Happy Tuesday, y’all! It’s October, which means the year is ending soon. How is that happening already? As it’s happening, even if we aren’t ready, Jana, over at That Artsy Reader Girl, is asking us to share our reading goal updates. Instead of just random goals (some of which I’ve already smashed!!), I’m sharing my 2023 Reading Challenge Updates.
If you’re curious about my 2023 reading goals, you can check out this post, 2022 Year-End Reading Wrap-Up & 2023 Goals from January. In the post, I’ve also mentioned my 2023 reading challenges. But I’ll break them down a bit more below.
Buzzwordathon Reading Challenge
For those not in the know, the Buzzwordathon comes from from Kayla at Books and Lala. Kayla has given a word or theme for each month. The goal is to read books with these in the title. Many of these words have become popular in recent years in book titles.
The list below is all of the buzzwords and the book I’ve read for the word/phrase. If it’s blank I haven’t read, or at least logged, a book yet.
| BUZZWORD | TITLE |
| Life/”Death” | The Storied Live of AJ Fikry |
| Verb | Woman Enters Left |
| “Secret” | Secrets from the Vinyl Café |
| Emotion | |
| Flavor/Seasoning | Arsenic and Adobo |
| “Other” | Other People’s Houses |
| Weather | Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp |
| Body Parts | |
| Game-Related | The Library of Lost and Found |
| “Magic” | Blood Like Magic |
| “Good” | |
| Sound Related |
I have some books planned for the last two prompts, but I’m stumped by the body parts prompt.
5-4-3-2-1 Challenge
Another challenge I’m doing is a 5-4-3-2-1 challenge. I can’t remember where exactly I found this, but I know it was one I came across through Top Ten Tuesdays. The challenge is one that the reader generates and then completes. For me, the challenge looks like this:
- 5-Action/Spy books: Think like James Bond and Jack Ryan.
- 4-Graphic Novels: Self-explanatory
- 3-Manga: Self-explanatory
- 2-Science Fiction: I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi books, but I am willing to try the genre. Any suggestions for a beginner?
- 1-Classic: Self-explanatory one
Those are my 2023 Reading Challenge Updates! I’m not doing too bad if I do say so. The biggest place I need recommendations is the science fiction books. I’m not a huge fan of the genre, and it was dumb luck I read (and enjoyed) The Apollo Murders.
Are you participating in any reading challenges this year? How are those going for you? Will you be participating in any in 2024?
Are you looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my other monthly reading wrap-ups.
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I recommend any Ray Bradbury collection of short stories for your sci fi challenge. I recommend Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster for your classic challenge.
Two suggestions!
I”m not participating in any formal challenges, but I am trying to read more books I have sitting on my shelf. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Great post! I’d never heard of the 5-4-3-2-1 challenge before but that actually looks like a lot of fun! 😍 The Buzzwordathon challenge is one that I’ve seen mentioned every now and again but it does look like a great time too. Maybe I’ll give these challenges a go next year to shake my reading up (even though I’m terrible at reading challenges, lol)! 😂
The great thing with the 5-4-3-2-1 challenge is that you make it your own. That way, you can set it towards other goals you want to achieve.
Let’s see… the Murderbot series by Martha Wells is a good place to start with science fiction, especially since the first book is a novella and so it’s not a long and intimidating book. Or, if you prefer something slightly creepy with an AI house that leaves the reader with a lot of questions after “the end” maybe try Rose/House by Arkady Martine. Or for a gentle science fiction space travel novel with a wonderful found family, try The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/10/03/top-ten-tuesday-priority-tbr-for-whats-left-of-2023/
Good luck on finishing your challenges!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2023/10/03/top-ten-tuesday-how-am-i-doing-on-my-backlist-books/
Some body part suggestions: Trouble up Finny’s Nose by Dana Mentink; The Fall BACK Plan by Melanie Jacobson; Come BACK to Me by Jody Hedlund (this is also Science Fiction with time travel, I am NOT a SciFi reader, but I loved it); Don’t Look BACK by Lynette Eason; To Win her HEART by Karen Witemeyer; HEAD in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer; When I Close my EYES by Elizabeth Musser; Daddy Long LEGS by Jean Webster (also a classic, I LOVED it, it’s epistolary along the lines of Little Orphan Annie, it was hilarious!). Hopefully some of these fall into genres you read 🙂 Good luck!
The Buzzword Reading Challenge looks like a lot of fun. If you are still looking for a “body part” book, T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone comes to mind or if you are willing to go with horror, Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw.
Good luck on finishing your challenges! I have finished 2 I joined but failed miserably on the one I set for myself to read my 23 in 2023!
What a fun challenge. Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza is about a teen who gets a heart transplant, its a emotional read
Great minds think alike! I did the same thing for my list today. The 5-4-3-2-1 challenge is one I’ve never heard of. It sounds super fun. I might have to look into that for next year.
Funny enough, the sci-fi reading challenge prompts are the ones I always have a hard time with since that’s just not my genre. I did like PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir a lot more than I thought I would. If you can power through all the science and math-y stuff, it’s very enjoyable. Good luck finishing your challenges!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Those sound really fun!! Thanks for publicizing them. I may give either/both a try next year (if they are annuals). I didn’t do TTT this week.
The 5-4-3-2-1 is a challenge you can set for yourself. I’ve enjoyed it this year, and may give it a try again next year with different prompts.
Good!
Awesome job with your challenges! I think I’ve failed at all of mine. 🙂
Looks like you’ve made some great progress on your reading challenges! Congrats. All the best finishing them, and I hope you find great books to match the prompts you’re still looking for. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my website today.
I’d say you’ve done well on your challenges! I do not participate in any other than just setting a Goodreads goal.
You’re doing great! The heart is a body part… there are a lot of book’s with heart in the title. 😉 I’m not a big sci-fi reader either, but I do enjoy Blake Crouch. Good luck for the rest of the year!
I love your challenges and progress on them! I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi either, but anything by Blake Crouch is amazing, and I am a huge fan of Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Good luck completing your challenges!