Somehow I just can’t say no
The thing is, I enjoy Goodreads challenges. I get excited for the next ones to be revealed. I love looking at the lists and picking a book. I love the satisfying collection of virtual bookmarks. But they just keep adding more challenges…and it’s derailing me.
Now, to be fair to myself, it’s not like those are the only books I’m reading. But in the past five weeks I’ve read five books for challenges – and that’s five more books I could have struck off my TBR.
It’s a dilemma. One I actually give a lot of thought to. Should I give up doing these challenges? What do I really get out of them? Or is it no big deal and I should just keep doing them, because, hey, I enjoy it? I don’t have the answers to these questions. Some days I think they’re not worth it, some days I think why give up something that gives me joy.
I think the answer is to make sure I’m not reading a book I don’t even want to read, just to satisfy a challenge. I have noticed there haven’t been as many good choices in the past few challenges. Used to be, there was always something on my TBR that was part of the challenge. Lately there are a couple on my “to buy” list, but a whole lot I have no interest in. I think I need to be tough and not just pick something to pick something. I need to give myself permission to pass on a challenge I’m not interested in.
The reality is, no one’s going to give me a prize for completing all the Goodreads challenges in a year. Next year, I’ll be back to zero. If I miss one or two (or five or six, or all of them) no one will care. Will I even really care? I give myself permission to just read what I want to read, and work on reading the books I have if that’s what I want to focus on right now. And if I want to read a challenge book? Well that’s okay too.
Weeks 24-28
This is what I read:
Introduction to the Short Story by Crosby E. Redman – Short Fiction: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Beauty and the Beast by Jeann-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont – Fairy Tale: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Cinderella by Henry Hewet – Fairy Tale: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Son of the Revolution by Liang Heng & Judith Shapiro – Autobiography: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski – Historical Fantasy: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 2 stars
Final rating: 3 stars
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova – Novel: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan – Romantic Fiction: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance – Autobiography: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne – Horror: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
The Night Guests by Marina Scott – Paranormal Fiction: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 2 stars
Crossroads of Ravens by Andrzej Sapkowski – Fantasy Fiction: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 4 stars
Trust by Hernan Diaz – Novel: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 2 stars
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas – Dark Academia: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 2 stars
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy – Romantic Fiction: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 3 stars
Tides of War by Steven Pressfield – Historical Fiction: Not Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 3 stars
Final rating: 2 stars
Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner – Children’s: Worth It
Rating after 50 pages: 4 stars
Final rating: 5 stars
So the current totals look like:
And until next time, happy reading!