Happy Tuesday, my bookish friends!! I hope you all are doing well. Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is School Freebie. Since this is my first year in 12 years not homeschooling I don't really want to think about school stuff 😉 so I am going to go a different route. Instead I am going to list 10 reasons why I will most likely not be doing reading challenges next year, with few exceptions.Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and you can head over there to see what our other bookish friends are up to today.
10 Reasons for me NOT to do reading challenges next year:
1. I overdid it this year
Exhibit A: All the challenges I am currently trying to do
2. I can't remember to go back to the original sites to "log" my work or progress, which is part of most of the challenges. 🤦
3. I have an overactive guilt complex so I can't just quit (I am not a quitter).
4. I start feeling like I can't read what I want (which is ridiculous because I can pick any books I want!).
5. It starts to feel like pressure, especially when you are not where you want to be.
6. I want to feel like I can just read whatever I want without worrying if it's going to fulfill a challenge or not (I am an over worrier, I have issues 😂).
7. Nonfiction doesn't fit into most of the challenges.
8. It's hard to do a library haul when you feel like you need to be reading your own books. (I do it anyway and then those beautiful books sit there unread until I have to take them back.)
9. It sucks some of the enjoyment out of reading.
10. It's hard to balance ARCs and challenges (so I have cut way back on ARCs to finish my other challenges).
Don't get me wrong, I do love reading challenges, otherwise I wouldn't have signed up for so many. I also knew when I signed up it would be a challenge 😂 (pun intended). What I couldn't have predicted was how I would feel at this point.
One challenge I do each year is the Goodreads reading challenge, and that is just saying how many books you will read in a year. I enjoy doing that and then being able to look back over the year at all the books I have read, plus, it is very little work on my part.
Do you do reading challenges? Have you ever over committed yourself? What did you do?
What
did you do for this week? I would love for you to share in the comments. To see
what other topics our bookish friends are doing this week click on the
image below.
I totally agree with you. I decided this last year, no more challenges that make me list all the books I read in a year, read certain books when I'm not ready, etc. I still do a few but they are more irregular.
ReplyDeleteMount TBR is a good example. I know I will never conquer it and I will carry on buying more books but I am not going to try to get rid of a certain amount of books in a certain amount of time.
My TTT this week.
Marianne, it has been a learning experience for me. I hadn't heard of very many reading challenges before last year, so of course I wanted to participate!
DeleteI commented below that I'm considering not participating in challenges next year... but this "Mount TBR Reading Challenge" seems like a good way to reduce my TBR! 🤦
DeleteOf course. And some are highly interesting. But I now prefer the ones where I can list some interesting books like on TTT or Six Degrees of Separation, for example. I can still read what I like but I have the pleasure of "revisiting" my reads.
DeleteLovely twist on the topic and I completely relate! I love challenges, but they always stress me out and make me feel like I can't read what I want to read (I'm a major mood reader) so I decided 2 years ago I'm not doing any anymore either. I only do the Goodreads challenge too, but I always keep my goal relatively low (I just reached my goal last week) as a reachable goal keeps me more motivated :)
ReplyDeleteLindsey, yay, exactly, so glad I am not alone in this!!!!
DeleteI agree. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Thanks Regine.
DeleteI like reading challenges, but I've learned that I lose steam on them about halfway through the year, and that I really can't do more than one. I especially relate to your reasons #4 and 5! Love this post. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Lark, I really wondered if I would be judged harshly for this post, so I am so glad I am not alone!!
DeleteI agree with every single reason you've listed here today! I am not taking part in any challenge this year, except for the Goodreads one. But that's kind of a given, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteNext year, I plan on creating one forcing me to read my own books and books I have on the shelf already. Kindle or physical! Maybe I should start NOT taking in review books for next year.
12 Years of Home-Schooling.... Good grief. You are going straight to heaven for sure!
Elza Reads
Mareli, I am so glad I am not alone!! I agree with doing the ones that make me read my own books...and I NEED to read the ones on my Kindle, so I like the idea of *loosely* creating a challenge for that next year. I think I only have 4ish books left to review and then I am finished...unless i pick up anymore (which is hard NOT to do when I get the physical book as an ARC). Your comment about going straight to heaven really tickled me, thank you!!
DeleteI totally agree with you. I opted out of the challenge world a few years ago. Now I only join challenges I am fairly sure I can accomplish and would probably do even if I didn't join up, like the 20-book summer challenge or short ones, like the Halloween one (can't remember the name. I do create challenges for myself, though. I am determined to read the National Book Awards books each year and the winners of Pulitzer Prize so I set those as my challenges. Remind yourself that you don't have to do these challenges and no one is really keeping track so if you opt out now, it is OK.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT School Freebie
Anne, I do KNOW that, it's just SO hard for me to let things go. It was the way I was raised. I am glad that others agree and struggle with this as well :)
DeleteI'm in the same place - only a year ahead of you. Last year I overcommitted and don't think I finished any of the challenges, though I did make a dent. BUT, I swore this year I'd skip challenges. Then a few months into the year I found one that seemed simple - Beat the Backlist - that focuses on reading books I already own - definitely a goal I have. How am I doing? Not so great! I keep getting books from the library. Sigh. But I must say, I love a challenge but the admin part of it kinda gets out of control sometimes.
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/ttt-set-in-school
Terrie, yes! The admin part is the hardest to keep up with.
DeleteI've also stopped doing reading challenges this year (aside from my Goodreads one) as I didn't want to be tied into reading certain books and just wanted to read whatever I wanted.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/08/30/top-ten-tuesday-383/
Yep, exactly where I am at.
DeleteI took a break from challenges a few years ago and never looked back ha ha. It got realy easy to continue NOT doing them! :) #2 was a big one for me. I just kept forgetting to update the master sites or whatever- or even my own posts lol. I still may do one occasionally though.
ReplyDeleteGreg, yes, I forgot to put the tags in my posts as well! Sigh.
DeleteReading challenges are so much fun (and tempting to join) but I feel most of the points on your list. It really does starts to feel like pressure when you aren't where you want to be...
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Maybe I should say "NO" to reading challenges next year, too!
Lectrice, I understand. I saw your comment up above too, and I do think the Mount TBR is a great one to continue to do :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting on my post today. I haven't done any reading challenges, mostly for the same reasons that you put. Participating as a judge for a book blogger award was louds of fun, had me reading new to me authors and books from diverse authors. But the number of books to be read became daunting at times. Now I read pretty much what I want to read.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, exactly. I thought about being a judge and I did do some reading for stuff like that last year, but I decided I didn't want to add anymore to my plate this year.
DeleteYep, I'm in the same boat only about a year ahead of you. I love challenges and they sound so fun, but then I am such a mood reader that I end up not wanting to read the things I am supposed to read! And yes, the updating the lists always feels like too much work. It was fun to read the comments here and see that so many others have lots of unread books at home, but end up checking books out of the library to read. Somehow I always find the books at the library so much more interesting than those on my shelves at home.
ReplyDeleteGretchen, I completely agree, LOL. It's like once they are on our shelves they just don't have the same appeal.
DeleteI Love challenges, but only do Goodreads ones that fit my reading taste.
ReplyDeleteSarita, I understand.
DeleteI used to participate in reading challenges a lot more than I do now. I found that I felt the same exact way you do so I only participate in the Goodreads Challenge and two challenges hosted by my Goodreads group. I find it much easier to fulfill only these three. Good luck with your challenges for the rest of the year! Thanks for stopping by my TTT!
ReplyDeleteJenni, I am glad I am not alone. I think I should have limited myself and I wouldn't be feeling this way. But, you live and learn :)
DeleteGreat post, Cindy. Every year I rethink the whole question of how much memes and challenges produce connections with other book bloggers vs. how much I'd benefit spending my time just reading and blogging about the books I want to read. I imagine I'll revisit this question again in December when I try to put together a reading plan for 2023. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
ReplyDeleteMary, I have dropped a few of the memes I did last year, and a few this year, plus some of the places I would review for, for the same reason. I want connections with other bloggers and I want to be able to read and review what I want, when I want, and not on a deadline.
DeleteOh I feel this so hard. By March/April time I had picked up so many challenges and I'm struggling with all of them, and with school starting up again soon... I'm already flustered. Next year, I'm definitely saying no and reading whatever I want!
ReplyDeleteCassie, it's hard, isn't it? We want to participate, but...
DeleteCindy, It is nice to see someone with some of the same feelings about challenges as I have. Yet, every year I do more of them than I should.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite reason on your list is #2, can't remember to go back and log the books, and I have a problem doing reviews for every book for a challenge.
The pressure and stress created by challenges is caused by our own guilt and worries, but I worry about it every year too, so it makes sense to stop or cut back.
You have given me some things to think about.
Tracy, I never expected so many people to share my thoughts on this. It seems like "everyone" does it and we don't want to miss out. They are fun, until they aren't. And, I 100% agree with your comment "The pressure and stress created by challenges is caused by our own guilt and worries." It really is!!!
DeleteThis year I am doing 3 challenges (if you count the Goodreads one). One is through the Agatha Christie site where they list four of her books to read that are centered around a certain theme. But there's no one checking in to see if you've actually read any of the books. The other is a Buzzwords challenge from a YouTuber I watch. She assigned a word or phrase to each month, and again there's no logging or tracking what we've read. I selected books from my physical shelves to help encourage me to read those.
ReplyDeleteNext year I want to focus more on reading my physical books, as this year I think I over did it with ARCs. I haven't been able to read for "fun" as much as I would like to.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/10-of-my-favorite-young-adult-books/
Pam, yes, I have really cut back on ARC's and now need to cut back on challenges. I like the sound of the ones you did.
DeleteLove this post and it pretty well sums all of the reasons why I stopped doing challenges.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzanne.
DeleteI do a lot of challenges, but they are usually generic, such as audiobook challenge, Beat the backlist, finish a series, non-fiction challenge etc. So I read what I want and usually they will fit in somewhere. I don't do really specific ones anymore for all the reasons you stated, Cindy.
ReplyDeleteCarla, I understand. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI have been there. What I have learnt over many years of blogging is to be quite selective of challenges, and to realise that this is supposed to be fun, so as soon as it feels like work to reevaluate to make sure you are being true to yourself.
ReplyDeleteMarg, great advice!!! Thanks :)
DeleteReading challenges definitely have their challenges. :) I became an avid reader only last year, so that was when I participated in my first reading challenge. It was through my local library and it was simple - read 10 books over the summer. I easily completed it and it made me want to read more. This year I joined two challenges on Goodreads - the main one that you mentioned and another one specific to cozy mysteries (my genre of choice). They are both stress-free. The reason I joined the cozy mystery challenge was because I thought it would introduce me to more themes in the cozy genre (and did it ever!). There are other options within that challenge, so I'll probably choose a different option next year now that I have a much better idea of which themes in the cozy genre that I like.
ReplyDeleteMeezan, this sounds like a great way to approach reading challenges!
DeleteI wish there were more nonfiction book challenges. You’re right that it’s rare to find them.
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thanks for stopping by earlier.
There are some but I can't remember now why I didn't do one this year (probably because I knew I had enough!).
DeleteI don't think, even at the height of all my reading, I ever joined a challenge. Precisely for one of the reasons you say that is pressure. I always assumed it'd feel too much like pressure rather than fun. Likely self imposed. ;) Go you for knowing your limits. I had to do this eventually with ARCs or book tours. It's always good to learn these things.
ReplyDeleteRissi, I agree, there is a huge learning curve. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for the next!
Delete