My 2019 Challenge Wrap-Up!

I know you're all dying to know how I did on my challenges this year, so without further ado...😉

The Audiobook Challenge was hosted by Hot Listens & Caffeinated Reviewer. I challenged myself to listen to 30 or more books, which I was able to accomplish! In fact, as of today, I listened to 43 audiobooks in 2019! That's great for me, since I wasn't always a fan of format. I've discovered a lot of really great narrators, and now sometimes search for books based on who reads them (looking at you Steve West, Shane East, Andi Arndt, and Fiona Hardingham).

The 2019 Discussion Challenge was hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight. I challenged myself to create anywhere between 11-20 discussion posts, which I was not able to do this year. Instead of being a Creative Conversationalist, I was more of a Discussion Dabbler, and will be ending 2019 with 5. 

• Q [6] Do you watch book trailers?
• Q [7] Does the age of a character's love interest matter to you?
• Q [8] Do you prefer hardcovers or paperback copies?
• Q [9] Book Anxiety: Is it a thing?
• Q[10] Do you want people to point out the flaws in your reviews?

My Goodreads Reading Challenge was both a success and a failure. I really tried to push myself this year, and thought 500 books might be doable based on how many comic and children's books I read (yes, I always count those towards my goal). Alas, I still managed to read 472, and I am totally fine with that. I hate that Goodreads doesn't count it as "completed," because we should always celebrate the number of books read. 

• I read 63,092 pages across 472 books
• Shortest book (12 pages): Mr. Snail's Counting Trails by Stuart Lynch
• Longest book (699 pages): A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) by Sarah J. Maas
• Average length: 133 pages
• My average rating for 2019: 3.8
• My first review of the year: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (★★☆☆☆)
• My last review of the year: Spider-Man 2099 #1 by Nick Spencer, Viktor Bogdanovic, Jose Carlos Silva (★★☆☆☆)

Beat the Backlist 2019 was the only other challenge I participated in this year, which was hosted by Novel Knight. I challenged myself to read 100 books that were published in or 2018 or earlier, and managed to read 105! There are so many books out there, and I love that this challenge encourages me to look at the books I already own, instead of focusing on everything that's being released. 

How did you do on your 2019 challenges?

Q [10] Do you want people to point out the flaws in your reviews?

Let's be honest... we're human and we make mistakes. Unfortunately, being human also means taking offense at people pointing out those mistakes. I know my reviews likely contain spelling and grammar errors, which is inevitable for me, but do I want those mistakes brought to my attention?

Honestly, I don't think I would mind, because then I could fix the error and the review would be better for it. However, what about when someone disagrees with the content you've added in your review? Maybe they think you're mistaken about events that occurred, or that you didn't perceive the story in the correct way? How would you react to those helpful souls that left comments explaining everything they thought you did wrong?

I know most of us enjoy a good book discussion, even if we have differing opinions, but what if it's not about the book itself? Instead, it's about what we thought happened within a story? Do you think you would be as accepting of those commenters that decided to say something?

I'm very meticulous when I take notes on a book, and often keep a notebook around when I'm reading. It's not easy to quote an audiobook, but I do my best to make sure I copy down everything word for word when I want to include something in my review. I know I could make a mistake, like leaving out a word or misspelling a name, and I would be understanding if someone pointed out those mistakes so I could fix them. I don't believe I would be as amendable if someone wanted to correct the content of my reviews. We may have perceived the same situation in two very different ways, and that's part of the reading experience.

What do you think? Has anyone ever commented on a review and told you that you'd make a mistake? Grammar or otherwise? How did you react? If not, how to you think you would respond to something like that happening?

Q [9] Book Anxiety: Is it a thing?

I wouldn't call myself an overly anxious person, but there are things that stress me out and make me feel nervous. Books are one of those things, and it's one of the best worst feelings. I dislike feeling anxious, because my chest feels tight, I start holding my breath, and occasionally grind my back teeth. It's an overall unpleasant feeling, and that's just the physical.

It's really distracting when I read, even though I know a book has a single and inevitable ending. My brain still wants to veer off in multiple directions and assess all the different possibilities. It's like my mind cannot sit still and wait for the story to get where it's going, so it comes up with all these other alternatives until I feel like I'm going to explode. I know this means a book is amazing, and I really love that, but it also means I start skimming pages before I can stop myself and force my brain to slow down.

As I'm skimming, I'm looking for the Big Details so I will have an idea about what's going to happen next. Depending on the level of my anxiety, I might look at the end to see what happens before flipping back to my spot. Blasphemous, I know, but I'm totally okay with it. It makes me feel less anxious, and my brain settles down, which allows me to re-enjoy the book. I don't like feeling super stressed waiting for the other shoe to drop, and would like to know where both shoes land before my feet get there.

A recent example would be The Girl in Red by Christina Henry, because the main character is constantly in danger. Every decision she makes is life or death, and that's scary. I was concerned for her well-being, and second-guessing every choice she made. It made me feel bananas waiting to see if she would be okay at the end. Also, you should definitely read The Girl in Red. It's remarkable!

These are often the books I get the most excited about, and the stories I want everyone to read. I know my process sounds insane, and I was wondering if anyone else felt that way? Do you feel anxious when you read? Do you skip ahead to make sure everything is going to be okay? If not, how do you deal with your book anxiety?

Q [8] Do you prefer hardcovers or paperback copies?

Book jackets (sometimes referred to as dust jackets) drive me bananas. They're constantly slipping off, or bending and tearing at the edges. I know they're there to protect to book, and that the jacket being damaged from normal wear and tear means the book itself is left relatively unscathed. However, unless they are taped down (like library books, which is awful on its own), they don't stay in place.

I read in very unconventional places, like next to the stove when I'm cooking (I know, I know), but I also read a lot outside of the house. I have three kids, so we're pretty busy, and I always take a book with me when we go somewhere. Hardbacks don't always fit in my book sleeves, and I like the padded protection they provide the books tossed into my purse or diaper bag.

Paperback copies are also less bulky. They take up less space on my bookshelves, which means I have more room for books (always a good thing). Plus, paperbacks are lighter, so they hurt less when they fall on my face (this happens more than I'd like to admit). They also tend to be similar in size, so my shelves look more uniform, even though I like some of the chaos.

What about you? Do you prefer hardcovers with book jackets, or paperback copies? Are you okay with both? Let's talk books!

Q [7] Does the age of a character's love interest matter to you?

Personally, the age of a character's love interest does not matter to me, as long as they're both consenting adults. Some books really toe the line of what an adult actually is, so I'm going to go with 18 for the purposes of this post. How do you feel when a character's love interest is significantly younger or older than they are? Does the character's gender matter? 

Last year I read Here So Far Away by Hadley Dyer, which I really enjoyed. The main character, George, was emotionally and somewhat physically involved with an older guy. In his defense, she mislead him at the start of the book, and made him think she was older than she was. They both struggled with their feelings, but couldn't deny that they were attracted to one another. I thought the relationship between the two felt very authentic and believable. George was just shy of 18, and I believe she was old enough to make her own decisions. However, if anyone had discovered them together, there would have been severe consequences for them both (more so for him, I think). 

I thought Hadley Dyer did a wonderful job managing the minefield of their relationship, and shedding light on their emotional turmoil. There was an honesty between the two characters that was beautiful to see, and George finally found someone that she could be herself with. They spent a lot of time together trying to figure out their feelings (was it a fleeting attracting, did it have the potential to be long-lasting, was it better to ignore each other, etc.), while also keeping everything a secret. It felt realistic, and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that have dated someone much older than themselves. George is a character they can relate to, myself included. When I was in high school, I dated a guy that was six years older than me. Looking back on it now, I regret the relationship, but not because of the age difference. The guy was a douche canoe, and I stayed with him for all the wrong reasons. 

After reading and reviewing this book, I noticed a lot of people saying they liked concept for the overall story, but they were turned off by the age difference between the two characters. There were comments that said it set a bad example for teenagers today, and that the gap made them uncomfortable. There are so many people that will refuse to read books simply because they dislike how much older one person is than the other. 

Another book I read last year was The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. It was actually recommended to me by two of my friends, so I didn't hesitate to pick it up. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as they did, but the story did have some merit. Solène was intimately involved with someone much younger than herself, and his career made it hard for them to keep their relationship a secret. They try to sneak around for awhile, because she has daughter and he doesn't like to comment on his personal life, but a slip up was inevitable. 

Once their relationship was made public, people criticized her for her age and said she was too old to be with him. First of all, thirty isn't old. Secondly, it wasn't anyone's business. They were both adults, and not just barely, but fully into adulthood, so their decisions should have been personal and private. I hated how they were scrutinized, and that people made comments about her being old enough to be his mother. 

After reading and reviewing this book, I noticed fewer comments about their age, but people still seemed uninterested in a book that had such a large age difference between two of the characters. It's like the topic is taboo, even though it's something we see every day.

Why does age matter if they're both adults that agree on the relationship? Do you think it sets a bad example? Why? Is it okay for one gender to date an older person and not the other? Let me know what you think!

Q [6] Do you watch book trailers?

Have you ever watched a book trailer? If you haven't, they're very similar to movie trailers. They give you a general idea of what the book is going to be about; however, I've seen some book trailers that reveal crucial information that spoils part of the story. I think book trailers should only include the information within a blurb, otherwise, they risk sharing too many details (and we all know even the blurbs can contain too much information about the story). 

Why are book trailers a part of the marketing and publicity for new books? Where are they advertised? I feel like they have a really high potential to spoil something about a book. Even if they're not spoiling the content, they do damage and alter the characters for me. I like to picture the characters in my head as I read, and the trailers essentially give you a picture to recall. They're not always accurate, or even follow all of the descriptions listed in the book, so I would rather create the images on my own. It's also why I like reading a book before watching the movie, so I already have a clear idea of what the characters look like to me.

Do you watch book trailers? Do you actively search them out, or just click on the ones you randomly come across? Or are you like me, and try to avoid them altogether? I watched a lot of trailers before writing this post, because I wanted to see how trailers made my publishers compared to the ones made by fans. If it's just music and words, I'm okay. It was when the book trailer felt like a movie trailer that I lost interest. Do you think there is a large fan base for book trailers?

My 2019 Challenges!

Hello lovelies! I've seen Kimberly mention an audiobook challenge a few times this year, and it has always piqued my interest. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, so this challenge is perfect for me! I'm shooting for My Precious -- eeep! That's thirty or more books, which I think is doable... 

If you would like to sign up for your very own 2019 Audiobook Challenge, please visit the Caffeinated Reviewer or Hot Listens. All of the following information comes from Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer.

Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. You can join at any time.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2019 than you did in 2018.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• ANY genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
• If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
• Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be June 30, 2019, and the last update will take place on December 15, 2019.

Achievement Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

I will also be participating in the 2019 Discussion Challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight (two blogs that I adore)! I only posted a few discussion posts this year, but they were some of my favorites! I loved seeing what everyone had to say, and discussing things as they popped into my head. I'm looking forward to even more interesting conversations this year! I'm shooting for Creative Conversationalist. 

If this sounds like your cup of tea and you want to sign up, please visit Nicole at Feed Your Fiction Addiction or Shannon at It Starts at Midnight! All of the following information comes from their two blogs, so some of the terminology is off. However, I wanted to copy everything word-for-word, so I didn't leave anything out.

Here’s All You Have to Do: 

• Create a sign-up post announcing your intention to participate and link up below. There’s no need to say what your discussion posts will be about–just tell us you’re joining and let us know your goal. (Can be in an update post or a post with other challenges–you’re not required to make a completely separate sign-up post.)
• Please link back to both challenge hosts and include the challenge button in your sign-up posts.
• The challenge runs from January 1st until December 31st, 2019. Sign-ups will remain open through December 31st, 2019. (So, you can sign up all year long! Come join us!)
• Share it! The more people we get to participate in this, the more awesome discussions we can all be a part of and the more fun it will be! So, invite your friends to join us!
• Discussions can be about whatever you want as long as it’s relevant to books or book blogging (no discussions about things that are completely off-topic like travel or fashion, etc). They can also be about you personally if it’s a get-to-know-you type post.
• On the 1st of every month, a link-up will go up on both Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight where you’ll leave your links for that month’s discussions. Every month, we’ll update this 2019 Book Blog Challenge Page with the links to that month’s Challenge linky–so you’ll always know where to find the latest link-up!
• There will also be monthly giveaways, so make sure you check in!
• Every month, we’ll feature our favorite posts from one challenge participant. There will be extra options in the Rafflecopter for commenting on posts by our featured blogger.
• Use the hashtag #LetsDiscuss2019 to share your progress and connect with other participants on Twitter.
• Have questions? Feel free to ask in the comments!

The Levels:

• 1-10 – Discussion Dabbler
• 11-20 – Creative Conversationalist
• 21-30 – Chatty Kathy
• 31-40 – Terrifically Talkative
• 41+ – Gift of the Gab

This is one of the challenges I did participate in this year (check out my progress here)! I challenged myself to read 100 books from my backlist, and as of right now I've read 62. I'm actually really happy with my progress, and even found a few new favorites! Despite wanting to kick myself for waiting so long to read them, I know it's okay! Books can still be enjoyable years after their release date.

Even though there's no way I'm going to make my goal this year, I still want to challenge myself to read 100 books in 2019. I can totally do this! At the moment, I'm not participating in the Hogwarts House Mini Challenge (even though that sounds amazing and fun), because I don't think I'll be able to give it the time that is deserves. There's a lot of additional posting that goes along with that, and right now I'm lucky if I can drink my coffee without reheating it six or seven times.

If you would like additional information about this challenge, or you just want to sign up, visit Novel Knight! She's very detailed and thorough with her explanations, which I love! All of the following information is from her blog, but I'm just posting the highlights to give you an idea.

Guidelines: 

• The book must have been published in 2018 or earlier to count. It can be in any format (including an ARC/eARC) as long as the release date is earlier than 2019.
• You have to start and finish the book in 2019 to count it. Any books started in 2018 and finished in 2019 do not count. Any books started in 2019 and finish in 2020 also do not count. 
• The challenge runs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (your local time) 
• Please keep in mind that while this reading challenge has several different community elements to it, reading through your TBR comes down to you! I wish you the best of luck!

How to Join:

• POST your backlist TBR for the year somewhere online! This can be in the form of a blog post, instagram photo caption, Twitter thread, Goodreads shelf, YouTube video, whatever works for you! You are NOT locked into these books, it’s just something to get you started! Make sure to share a link to this page somewhere in your post so others can find the challenge! 
• SIGN UP using the form below! Sign-ups will stay open all year long so you can join at any time. 
• READ backlist books and knock them off your TBR! 
• SHARE your updates on social media!

Official Challenge Tags: #BeatTheBacklist #BeatTheBacklist2019

Lastly, I will be participating in the Goodreads Challenge again in 2019. I destroyed my goal this year of 250 books, so I was thinking I'd double it and shoot for 500! Why not?

Are you planning on participating in any challenges next year? Do you think they help you achieve your reading goals? Let me know!