My 2020 Reading Challenges

Isn’t it lovely thinking about all the new (and old) books you can read in the new year? Isn’t it funny how maybe you can almost convince yourself that this is the year you’ll make a dent in your mountainous TBR? Then the new books and rave reviews hit. 😈😂

I’m keeping it realistic. I’d like to find some time to go through my kindle backlist… you know, all those freebie or super cheap ebooks I’ve added over the last few years and then just never got around to actually reading. Or even more numerous, the samples I’ve added after reading glowing reviews of some book. So, if that clean-up happens, it would be fantastic. It probably won’t, so I’ll focus on some challenges I have a better grip on. Check them out below.

Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge

Jeez, I’ve mentioned this so many time already for the year. However, it’s one challenge many of us will have in common. I’m aiming for 80 books in 2020.

2020 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

This challenge is organised by Passages to the Past and includes the option to add monthly links to reviews of the historical fiction novels read. Last year, I didn’t get around to doing the monthly linkys so I’ll make an extra effort to remember that part this year.

During the following 12 months readers can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th Century Reader – 2 books
Victorian Reader – 5 books
Renaissance Reader – 10 books
Medieval – 15 books
Ancient History – 25 books
Prehistoric – 50+ books

I got 17 in last year so I’m going to aim for Medieval Reader this year. I already have a few hist-fic lined up in my ‘have-to-must-do’ reading list for the year.

My Classics Reading Challenge

This is one I’ve been doing for myself the last couple years. Here’s an excerpt from the post I published when I first started:

List Challenges cited this list as the BBC’s top 100 books that everyone should read in their lifetime.  Goodreads Listopia explains that it’s not quite a BBC list but rather a list based on BBC’s Big Read which was a search for the UK’s best-loved novels. I took a look at both lists and was surprised that I’ve read less than one third, even factoring in those books I know I read but can’t remember and those that I only read an abridged version of.  I’m slightly horrified by this, especially as a former English Literature student!

Some of these classics I’d like to read simply for my own edification, but I wouldn’t really class them as my ‘escape’ reading. For that reason, I’ll take this list slow and steady. I read three from the list in both 2018 and 2019. This year I’m only doing one… but a big, fat, long one! It’s down to Les Mis or Don Quixote. At over 1000 pages each and needing to be interspersed with other, lighter novels, I’ll commit to just the one for 2020. I’m running a poll to decide which of the two, so please head over to Twitter to vote!

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Those are my confirmed challenges for the year. I also saw a really cute Romance Book Reading Challenge, but I’ll decide on that for sure later. Oh, If I get really productive on the blog, I’m considering organising a Cozy Mystery challenge as well. We’ll see how it all goes…

What challenges are you doing this year?