2019 Beat the Backlist Challenge TBR

Yes, this sign-up post is a little late. I think I might have left my brain and motivation back in 2018. But I still must press on. The 2019 Beat the Backlist challenge is hosted by Austine @ NovelKnight and is designed to help you tackle all the backlist books on your TBR. You can read any kind of book for this challenge as long as the publication date is 2018 or earlier and you start and finish it in 2019. This is my first time joining this challenge and I will be using the opportunity to get to my physical backlist TBR. I’m listing ten books for the challenge. These are my priority backlist books, but I am hoping to get to more throughout the year. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – I said I was going to get to this one when it came out last summer and the months just kept going by. There were even times when I could have read it at the end of the year, but didn’t. 

2. American Panda by Gloria Chao – I remember when this came out early in 2018, how much praise it received. I got so excited, I ended up buying the book and then never picking it up. Why am I like this?

3. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan – I eyed this one for months before all the great reviews for it finally convinced me to buy it. Honestly, I think I’m a little afraid of how emotional this one is going to make me.

4. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erica L. Sánchez – Why has it taken me so long to read a book that seems written for me? I think all my expectations have kept me from cracking this one open. I’ve had this one almost since its release in late 2017.

5. Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman – Do you ever follow authors on Twitter and RT stuff about their books, but have never actually read anything by them yet? This is me with Bowman. I know in my bones that I will love this one and yet…

6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab – I blame the hype for this one for keeping me away. I want to read it and I’ve loved everything else she’s written, but there are so many expectations. I’m a little nervous. I’ve had this one on my shelf since 2015.

7. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch – I credit the blogging community for putting this one on my TBR and then subsequently buying myself a copy. I credit myself for having not read it yet. This year will be the year that I do. I hope.

8. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – With the final book in this series releasing, I feel behind on this series. My goal is to read this second book and hopefully find time for the third this year as well.

9. Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust – I’ve had this one for a while. It’s from one of my book hauls from Book Outlet. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the writing, but I just haven’t found the time to read it. I am determined to finally pick this one up this year. I can do it.

10. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez – I won a copy of this book a couple of years ago and I wanted to read it really badly and then failed miserably at actually picking it up. It’s another one of those emotional books I’ve put off because I know I need to be in the right mindset before I read it.

Did you enjoy any of these books? Which book from my list should I pick up first? Are you participating in the Beat the Backlist challenge? Leave me a link in the comments to your TBR and I will be sure to check it out.

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August ’17 Reading Challenges Recap

Where did this summer go? I had several challenges going on at once over the past three months. I don’t usually take part in a lot of reading challenges, but thanks to these challenges, I ended up finally picking up several books on my TBR as well as reading books I probably would have put off otherwise.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I’ve officially completed this challenge for the year. Yay, me! I will still be keeping track of any other debuts I picked up, but I’m delighted that I’ve read so many new authors. In August, I read Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn and Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 13 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. Not sure if I should really count this fantasy novel toward this challenge, but I’m doing it anyway because I can. This month I read Meg Kassel’s Black Bird of the Gallows.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 13 books

3. Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews and runs June through August. The goal of this challenge is to get as many BINGOs as you can using the Bingo card below. I was so close to getting a couple of more BINGOs compared to last month, but I never realized how hard it is to find a book with a red cover. Seriously, I only have like two books on my TBR with a red cover. Publishers, what gives? I read such a wide range of books thanks to this challenge and even though not all of them were favorites, enough of them were that I’m glad I participated this summer. Final BINGO card below and full list of books I picked up for the challenge.

Books Read Toward This Challenge:

• Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee (Ace rep) – review coming soon.
• Matilda by Roald Dahl (over 5 years old)
• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (thriller) – my review.
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Latinx MC) – my review.
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston (book about fandom) – my review.
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (LGBT+) – my review.
• Lucky in Love by Kasie West (summer release) – my review.
• My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (family drama) – review coming soon.
• Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman (sequel) – my review.
• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (name in title) – my review.
• Three Dark Crown by Kendare Blake (royalty) – my review.
• Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser (book with a map) – my review.
• Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (author from another continent) – my review.
• Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh (flowers on the cover) – my review.
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (outside your comfort zone)

How did you do with your reading challenges this summer? Are there any reading challenges you will be participating in this fall?

July ’17 Reading Challenges Recap

Once again I am posting an update of my reading challenges apart from my wrap-up post. This past month I made a lot of headway in a couple of the challenges I am taking part in and am feeling extra confident when it comes to completing them.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I added two more debut books (Ashley Poston’s Geekerella & Sarah Tolcser’s Song of the Current) to my current count regarding this challenge. Let’s be real, this challenge’s goal is basically in the bag.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 11 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. Hey now, I actually read a few books this past month toward this challenge which makes me feel loads better about reaching my goal. In July I read the following fantasy novels: Zen Cho’s Sorcerer to the Crown, Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns, and Sarah Tolcser’s Song of the Current.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 12 books

3. Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews and runs June through August. The goal of this challenge is to get as many BINGOs as you can using the Bingo card below. I did better than expected with regard to reading books for this challenge. My Bingo card is looking so much better compared to last month and hey, I got a couple of bingos this month! I’m aiming for three more bingos by the end of August.

Books Read Toward This Challenge in July:

• Matilda by Roald Dahl (over 5 years old)
• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (thriller)
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Latinx MC)
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston (book about fandom)
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (LGBT+)
• Lucky in Love by Kasie West (summer release)
• Three Dark Crown by Kendare Blake (royalty)
• Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser (book with a map)
• Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (author from another continent)

My August TBR for this challenge includes:

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
• The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

How did you do with your reading challenges in July? Any challenges that you’re struggling with? Leave me a link to any reading challenges wrap-up post you do for July.

June ’17 Reading Challenges Recap

I normally include my reading challenges recap in my monthly wrap-up post, but since I am taking part in the Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo, I wanted to spend a little more time on a recap of it. This year I’ve signed up for three separate reading challenges. I like the idea of challenges, but they sometimes come with some added stress for those of us determined to achieve their end goals (me, I’m talking about me). I’m more or less feeling confident with the challenges below or at least trying to.

1. The 2017 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I’ve been doing some stellar reading when it comes to this challenge, but I think this is the first month where I haven’t actually picked up a debut novel. No sweat though, I think I’ll pretty easily meet this goal.

• Challenge Goal: 12 books; Current Count: 9 books

2. Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2017 is hosted by Alexa Loves Books and Hello, Cherry. I should be excelling at this challenge. Fantasy happens to be my favorite genre, but as of late, I’ve been picking up a lot more contemporary. Still, I have hope that I will succeed at this challenge by the end of the year. For June, I picked up Renée Ahdieh’s Flame in the Mist.

• Challenge Goal: 20 books; Current Count: 9 books

3. Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews and runs June through August. The goal of this challenge is to get as many BINGOs as you can using the Bingo card below. I did not get as much reading done for this challenge in June as I planned, but I didn’t pick up very many books to begin with. I have lofty plans for July. Below is an update of my card as well as books I’ve been eyeing for this challenge for July.

• A Sequel: The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
• Name in the Title: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
• Flowers on the Cover: Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

My Ambitious July TBR for this challenge includes:

• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
• Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
• Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston
• Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
• Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Are you participating in any of these challenges? How are you doing so far this year? Have any book recommendations for me for the 2017 Summer Bookish Bingo? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo

I’ve never participated in a bingo reading challenge before, but I’ve always found them to be really appealing. I think this challenge gives you a lot of room to work with and as a mood reader, this is really important to me. The Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. It takes place June through August and the goal is to get as many BINGOs as possible using the card above. I’ll be including an updated bingo card in my monthly wrap-ups just so I can keep track of my progress. There’s still time to join the fun if you’re interested. Also, I want to give a shout-out to Morgan @ The Bookish Beagle for bringing this challenge to my attention (thank you again!).

Have you taken part in a bingo reading challenge? Do you have a favorite challenge? Any strategy you use in order to ensure you get as many BINGOs as possible? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Emma Readalong: Announcement & Invitation

One of my goals for this year is to participate in a couple of buddy reads. I haven’t done many since joining the community, but I find having someone to read with can be a great motivator when it comes to tackling those books you’ve been putting off. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. I have far too many editions of her books and literally (okay, not literally) thrive off of adaptations. But strangely enough, I have never actually read her novel Emma. I’ve seen a number of adaptations and feel like I know the story quite well, but it is the only novel by her that I haven’t read.

Earlier this year I reached out to Jolien @ The Fictional Reader to see if she’d be interested in doing a buddy read and she said yes. Beginning March 10th, we’ll be reading Emma, but we’d also like to invite you to join us! If you’re a fan of Jane Austen like I am and would like to buddy read with us, we’d love to have you! If you haven’t read anything by her or are just trying to pick up more classics, you’d be a great addition to our buddy read as well!

The Details:

• Readalong will run from March 10th-March 31st
• Emma is divided into three volumes, so we’ll be tackling a volume a week
• Use the hastag #EmmaRAL to track your progress while you read
• We’ll be forming a DM group to have more in depth discussions regarding the book

If you are interested in joining us, you can leave a comment on this post or Jolien’s. Just leave us your Twitter handle, so we can add it to the group DM. You can also reach out to us on Twitter: Jolien @fictionalreader and Alicia @booknonsense. We look forward to you joining us for this readalong!