Remember in school when you had to read whatever the teacher told you to? Granted, there were a few good things mixed in with Shakespeare and Moby Dick, but for the most part, being forced into the stories we weren’t interested in made them even harder to get through.
Fast forward to after graduation when we all swore up and down we’d never read anything we didn’t want to again. Or was that just me?
Well, now that I’ve been out of school for almost two decades, I don’t mind as much when someone says “You HAVE to read this book.” Especially since there isn’t a grade attached to it. In fact, over the last five or so years, I’ve really enjoyed expanding my reading by participating in a local book club as well as reading challenges. They keep me from staying in a rut, and tend to help me expand my horizons a little.
Do you know about Reading Challenges?
There’s a ton of them out there, and you can find the one that fits your style or tastes by doing a quick search. I didn’t do one last year, but I did the two years before that, and found quite a few new books I really enjoyed. As well as several others I didn’t.
This year, though, my main publisher, Scrivenings Press, is hosting a monthly reading challenge. And it looks like a lot of fun. Nothing hard, like biographies (though I’m reading one of those with my book club) or scientific books. Good ol’ fiction in various themes.
And, to add to the fun, they’re giving away prizes to those who participate (you don’t have to read only Scrivenings books to be a part of the fun). Being rewarded for doing something I already wanted to do? Yes, please!
Since I know you’re all big readers on here, too, I wanted to share the fun your way. And, thought it would be great if we could all suggest Inspy Romance titles we thought fit the various categories (obviously not every month works, but let’s focus on the ones that do). For instance, in January, my debut novel, An Unexpected Legacy, is perfect and on the list. It could also fit the one for September.
All my books fit February, of course. Yay, romance!
What do you think? Do you like to do things like reading challenges, or would you rather just read whatever you’re in the mood for? Have you done something like this before? What titles can you recommend for some of these months?
Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.
Happy New Year Amy! Hope you are keeping warm and healthy. After an unseasonably warm fall and December, winter has arrived in SW Michigan with snow showers and cold temperatures (13 degrees this morning). Yesterday some small towns received over a foot of snow. Most schools had a snow day. This avid reader and retiree enjoys a blog that makes reflect on my reading. I enjoy this Reading Challenge. Here are a few of my suggestions. Valerie Comer’s Riverbend Romance series covers the 4 seasons and Christmas (March, September, & December). For the May challenge while many stories have dogs or horses, my favorite animal is Pansy the Goat in Valerie Comer’s Secrets of Sunbeams (Urban Farm Fresh).
My favorite travel series is the Tuscan Legacy series with its Italian setting but the grandchildren travel the world – Washington DC and other European destinations. For quirky (April) I suggest Elizabeth Maddrey’s Kinsale Kisses set in Ireland and love the description of kissing the Blarney Stone.
A favorite suspense series was Kimberly Rose Johnson The Librarian Sleuth series or Alexa Verde’s Secrets of Rios Azules. Both authors blogged here in the past.
Enjoy your weekend. Best wishes. Looking forward to reading the posts.
I honestly don’t have time for reading challenges! I’ve been so busy with my proofreading job already this month, and ARC’s, that I’d hate to sign up for something and then not be able to do it!! So, when I have “slack” time, I’ll just whittle away at my TBR stack!! I do think this particular reading challenge sounds fun, though!! For August, Sharon Rose has some really great SciFi, and Jen Gentry and Jo Noelle (possibly under another pen name now) has some really good Christian Fantasy!
Hello from snowy Tennessee! We didn’t get a foot, but we did get about 4 inches on Monday and then a second round with about 6 inches Thursday. My kids have loved having an extra week off school.
I havread several of your suggestions and agree! Great choices. :)
I completely understand not having time. That’s why I didn’t participate in a challenge last year.
I bet some of your proofreading and ARCS will catch a few of these topics, too. ;)
Thanks for the suggestions!
I read and review and have deadlines and I honestly don’t want the pressure of any more challenges as I tend to stress out. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Amy’
When I was in school’ I too loved to read. I still do. I even start one book, than read part of another. I love both regular reading and kindle reading.
At my school, we always went to the library to.pick out a book to read for the week It was fun. I really enjoy my favorite kindle authors Hannah J Rabbit and Kimberly Really Jordon an Laura Scott. You can never put down a Christian romance.
I agree challenges are only fun if they don’t add stress. :)
You sound like my daughter. I think she reads about three or four books at a time, and definitely loves going to the library. :)
And I totally agree about loving Christian romances. Probably why I started writing them. ;)
Thanks for the comment. Who are your and your daughters Favorite authers? Mine are Hannah Jo Abboitt, Laura Scott And Kimberly Really Jordon.Have a nice day.
I wasn’t familiar with this kind of challenge before reading your post. If I were to undertake a challenge this sounds like one I would enjoy more than a challenge with a set list of titles to read.
I have never done a reading challenge before but it would be fun. Like a few others I don’t always have the time. I have actually had to pass up a few ARCs with the book I am editing right now. It does fit with January’s challenge though, if I manage to finish it soon. Never taken so long for one book! I will be keeping this challenge in mind. I have challenged myself to read certain books, like a box set as ARC and that was a blast! So many great stories it was far more a treat than a challenge. Then again, can reading really be the chore it was occasionally in school? I remember having to read one book in high school I just could not find any interest in. I can’t remember for sure what it was, likely science fiction which has never been my interest. It was in the late 1970s. Oh, I guess I’m aging myself! 😊
I don’t know how narrow I can make my list of favorites. Ha!
I love Katherine Reay. And quite a few historical romance authors. But I don’t know if I have a favorite for contemporary romance, per se.
And my daughter is seven so right now she’s devouring Beverly Cleary and The Boxcar Children and The Magic Treetops books. ;)
Agreed. I love the freedom to pick a title within a category. You’re more likely to find something you’ll enjoy that way. 😊
Reading is definitely not a chore any longer like it was in school. I have even gone back and reread a few I remember not liking back then and enjoying them more now. Something about not receiving a grade makes it more fun.
I would rather just read I am in the mood for.
I do that a lot, too. 😊
Hi, I don’t usually do reading challenges, I just read whatever genre I want to read whenever. I do like reading like a series and then after I finish a series I will read a shorter standalone book and I go back and forth like that. Have a great weekend and stay safe.
Makes sense to me, Alicia. Thanks for commenting.
I prefer to just read whatever I feel like.
I do that most of the time, too.
We only had about five so far.
I’m the same way. Like i!
Will read kindle book and a regular book. I’m reading a Karen Kingsbury book right now as well.
Hers are always good, too.
Thank you. I’m reading Fame from theFirstborn series.
Now this looks like a great challenge! I generally read whatever I’m in the mood for so I bet I’d read at least one book in each category on the list :-) Easy Peasy!
I use Goodreads to set how many books I read in a year, which is always 100. It’s a fun challenge for me to see how much I can exceed that by.
I thought the same thing when I saw the categories. 😊
My Goodreads count is set at 125 for about the fourth year, but we’ll see if I make it. My writing life has picked up speed in the last year (a great problem to have).
Hi check out the good reads as well.depends on the writer..
I don’t do challenges right now partly due to some months I don’t read at all others will read a couple.
I use to do a challenge of reading one book set in every state of America which was fun but towards the end was tricky. One year Mississippi was really hard but the next was easy thanks to an author starting a series. Utah was hard too as were a couple of the smaller states. (Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming were really easy)
I know what you mean about being made to read. I had just turned 12 in year 8 (first year high school) the first book we had to read was Lord of the Flies it was really hard to read and above my reading level. Thankfully I didn’t have to read Shakespeare or Moby Dick. I still read after high school but then had a long break for a few years.
I am so impressed with you finding a book to read in all 50 states. Now, I sort of want to do that, too. 😊
I also love going into book stores. I can look around till I get tired of looking or I won’ t want to leave lol.
I am currently in a book club. There have been books that have really left me feeling uncomfortable. I knew one before I even began to read it so I chose the alternative book which was fabulous. I am on two ARC teams that have books coming my way real soon. I do not want to take on more than I can handle. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Book clubs can be hit or miss, for sure. Glad you found a great alternative!
I find that there is book challenges if your not in the mood for the type of book. I love family & young teen mom books. But I read everything
I have a challenge at times cause I’m not in the mood to read at all. Right now it’s a sports book I’m reading.
I never felt like that after school and uni. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t loved reading. Have never participated in reading challenge nor book clubs, they just didn’t interest me. I do like the categories, not sure how I would approach finding relevant books. For a few years recently I made a New Year’s resolution to read a new to me author once a calendar month. Discovered some great books and a few not so great ones and realised along the way if they weren’t so great why did I feel the need to finish reading the book.
Your welcome
I read a bit of everything, too. :)
Sounds interesting!
That’s a great personal challenge–to find new-to-you authors. As an author, I can vouch for living to be found by new-to-me readers. ;)
:) Well I didn’t find you via a new year’s resolution, rather from here on the blog, but I did find you and that I count as a win!
II also did book reports as well even though I never finished the entire book.
I count it as a win, too! 😊