Remember all those reading challenges for 2019 I was so excited about back in December of 2018? Turns out, 2019 had its own special set of challenges for me. Still, let’s take a look back and see how things went.
12 Children’s Classics for 2019 (hosted by Book Hippie)
Goal: 12 books (pre-selected by challenge rules)
Result: 1/12 (8.3%)
January: Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Finished: March 8)February: Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary LambMarch: Goody Two Shoes by McLoughlin Brothers April: The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. BostonMay: The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix PotterJune: Winnie the Pooh by A.A. MilneJuly: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahameAugust: Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas HughesSeptember: Tales of Mother Goose by Charles PerraultOctober: Peter and Wendy by J.M. BarrieNovember: Raggedy Ann & Andy by Johnny GruelleDecember: Nutcracker and Mouse-King by E.T.A. Hoffmann
2019 Middle Grade Reading Challenge (hosted by Becky’s Book Reviews)
Goal: 6 or More Books with optional checklist
Result: 10/6 (166%) (I know there were more, but I seem to have forgotten to log them somewhere in the middle of the year.)
- a Newbery Winner: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (finished February 11)
- a Newbery Honor: The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (finished February 14)
- realistic/contemporary: Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake (finished February 23)
- Author beginning with C: Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender (finished March 7)
- nonfiction: Camp Panda by Catherine Thimmesh (finished March 8)
- children’s book published in the 1880s: Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (finished March 8)
- historical fiction: Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransom (finished March 13)
- mystery: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (finished March 28)
- fantasy: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (finished December 3)
- any book in a series: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (finished December 21)
Back to the Classics (hosted by Books and Chocolate)
Goal: 12 books
Result: 2/12 (16.67%)
- 19th Century Classic (1800-1899): Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (finished March 8)
- Classic in Translation: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff (finished December 28)
20th Century Classic (1900-1969)Classic by a Woman AuthorClassic Comic NovelClassic Tragic NovelVery Long ClassicClassic NovellaClassic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean)Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes AustraliaClassic From a Place You’ve LivedClassic Play
Georgian Reading Challenge (hosted by Becky’s Book Reviews)
Goal: 4 books
Result: 0. Just didn’t happen.
Victorian Reading Challenge (hosted by Becky’s Book Reviews)
Goal: 20 books
Result: 1 (5%) – Little Lord Fauntleroy was the only one here.
Cruisin’ Thru The Cozies (hosted by Socrates’ Book Reviews)
Goal: 10 cozy mysteries
Result: 4 (40%)
- Paranormal: Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon (finished June 28)
- Based outside the US: A Dream of Death by Connie Berry (finished February 8)
- Career-based: Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates (finished May 30)
- Travel: Savasana at Sea by Ava Dunne (finished March 24)
CulinaryAnimal-relatedCraft-relatedHistoricalHoliday basedFreebie
Read Harder (Book Riot)
Goal: 24 Books
Result: 13 (54%)
- An epistolary novel or collection of letters: To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer (finished December 20)
An alternate history novel- A book by a woman and/or AOC (Author of Color) that won a literary award in 2018: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (finished January 2)
- A humor book: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (finished July 28)
A book by a journalist or about journalism- A book by an AOC set in or about space: The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum (finished April 24)
An #ownvoices book set in Mexico or Central AmericaAn #ownvoices book set in Oceania- A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads: Savasana at Sea by Ava Dunne (finished March 24)
- A translated book written by and/or translated by a woman: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff (finished December 28)
A book of mangaA book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view characterA book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse- A cozy mystery: Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon (finished June 28)
- A book of mythology or folklore: Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson (finished January 27)
- An historical romance by an AOC: An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (finished January 9)
A business book- A novel by a trans or nonbinary author: Hurricane Child by K. Callender
A book of nonviolent true crimeA book written in prison- A comic by an LGBTQIA creator: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (finished December 18)
- A children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009: Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (finished February 13)
A self-published book- A collection of poetry published since 2014: Wait for Me: The Irritations and Consolations of a Long Marriage by Judith Viorst (finished December 18)
Reading Women (Reading Women podcast)
Goal: 24 Books
Result: 9 (37.5%)
- A mystery or thriller written by a woman of color: Fatality in F by Alexia Gordon (finished June 28)
A book about a woman with a mental illnessA book by an author from Nigeria or New ZealandA book about or set in Appalachia- A children’s book: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (finished February 11)
A multigenerational family sagaA book featuring a woman in scienceA playA novellaA book about a woman athleteA book featuring a religion other than your ownA Lambda Literary Award winner- A myth retelling: Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson (finished January 27)
A translated book published before 1945A book written by a South Asian author- A book by an Indigenous woman: We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell (finished March 8)
A book from the 2018 Reading Women Award shortlist- A romance or love story: An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (finished January 9)
A book about nature- A historical fiction book: The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (finished January 19)
- A book you bought or borrowed in 2019: A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard (finished February 4)
A book you picked up because of the cover- Any book from a series: By Book or by Crook by Eva Gates (finished May 24)
- A young adult book by a woman of color: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (finished January 2)
BONUS: A book by Jesmyn WardBONUS: A book by Jhumpa Lahiri
Official TBR Pile Challenge (Roof Beam Reader)
Goal: 12 (pre-selected) books
Result: 1, but I didn’t post about it. Whoops.
Did I perhaps overcommit myself on challenges for 2019?
Mmmmm, possibly.
Am I going to let that stop me from signing up for more challenges in 2020?
Of course not. But more on that another time.