Well, here we are, halfway through the year (and what a year!) I thought I would do a reading challenge update to see how far I've got and chart my progress. This year I decided to do just two reading challenges, it hasn't quite ended up like that *cough* but those are the two I concentrated on for the first five months anyway.
First up, Bev's Mount TBR 2020.
I signed up to read 12 books for this challenge this year. So far I've read 10, 6 non-fiction and 4 fiction. That's not to say that I've only read 10 of my own books this year. In fact I've read 34, but of those 34 I decided that only 10 would qualify for Mount TBR because they're either long books or have been sitting on my TBR mountain since Noah and The Flood.
Next, The European Reading challenge which is being hosted by Rose City Reader.
I signed up for:
FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.
So far, I've read 8 books for this challenge. I've visited Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Albania, France, Italy, Austria and the UK. To all intents and purposes I've completed this one but have no intention of leaving it there. I'm hoping to read at least 10 books and if possible, more.
So for the first 5 months I kept to my intention of only doing 2 challenges. And then Carl came along with a delightful summer reading experience entitled, Venture Forth.
The idea is to spend June and July reading whatever you fancy and maybe fulfilling various prompts. My prompt list is in this post and so far I've read six books that qualify.
Another reading experience I loved the sound of is Rosemary's #ProjectPlaces. That runs till the end of December and simply involves reading books where the title is a place of some sort. My post about that is here and so far I've read 3 books that qualify. I intend to read a lot more.
So, that's my challenge update for the first six months of 2020. Hopefully the second six months will be equally productive.
10 comments:
You always do more then you sign up for! I am reading one you already read: The 9 of Us. I hope P is doing better <3
Congrats on making such good progress on all your reading challenges. I should have signed up for the Mount TBR one because I found myself reading a lot of my own books when my library was closed for so long and I totally could have rocked that one this year. Oh, well. The whole point is to enjoy what you're reading...and I have been doing that. :D
Your doing really well, Cath.
I haven't done a challenge in years, mainly because I forget about them until the end of the year and then I go crazy trying to read at least the minimum I signed up for. I used to do a Canadian book challenge every year that I really enjoyed because it forced me to research what was being written north of the border. Surprisingly little Canadian fiction makes its way into US bookstores, so we are largely oblivious to what's being written up there.
Cath, you are doing really well on challenges. For the Mount TBR challenge, why wouldn't you count the books that you have had for a long time? However, you have almost met your goal anyway. I think I am doing well on that one but I have not been keeping track.
For the European Challenge, I have read and reviewed seven but not linked them all. I have read four others that I can count once I review them. That is better than I thought. And I have more I want to read.
I have got to see where I am on Venture Forth also. That was the point when I got interested in reading Pern books, so that is a good thing.
Interesting that Sam mentioned the Canadian Reading challenge. I am going to start that one up soon, and I am reading A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny right now.
Pat: Yeah, I suppose I do tend to do more than I sign up for but just occasionally my enthusiasm runs out and I don't finish the challenge at all. LOL
How are you enjoying The Nine of Us?
Lark: Yep, you would've rocked Mt TBR. :-D When lockdown started I thought it was a golden opportunity to read off my own bookshelves and I've been doing just that. I had no idea I owned such excellent books! LOL
Sam: Thanks! I did have a go at the Canadian challenge a couple of years ago. I didn't finish it but enjoyed the books I read. I'm surprised to hear that little Canadian fiction makes its way south of the border. That's very odd.
Tracy: I think you misread what I said, the 10 books I'm counting are either long books or have been on my tbr pile for many years. At the beginning of the year I decided to just go for 12 books but to make those 12 really count. Suspect I'm going to go beyond 12 to be honest but am not going to commit to 24 until I'm sure I'll get there.
You're doing well with the European challenge, I have loads more I want to read too.
Good luck with the Canadian challenge, I'm tempted...
You have so much fun with your challenges!!! Been thinking of your husband.
You are right, I did misread it. I count anything I got before January 1, 2020, although I do agree that the ones that are important are the ones I have had for years. I wish I could stop buying books.
Nan: Yes, as long as they're fun I enjoy the challenges but when I do too many the fun goes out of it.
Peter's doing well, still suffering the effects of really strong antibiotics which he has to take for another couple of weeks, but apart from that he's much better in himself. Thanks for your concern.
Tracy: I seem to have used lockdown as an excuse to load lots of books onto my Kindle. I know they don't take up physical space on the shelves but I really ought to stop doing this. The trouble is I can't resist a 99p bargain!
I think you are making good progress and you can't let it consume you or what's the point?
Do you like to read outside? Hope the weather is cooperating and you and your husband can both relax a bit, although I suppose someone has to do the gardening. Last weekend as I was walking to the store, I took a picture of someone's house/front lawn which had a gentleman pruning, etc, thinking that I would write the owners a note asking for a recommendation. I realize my garden needs more upkeep than I am able to do. When I passed by on my return, the owner came out and gave me a piece of her mind for taking a picture of her house. I tried to explain that it was because I admired her landscaping and to remind myself to write her a note but she was very suspicious. I apologized several times and she finally gave me the gardener's contact information, after her next door neighbor said she knew me from the train. I suppose we just live in worrying times!
Constance: To be honest no, I'm not keen on reading outside. It's either too hot or too windy or someone's being noisy next door. I much prefer to be indoors in my favourite chair.
The garden is looking after itself at the moment, apart from the gardener who comes and mows the lawn. We got the veg garden in tip-top shape before Peter went into hospital so those are doing really well. The flower beds could do with some weeding but it's not a priority at the moment. I think your experience shows how jumpy people are right now, and underlines that good gardeners are as rare as hen's teeth!
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