT)
- 126. SEVEN CLUES TO HOME BY GAE POLISNER AND NORA RALEIGH BASKIN (OCT)
- 125. THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE BY REBECCA STEAD (OCT)
- 124. THE INHERITANCE GAMES BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES (OCT)
- 123. BLOOD SISTERS BY JANE CORRY (OCT)
- 122. THE STREEL BY MARY LOGUE (OCT)
- 121. BEYOND VALOR BY JON ERWIN AND WILLIAM DOYLE (OCT)
- 120. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD BY HARPER LEE [RE-READ] (OCT)
- 119. PRAIRIE LOTUS BY LINDA SUE PARK (SEP)
- 118. THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES BY GRADY HENDRIX (SEP)
- 117. AND THEN THERE WERE CRUMBS BY EVE CALDER (SEP)
- 116. THE EAGLE CATCHER BY MARGARET COEL (SEP)
- 115. SHE GETS THAT FROM ME BY ROBIN WELLS (SEP)
- 114. CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL BY KATHRYN LASKY* (SEP)
- 113. A LIGHT IN THE STORM BY KAREN HESSE (SEP)
- 112. THE FOUR WINDS BY KRISTIN HANNAH (SEP)
- 111. AFTER ANATEVKA BY ALEXANDRA SILBER (SEP)
- 110. REBECCA BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER (SEP)
- 109. THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS BY ANNE BLANKMAN (SEP)
- 108. NO FILTER BY HEATHER DAY GILBERT (SEP)
- 107. LONG, BRIGHT RIVER BY LIZ MOORE (SEP)
- 106. THE DROWNING KIND BY JENNIFER MCMAHON (SEP)
- 105. THE STOLEN MARRIAGE BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN* (SEP)
- 104. EVERY LAST FEAR BY ALEX FINLAY (AUG)
- 103. THE NIGHT SWIM BY MEGAN GOLDIN (AUG)
- 102. DEATH IN KEW GARDENS BY JENNIFER ASHLEY (AUG)
- 101. THE CHILDREN'S BLIZZARD BY MELANIE BENJAMIN (AUG)
- 100. WINTER GARDEN BY KRISTIN HANNAH (AUG)
- 99. SOMEONE'S LISTENING BY SERAPHINA NOVA GLASS (AUG)
- 98. WITH OR WITHOUT YOU BY CAROLINE LEAVITT (AUG)
- 97. PREMEDITATED PEPPERMINT BY AMANDA FLOWER (AUG)
- 96. AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD BY KELLY MCWILLIAMS (JUL)
- 95. FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON BY JANAE MARKS (JUL)
- 94. THE IMPERFECTS BY AMY MEYERSON* (JUL)
- 93. BE NOT FAR FROM ME BY MINDY MCGINNIS (JUL)
- 92. THE SILENT HOUSE BY NELL PATTISON (JUL)
- 91. A DEADLY INSIDE SCOOP BY ABBY COLLETTE (JUL)
- 90. RECURSION BY BLAKE CROUCH (JUL)
- 89. THE LAST WIFE BY KAREN HAMILTON (JUL)
- 88. FRACTURED TIDE BY LESLIE LUTZ (JUL)
- 87. THE WOMAN IN THE GREEN DRESS BY TEA COOPER* (JUL)
- 86. EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS BY PETER SWANSON (JUL)
- 85. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH BY GILLY MACMILLAN (JUN)
- 84. NECESSARY LIES BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN* (JUN)
- 83. BEYOND THE HORIZON BY LOIS LOWRY* (JUN)
- 82. THAT SUMMER IN MAINE BY BRIANNA WOLFSON (JUN)
- 81. A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER BY HOLLY JACKSON (JUN)
- 80. SHOW ME A SIGN BY ANN CLARE LEZOTTE (JUN)
- 79. THE VANISHING DEEP BY ASTRID SCHOLTE (JUN)
- 78. THE GUEST LIST BY LUCY FOLEY (JUN)
- 77. RED SKY OVER HAWAII BY SARA ACKERMAN (JUN)
- 76. GARDEN OF STONES BY SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD (JUN)
- 75. THE BITTER AND SWEET OF CHERRY SEASON BY MOLLY FADER (JUN)
- 74. STRANGER IN THE LAKE BY KIMBERLY BELLE (JUN)
- 73. THE PRISONER'S WIFE BY MAGGIE BROOKES (JUN)
- 72. WHERE DREAMS DESCEND BY JANELLA ANGELES (JUN)
- 71. THIS IS BIG BY MARISA MELTZER (MAY)
- 70. THE LAST BLUE BY ISLA MORLEY* (MAY)
- 69. REVIVING THE HAWTHORN SISTERS BY EMILY CARPENTER (MAY)
- 68. THIS IS HOW I LIED BY HEATHER GUDENKAUF (MAY)
- 67. ABANDON BY BLAKE CROUCH (MAY)
- 66. THE DEEP BY ALMA KATSU (MAY)
- 65. THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS BY MEGAN MIRANDA (MAY)
- 64. WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS BY ERIN BARTELS (MAY)
- 63. BEST BEHAVIOR BY WENDY FRANCIS (MAY)
- 62. THE SUMMER VILLA BY MELISSA HILL (MAY)
- 61. THE MOUNTAIN MIDWIFE BY LAURIE ALICE EAKES (MAY)
- 60. ONE BY ONE BY RUTH WARE (MAY)
- 59. LETHAL LICORICE BY AMANDA FLOWERS (APR)
- 58. THE CUTTING PLACE BY JANE CASEY (APR)
- 57. THE SEA OF LOST GIRLS BY CAROL GOODMAN (APR)
- 56. THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS BY LISA WINGATE* (APR)
- 55. WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW BY CINDY BALDWIN (APR)
- 54. BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND BY HEATHER GUDENKAUF (APR)
- 53. ASSAULTED CARAMEL BY AMANDA FLOWER (APR)
- 52. SUNRISE ON HALF MOON BAY BY ROBYN CARR (APR)
- 51. MR. NOBODY BY CATHERINE STEADMAN (APR)
- 50. TRUTHS I NEVER TOLD YOU BY KELLY RIMMER (APR)
- 49. THE MARK OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON BY L.A. MEYER (APR)
- 48. A SINGLE LIGHT BY TOSCA LEE (APR)
- 47. THE LINE BETWEEN BY TOSCA LEE (APR)
- 46. THE SPLIT BY SHARON BOLTON* (APR)
- 45. TIGERS, NOT DAUGHTERS BY SAMANTHA MABRY (APR)
- 44. GIRL WAITS WITH GUN BY AMY STEWART* (APR)
- 43. SPRINKLE WITH MURDER BY JENN MCKINLAY (MAR)
- 42. WHO RESCUED WHO BY VICTORIA SCHADE (MAR)
- 41. THE UNHONEYMOONERS BY CHRISTINA LAUREN* (MAR)
- 40. REBEL SPY BY VERONICA ROSSI (MAR)
- 39. FOREVER FRIENDS BY SARAH MACKENZIE (MAR)
- 38. THIN ICE BY PAIGE SHELTON (MAR)
- 37. A CONSPIRACY OF BONES BY KATHY REICHS* (MAR)
- 36. THE LAST TIME I LIED BY RILEY SAGER (MAR)
- 35. LOCK EVERY DOOR BY RILEY SAGER (MAR)
- 34. A ROOM FULL OF BONES BY ELLY GRIFFITHS (MAR)
- 33. DRY BY NEAL AND JARROD SHUSTERMAN (MAR)
- 32. THE LIGHT IN HIDDEN PLACES BY SHARON CAMERON* (MAR)
- 31. WHEN WE WERE LOST BY KEVIN WIGNALL (MAR)
- 30. THE WISH AND THE PEACOCK BY WENDY S. SWORE (MAR)
- 29. THE LUCKY ONE BY LORI RADER-DAY (MAR)
- 28. THE SWEENEY SISTERS BY LIAN DOLAN (MAR)
- 27. AFTER THE FLOOD BY KASSANDRA MONTAG (MAR)
- 26. THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK BY KIM MICHELE RICHARDSON* (FEB)
- 25. TOMORROW THERE WILL BE SUN BY DANA REINHARDT (FEB)
- 24. THE PERFECT GHOST BY LINDA BARNES (FEB)
- 23. PEACE LIKE A RIVER BY LEIF ENGER [RE-READ] (FEB)
- 22. MINOR DRAMAS AND OTHER CATASTROPHES BY KATHLEEN WEST (FEB)
- 21. FLAT BROKE WITH TWO GOATS BY JENNIFER MCGAHA (FEB)
- 20. WHERE THE LOST WANDER BY AMY HARMON* (FEB)
- 19. DARLING ROSE GOLD BY STEPHANIE WROBEL (FEB)
- 18. THE SUN DOWN MOTEL BY SIMONE ST. JAMES* (FEB)
- 17. THE VINEYARDS OF CHAMPAGNE BY JULIET BLACKWELL (FEB)
- 16. THE SECRETS OF BONES BY KYLIE LOGAN (FEB)
- 15. THE WAKE OF THE LORELEI LEE BY L.A. MEYER* (JAN)
- 14. THE ILLUSIONIST'S APPRENTICE BY KRISTY CAMBRON (JAN)
- 13. THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE BY KRISTIN HANNAH (JAN)
- 12. THE HOLLOWS BY JESS MONTGOMERY* (JAN)
- 11. SECOND SIGHT BY AOIFE CLIFFORD (JAN)
- 10. WONTON TERROR BY VIVIEN CHIEN (JAN)
- 9. TWEET CUTE BY EMMA LORD (JAN)
- 8. YOU WERE THERE TOO BY COLLEEN OAKLEY (JAN)
- 7. THE OTHER HALF OF MY HEART BY SUNDEE T. FRAZIER (JAN)
- 6. BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN* (JAN)
- 5. SPECTACLE BY JODIE LYNN ZDROK (JAN)
- 4. A MURDEROUS RELATION BY DEANNA RAYBOURN (JAN)
- 3. FIRST CUT BY JUDY MELINEK AND T.J. MITCHELL (JAN)
- 2. THE BLACK HOUR BY LORI RADER-DAY (JAN)
- 1. CHRISTMAS BELLS BY JENNIFER CHIAVERINI (JAN)
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