Hi and welcome to FromBelgiumWithBookLove where today I’d like to revisit my bookish challenges for this year!
Here’s where I’m at after seven months:
The GoodReads Challenge:
215/300
(My original goal was 200 but as I was getting close, I decided to up the stakes.)
The Series Challenge:
Continue and finish the Dark Iceland Series by Ragnar Jónasson:Snowblind
NightblindBlackoutRuptureWhiteoutWinterkill
(Completed. I had a great time with this series and I’m sorry that it’s over, especially since the last book was my favourite (ain’t that just the way))
Continue and finish the Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman:Scythe
Thunderhead
The Toll
(Completed. I enjoyed it very much!)
Continue the Shardlake Series by C.J. Sansom:Dissolution
Dark FireSovereignRevelation
Heartstone
Lamentation
Tombland
(Still enjoying this series and at the rate I’m going I may even finish it this year.)
The Stephen King Challenge: Read at least 5 Stephen King novels: 7/5
The Shining
The Colorado Kid
Los Ojos del Dragón (The Eyes of the Dragon)
Later
Joyland
A Good Marriage
Gwendy’s Button Box
(Completed. I enjoyed this challenge so much and as there are quite a few Stephen King novels I still want to read, I will be continuing this challenge even though I’ve already reached my goal. I’m reading Salem’s Lot as we speak.)
The Agatha Christie Challenge: Read at least 5 Agatha Christie novels: 6/5
Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple 1)
The Thirteen Problems (Miss Marple 2)
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple 3)
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot 17)
Crooked House
Endless Night
(Completed. However, I discovered Agatha Christie audiobooks on Scribd and found I really enjoy listening to them, so I will keep going with this challenge as well. I found a new favourite in Endless Night, a most atypical Christie that’s delightfully gothic.)
The Spanish Challenge: Read at least 10 Spanish books: 8/10
República luminosa, Andrés Barba
Chicas Muertas, Selva Almada
Los Ojos del Dragón (The Eyes of the Dragon), Stephen King
Pelea de Gallos, María Fernanda Ampuero
Tuya, Claudia Piñeiro
El Huésped (The Host), Stephenie Meyer
Te Dejé Ir (I Let You Go), Clare Mackintosh
Los Patitos Feos También Besan (Jemima J.), Jane Green
(On schedule and still having fun with this challenge. My favourite is still the Stephen King translation, but I’m happy that I enjoyed a few Spanish novels by Latin-American authors as well.)
The Non-Fiction Challenge: Read the 3 non-fiction books on my physical TBR and at least 1 from my digital TBR: 2/3 – 7/1
Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, James Hibberd
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck, Sarah Knight
Chicas Muertas, Selva Almada
I 💜 Happy Cats, Anneleen Bru
The Wahls Protocol
Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell, Anne Edwards
The Devil You Know, Gwen Adshead & Eileen Horne
100 Ways to Understand Your Cat, Roger Tabor
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ’70s and ’80s Horror Fiction, Grady Hendrix
(This challenge got completely out of hand! I went from hardly ever reading non-fiction to being quite a fan, which I never expected to happen. The initial idea was to read the few non-fiction books I already owned, but I’ve found myself actively seeking out new books I might like, and actually reading them – who even am I?! I’m really happy with how much I’ve branched out and how many of these non-fiction books I loved!)
The Classics Challenge: Read at least 4 classics / modern classics, including a Jane Austen and a Shakespeare: 5/4
My Cousin Rachel, Daphne du Maurier
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
(Completed. I’ve been meaning to pick up another Daphne du Maurier but I haven’t had the chance yet.)
The FairyLoot Challenge: Read at least 10 FairyLoot novels, at least 4 of which from 2019-2020: 7/10 – 3/4
Viper, Bex Hogan
These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong
A Vow So Bold and Deadly, Brigid Kemmerer
Lore, Alexandra Bracken
Eight Will Fall, Sarah Harian
The Prison Healer, Lynette Noni
Fire With Fire, Destiny Soria
(There was a bit of a lull in this challenge because I had a few fantasy proofs to get through first. While I love fantasy, it’s not my go-to genre and for a while there I didn’t feel like reading any of my FairyLoot novels. I did order quite a few sequels so I really need to get cracking with this challenge!)
Well, if I’ve proven one thing to myself, it’s that I get a lot more accomplished when I set myself a clear challenge and keep record of it. Thanks for joining me today and happy reading!
I should probably up my goodreads challenge # too, especially since I already met it 🙃. Great progress on those challenges!
Thanks Tessa 💜 Seems like you’re on a roll too 😉
You’ve done amazingly well seeing as we’re only 7 months in Good luck with reaching your 300 book target. I should be doing that sort of level to begin making a dent in my tbr mountain – I’d be delighted to make a 100.
Thanks Jill 💜 I don’t seem to be making much of a dent in mine despite the staggering amount of books I read 😅