2025 Reading Challenges

I always set myself more than one reading challenge per year. Some carry over from year to year, and some are new. Some are broad and some are themed. And in many cases, books read will help me meet more than one challenge. Last year I also started making some formal movie, television, and live theatre viewing challenges.

 

On the reading side of things, in 2024, I hit my overall book and short story goals and blew past my non-fiction reading sub-goal, but didn’t complete any of the other reading challenges I set myself. On the watching side of things, I exceeded my goal for live theater, but only hit about 70% of my television goal and slightly less than 50% of my movie-watching goal.

 

So I decided this year, I’m sticking to the basics:

 

 

 

365 SHORT STORIES CHALLENGE

Every year, I challenge myself to read one short story per day. Some years I keep the pace well, and some years I fall behind and then scramble to catch up (and some years, I catch up and fall behind again, and some years I blow past the goal handily). I’m defining “short story” as anything from flash fiction to novella-length. I am going to once again make an effort to review one or two stories every Sunday in my “Sunday Shorts” feature.

 

 

GOODREADS CHALLENGE

Goodreads allows members to set a challenge. In previous years, I’ve set goals ranging from 125 to 150 books. For 2024, I’m setting a goal of 120 to start with (10 books per month), and we’ll see what happens.

 

MOVIE CHALLENGE

I own a lot of DVDs. (I know, you’re shocked. Shocked!) Every year I say, “This is the year I’m going to make an effort to watch them!” And then, somehow, I … don’t. One year, I did a list of 12 and two alternates as I do for the TBR Challenge, called it the TBW Challenge … and failed it miserably. Last year, I got about halfway to the goal of 52 movies, an average of one per week. So this year, I’m setting myself the same challenge. This includes movies on DVD, streaming services, and any trips to an actual movie theater (which have become rare for me).

 

TELEVISION CHALLENGE

Did I mention I own a lot of DVDs? And that I’m subscribed to a lot of streaming services? I did? Well, you won’t be shocked to know that it’s not all about the movies. So I’m setting myself a “TV Series Watch” challenge akin to my Short Story Challenge: an average of one full episode of a television series (regardless of length) for each day in the year, which this year means 365 episodes.

 

LIVE THEATRE CHALLENGE

I did pretty well with this one in 2023, even though I never posted about it (because I posted extraordinarily little here in 2023, but that’s a subject for another post), so I’m making it official for 2024: I want to see at least 1 live theatrical performance per month. Most of them will be in New York City, but I’ll count any play, musical, opera, ballet, or staged reading I see anywhere, regardless of whether it’s fully professional productions, college, community theatre, whatever. (Music concerts, author signings, and conferences/conventions do not count towards this.)

 

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

So how am I going to hold myself accountable? I’m planning to bring back my monthly Reading RoundUps. I’m not going to rename/rebrand because I like the alliterative title (which falls well in line with Series Saturday, Sunday Shorts, and a few other blog series I’m hoping to make regular features in 2025), but those posts will also track the Viewing challenges.

 

I would love to hear what YOUR Reading, Writing, or Viewing Challenges are for 2024. Let me know in the comments!

Reading Round-Up: 2024

Time for my annual round-up of what I read and watched in 2024.

 

I … did not do well on most of the reading and watching challenges I set for myself for 2024. Even though so many of them overlapped (the Graphic Novel Challenge and Non-Fiction Challenge and TBR Challenge all fed into my Goodreads (Read 120 books) Challenge, for examples). I managed to complete the two “big” reading challenges (120 books, 366 short stories), but didn’t come close on the subsidiary challenges. Nor did I come close on my “watching” challenges, as we’ll see below. I did do well on my “see live theater” challenge, as discussed in yesterday’s post.

 

 

BOOKS

I did manage to read 120 books in 2024: 13 hardcovers, 49 softcover/paperbacks, 35 e-books, and 23 audiobooks.

 

Monthly distribution: 10 in January; 9 in February; 8 in March; 15 in April; 9 in May; 9 in June; 14 in July; 8 in August; 7 in September; 11 in October; 5 in November; and 15 in December.

 

I read work from approximately 110 different creators (authors and anthology editors mostly, but also adding in graphic novels artists, colorists, and letterers).

 

Genre Breakdown:

·       Adventure: 4

·       Biography: 1

·       Children’s Books: 3

·       Crime: 2

·       Pop culture analysis: 4

·       Fantasy: 23

·       Historical fiction: 3

·       History: 2

·       Horror: 22

·       Memoirs: 13

·       Mimetic/current day fiction: 3

·       Mixed genre short story collections: 2

·       Mystery: 2

·       Playscripts: 3

·       Romance: 7

·       Science Fiction: 13

·       Spy fiction: 1

·       Superhero: 9

·       Thriller: 1

 

These were my own rough classifications, and in hindsight I’m not sure why I broke crime fiction, mysteries, spy fiction, and thrillers into separate categories. I was surprised to realize I read a lot more horror than I thought, and fewer memoirs than I thought. And also, for the first year in a while, not a single poetry collection. I am not a big poetry reader, but I usually like to at least try to read a collection or two during National Poetry Month.

 

 

STORIES

I did manage to read 366 short stories in 2024 (since 2024 was a leap year), by 200 different authors.

 

The monthly breakdown: 26 in January; 19 in February; 34 in March; 42 in April; 37 in May; 21 in June; 23 in July; 24 in August; 44 in September; 31 in October; 22 in November, and 43 in December.

 

46 of those stories were in anthologies (there were quite a few anthologies that I only read a story or two in, though); 7 were on Author Patreons or websites; 6 were in printed chapbooks; 124 were in single-author collections; 175 were in magazines (pretty much all in e-book form); 4 were additional material at the back of a novel; 1 was on a publisher’s website; and 2 were stand-alone e-books.

 

Genre breakdown:

·       Comedy: 1

·       Crime: 22

·       Fantasy: 109

·       Horror: 118

·       Mimetic/modern-day: 11

·       Mystery: 1

·       Pulp adventure: 4

·       Romance: 6

·       Science Fiction: 92

·       Spy fiction: 1

·       Thriller: 1

 

 

Again, I’m surprised that I read a bit more horror than I thought I did. And I’m still not sure why I separated crime, mystery, and thriller into distinct subcategories. With the magazines in particular, I tended to stick to familiar ground: Lightspeed, Nightmare, Clarkesworld, The Dark, and towards the end of the year Beneath Ceaseless Skies a bit more regularly. Towards the end of the year I also realized that I have a lot of anthologies that have been on my shelves a long time and that I will probably never get around to reading in their entirety, so I started just reading a story or two in random anthologies before putting them in the “bring to the used bookstore or donate” boxes.

 

 

MOVIES

I didn’t even come close on my “watch 52 movies” challenge. But I did make it to 24, so kind of half-way there.

 

I had challenged myself to watch more of the several hundred DVDs I own (split between movies and television series). 17 of the 24 movies watched were on DVD. 6 were on streaming services, and 1 was in a ballroom at the Pulpfest convention.

 

Genre breakdown:

·       Action: 1

·       Biography: 1

·       Documentary: 1

·       Horror: 2

·       Kaiju: 8 (all the Showa Era “Gamera” movies)

·       Musical: 1

·       Mystery: 1

·       Noir: 2

·       Romance: 1

·       Science Fiction: 1

·       Super-Heroes: 3

·       Thriller: 1

 

These 24 movies were the work of 19 different directors.

 

 

TELEVISION

 

I did a little better on my “watch 366 episodes of television” challenge. I managed 232 distinct episodes across 21 series on 8 different streaming services (plus 4 episodes of Doctor Who watched in full at the Pandorica Restaurant in Beacon NY, which you really should visit if you’re a Doctor Who fan and you’re in the NY/NJ/CT/PA area).

 

Genre breakdown:

·       Comedy: 3 series

·       Fantasy: 5 series

·       Romance: 1 series

·       Science Fiction: 5 series

·       Spy: 1 series

·       Super-Heroes: 3 series

·       Talk Show: 1 series

·       Variety/Comedy Specials: 2

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: 7 of 15 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: 366 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: 120 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge: 17 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: 22 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: YTD: 2 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: 24 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: 232 of 366 watched.

READING ROUND-UP: January 2024

The first monthly summary of what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in 2024!

 

BOOKS

I read 10 books in January: 5 in print, 5 in e-book format, and 0 in audio format. They were:

1.       What Moves the Dead (Sworn Sword #1) by T. Kingfisher. (E-BOOK)

2.       Phantom on the Scan by Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres, David Sharpe. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

3.       What Feasts at Night (Sworn Sword #2) by T. Kingfisher (PRINT, ARC (publishes February 2024))

4.       Highlands Book One: The Portrait of Amelia by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

5.       Highlands Book Two: The Survivors of Blackwater by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

6.       We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker. (E-BOOK)

7.       Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. (E-BOOK)

8.       Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire. (AUDIOBOOK, REREAD)

9.       The Birds & Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier. (E-BOOK)

10.   Hellstrom: Evil Origins by Gary Freidrich, Herb Trimpe, Don Perlin, Bill Mantlo, and others (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

 

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 366 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) this leap year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

 

1.       “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones, in Lightspeed Magazine #164, edited by John Joseph Adams

2.       “Shadow Films” by Ben Peek.

3.       “Night Desk Duty at the Infinite Paradox Hotel” by Aimee Ogden

4.       “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World” by David Anaxagoras

5.       “A Saint Between the Teeth” by Sloane Leong

6.       “In the Tree's Hollow” by Lowry Poletti

7.       “Farewell to Faust” by Adam-Troy Castro

8.       “To Be a Happy Man” by Thomas Ha

9.       “The Silver Sea” by Seanan McGuire, on the Author’s Patreon

10.   “Ten Thousand Crawling Children” by R.A. Busby, Nightmare Magazine #136, edited by Wendy N. Wagner

11.   “The Forgetter” by Andrew Snover

12.   “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier, from The Birds & Other Stories

13.   “Monte Verita” by Daphne du Maurier

14.   “The Apple Tree” by Daphne du Maurier

15.   “The Little Photographer” by Daphne du Maurier

16.   “Kiss Me Again, Stranger” by Daphne du Maurier

17.   “The Old Man” by Daphne du Maurier

18.   “The Carnival” by Richard Chizmar, stand-alone chapbook published by Cemetery Dance

19.   “End Game” by Martin Edwards, stand-alone chapbook published by The Mysterious Bookshop

20.   “Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden, from Clarkesworld #208, edited by Neil Clarke

21.   “Down the Waterfall” by Cecile Cristofari

22.   “Willow Wood” by Linda Neihoff, from Beneath Ceaseless Skies #398, edited by Scott H. Andrews

23.   “Home Bread” by R.E. Dukalsky

24.   “Miriam” by Truman Capote, Fantastic #2 (1952)

25.   “The Star Dummy” by Anthony Boucher

26.   “Most of ‘81” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, from the Author’s Website

 

So that’s 26 short stories in January. A bit less than “1 per day.” (January 31st was, of course, the 31st day of 2024.)

 

MOVIES

1.       Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed by James Gunn (STREAMING, Disney+)

2.       Gamera the Giant Monster (1965), directed by Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

3.       The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock (DVD)

4.       Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), directed by Shigeo Tanaka and Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

 

TELEVISION

·       Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1, episodes 4 – 8 (5 episodes) (SEASON REVIEW HERE)

·       What If…? Season 2, episodes 2 – 9 (8 episodes)

·       Slow Horses Season 1, episodes 1 – 6 (6 episodes)

·       Slow Horses Season 2, episode 1 (1 episode)

·       A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1 episode)

That’s 21 episodes of television, again not quite the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

 

LIVE THEATER

1.       Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC)

 

 

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 14 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month:  26 read; YTD: 26 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 10 read; YTD: 10 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge:  This month: 4 read; YTD: 4 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 1  read/watched (“The Birds”); YTD: 1 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 4 watched; YTD: 4 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 21 episodes watched; YTD: 21 of 366 watched

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 1 show attended; YTD: 1 of 12 attended.

2024 Reading and Viewing Challenges

New Year, New Challenges!

Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment. I always set myself more than one reading challenge per year. Some carry over from year to year, and some are new. Some are broad and some are themed. And in many cases, books read will help me meet more than one challenge. But still: in the past few years, I set myself perhaps too many challenges that were difficult to overlap. So this year, I’ve cut a couple that I’ve totally blown in the past few years, and decreased the number of books for others.

Of course, I’m also making some formal movie, television, and live theatre viewing challenges this year because why the heck not? (Although at least one of them is simply formalizing a goal I have every year: more live theatre!)

 So, in order from “most expansive” to “least expansive,” here are my 2024 Challenges. I’ll start with the reading, then move on to the viewing.

 

TO BE READ CHALLENGE

The idea (formulated by RoofBeamReader at his blog several years ago) is to pick 12 books (plus 2 alternates in case you find yourself unable to finish a couple of your main choices) that have sat unread on your bookshelf for a year or more. Books published in 2023 wouldn’t be eligible, nor would re-reads. This year, I’ve decided to include audiobooks and e-books in the challenge (in the past it’s been mostly, if not all, print books), and so I’m listing three alternates (one for each format) instead of two. I did not do well on this challenge in the past three years, but here’s hoping 2024 will break that streak. Titles are not listed in any intended reading order. Books title followed by an asterisk are books that were on my 2023 list, but which went unread. Here’s the list:

1.       Ice Land, by Betsy Tobin (2008) *

2.       Let Me In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist (2004) *

3.       The Mystery of the Sea, by Bram Stoker (1902, reissued in 1997) *

4.       The Book of Lost Saints, by Daniel José Older (2019) *

5.       Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965/2014) *

6.       Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (2019) *

7.       The Mythology of Salt and Other Stories, by Octavia Cade (2020) *

8.       Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas (2020) *

9.       Pangs, by Jerry L. Wheeler (2021) * (2023 alternate title, moved to main list)

10.   Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)

11.   Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda (2005)

12.   The Unwanted by Jeffrey Ricker (2014)

ALTERNATES:

1.       All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business, by Mel Brooks (2021) (audio alternate)

2.       Golden Boy: A Novel, by Abigail Tarttelin (2013) (e-book alternate)

3.       Merlin’s Booke by Jane Yolen (1986) (print book alternate)

 

I plan to come back to this post and add “date completed” for each book, and a link to a review if I post one.

 

366 SHORT STORIES CHALLENGE

Every year, I challenge myself to read one short story per day. Some years I keep the pace pretty well, and some years I fall behind and then scramble to catch up (and some years, I catch up and fall behind again, and some years I blow past the goal handily). 2024 is a Leap Year, so the goal is 366 short stories. I used to post thoughts on each individual story over on my now-defunct LiveJournal. This year I plan to revive my “Sunday Shorts” feature and review a story or two in-depth each Sunday. I’m defining “short story” as anything from flash fiction to novella-length.

 

GOODREADS CHALLENGE

Goodreads allows members to set a challenge. In previous years, I’ve set goals ranging from 125 to 150 books. For 2024, I’m setting a goal of 120 to start with (10 books per month), and we’ll see what happens. Of course, any book read for the TBR Challenge, or the other challenges mentioned in this post count towards this one.

 

GRAPHIC NOVEL CHALLENGE

I own far more graphic novels and trade paperback collections of classic comics than I’ve read. In 2017 I started trying to turn that around, and I’m again setting a goal in 2024 of reading one graphic novel per week, so 52 for the year.

 

NON-FICTION CHALLENGE

As with graphic novels, I tend to get intrigued by and purchase far more non-fiction books than I end up reading. In an effort to clear some shelf-space, justify the money spent, and increase my knowledge a bit, I’m going to challenge myself to read at least 12 non-fiction books, but I’m not going to make a list. There are already 3 non-fiction books (all memoirs) on the TBR Challenge which will count towards this.

 

READ THE BOOK / WATCH THE MOVIE CHALLENGE

I have so many books in my collection that are the basis for classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) movies that I thought it would be fun to read some of them and then see how the movies compare. In previous years I didn’t do so well on this challenge, but I’m game to try again. I intend to write reviews/comparison posts as I’ve done previously, under the Page-to-Screen feature title and tag. I’ve never set a numeric goal for this challenge, but let’s aim for 12 “Page-to-Screen” posts this year.

 

MOVIE CHALLENGE

I own a lot of DVDs. (I know, you’re shocked. Shocked!) Every year I say, “This is the year I’m going to make an effort to watch them!” And then, somehow, I … don’t. One year, I did a list of 12 and two alternates as I do for the TBR Challenge, called it the TBW Challenge … and failed it miserably. So this year, I’m setting myself a challenge akin to my graphic novel challenge: one movie per week, 52 for the year. This includes movies on DVD, streaming services, and any trips to an actual movie theater (which have become rare for me).

 

TELEVISION CHALLENGE

Did I mention I own a lot of DVDs? And that I’m subscribed to a lot of streaming services? I did? Well, you won’t be shocked to know that it’s not all about the movies. So I’m setting myself a “TV Series Watch” challenge akin to my Short Story Challenge: an average of one full episode of a television series (regardless of length) for each day in the year, which (again) this being a Leap Year means 366 episodes.

 

LIVE THEATRE CHALLENGE

I did pretty well with this one in 2023, even though I never posted about it (because I posted extraordinarily little here in 2023, but that’s a subject for another post), so I’m making it official for 2024: I want to see at least 1 live theatrical performance per month. Most of them will be in New York City, but I’ll count any play, musical, opera, ballet, or staged reading I see anywhere, regardless of whether it’s fully professional productions, college, community theatre, whatever. (Music concerts, author signings, and conferences/conventions do not count towards this.)

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

So how am I going to hold myself accountable? I’m planning to bring back my monthly Reading RoundUps. I’m not going to rename/rebrand because I like the alliterative title (which falls well in line with Series Saturday, Sunday Shorts, and a few other blog series I’m hoping to make regular features in 2024), but those posts will also track the Viewing challenges.

 

I would love to hear what YOUR Reading, Writing, or Viewing Challenges are for 2024. Let me know in the comments!

RoofbeamReader's 2022 To Be Read Challenge Initial Post

Most avid readers have a “to be read” pile, in our office or near our bed: books we bought intending to read, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Some of us have “to be read” bookcases.

If you perused my previous “2022 Reading Challenges” post, you know that I’ve actually challenged myself to clear 24 books (12 fiction, 12 non-fiction) from my TBR pile this year. I made that decision well before seeing RoofbeamReader’s announcement on his blog that he’s reinstating the 12 book TBR Challenge he started over a decade ago. Since RBR offers raffled prizes for anyone who completes his challenge, I decided I needed to participate. But upping my list of books from 24 to 36 feels like I’d be setting myself up for failure on all counts. SO, I’m considering RBR’s TBR Challenge to be a subset of my own challenge – all the books below can be found on my larger list as well.

You have to go to RBR’s website to officially sign up for the challenge if you want to be entered to win a gift card to Amazon or the Book Depository at year’s end but the basic rules (other than how to enter) are: Choose 12 books that have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means books with a publication date of 1/1/2021 or later are ineligible; books published in 2021 or earlier qualify as long as they’ve been on your TBR Pile/List. Then choose two (2) alternate titles, just in case one or two of your original twelve end up in the “did not finish” bin.

Per the rules of the Challenge, I’ll be coming back to this post to link to individual book reviews and to show progress. I’ll do this by italicizing the books I’ve read and adding “completed on [date]” to the entry.

MY 2021 ROOFBEAMREADER TO BE READ CHALLENGE LIST:

1.       The Tricky Part: One Boy’s Fall from Trespass into Grace, by Martin Moran (2005) (Finished June 28, 2022)

2.       Hollow Earth: The Long and Curious History of Imagining Strange Lands, Fantastical Creatures, Advanced Civilizations, and Marvelous Machines Below the Earth’s Surface, by David Standish (2006) (Finished July 19, 2022)

3.       Letters to the Pumpkin King, by Seanan McGuire (2014) (Finished November 30, 2022)

4.       An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (2014) (Finished April 5, 2022)

5.       Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula, by David J. Skal (2016) (Finished November 8, 2022)

6.       Comic Book Implosion: An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978, by Keith Dallas and John Wells (2018) (Finished July 23, 2022)

7.       The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, by R.A. Dick (pseudonym of Josephine Leslie) (1945, reissued in 2014) (Finished November 28, 2022)

8.       Excalibur! By Gil Kane and John Jakes (1980) (Finished September 11, 2022)

9.       Slights, by Kaaron Warren (2009) (Finished on February 13, 2022)

10.   Lord Tyger, by Philip Jose Farmer (1970) (Finished August 30, 2022)

11.   Untamed Shore, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020) (Finished September 27, 2022)

12.   A Summer Beyond Your Reach: Stories, by Xia Jia (2020) (Finished December 22, 2022)

Alternates

1.       Horror Fiction in the 20th Century: Exploring Literature’s Most Chilling Genre, by Jess Nevins (2020) (Finished December 20, 2022)

2.       The Red Lamp, by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1925, reissued in 2018)

2022 Reading Challenges

I always set myself more than one reading challenge per year. Some carry over from year to year, and some are new. Some are broad and some are themed. And in many cases, books read will help me meet more than one challenge. Here’s this year’s list.

 

 

TO BE READ CHALLENGE

The idea (formulated by RoofBeamReader at his blog several years ago) is to pick 12 books (plus 2 alternates in case you find yourself unable to finish a couple of your main choices) that have sat unread on your bookshelf for a year or more. Books published in 2021 wouldn’t be eligible, nor would re-reads. This year, I’ve again decided to pick 24 books (12 fiction, 12 non-fiction) but no alternates. I did not do well on this challenge in 2021, but I’m getting back on the horse. I plan to come back to this post and add “date completed” for each book. Here are my lists for 2022 (not listed in intended reading order):

FICTION:

1.       The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker

2.       The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R. A. Dick

3.       Dune by Frank Herbert

4.       Excalibur! by Gil Kane and John Jakes

5.       Lord Tyger by Philip Jose Farmer

6.       The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel Jose Older

7.       Slights by Kaaron Warren - Completed February 13, 2022

8.       Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

9.       The Red Lamp by Mary Roberts Reinhart

10.   Unexpected Stories by Octavia E. Butler - Completed February 20, 2022

11.   Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

12.   A Summer Beyond Your Reach by Xia Jia

NON-FICTION:

1.       Twilight at the World of Tomorrow by James Mauro

2.       Something in the Blood: The Untold Tale of Bram Stoker by David J. Skal

3.       Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz - Completed April 5, 2022

4.       The Celluloid Closet by Vito Russo

5.       The Tricky Part: One Boy’s Fall from Trespass into Grace by Martin Moran

6.       Comic Book Implosion: An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells

7.       Letters to the Pumpkin King by Seanan McGuire

8.       First Family by Joseph J. Ellis

9.       Classics on Infinite Earths by Julian Darius

10.   Hollow Earth by David Standish

11.   A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander by Jonathan Melville

12.   Horror Fiction in the 20th Century: Exploring Literature’s Most Chilling Genre by Jess Nevins

(NOTE 1: Last year’s two alternates, Classics on Infinite Earths and Hollow Earth, are now in the main list.)

NOTE 2: For the first time in a few years, Adam Burgess is once again hosting the TBR Challenge on his website. Because of the way the rules for his TBR Challenge work, I’m going to make a separate post, and 14 of the above 24 books will officially be a part of his TBR Challenge as well as this larger one.

 

 

 

 

365 SHORT STORIES CHALLENGE

Every year, I challenge myself to read one short story per day. Some years I keep the pace pretty well, and some years I fall behind and then scramble to catch up (and some years, I catch up and fall behind again, and some years I blow past the goal handily). I used to post thoughts on each individual story over on my now-largely-defunct LiveJournal; this year I plan to review a story or two in-depth each Sunday and then do a monthly “round-up” of all stories read that month. I’m defining “short story” as anything from flash fiction to novella-length. If a novelette or novella is published as a stand-alone book (eBook or otherwise), that story will also count towards my annual Goodreads “Books Read Challenge.”

 

 

GOODREADS CHALLENGE

Goodreads allows members to set a challenge. In 2021, I set a goal of 125 books and read 140. For 2022, I’m setting the same goal of 125 to start with, and we’ll see what happens. Goodreads counts magazines as “books,” so I count them for this challenge as well if I read every page of the magazine. Of course, any book read for the TBR Challenge, or the other challenges mentioned in this post count towards this one.

 

 

GRAPHIC NOVEL CHALLENGE

I own far more graphic novels and trade paperback collections of classic comics than I’ve read. In 2017 I started trying to turn that around, and I’m again setting a goal in 2021 of reading one graphic novel per week, so 52 for the year, tracking them in the monthly Reading Round-Up Posts.

 

NON-FICTION CHALLENGE

As with graphic novels, I tend to get intrigued by and purchase far more non-fiction books than I actually end up reading. In an effort to clear some shelf-space, justify the money spent, and increase my knowledge a bit, I’m continuing the challenge I started last year, but tweaking it. I would like to read two (2) non-fiction books per month, or 24 for the year. Twelve (12) of those have been identified above in the To Be Read Challenge, and the rest will be newer books (either purchased in 2021 and so ineligible for the To Be Read Challenge, or newly acquired as the year goes on).

 

 

READ THE BOOK / WATCH THE MOVIE CHALLENGE

I have so many books in my collection that are the basis for classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) movies that I thought it would be fun to read some of them and then see how the movies compare. In 2021 I didn’t do so well on this challenge, but I’m game to try again, and of course track them in the monthly Reading Round-Up posts, under the Page-to-Screen feature title and tag. I’ve never set a numeric goal for this challenge, but let’s aim for 12 “Page-to-Screen” posts this year.

 

 

COMPLETE THE SERIES CHALLENGE

In previous years I’ve challenged myself to come “up to date” on series I’d started but fallen behind on. Last year, I challenged myself to also read one series that I own but have not read. Titles that I have read in each series are indicated with (read in [month]). Last year, I completed two out of the four series intended. This year, I’m just going to list the series I didn’t complete last year, and not add any new series to the challenge. I plan to come back to this post and add “date completed” for each book individually and for each series as a whole. If I complete any other series on my shelves, I’ll come back and add that series to this entry.

 

THE VELVETEEN SERIES by Seanan McGuire

1.       Velveteen Vs. The Junior Super-Patriots

2.       Velveteen Vs. The Multiverse

3.       Velveteen Vs. The Seasons

 

THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES by Jeff Guinn

1.       The Autobiography of Santa Claus

2.       How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas

3.       The Great Santa Search

THE SHADOWSHAPER TRILOGY by Daniel José Older

1.       Shadowshaper – read in 2015

2.       Shadowhouse Fall

3.       Shadowshaper Legacy

 

 

MONTHLY MINI-CHALLENGES

In 2019 for the first time, I set myself some monthly mini challenges based on various factors. I’m going to do it again in 2021, but list those challenges here as well:

January: No specific challenge

February: Authors from Africa or of African descent (for Black History Month)

March: Women Authors (for Women’s History Month)

April: Poetry (for National Poetry Month)

May:  Asian/Pacific Authors (for Asian Pacific / South Asian Heritage Month)

June: Queer Authors (for Pride Month)

July: No specific challenge (to catch up on challenges I’ve fallen behind on)

August: Classic and New Pulp Authors (because Pulpfest/Farmercon is held this month)

September: Hispanic authors (Hispanic Heritage Month)

October: Horror! Horror! Horror! (because Halloween, obviously)

November: Noir (because “Noirvember”)

December: Winter Holiday-related Fiction (Christmas, Hannukah, etc.)

Reading Challenges For 2020

I always set myself more than one reading challenge per year. Some carry over from year to year, and some are new. Some are broad and some are themed. And in many cases, books read will help me meet more than one challenge. Here’s this year’s list.

 

TO BE READ CHALLENGE

In past years, the wonderful Roofbeam Reader has hosted a “To Be Read Challenge” with specific rules about posting, etc. He’s not hosting one this year, but I’m going to do a version of the challenge for myself without making it a separate post this year. The idea is to pick 12 books (plus 2 alternates in case you find yourself unable to finish a couple of your main choices) that have sat unread on your bookshelf for a year or more. Thus, books published in 2019 wouldn’t be eligible, nor would re-reads. I plan to come back to this post and add “date completed” for each book individually and for each series as a whole. Here are my 14 for 2020 (not listed in intended reading order):

1.       Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

2.       No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

3.       Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

4.       A Diet of Treacle by Lawrence Block

5.       Shadowhouse Falls by Daniel Jose Older

6.       Greatheart Silver by Philip Jose Farmer - finished September 23, 2020

7.       Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs - finished January 22, 2020

8.      The Bad Seed by William March - finished October 30, 2020

9.    The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - finished February 19, 2020

10.   Choke Hold by Christa Faust - finished March 29, 2020

11.   Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

12.   The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Alternate #1: The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker

Alternate #2: Excalibur! by Gil Kane and John Jakes

 

 

 

366 SHORT STORIES CHALLENGE

Every year, I challenge myself to read one short story per day. Some years I keep the pace pretty well, and some years I fall behind and then scramble to catch up (and some years, I catch up and fall behind again). I used to post thoughts on each individual story over on my now-largely-defunct Livejournal; this year I plan to review a story or two in-depth each Sunday and then do a monthly “round-up” of all stories read that month. I’m defining “short story” as anything from flash fiction to novella-length. If a story/novella is published as a stand-alone book (ebook or otherwise), that story will also count towards my annual Goodreads “Books Read Challenge.” 2020 being a leap-year, the goal is 366 instead of the usual 365.

 

 

GOODREADS CHALLENGE

Goodreads allows members to set a challenge. In 2019, I set a goal of 125 books and actually read 144. For 2020, I’m setting the same goal of 125 to start with, and we’ll see what happens. Goodreads counts magazines and individually-published short stories as “books,” so I count them for this challenge as well. Of course, any book read for the TBR Challenge, or the other challenges mentioned in this post count towards this one.

 

 

GRAPHIC NOVEL CHALLENGE

I own far more graphic novels and trade paperback collections of classic comics than I’ve read. In 2017 I started trying to turn that around, and I’m again setting a goal in 2020 of reading one graphic novel per week, so 52 for the year, tracking them in the monthly Reading Round-Up Posts.

 

 

NON-FICTION CHALLENGE

As with graphic novels, I tend to get intrigued by and purchase far more non-fiction books than I actually end up reading. In an effort to clear some shelf-space, justify the money spent, and increase my knowledge a bit, I’m setting myself a new challenge this year to read two (2) non-fiction books per month, or 24 for the year, also tracked via the monthly Reading Round-Up posts.

 

READ THE BOOK / WATCH THE MOVIE CHALLENGE

I have so many books in my collection that are the basis for classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) movies that I thought it would be fun to read some of them and then see how the movies compare. In 2019, I didn’t do so well on this challenge, but I’m game to try again, and of course track them in the monthly Reading Round-Up posts.

 

 

COMPLETE THE SERIES CHALLENGE

In previous years I’ve challenged myself to come “up to date” on series I’d started but fallen behind on. Last year, I challenged myself to also read one series that I own but have not read. Titles that I have read in each series are indicated with (read). Last year, I blew this completely, so I’m repeating two of the challenges from last year, adding two (one that will be audio rather than print) for 2020.  I plan to come back to this post and add “date completed” for each book individually and for each series as a whole. If I complete any other series on my shelves, I’ll come back and add that series to this entry.

 

THE VELVETEEN SERIES by Seanan McGuire

1.       Velveteen Vs. The Junior Super-Patriots

2.       Velveteen Vs. The Multiverse

3.       Velveteen Vs. The Seasons

 

THE AFRICA TRILOGY BY Chinua Achebe

1.       Things Fall Apart – read in 2018

2.       Arrow of God - read in February 2020

3.       No Longer At Ease

 

CARSON OF VENUS by Edgar Rice Burroughs

1.       Pirates of Venus - read in January 2020

2.       Lost on Venus

3.       Carson of Venus

4.       Escape on Venus

5.       The Wizard of Venus

 

THE PHILIP MARLOWE SERIES (audiobook versions)

1.       The Big Sleep – listened to in November 2019

2.       Farewell, My Lovely – listened to in November 2019

3.       The High Window - listened to in January 2020

4.       The Lady in the Lake - listened to in January 2020

5.       The Little Sister - listened to in January 2020

6.       The Long Goodbye - listened to in April 2020

7.       Playback

8.       Poodle Springs (started by Chandler, completed by Robert B. Parker)

 

 

MONTHLY MINI-CHALLENGES

In 2019 for the first time I set myself some monthly mini-challenges based on various factors. I’m going to do it again in 2020, but list those challenges here as well:

January: No specific challenge (because I want to catch up on stuff from late 2019)

February: Authors from Africa or of African descent (for Black History Month)

March: Women Authors (for Women’s History Month)

April: Poetry (for National Poetry Month)

May:  Asian/Pacifican Authors (for Asian Pacific / South Asian Heritage Month)

June: Queer Authors (for Pride Month)

July: US and World History (because of Independence Day)

August: Classic and New Pulp Authors (because Pulpfest/Farmercon is held this month)

September: Hispanic authors (Hispanic Heritage Month)

October: Horror! Horror! Horror! (because Halloween, obviously)

November: Noir (because “Noirvember”)

December: Winter Holiday-related Fiction (Christmas, Hannukah, etc.)

READING ROUND-UP: September 2019

Continuing the monthly summaries of what I’ve been reading and writing.

 

BOOKS

To keep my numbers consistent with what I have listed on Goodreads, I count completed magazine issues and stand-alone short stories in e-book format as “books.” I read or listened to 11 books in September: 10 in print, 1 in e-book format, and 0 in audio. They were:

1.       Lightspeed Magazine #112 (September 2019 issue), edited by John Joseph Adams. The usual fine assortment of sf and fantasy short stories. This month’s favorites for me were Rajan Khanna’s “All In,” Seanan McGuire’s “Hello, Hello,” and Kiina Ibura Salaam’s “Desire.”

2.       Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I grabbed this off of my bookshelf when I realized that it was ERB’s birthday, mostly because it was the shortest ERB book on my shelf. It’s comprised of two novellas about the adventures of “Tangar,” an Earth human transported to a planet much further away than Burroughs’ more well-known star-faring heroes John Carter (of Mars) and Carson Napier (of Venus). There’s a ton of wonderful world-building that left me wanting more of the main character, his friends, and the planet they’re on.

3.       The Dreaming Volume 1: Pathways and Emanations by Simon Spurrier, Bilquis Everly, and others. Part of DC’s “Sandman Universe” relaunch. I was happy to see old favorite Sandman characters return (Lucien, Jack Pumpkinhead, Cain, Abel, Eve, Matthew, even Brute and Glob), and was even happier to see the return of one of DC’s horror anthology hosts from the 70s who didn’t make it into Gaiman’s run (I won’t spoil the surprise). I’m intrigued by the new characters added to the mix, but am not sure I’m happy with the way Daniel, the current Dream, is handled. Still, I’ll read the next trade collection.  

4.       The Unkindest Tide (October Daye #13), by Seanan McGuire. The latest Toby Daye book takes October into uncomfortable and unfamiliar waters – literally, as all but the opening chapters take place in a floating fairy Knowe in the Summerlands version of the Pacific Ocean. Toby still has most of her support group with her, but none of them can really help her fulfill the destiny her mother and older sister both avoided, helping the Ludiaeg end the existence of the Selkies. Lots of great twists and turns.

5.       Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando, Fernando Blanco, Romulo Fajardo and others.  I really enjoyed this look at Midnighter and Apollo’s relationship, and how far they’ll each go to save or protect the other. (Someday, I really should go back and read all of their earlier appearances.) Also loved Orlando’s use of rarely-seen gay DC Comics characters Extrano and the Tasmanian Devil.

6.       Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’m very late in coming to Moreno-Garcia’s earliest novel, and it blew me away. Magic through Music in Mexico City, juxtaposing the characters’ teen years with their present-day circumstances. I really don’t understand how Netflix hasn’t snapped this up as a mini-series.

7.       At The Bay by Katherine Mansfield.  An interesting character study of a group of women at a seaside resort for the summer. Full Review Here.

8.       The Ebon Jackal (Folley & Mallory #6) by E. Catherine Tobler. I was sad to see this series come to an end with this installment. I’ve grown to really love Elaine Folley, Virgil Mallory and their companions, and the intrigue of exactly what Anubis has been manipulating them towards over the course of these books. In the final installment, Tobler alternates the stories of Folley, her time-traveling mother, and time-traveling grandmother, to reveal all.

9.       Blood Sugar by Daniel Kraus. The October offering is a disturbing look into the mind of several potential mass murderers.  Full Review Here.

10.   The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria by Carlos Hernandez. A really fantastic short story collection from the author of Sal & Gabi Break the Universe. Combining hard science, Cuban mythology, a bit of fantasy and even a crime story. Hernandez’ wit and wordplay shine in every story. Full Review Coming.

11.   The Storm Runner (The Storm Runner #1) by J.C. Cervantes. Another #ownvoices entry under the Rick Riordan Presents banner. It took a while for me to connect with the main character and his situation, but the second half of the book really takes off. I’m not as familiar with Mayan mythology as I am with Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Norse, and still felt like I understood the interactions and the background. (Also, made me want to seek out books of North, Central and South American native mythologies.)

 

 

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 365 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) each year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it:

1.       “Exile From Extinction” by Ramez Naam, from Lightspeed Magazine #112 (September 2019 issue), edited by John Joseph Adams.

2.       “Sacrid’s Pod” by Adam-Troy Castro

3.       “Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire

4.       “The Answers That You Are Seeking” by Jenny Rae Rappaport

5.       “A Bird, A Song, A Revolution” by Brooke Bolander

6.       “Flight of the Crowboys” by Micah Dean Hicks

7.       “All In” by Rajan Khanna

8.       “Desire” by Kinii Ibura Salaam

9.       “Come Marching In” by Seanan McGuire, on the author’s Patreon page.

10.   “Adventure on Poloda” by Edgar Rice Burroughs, from Beyond the Farthest Star.

11.   “Tangor Returns” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

12.   “Hope Is Swift” by Seanan McGuire, new novella at the end of her novel The Unkindest Tide.

13.   “The Aphotic Ghost” by Carlos Hernandez, from The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria.

14.   “Homeostasis” by Carlos Hernandez

15.   “Entanglements” by Carlos Hernandez

16.   “The International Studbook of the Giant Panda” by Carlos Hernandez

17.   “Los Simpáticos” by Carlos Hernandez

18.   “More Than Pigs and Rosaries Can Give” by Carlos Hernandez

19.   “Bone of My Bone” by Carlos Hernandez

20.   “The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory” by Carlos Hernandez

21.   “American Moat” by Carlos Hernandez

22.   “Fantaisie Impromptu No. 4 in C#min, Op. 66” by Carlos Hernandez

23.   “The Assimiliated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria” by Carlos Hernandez

24.   “Brigid Was Hung By Her Hair From The Second Story Window” by Gillian Daniels, from The Dark #52, edited by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

25.   “Our Towns Talents” by Simon Stranzas

26.   “The Ways of Walls and Words” by Sabrina Vourvoulias, read by Ezzy G. Languzzi and Isabel Schechter, on the Cast of Wonders podcast, September 27, 2019

So that’s 26 short stories in September, keeping me way ahead for the year so far. (September 30th was the 273rd day of 2019.)

 

Summary of Reading Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 3 of 14 read.

365 Short Stories Challenge: This month:  26 read; YTD: 348 of 365 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge:  This month: 2 read; YTD: 23 of 52 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 11 read; YTD: 103 of 125 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 0; YTD: 5 of 24 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0; YTD: 0 of 10 read/watched.

Complete the Series Challenge: This month: 0 books read; YTD: 0 of 16 read.

                                                                Series fully completed: 0 of 3 planned

Monthly Special Challenge: I may not do something like this every month but September was Hispanic Heritage Month, so I set a goal to read as much stuff by Hispanic/Latinx authors as possible. It didn’t end up being as much as I wanted to read, in fact not even a majority of what I read for the month, but I did read books by Carlos Hernandez, J.C. Cervantes, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, plus two stories edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and a graphic novel that had art by two Hispanic creators.

October’s mini-goal of course is: Horror, Horror, Horror! Because Halloween!(October is also apparently German-American Heritage Month, Polish-American Heritage Month, and Italian-American Heritage Month. So I may try to read at least one book by someone from each of those backgrounds. That would be a mini-mini-goal!)