BOOKS – TBR Challenges for 2016 – join me!
TBR Challenges for 2016 – join me! As you can see from my sample TBR (To Be Read) pile pictured above, I read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. As a reviewer, I have to have some way to keep track and stay on task as my reading volume grows, so this is what I’m doing this year.
I love reading challenges because they help me focus on reading some of the books in my TBR pile, aka lovingly called the TBR Mountain Range, which may have been overlooked for some time. I’m always sorting the piles and reading based on mood, so it’s good to have a different way of finding treasures buried in the stacks. Each year I list the books I’m reading for the year with a tagline and this year it’s TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2016 on this blog. You can easily follow all the books I’m reading with that tag or by clicking on the Books category at the top of my blog.
The last few years I’ve been participating in the GoodReads yearly challenge and last year I had my highest total of 68 books. This year I’m focusing on 50 books so that I still have time to blog about other topics near and dear to my heart. Here’s a link to my challenge and the books I’ve read so far. If you’ve never been a member of GoodReads before, come try it out. It’s fun. Make sure you request to be my friend here so we can follow each others progress and thoughts.
I nicknamed GoodReads “Facebook for Readers” because it is social in the same way where you “like” what’s in your feed that you appreciate, but it’s all about books. It’s also a great way to keep track of the books you own, what you’ve read and what you thought about them. After years of reading, I can’t always remember “why” I enjoyed a book just by the publisher’s blurb, so descriptions in my own words often bring the book back alive for me. That’s especially helpful when reading series books that come out slowly, year after year. I’m not big on re-reading books in a series in preparation for a new release, so my reviews save me from having to do that, or from feeling lost. I also use it as my shopping list by listing books in my “wishlist.” That keeps me from purchasing a book I already have and I can easily scan the bar code at the store to put it on my wishlist for later. Love the scan feature on the GoodReads app! It also gives you other like-minded souls to chat to about books when you’re bursting to talk to someone about what made you crazy, happy, or sad in your reading. Love my GoodReads friends!
This year, I decided to join two more challenges to up my game and keep me more on task reading books that have been languishing in my pile for quite some time. These won’t always be new books but treasures I’ve found and bought and then hoarded. Yes, I admit it. I hoard books. LOL I just can’t help it. It goes back to a time eons ago when I found myself with no books to read. So I went to my local library and read all their books in my preferred genre, historical romance. That’s about the time when I became a reviewer for Romance Junkies and I’ve never had empty book shelves since! Through conferences and contests and my own obsessed buying of books, I’ve created the monster, also lovingly called the TBR Mountain Range. Since I can’t bear to throw books away, I’ve got to read them!
Secondly, I’ve joined the TBR Challenge 2016 sponsored by Wendy at The Misadventures of Super Librarian blogspot. These reviews will come out on the third Wednesday of every month, with a theme to help me choose a book. I like that because it will make me dig deeper into my pile. There are quite a few bloggers involved, so you can follow this link or follow my links on the third Wednesday (first one tomorrow!). If you want to join us, just let Wendy know by commenting on this post.
Finally, I’ve also joined the Contemporary Romance 2016 Reading Challenge hosted by Jess at Gone with the Words and Danielle at Love at First Page. I used to dislike contemporary romance, much preferring historical romance but when the publishers stopped contracting as many historicals from authors, I had to find something else to read or go crazy. I found out that I was avoiding contemporary romance for no reason other than unfamiliarity and have fallen in love with them. Last year, I believe my contemporary reading was 1/3 of my total of 68 books so I know I might read as many as 25, but I’m going to be conservative with this challenge. I can always increase it as we go. I’m committing to 2nd Base: read 6 – 10 books.
Challenge Hashtag: #ContRom2016
You’re welcome to join any of the challenges with me. Just click the links and follow the directions. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I’m happy to help.
Here’s to a great New Year of reading!