I decided not to partake in any reading challenges this year, but I did make my own (kind-of/semi) challenge of sorts. A list of must-read-soon books and some authors I wanted to finally read. I talked about it here, along with some other reading goals. All up, I did tick off some books, but mostly, I failed. And hey, I’m okay with that. There’s next year.
But let’s chat what I did get to finally read:
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales - This was probably the most hyped book of 2013 and no freaking wonder. I loved it.
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey - I’d heard really great things about this from fellow Aussie readers and am glad to report I really liked it. It’s a book I’d definitely re-read and an author I’ll definitely be checking out in the future. Plus, there’s a movie in the works for next year and I plan to drag my whole family to see it.
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg - I enjoyed this, and especially loved the way it dealt with labels.
Where She Went by Gayle Forman - In my goal post, I said: I wasn’t a fan of If I Stay, but apparently I just have to read this one. I’ve been told it’s better than the first. The verdict? I’m so happy to report back: I loved it! Goes to show that even if you’re not a fan of a book, doesn’t mean you won’t like the next one in the series or by the same author.
Courtney Summers: I finally read one of her books this year and unfortunately can’t say I’m a fan (yet!), but I’m going to chalk it it down to it not being the right book for me. I will be checking out her others, specifically the one I wanted to read in the first place: This is Not A Test.
I did not read Don’t Let Me Go by J.H. Trumble or books by A.S. King, Maggie Stiefvater or E. Lockhart, but I do know now own copies! I call this a step in the right direction.
I also ticked off a few either for the time being or for good. Some because the book or voice wasn’t for me; others because my brain wasn’t up to it (I’m looking at you, fantasy.)
My original challenge was nearly 30 books and that didn’t even include to-read-authors, so considering I kind of sucked at reading this year, I didn’t do half bad. I really enjoyed setting my own chilled out challenge and I’ll definitely be doing it again next year. I found it really makes you examine your TBR and assess which books and authors you’d like to read soon. And as someone who has 1000+ books on her Goodreads account, that is a good thing to do every now and then. And I'm sure many of you will agree.
Did you set yourself a challenge this year? Reading or otherwise? How did you fare? If not, would you do a DIY challenge next year? What about other 2015 reading challenges? Oh? And if you like things of the challenging sorts, keep your eyes peeled...