2021 Reading Challenge

With the exception of 2013, I’ve managed to meet or exceed my annual reading target on Goodreads. Sometimes I start low and adjust the number when I reach the goal earlier. Last year I wanted to read 52 books. I know a lot of people say I cheat because I listen to audiobooks, but I still consume the content so I feel it should count! I then adjusted the goal to 100. When I reached that I couldn’t really be bothered to adjust it again, so I just left it.

My goal for this year is 120 books and I’d love it if we could connect on Goodreads to track each other’s progress. You can find me here.

I often receive books from Penguin Random House and that helps me read paperbacks as well.

Let’s make things fun. I propose a challenge list. I’m hoping to do a book update at least once a month, and at the end of the year I will report back on how I’ve done on the challenge below – we can compare notes!

2021 reading challenge

  1. A book with more than 500 pages (audiobook of more than 8 hours)
  2. A classic romance
  3. A book that was made into a movie/TV series (sometimes books are created from the movie/series; we’ll allow that too)
  4. A book published this year
  5. A book with a number in the title
  6. A book you can finish in a day
  7. A book set in a location you’ve always wanted to visit
  8. A book that was first published in the year you were born
  9. A book with bad reviews (I usually say life is too short to waste on bad books, but if you select one specifically for this challenge you should finish it and tell me why you think it got bad reviews, do you agree, etc.)
  10. A book from your childhood
  11. A series – two or more books. Starting a series that you can’t read more of one book of because only one’s been published doesn’t count.
  12. A mystery
  13. A thriller
  14. A non-fiction
  15. A book with a colour in the title
  16. A book that made you cry
  17. A book you chose based on its cover
  18. A book a friend recommended
  19. A book your mom/dad loves
  20. A memoir
  21. A book from a genre you usually avoid.

If you reread a book that meets the criteria that is allowed, as long as you reread it in 2021.

Find books for the reading challenge

Books have become really expensive. If you want to go the audiobook route, Audible has some more affordable subscription services that you can treat like a normal library, lending books and returning them when you’re done. If you want to keep a book, the premium subscription is a bit more expensive.

During the lockdown, I’ve discovered Libby. I don’t have a library card, but you select your nearest library and they issue you a virtual card to get started. When you go into the library with your proof of residence you will likely get a physical card. They have a small selection of audiobooks and a solid selection of ebooks.

You can also sign up for Kindle Unlimited. They offer 30-day free trial. After that subscription is $9.99. Again, you can “take out” up to ten books at a time and return them for new ones as often as you want. Some of the ebooks have narration included, so if you’re in a good bit of the book but you need to do the dishes, you can try the audio while you do your chores and stay out of trouble!

OK! Let’s get this party/book club started!

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