Tag: reading challenge

2024 Reading Goals and Challenges

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

It’s the start of a new year which means it’s time to look at my reading plans and goals for the year ahead!

2024 Reading Goal – 20 Books

In 2023 I set my goal to 18 books and read 22! This year, I’m setting my goal at 20 books. I’m hoping I can read a few more than that, but I wanted to make sure I set an achievable target.

2024 Reading Challenge – Beat the Backlist

I don’t usually participate in reading challenges and I’m a mood reader so don’t generally set any kind of TBR. However, I do sometimes struggle with indecision about what to read and thought it would be fun to give a reading challenge a go this year. I picked Beat the Backlist as it’s fairly flexible with no specific requirement for the number of books you read.

Beat the Backlist is hosted by Austine Decker and involves reading backlist books published in 2023 or earlier.

There are a selection of optional prompts to help you pick your backlist reads. There are way more than I’d be able to read in a year, so I’ve decided to pick a few of the prompts to focus on for the challenge so I have a smaller list to work from.

You can find out more about Beat the Backlist here.

Fae or aliens

4-word title

Travel by ship

Retelling of a classic

Walk through history

Door on the cover

2023 debut novel

Between 300 and 400 pages

Neon coloured cover

Hotel, mansion, or castle

Have you set yourself any reading goals or challenges this year? Chat with me in the comments!

Mid-year Reading Round Up 2020

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left4 Comments

I have had a really good year for reading so far! I’ve had more time for reading than usual since I’ve not been able to go anywhere, so I am going to smash my reading challenge goal this year. I set a goal of reading 30 books which at the beginning of the year I thought would be a hard target since I only read 20 last year, but I’ve already surpassed 20 and it’s only halfway through the year!

So far I have read 23 books this year with the following ratings:

5 stars – 3

4.5 stars – 1

4 stars – 7  

3.5 stars – 3

3 stars – 8  

2 stars – 1

I’ve read quite a lot of 3 and 3.5 star books. Hopefully the second half of the year will have more higher rated ones!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This was one of the first books I read this year and it blew me away. It was so unique but also gripping. I also read the sequel, Gemina, which I also loved, though I only gave it 4 stars as I enjoyed Illuminae more.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – This book is just so good. I had to give it 5 stars. I couldn’t think of anything negative to say about it. It’s so well written with great characters and an important message. 

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – I love Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters world and I can’t believe it took me so long to start the Dark Artifices series!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – As I loved Illuminae, I decided to pick up another of this writing duo’s sci-fi novels and was not disappointed!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I have to mention a few of the 4 star reads that particularly stood out.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas – This book was a great finale to the main trilogy. The stakes were high and I was hooked all the way through!

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – There was so much hype for this book so I was worried it wouldn’t live up to that but it really surprised me and I actually loved it. I can’t wait for Blood & Honey to come out in September!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – This is another one that surprised me. I wasn’t sure it would be for me but it was so good!

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – This book wasn’t on my radar at all but I got it in Fairyloot’s February box so decided to give it a go and really enjoyed it. It’s a short, fun, standalone fantasy romance.

What are your favourite reads of 2020 so far? Let me know in the comments!