2020 Reading Challenges

It's that time of year again! Time to choose my annual reading challenges ... oooh, such fun! I've chosen lots of old favorites, plus some new ones:

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2020 hosted by My Reader's Block

Last year, I read a whopping 45 books from my own shelves! But somehow, they are still piling up, so I'm going to attempt that again, shooting for Mt. Ararat at 48 books from my TBR shelves.

I have an entire TBR bookcase (that now has double rows on every shelf!), so I really need this challenge every year. Note that the host says its OK to count e-books and audio books, but I usually count only print books, as those are the ones physically piling up.

There are monthly summary link-ups (I will try to remember this year).

1. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
2. Recursion by Blake Crouch 
3. Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
4. Saturday by Ian McEwan 
5. OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
6. For Once in My Life by Colleen Coleman  
7. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut  
8. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
9. The Late Show by Michael Connelly
10. Go To Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley
11. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
12. Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
13. The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown
14. How to Write Nonfiction by Joanna Penn 
15. Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett 
16. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
17. Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos  
18. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
19. The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood 
20. Faithful Place by Tana French
21. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty  
22. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
23. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
24. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 
25. Normal People by Sally Rooney 
26. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
27. The Dry by Jane Harper  
28. The Door by Andy Marino 
    
29. The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
30. The Witch Elm by Tana French
31. The Sense of Death by Matty Dalrymple
32. August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones
33. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
34. Trespassers by Breena Bard
35. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
36. One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks 
37. Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
38. H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
39. The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer
40. The Great Chicago Fire: Rising from the Ashes by Kate Hannigan and Alex Graudins 
41. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
42. Displacement by Kiku Hughes
43. Finders Keepers by Stephen King
44. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
    

2020 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge hosted by Girlxoxo.

I enjoy this challenge every year! I only missed one monthly motif last year, so I will try to hit them all in 2020! This also has monthly review link-ups.

This year's motifs are:

JANUARY-  Winter Wonderland
Focusing on ‘wonderland’, read a book set in a truly wonderful place- somewhere you’ve always thought was beautiful, somewhere with a wonderfully rich culture, a snowy setting, or maybe even a magical realm. It’s your interpretation, so have fun with it. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

FEBRUARY- Seeing Red
Read a book with the word ‘red’ in the title OR a book with a red-ish cover. Bonus if it has both. Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

MARCH- Sub-Genre Sound Off
Choose a sub-genre of your favorite genre and read a book from it. Make sure you mention the sub genre you chose in your review. (Ex. Sub Genres of Fantasy could be Magical Realism, Fairytale Retellings, or Epic Fantasy to name just a few.) The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (historical fiction - WWII)

APRIL- Classics or Currents
Read a book published before the year you were born (classic-ish) OR a book published between April 2019 and April 2020 (current.) Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (published in 2020)

MAY- Author Introduction
Read a book written by an author who you’ve never read anything by. Bonus if its been on your TBR for more than a year. Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos (and on my TBR shelves for 8 years!!)

JUNE- Name or Number
Read a book in which a name OR a number is part of the title. Bonus if the title includes both a name and a number. Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht AND Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

JULY- Around or Out of this World 
Read a book set in a country other than the one you live in OR written by an author who is from a country other than your own OR read a book that takes place in space or on another planet. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata was set in Japan and written by a Japanese author.

AUGUST- Creature Feature
Read a book that includes a creature of some kind on the cover or in the story. Cat, dog, dragon, werewolf – mythical or real – find a book that features a creature.

SEPTEMBER- When Text Just Isn’t Enough
Read a book that includes more than just text. Maybe it’s a map, a family tree, illustrations, documents like emails or letters- something else that helps to paint the picture. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

OCTOBER- Thrills and Chills
Ghost stories, haunted houses, true crime, murder mysteries, a thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat- it’s up to you! The Sense of Death by Matty Dalrymple

NOVEMBER- Dynamic Duos
Read a book with a couple of characters that make the perfect pair whether in business or in love. (Ex. Sherlock & Holmes, Elizabeth & Darcy) Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald - Cosmo and his grandfather

DECEMBER- Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice
Holiday or winter themed reads, love stories and romances, happy cries, comedies; round out your year with a truly feel good read. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano - not a light read but hopeful and uplifting and a "hug it to your chest" book.

Back to the Classics hosted by Books and Chocolate.

Another one I am returning to this year. For the last three years, I aimed to read 6 classics and managed just 5 (and only 4 last year!), so I am once again setting my goal at 6 classics. I'm going to do it this year!! Here are the categories:

THE CATEGORIES: 

1. 19th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1800 and 1899.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

2. 20th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1900 and 1970. All books in this category must have been published at least 50 years ago. The only exceptions are books that were published posthumously but were written at least 50 years ago. 

3. Classic by a Woman Author.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

4. Classic in Translation. Any classic originally written in a novel other than your native language. You may read the book in your native language, or its original language (or a third language for all you polyglots). Modern translations are acceptable, as long as the book was originally published at least 50 years ago. Books in translation are acceptable in all other categories as well.

5. Classic by a Person of Color. Any classic work by a non-white author. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

6. A Genre Classic. Any classic novel that falls into a genre category -- fantasy, science fiction, Western, romance, crime, horror, etc.  Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. First name, last name or both. Examples include Ethan Frome; Emma; Madam Bovary; Anna Karenina; Daniel Deronda; David Copperfield, etc. 

8. Classic with a Place in the Title. Any classic with the proper name of a place (real or fictional) - a country, region, city, town, village, street, building, etc. Examples include Notre Dame de Paris; Mansfield Park; East of Eden; The Canterbury Tales; Death on the Nile; etc.

9. Classic with Nature in the Title. A classic with any element of nature in the title (not including animals). Examples include The Magic Mountain; The Grapes of Wrath; The Jungle; A High Wind in Jamaica; Gone With the Wind; Under the Volcano; etc.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

10. Classic About a Family. This classic should have multiple members of the same family as principal characters, either from the same generation or multiple different generations.  Updated: Family members in the title are also acceptable.Examples include Sense and Sensibility; Wives and Daughters; The Brothers Karamazov; Fathers and Sons; The Good Earth; Howards End; and The Makioka Sisters.

11. Abandoned Classic. Choose a classic that you started and just never got around to finishing, whether you didn't like it at or just didn't get around to it. Now is the time to give it another try.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

12. Classic Adaptation. Any classic that's been adapted as a movie or TV series. If you like, you can watch the adaptation and include your thoughts in your book review. It's not required but it's always fun to compare.

2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge hosted by POPSUGAR.

I was looking for a pure fun reading challenge (and totally bombed at the Monthly Keywords Challenge I tried last year). I saw this one at Helen's Book Blog, and it sounds like just what I was looking for! There don't seem to be any sign-ups, just a printable checklist of a wide range of 50 different categories and lots of ways to connect via social media. So, I'm in!

Rather than retyping all 50 categories here, I will just list the ones I check off each month.

1. Book recommended by favorite podcast: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
2. Book that passes the Bechdel test: Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer
3. Book with the same title as a movie but unrelated: Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
4. Book I meant to read in 2019: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
5. Medical thriller: Recursion by Blake Crouch
6. Book with a main character in her 20's: Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center 
7. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics: Saturday by Ian McEwan
8. A book with a map: An Indigenous People's History of the Unites States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 
9. A book about a woman in STEM: State of Wonder by Anne Patchett (pharmaceutical research)
10. A book with a bird on the cover: Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
11. Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Challenge (2019) - A book I meant to read in 2018: Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess 
12. A book that won an award in 2019: Black Is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother's Time, my Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
13. A book on a subject you know nothing about: The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
14. A book that has a book on the cover: The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
15. A book with a three-word title: Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher
16. A book with a pink cover: OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
17. A book by or about a journalist: For Once in My Life by Colleen Coleman
18.  A book published in 2020: Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore 
19. A book with a pun in the title: Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
20. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads: Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
21.  A book set in a country beginning with "C" - Notorious by Gordon Korman (Canada)
22. A book with a character with vision impairment or enhancement: Go To Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley
23. A book set in the 1920's: The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown
24. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books: The Late Show by Michael Connelly
25. A book with more than 20 letters in its title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer  
26. A book published in the 20th century: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 
27. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed - Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett  
28. A book featuring one of the deadly sins - Bent Heavens by Daniel Krauss (wrath)
29. A book by a WOC -  Lakewood by Megan Giddings
30. A book published the month of your birthday (July) - The Last One by Alexandra Oliva  
31. A book with a great first line - Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos
32.  A book written by an author in their 20's - Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (only 23 years old!)
33. A book set in Japan: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
34. Book that involves social media - A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena 
35. A bildungsroman - The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bois
    
36. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name (almost missed this one!) - No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox
37. A book with only words on the cover - White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

2020 Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Book'd Out.

I always sign up for a nonfiction challenge. This is a different one than last year but hosted by a favorite blogger, so I am looking forward to it! Last year, I read 14 nonfiction books, so I will sign up for the Nonfiction Know-It-all category and shoot for reading at least 12.

As an extra challenge, she has different categories:

1. Memoir Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer
2. Disaster Event
3. Social Science Black Is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother's Time, my Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
4. Related to an Occupation - How to Write Nonfiction by Joanna Penn
5. History An Indigenous People's History of the Unites States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
6. Feminism Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher
7. Psychology
8. Medical Issue No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox
9. Nature
10. True Crime The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
11. Science
12. Published in 2020 Go To Sleep (I Miss You) by Lucy Knisley

Travel: Greek to Me by Mary Norris 

History:  

White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer

The Great Chicago Fire: Rising from the Ashes by Kate Hannigan and Alex Graudins

Social Science/History: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

Memoir:  

H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

Educated by Tara Westover

2020 Diversity Reading Challenge hosted by Celebrity Readers.

This is also a familiar challenge for me but hosted by a different blog this year. Since I read 37 diverse books last year, I will shoot for 40 this year! This challenge includes optional monthly themes:

1. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
3. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk 
4. State of Wonder by Anne Patchett
5. An Indigenous People's History of the Unites States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
6. Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
7. Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess 
8. The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard  
9. Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht
10. Black Is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother's Time, my Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard  
11. OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
12. The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
13. Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher 
14. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
15. The Late Show by Michael Connelly
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer  
17. Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
18. The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown 
19. Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett  
20. Lakewood by Megan Giddings
21. The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood 
22. Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht 
23. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
24. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
25. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata 
26. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins 
27. A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena 
28. The Witch Elm by Tana French
29. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
30. August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones
31. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 
32. White Trash by Nancy Isenberg
33. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
34. The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer
35. No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox 
36. The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer
37. Educated by Tara Westover
38. Displacement by Kiku Hughes
    

JANUARY – diverse folktales/culture/mythology; or diverse retelling; or non-western setting
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
FEBRUARY – poc: Black/African American Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais AND Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess
MARCH – #ownvoices; or gender: female authors in male-dominated genres/non-fiction Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher
APRIL – poc: Middle Eastern/South Asian
MAY – poc: East Asian/Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander
JUNE – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht
JULY – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity
AUGUST – mental health/addiction
SEPTEMBER – poc: hispanic/latinx 
OCTOBER – physical/sensory/cognitive/intellectual/developmental disabilities 
NOVEMBER – poc: Native American - The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer
DECEMBER – religious minorities - Educated by Tara Westover

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge hosted by Mom's Small Victories, one of my favorite blogs. I signed up for this one back in 2014, so this is a continuation (it's a perpetual challenge) - I can't wait to see what places I visit in books in 2020. In 2018, I read 31 books set in other countries/cultures (30 different countries/regions - I read a trip-around-the-world memoir at the end of the year!), and in 2019, I read 23 books set in 18 different countries. I hope to visit more new-to-me places in 2020!

1. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday (Iraq)
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Sweden)
3. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland) 
4. State of Wonder by Anne Patchett  (Brazil)
5. Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais (South Africa)
6. Saturday by Ian McEwan (UK)
7. Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Ghana)
8. Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (Argentina)
9. For Once in My Life by Colleen Coleman  (UK)
10. Notorious by Gordon Korman (Canada)
11. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Germany)
12. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer  (Germany)
13. Greek to Me by Mary Norris (Greece)
14. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (Canada) 
15. Faithful Place by Tana French (Ireland)
16. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty  (Australia)
17. Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht (Dominican Republic)
18. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Italy)
19. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (UK)  
20. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Japan)
21. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (UK) 
22. Normal People by Sally Rooney (Ireland)
23. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (Mexico) 
24. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (UK)
25. A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (Saudi Arabia)
26. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (UK)
27. The Dry by Jane Harper  (Australia)
28. The Witch Elm by Tana French (Ireland)
29. Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (Ireland)
30. When All Is Said by Anne Griffin (Ireland)
31.  H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (UK)
32. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (France)
33. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (UK)
    

2020 Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book.

I love tracking where I read domestically, as well. In 2018, I read books set in 25 different states for this challenge, and in 2019, I read books set in 28 different states. I'm looking forward to reading in even more states this year!

Alabama
Alaska The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Arizona Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor
Arkansas
California Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess, The Late Show by Michael Connelly, Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos, A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
Colorado Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho Educated by Tara Westover
Illinois The Great Chicago Fire: Rising from the Ashes by Kate Hannigan and Alex Graudins
Indiana
Iowa Bent Heavens by Daniel Krauss
Kansas Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher
Kentucky
Louisiana The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
Maine Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett Haydu
Maryland
Massachusetts Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center, OCD Love Story by Corey Ann,
Michigan Notorious by Gordon Korman, Lakewood by Megan Giddings, The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones
Minnesota State of Wonder by Anne Patchett
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
New Mexico
New York Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday, Recursion by Blake Crouch, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, Follow Me by K.R. Alexander, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, Finders Keepers by Stephen King
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania The Last One by Alexandra Oliva, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Sense of Death by Matty Dalrymple
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
Texas
Utah Displacement by Kiku Hughes
Vermont Black Is the Body: Stories from my Grandmother's Time, my Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
Virginia The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery by Chris Schweizer
Washington
West Virginia Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer
Wisconsin Trespassers by Breena Bard
Wyoming

Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! Stop by to print out this month's Bingo card and play along!

Big Book Summer Challenge hosted by Book By Book (me!)

1. Faithful Place by Tana French
2. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
3. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty  
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
5. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
6. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
7. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 
8. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
9. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
10. A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
    

Starting at the end of May. I usually aim to read 6 Big Books (400+ pages) during the summer for the challenge. All are welcome to join the fun! I'll post the sign-up page at the end of May.

Readers Imbibing Peril RIP XV Challenge

Readers darker books in fall!

1. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
2. Feed by M.T. Anderson
3. The Dry by Jane Harper  
4. The Door by Andy Marino
5. Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor  
6. The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
7. The Witch Elm by Tana French
8. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
9. The Sense of Death by Matty Dalrymple
10. August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones
11. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
12. Trespassers by Breena Bard
13. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
14. One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks 
15. Follow Me by K.R. Alexander 
16. Back to Blackbrick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald