Everyone who knows me will know that I can’t resist a good challenge. I love having goals and being organised enough to meet them. There’s nothing quite like the buzz of achieving our goals and the same applies to my reading challenges. Although, something I really learnt in 2016 is that it does not matter if I don’t complete all my challenges, what matters is that I enjoy the books I do read.
I wanted to share with you the challenges I am taking part in this year and would love to hear of any challenges you are also taking part in!
Goodreads Challenge
I think most people take part in the Goodreads challenge, but I’ve seen a lot of bad feeling about it as 2017 began. I personally like having a challenge which is quite high but still manageable as it keeps me motivated (and how else will I ever read all of the books I own??). My 2017 goal is to read 100 books. To some people this will seem astronomical and to others this will seem low, but it works for me. Setting challenges for ourselves is personal, it is not for others to tell us if it is wrong or right to have a high or low goal, or to even have a goal at all. For some people having a number looming over them every time they log into Goodreads is bad for their anxiety, for others it is a motivation. It really is a case of each to their own and as far as I’m concerned, if you’re enjoying what you read then that’s all that matters! (Woops, that turned into a mini rant….)
At the end of 2015 I fully immersed myself in the world of Goodreads and joined a fantastic group that runs such a huge variety of challenges all year round. As part of that group I am taking part in a variety of yearly, quarterly and monthly challenges such as A-Z Locations, PopSugar, TBR Randomiser. They are all fun and low pressure. Check out more of the challenges on my Goodreads Challenge Page which gets updated fortnightly/monthly.
British Books Challenge 2017
This challenge is being hosted by the super lovely Chelley @ Tales of Yesterday and the idea is to read as many books as possible by British authors / books classed as British literature. It is suggested to read 12 books throughout the year but I read a lot of UKYA so I’m just going to see how many I read. This shouldn’t be a challenge I find difficult at all but rather one I really enjoy. Chelley is also hosting a ton of awesome giveaways and treats for particpants just for linking up reviews of books we read! Check out my progress here and if you fancy signing up, head on over to Chelley’s post.
2017 Beat the Backlist
Similarly to all bookworms out there I am attempting to reduce my ever expanding tbr. I have so many books here that I’ve still not read and I really, really must. Then I clapped eyes on this challenge and knew it was meant to be! The idea of this challenge is to read books that were published in 2016 or before – perfect for my TBR reducing plans! I’ve signed up for 40 books which I think I should achieve fairly easily. You can find my TBR and track my progress here. For those interested in signing up, I highly recommend taking a good read of the sign up post as there is also an optional House Cup competition running alongside this which may interest some of you!
#DiversityBingo2017
There has been so much talk of the importance of diversity in literature (especially YA) recently and I’m really excited to take part in this challenge. I’m going to try (where I can) to use #ownvoices authors but this may not always workout. I’m just hoping to fill as many squares as possible. You can track my progress here. If you’re interested in joining the challenge I would highly recommend checking out the #DiversityBingo2017 hash tag on Twitter.
Well there you are! Those are my challenges for 2017 as they stand. I’m sure I’ll participate in readathons where possible and will always be on the lookout for other challenges that encourage me to broaden my reading.
Are you taking part in any challenges this year? Which ones?
Do any of the challenges I’m participating in interest you?
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin’ or Goodreads. Comments are always warmly welcome.
kellysrambles.com 
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Good luck with all your challenges 😀 I’m participating in the Diversity Bingo too!!
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I’m about to go and look at your TBR! 🙂
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I’ve also set my Goodreads goal to 100 books! I like the number; not to high and not to low (or at least for me… like you said, each person has its own goal.) And I’m definitely excited about the Beat The Backlist challenge, although I have a pile of ARCs to work through as well haha. Good luck with your challenges! ❤
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I also have a pile of ARCs although some of those are backdated now so I guess they would count! I just needed some motivation to read the books I already own and I can never say no to a reading challenge! Good luck with your goal and challenges too!
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Love these challenges I might have to add a few of them. I have a goodreads goal with a set monthly goal on types of books to keep my nonfiction going. I also joined the Flights of Fantasy Challenge and Audiobook challenge.
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Oh both of those challenges sound interesting. I dabble with Audiobooks occasionally! I like that you set yourself personal goals each month, I do something similar.
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I set a reading goal (through Goodreads) at 18 books this year. I read the same number in 2016, but I was unemployed for 3 months. I hope to stay working all 12 months this year, so my free time will be a lot less.
I am very intrigued by the Beat the Backlist challenge. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who has let their bookshelves fill up with unread titles!
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That’s a great goal! I hope you manage to achieve it 🙂 I have WAY too many books that I own and have still not read, it’s really, really bad!! I’m trying to stop myself buying lots this year as I have lots of fab books on my shelves already!
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Oh, yeah, I definitely set a reading goal for myself, but I decided to use a different app to track my books rather than Goodreads. I stress myself out too much, and I don’t need Goodreads’s help. 😂 I want to try to read some YA 2016/2015 releases/popular books I haven’t yet read this year!
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Ooh, what app are you using? I don’t like the way in which Goodreads tells you if you are in front or behind your goal, I feel they add pressure! I also have so many YA 2016 and before releases to read!!
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I decided to use an app called Book Buddy (which I love!). You can create your own categories, and add books to those categories! It’s really easy to use, and if you’re a huge re-reader, it’s easier on the app than Goodreads since you can add the same book to as many categories as you like! 😀
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Ooh that sounds great! I may have to have a look 🙂
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