At the end of June, I finally made it through my book review pile!
I’m a member of a few online book review blogger programs* and every month I have three or four books waiting for my attention. Occasionally I have publishers send me books to review. These are always fun to receive because I discover new authors I wouldn’t have picked up on my own.
By the end of April, I was overwhelmed with the number of books piling up that HAD to be read. I’ve become more selective in the books I agree to read and review, and slowly I’ve whittled my way through my pile. I have one book left in my cache that I MUST read before I can start in my own TBR fun pile.
As I finished one of the required reading books, it got me thinking about my own growing pile of pleasure reads.
How to tackle them? And which books will I read first?
BOOK CHALLENGES
A reading (sometimes called reader) challenge is a fun way to work your way through the ever-growing To Be Read pile. Each challenge is designed to allow readers an opportunity to explore genres, new authors, or quirky ways of discovering books.
If you’re already a member of some type of reader group, you may have come across some of these ideas. Some reader groups offer a Bingo-type challenge where books read must be from one of the squares included on your card. Others have a book-a-month random challenge with things like, read a book set in a cold climate, or with flowers on the cover. Or books with familiar tropes like a marriage of convenience or best friends to marriage.
The number of books or length of time to complete your challenge is totally up to you. And especially now that we’re heading into summer, I’m going to go easy on myself and take my time enjoying the books I have to read.
Before I jump into suggested challenges, I’d be silly not to mention audiobooks. Back in the day, I used to listen to books on CD during long car rides with co-workers. But now, with technology as it is, readers can listen to books anytime and anywhere. Audio books are a great way of meeting your challenge if you don’t have a lot of down time to sit and read.
BOOK CHALLENGE IDEAS
Here are some fun ways to explore your current pile or to borrow, or to purchase new books for your (audio/e-reader) bookshelf:
- A to Z – Read a book with a title that starts with each letter of the alphabet (for a total of 26 books). Or change it up, author last names starting with each letter of the alphabet.
- Read the Classics – Take the time to read those books you’ve always wanted to read, but haven’t.
- Change it Up Genre – Each month, choose a new genre to read. You may discover books that once thought out of your comfort-zone aren’t really after all!
- Read the Rainbow – Read all the books in your TBR pile with book covers in the colors of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet!
- Books by Era – Pick an era and read several books written either during that time, or set in the time period.
- New To You Authors – Read books by authors you’ve never read before.
- Read Around the World – Read books that take you on an adventure around the world. Settings from each continent or select one continent, and read books set there.
- Read Across North America – Read books set in each state, or in each Canadian province.
- Read all the books with ugly-to-you book covers – You’ll be surprised at some of the gems you find in your pile!
- In Order of Purchase – this is a little bit easier to do with e-readers, since your device will do this for you. Remember that book you just had to have three years ago? Yeah, probably not. It’s fun to re-discover those books you just had to have.
MY READING PLAN FOR THE SUMMER
I decided to finish the books I started reading at some point before cracking the (electronic) spines to others. Once I get through those twenty or so novels, (yeah, you know what I’m talking about!), I will start working through my list from OLDEST PURCHASE to NEWEST. It will probably only take me three years to get through those, BEFORE I tackle all the amazing books I’ve bought on sale so far in 2021.
Gotta love e-readers and the ability to hold hundreds of books!
Now, your turn!
What reading challenges worked for you? What’s your plan to get through your pile of books to be read?
*Ann Brodeur is a member of NetGalley, AudraReads Tours, RelzReviews Tours, Bethany House Blogger Program, Revell Reads Program