I Think These Reading Challenges Will Lead to a Great Year of Reading!
Ok so I think that I may have my 2018 Reading Challenges set up. In total I want to read 65 books. The is 5 over my 2017 of 6o books, but only two morethan I actually read in 2017. This year though I have set up my challenges a little differently.Fina
My biggest challenge this year is to read books that I already have, i.e. books that are either on my Kindle or on my bookshelves. Based on the chart shown below I plan to read 16 books that are currently on my Kindle and five new books that will be added in 2018 for a total of 21 books. Likewise, I want to read 28 books that are currently on my bookshelves.That leaves 16 books that will come from the library. (Note to self good luck with limiting yourself -big guy!) Ok so the challenges breakdown as follows…..
Contemporary Literature – New Authors
I would like to read six books by authors who are regarded as the best in the business. Six books that are not mysteries or thrillers, etc.
Nonfiction Challenge
I plan to read 15 nonfiction books. I plan to read eight books that are on my bookshelves, three from my Kindle and the rest from the library. Typically, I my nonfiction reading includes: history, politics and self-help books. However I do have a couple of nonfiction books that are about physics and dinosaurs on my Kindle
Science Fiction Challenge
I plan to read 12 Science Fiction books in 2018. Of those twelve I would like to read five books by classic science fiction authors whose works I have never read. Clifford Simak, Octavia Butler and Ursula le Guin are a few of the examples of authors I may read. Of the remaining seven books five may come from my Kindle or the library and two from my bookshelves.
2018 Bookshelves Challenge
The biggest challenge is what I am calling my 2018 bookshelves challenge. I want to read 28 books from my bookshelves! I would like eight of those books to be thrillers that have been on my bookshelves. Of the old mysteries that are on my I would like to read six from authors I used to read in the 90s and early 00s. Examples include Rick Boyer, Tony Hillerman and Bill Granger. My recent reading of Shadow of Death by William G Tapply reminded me how much I enjoyed books by these authors. I already have four or five books set aside to read!!
I have also included four books from authors who I started reading after 2005. That would included authors like: Carol O’Connell, and Robert Crais.
As I previously stated, I anticipate reading eight nonfiction books that are on my bookshelves and two science fiction books that are there also.
New Releases from Current and New Mystery and Thriller Authors
All of the above adds up to 51 books. That leaves 14 books to read to reach my goal of 65 books. I anticipate that those books will be mostly mysteries or thrillers. So I have listed those as seven new books from current mystery or thriller authors who I read and new authors of the same genres. Current authors would include authors like C J Box, James Lee Burke, and James Rollins. Those books will probably come from the library, but also could come from my Kindle.
| 2018 Reading Challenges | Kindle | Library | Bookshelves | Total |
| Contemporary Literature – New Authors | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| Nonfiction Challenge | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| Science Fiction Challenge | ||||
| Classic SCI-Fi Authors I have not read | 5 | 5 | ||
| General Sci Fi | 5 | 5 | ||
| 2018 Bookshelf Challenge | ||||
| Old Thrillers on Bookshelves | 8 | 8 | ||
| Old Mysteries on Shelves | ||||
| Authors I from 1990-2005 | 6 | 6 | ||
| Authors I read from 2005-2015 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Nonfiction on Bookshelves | 8 | 8 | ||
| Science Fiction on my Bookshelves | 2 | 2 | ||
| Total Reading Challenges Books | 16 | 7 | 28 | 51 |
| Current Authors – Mysteries & Thrillers | 2 | 5 | 7 | |
| New Authors – Mysteries or Thrillers | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| Total Reading Challenge | 21 | 16 | 28 | 65 |
Final Thoughts
What I want you to remember and this post is, these are my reading challenges. What they do is help me to focus my reading. They direct me sometimes to move out of my comfort zones. While at other times they guide me back to genres I like. This year I want to read more books by those current authors who are considered great. I also want to read books by those science fiction writers who are great but I have not read! Finally maybe my biggest challenge may be to read books that I have collected, and then let them sit on my shelves, while I go search for new books!!
So maybe you can take some of my ideas and make them fit you and maybe they can in some small way help you make 2018 a great year of reading!!