As it is a new year and a new decade, it is time to start thinking about the personal reading goals I wish to set for 2020. In a bid to get on top of the three very full TBR bookcases that are increasing by the day, I will be adding a couple of extra reading challenges to my list for 2020. Here is an overview of that challenges I intend to complete over the next year.
My 2020 Goodreads goal has increased, just by five books, to 265 in 2020.
The next challenge is my favourite, The Australian Women Writers Challenge. I always issue this reading challenge my highest priority, due to my work as a volunteer on this fabulous initiative. I find The Australian Women Writers Challenge an easy one, as many of the books I select to read and review are written by Australian women, a win win situation! This year I will be setting my own personal goal of 120 books to read and review by Australian Women Writers. I have increased my goal for this one by 20 books, which I think is very achievable. I managed to read above and beyond my 2019 goal of 100 books for #aww2019, by notching up an impressive 157 books overall.
Book Bingo is collaboration challenge I co-ordinate with two fellow book bloggers, Theresa Smith Writes (the creator) and The Book Muse. In 2020, Book Bingo enters its third year, making it a challenge that is definitely gaining in popularity. For this one I will be reading twelve different books to ensure that I cover all of the categories on our bingo card. Book Bingo was officially launched on Sunday 22nd December 2019, with the first post of the year due to be published on Saturday 11th January 2020. I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone will select for their first bingo category for 2020!
Over the last few years I have been completing a personal challenge with my bookworm friend Sue. In previous years we completed an alphabet book challenge and last year we delved into twelve books written by Australian male authors. In 2020 Sue and I plan to read another twelve books, one a month, written by international based male authors. I’m looking forward to helping Sue evict some long term residents off her notorious book pile that is currently sitting on her coffee table for this challenge! Wish us both luck!
In a desperate bid to reduce the books that are collecting dust on my TBR shelves I have decided to add in another challenge. In 2020 I will be collaborating with another avid reader and fellow book reviewer, Nicole from Certified Book Addicts. The #20BacklistIn2020 challenge is one I came across on Instagram. This is a self paced challenge, but the overall goal is to read 20 titles from the backlist titles that are currently sitting on your TBR. For this challenge I will be reading non review books and taking my selections directly from my chock-a-block TBR bookcases (there are two shelved back to back). I will be publishing my reviews of these books on my blog and social media sites on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Our first one for this challenge is due on Tuesday 7th January. I am really looking forward to seeing what Nicole has read!
Finally, a very last minute addition to my challenge list is the 2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. I have been eyeing this one off for some time, after seeing a fellow book blogger plough through this expansive reading challenge. I thought why not give it a go! I look forward to sharing my book choices on this one. As it is the first year I am joining this challenge, I will be aiming for the standard, not advanced level for this one.
That’s a wrap! Thank you so much for joining me! Here’s to a new decade and an even bigger year of books in 2020. I look forward to bringing you lots of fabulous books recommendations and helpful reviews. Happy reading!
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Mrs B
Ooh Amanda I am green with envy at your challenges, I really should push myself to join you on one of those challenges to get my TBR pile down, problem is I have well over 100 physical books and around 700 on my kindle. The Kindle ones don’t bother me as much but the physical ones do as they just keep looking at me!! And I’m sure my husband won’t let me take them with me if we move again in the next few years. By backlist books does that mean not new releases? They other thing isn’t I don’t have a blog either so reporting the reads would be an issue. I don’t know how you do it Amanda, with a young family and work, but as you said you don’t watch a lot of tv and the way things are going on tv at the moment I’m tending to read a little more in the evening myself.
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I forgot to say would love to see a picture of your TBR bookcases, it may make me feel better about mine!
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Lol, I should have included them in this post. I’ll have to send you through one via a message to make you feel at ease!
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Thanks you, I actually think I may have been overly ambitious as I did struggle a but to read just past the mid way point of last year, but we will see! I can only try!
Wow, that’s a lot of books on kindle, thank goodness i can read on them or i would fall into trouble. I think I would easy have 700 physical books on my shelves though 😦 I know exactly what you mean about being able to see them and they bothering you! It feels good to remove them from the shelves and pass them on. I only keep signed books and a few select special ones. Moving does kick start the banishing process, I know i did a cull when we re-carpeted my study, which is my book room.
I am using this challenge to make a small dent in those non review books, which are two bookcases otherwise I would never get to them so that’s my backlist, some have been there only a month, others years! I think by backlist, it could be anything on your TBR pile really! I do haope you can join me. I’ve been quite tight with my approach to this challenge to do two month to east get to the twenty and I have specific dates. But as it is self paced you can post whenever. Just use the hashtag #20backlistbooksin2020 in your review – you could add it to your goodreads or social media accounts.
I’m not sure how I do it too, the no tv thing seems to work, along with being a fast reader!
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Amanda, you have convinced me to join you, otherwise I will never get through them and I know there are some great reads there, maybe I should start up another Facebook page just for my books and reviews like you do, then I can keep track better- what do you think?
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I’m so glad I convinced you! A Facebook page would be great, I say go for it!!
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Woah! Lots of challenges! I like the tbr one, will keenly follow you and Nicole in this to see what you both clear from your shelves.
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Thanks Theresa, you are welcome to follow along with us. This is a self paced one so you can post when you like, all you do is use the hashtag!
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🤔 I only just finished one from my non-review tbr last night!
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That’s great, just hashtag it and add it to the challenge, 19 books to go for year if you join me!
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Good luck with your very ambitious challenges.
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Thanks Carol!
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Good luck with your challenge goals!
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Thanks so much! Good luck for your own challenges too Shelleyrae!
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You’ve got some massive reading ahead of you, good luck x
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I know Claire, overly ambitious I think! Good luck too!
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I might use the hash tag as I get through them.
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Brilliant!
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Ooh, some fabulous challenges there, Amanda, and the funny thing is I was checking out the pop sugar reading challenge myself not long ago and was going to give it a go (of course only unofficially as I don’t know how to link anything up), I even printed it off but I’ve decided to take it easy this year and only stick to our international male author challenge and my coffee table to-read challenge – love your post mentioning that you’re looking forward to helping me reduce my infamous coffee table book pile, this challenge is definitely going to be a huge help! Thank you for partnering with me again! Xoxo
PS. I’m really looking forward to seeing which books you choose for certain prompts I had trouble with for the pop sugar challenge. Good luck!
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Thanks for reading through my blog post on this one! I may have been too ambitious, but I can give them a go!
I hear you with the pop sugar one. I’m trying to use what books I’ve got on my shelves, but a few will be a bit tricky for sure. Maybe you could unofficially play along with a few categories? The print out checklist on their website is good.
Thanks for joining me on the international male author challenge too, I’m sure it will be great, I’ll be posting my review soon, I’ve smashed my first one out! Looking forward to seeing what you chose and helping you say goodbye the the coffee table pile!
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