I’ve decided to do something different about challenges this year to make them more challenging. Or rather more about what I want to do with reading and blogging. So rather than following a bunch of challenges, I’m lumping them into Bookish Resolutions. I enjoyed the ones I have done like New Release, Audiobooks and Beat the Backlist. I also did well, easily with them. I will always do COYER.
I am a co-host of this challenge. I’ll still share reviews and savings for it. I just set a number goal or go for prizes. If you want the details, all the posts are at Library Love on the upper menu and here is the sign-up.
Library-Love 2020 sign-up is HERE
It’s harder to set up these goals and even track them depending on what you want to accomplish. But I’m going to give it a try and comment on my progress periodically.
- I did the Blog-ahead challenge once last year and it was very beneficial. It taught me some things I have been applying regularly to keep ahead. The one I want to do here is to set up the post shells for my ARCs the same week I receive them.
- I used to always do an amazing job with Netgalley and reviewing ARCs on a timely basis. Now I get ARCs from like 10 audiobook publishers and they aren’t all in one nice place to track. I have created my TBR spreadsheet where they either get scheduled in when I request /receive them but I have a few older ones. I need to request less and clean up the ones I already have which are not scheduled. I will need to improve the system so I don’t let them get old by both requesting less and scheduling more immediately.
- I want to read some of the books I have purchased. They are the last thing I read. ARCS and library books have due dates so they get read first. They are on my 3tbr or 9kfree shelf in Goodreads. I think I should try to read at least 3 a month, so 36 books this year. I own all the Mercy Thompson ebooks for the Read-along, but I may do some on audio from the library instead which won’t count. We will see if I can improve that over time. This is similar to Mount TBR or some other challenges but I want to get to my reading this year more than tracking. My Thrifty Thursday books will count for this tracking.
- In general, I want to read more books I just want to read, whatever the source, without doing as much tracking. This means somewhat less ARCs and definitely less blog tours. But that isn’t something easy to make a quantifiable objective.
- Participate in the May Read-a-Series in a Month.
- Participate in the Oct/Nov Read-a-Series in a Month.
- Host the Top 10 Meme for the week of Christmas holidays. Provide graphic and linkys, support and promote all who participate.
- Do something more with June is Audiobook Month. Write at least one discussion post for it.
- Create the Library Love monthly email / newsletter. It contains the details of that month’s giveaway and the linkups. I also write a short discussion post with information / links relating to library events / information. (For January, this was about National Braille Literacy month)
Blogger at Books of My Heart
I can't really remember any time when I wasn't reading. I LOVE books and what they give me. It's an opportunity to learn new things, see new places,live different emotions in a "safe" way. It lets me live in a new world.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
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Good Luck!
Thank you! It’s a less quantifiable goal but I think I need to do some different things this year.
Good luck with your goals, Anne! I haven’t participated in a blog ahead challenge, but I do know it makes a difference when I can at least get the skeleton of posts done ahead of time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that I can manage even that. I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do on my blog, but am not sure yet if I will be able to manage it all. I always have such good intentions the beginning of each year, but as the year gets under way, I have trouble keeping up.
I hope you have a great 2020, Anne!
Thank you! That is why I find, for me, it is important to do the skeletons when I get the ARC. I have a Google calendar which everything is tracked with my co-bloggers. I have my spreadsheet I work from for reading and tracking ARCs from multiple sources. I’ve really improved it a LOT this year and now I just need to keep the system going and maybe learn a few more refinements for it.
I know exactly what you mean about wanting to do challenges, but not the time consuming part of submitting tracking numbers. Great idea to just make them resolutions and do just a few challenges.
Looking forward to seeing you hit 100% on your resolutions.
Thank you! I was way over on all the challenges this year. And I enjoy them. But I need some goals which are more subjective or different this year. I could do something like Mount TBR and the Discussion Challenge but that means learning how they work and do tracking, when this way I can focus on the goal, track it in my own way, and read more.
Good luck with your challenges/resolutions, Anne?
Thank you! I love the challenges but I need to focus on reading and meeting goals rather than tracking and figuring out challenges this year. And I’m hosting one! So it’s off on new things.
Good luck with your goals. I have been noticing more and more bloggers stating that they want to read more of their own books. I know that is one of my goals.
Yes I’ve noticed it more. There are some challenges around it. I did lots of challenges last year, which were easy and really didn’t take much effort other than the tracking. I want to do some challenges which take less tracking but more reading and effort on learning or developing new things, if that makes sense. I love COYER and will always do that. I’m glad to be hosting Library Love because I do believe in it.
I still need to do a post about mine. Like you , COYER is always a go but I want to do library love and What an Animal. I also found a horror one on Facebook I’m interested in. Good luck! Plus I host a February one called “They Call it Puppy Love” so I’ll be participating as well.
yes, some shorter things like COYER and the ReadASeries in a month make sense to me. The year long challenges have helped me develop some good habits but it’s time to learn new things. Blog Ahead challenge was excellent and I recommend doing it at least once to think about how to organize some things and stay on top of it, doing what you can in advance.
Some really good goals up there. I think that making sure you read some stuff you bought and know you are going to probably enjoy is huge. There are so many times I enjoy an arc but don’t get as excited about them as I do for some other authors.
Got to keep reading fun! I like the challenge to do a series in a month reading and June being audiobook month. I’m sure you can do it all!!!
Well I have to define my goals to be able to work toward them so that’s a start. There are different ways to get there too. I could do Mount TBR challenge which I’ve seen others do but I have a slightly different focus and making my own goals means I can focus more directly and not spend time on tracking.
Good luck with your goals and challenges!!
Thank you!
These are great goals!! Good luck!
Thank you!
You’ve got some great goals! I’m definitely in for the year end posts again. And maybe we can do some JIAM together! Here’s to a great 2020!!
Thank you! I’d love to do some JIAM together. I have a couple ideas – I’ll email you this weekend, when I have a chance to put my thoughts together a bit.
Good luck with your challenges, Anne! I’m 100% with you on wanting to read more of your own books rather than always reading arcs etc.
With mine, I’ve tried to ensure as much freedom as I need to balance the fact I’m a moody mood reader with actually challenging myself this year. I still plan on joining in with random read-a-tons during the year like Series in A Month and HoHoHo RAT. 🙂
Yes exactly! Shorter challenges will allow some interaction without as much time tracking and updating. Well it wouldn’t be as much if I didn’t read so many books. But I still want to read lots of books and audio lets me do that more easily.