2020 Reading Challenge Final Update

 

Well, 2020 is a wrap, and what a weird year it's been. I was looking back on the books I read this year, and most of them seem like ages ago. Since I started working from home in March, I have had zero sense of time. 2020 seems like it's been both prolonged and quick, depending on the day. 

A recap of things that happened in my life during 2020:

- My grandfather passed in March, and I, despite my fear of public speaking, gave his eulogy.

- I started working from home, which I love

- I started Grad School (Why do I do this to myself???)

- I sent my book off to my editor a couple of times. It's almost finished, yay!

- I read some books

- I traveled back to Indiana in July to visit with family

- My niece was born in November (I haven't gotten to meet her yet, waiting to go back home)

- I worked from home some more. And I think I slept. Not sure.

- I bitched about my neighbor's music a LOT. (Seriously, I'm ready to freaking MOVE)

While 2020 was a weird year for me, I'm super grateful that it wasn't overly terrible. My husband and I are healthy, still have our jobs, and have a roof over our heads. The people I know who have gotten Covid have been milder and didn't need hospitalization and recovered from it. So really, I can't complain too much. I sat on the sidelines a lot this year while things happened to other people and generally felt helpless and unsure of how to help them or what to do. Still, I was lucky this year, and if that isn't the case for you or your family, then my deepest condolences. I hope that 2021 is a better year.

Bookwise, I read 47/60 books. Most of them seem like they were years ago. All but one fit on to the challenge somehow. I think I only finished tier one because I jumped around so much. There were many challenges towards the end where I was just ready to move on to this year's list (find it here.) I liked them at the beginning when we made the 2020 challenge (find the original post here), but by the time the end of the year rolled around, some of them seemed really daunting, and I just wanted to get lost in some paranormal or fantasy book. 

I also had a ton of author requests this year, more than usual. While I love helping out new and indy authors, this is something I'm going to take a break from in 2021. Between working full time, being in the middle of grad school, I also have a husband I like to annoy, a jewelry business on the side, and I've started volunteering as a student mentor for my university. Reading books at the author's request is a really stressful thing for me because I'm super worried I won't like it and will have to tell said author this. Like I respect the work people put into their books, and I try to be constructive, but I still hate having to tell someone I don't like their work. It's different when it's books I want to read on my own time because the author probably isn't going to see it. Also, I'm never going to tell someone I like their book when I don't. So, I've decided to take a little stress off myself and just read for my own enjoyment; I won't be doing any author requested reviews this year. Or if I do, it's going to be very, very few.

So now, on to the books I read. The book that didn't fit into the challenge was Factor-7 by J.D. May. You can find the review here.

Level 1: Book of the Month Club - Done!-
1. Read a book with a title that starts with a "W"- The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer
2. A book you got for under $3- Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
3. A book with a blue cover- The Death Cure by James Dashner
4. Read a book by your favorite author- Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
5. A book with the word "Light" in the title- Darklight by Bella Forrest
6. A book that is set in the future- The Toll by Neal Shusterman
7. A book from Project Gutenberg- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
8. Read a book of short stories or a novella- The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
9. Read a book you've had on your "to be read" shelf for more than a year- Physik by Angie Sage
10. Read a book that takes place in winter- Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
11. Reread a book you have recommended to a friend- Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet
12. Free space- Pick any book!- Darkthirst by Bella Forrest

Level 2: Casual Reader Club - Needed two books to complete- 
13. A book under 400 pages- Togwotee Passage by L.G. Cullens
14. Read a book by Julie Garwood - Did not read- 
15. Read a classic fairy tale- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol- Did not review
16. Read a retelling of the classic fairy tale- A Blade so Black by L.L. McKinney
17, Read a suspense or horror book- The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates
18. A book you got for free (gift, found, or book exchange)- The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
19. Read a book with a building on the cover- The Apothecary's Poison by C.J. Archer
20. Read a historical fiction from the World War 2 era- Did not read-
21. Read a book that was turned into a movie or tv show- Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
22. A book by an author named James/ Jim or a variant- The Kill Order by James Dashner
23. Read a book recommended on your local library's website- Hexed by Kevin Hearne
24. Free Space- Pick any book!- What Preys Within by Brett Gurda

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club - Needed 3 books to complete-
25. A book with the word "Book" in the title- The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams
26. Read an urban fantasy novel- Death Masks by Jim Butcher
27. A book published in 2000- Did not read- 
28. A book recommended to you by a friend - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
29. Read an author's debut novel- Deadheading by Paul Cristo
30. Read a book from the BBC's list of top 100 books you must read before you die - Did not read-
31. Read a book that is over 600 pages- Eye of the World by Robert Hunt
32. Read a book by Isaac Asimov - Did not read- 
33. Read a book with the word 'Star' in the title- Hidden Star by Nora Roberts
34. Read a book about a historical figure (fiction or non-fiction)- Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George
35. Read a book about an assassin - Did not read- 
36. Free Space- Pick any book! - The Magician's Diary by C.J. Archer- Apparently didn't review

Level 4: Speed Reader Club - Needed four books to complete- 
37. Book 1 of Trilogy- Pay Me in Flesh by James Scott Bell
38. Book 2 of Trilogy- The Year of Eating Dangerously by James Scott Bell
39. Book 3 of Trilogy- I Ate the Sheriff by James Scott Bell 
40. Read a book from NPR's favorite books of 2019 -Did not read-
41. Read a Novel by an author using a pseudonym - did not read- 
42. Read a graphic novel- Artemis Fowl: A Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano, Paolo Lamanna -Apparently didn't review
43. A book with a season in the title - Didn't read- 
44. Read a book with exactly four words in the title- A Throne for Sisters by Morgan Rice
45. Read a book about a writer (real or fictional)- The Gang of St. Bride by Emily Organ
46. Read a book with a title that rhymes - didn't read- 
47. A book by an author named Elizabeth/Beth or a variant - Suddenly Psychic by Elizabeth Hunter
48. Free Space- Pick any book! - The Maverick by Jennifer Valenti

Level 5: Overachiever Club - Needed four books to complete-
49. Read a motivational/ Inspirational book - Managing to Learn by John Shook- Did not review
50. Read a book with two or more authors- Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
51. Read a book by John Creasey - Did not read- 
52. Read a book published in 1980 - Did not read- 
53. Read a "Rags to Riches" story- Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
54. Read a book with an occupation in the title- The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J. Archer
55. Read a book about travel or that involves travel- The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
56. A book that takes place in outer space/ another planet - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
57. Read a book that starts with the letter J - Did not read- 
58. Read a book that takes place in the Middle East or is inspired by Middle Eastern culture - Did not read-
59. Read a book about a video game or virtual reality- Aaru: Dante's Path by David Meredith
60. Free Space- Pick any book! - Prove It: Murder In The Mix by Hannah R. Kurz

Overall, I feel pretty good about how I did on the challenge. I didn't go into any random binge of some Kindle Unlimited series I found. I only had one book that didn't fit in the challenge. I would have liked to get more than one tier complete, but I did manage to get a lot read on a lot of the levels. I'm genuinely surprised at how many reviews for books I didn't do this year. I think it was three or four, and I usually do one for every book. I'm blaming Grad School because it seems like a good scapegoat. I plan to read 50 for 2021. Not sure I'll get to it with everything I've got going on, but 60 was definitely too much.