The Backlist Reader Challenge (#BacklistReader) is a year-long challenge hosted by The Bookwyrm’s Hoard. It’s for all those older books that have been piling up on your TBR pile and list — not just the ones you own, but the ones you’ve been wanting to read for a while.
My Goals
I’m setting my goal at 24 books for the year, or 2 per month. I plan to make this my primary reading challenge for the year (other than the Goodreads Challenge.) I am not going to set a specific list of books; I tried that in 2016 and failed pretty spectacularly. But since I have over 1600 books on my Goodreads “To read” and “Someday” lists combined, I don’t think I’ll run out of choices.
Some of the authors I’d like to finish, catch up on, or start reading:
Fantasy:
- Kristen Britain (the Green Rider series)
- Stephanie Burgis (the Kat, Incorrigible series)
- Shannon Hale (the Books of Bayern)
- Kevin Hearne (the Iron Druid series)
- Julie Kagawa (the Iron Fey series)
- Mary Robinette Kowal (the Glamourist Histories series)
- Katherine Kurtz (the Childe Morgan series)
- Juliet Marillier (the Wildwood, Sevenwaters, and/or Shadowfell series)
- Seanan McGuire (the October Daye series and the InCryptid series)
- Naomi Novik (the last three books in the Temeraire series)
- Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars series)
- Tamora Pierce (the Circle Reforged series)
- Terry Pratchett (the Discworld series)
- Brandon Sanderson (the Mistborn series)
- Maggie Stiefvater (Ballad & Lament; The Scorpio Races; the Raven Boys quartet)
- Megan Whelan Turner (the Thief series)
- Catherynne M. Valente (the Fairyland series)
General and Historical Fiction:
- Susanna Kearsley
- Rainbow Rowell
- V. V. Wedding
Mystery:
- Sheila Connolly (several series, all unread)
- Deborah Crombie (the Duncan Kinkaid and Gemma James series)
- Vicki Delaney (the Constable Molly Smith series)
- Charles Finch (the Charles Lenox mysteries – I have 3 still unread)
- Sally Goldenbaum (the Seaside Knitters mysteries)
- Miranda James (the Cat in the Stacks mysteries)
- Sofie Kelly (the Magical Cats series)
- Deanna Raybourn (the Lady Julia Grey series)
- Julia Spencer-Fleming (the Rev. Claire Fergusson series)
- Rebecca Tope (the Cotswold mysteries and/or the Lake District mysteries)
Romance and Romantic Suspense:
- Tessa Dare
- Julie Anne Long (Pennyroyal Green series)
- Sarah MacLean
- Nora Roberts (the Three Sisters trilogy, and lot of others I haven’t read yet)
If you’ve got your own backlog of books you want to read, why not join the challenge?
Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
Oh how I envy you! I can’t make reading lists (even a general one like yours) even planning a week in advance is hard for me to stick to unless it is for a review book. I just seem to rebel and lose all my reading steam when confronted with a list. I want to read the Green Rider series, in fact I started the first one a few years ago and never finished it (only read about 50 pages). Hoping to finally knock it off my list. Thanks again for hosting this!
Kimberly @ Turning the Pages recently posted…It’s Monday! What Are You Reading #128
Lark_Bookwyrm
You’re welcome! I tried a specific list last year, and crashed and burned. This “general list” (good term!) is my attempt to remind myself of some of what I want to read, without pinning myself down. I’m giving myself permission to read anything from my massive GR list that fits the parameters, so I’ll probably end up with some authors that aren’t listed here.
Lark
Great choices! If I’m not careful, I’ll be adding several of your titles to MY list. 🙂
Lark recently posted…Reading England Challenge…
Lark_Bookwyrm
That always seems to happen to me — I see something (or several somethings) on someone’s list, and before you know it, my own TBR list has grown by one (or two. Or ten.)
kimbacaffeinate
I have/own quite a few books by authors listed that I need to start or have started. Yes, embarrassingly I have purchased the whole series, and they are just sitting there waiting for me.
Good luck!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Shut Up and Kiss Me by Jessica Lemmon
Lark_Bookwyrm
I have some like that, too, and some where I’ve purchased about half the series, figuring I’d better see if I like them before I get the rest! Good luck to you as well!
Cyn @ Bookmunchies
Ah I should really try to get to some backlist! I’ve got Sanderson’s Mistborn series in my TBR too! And yes, definitely check out Tessa Dare and Sarah McLean!
Cyn @ Bookmunchies recently posted…“Waiting” On Wednesday: Frostblood
Lark_Bookwyrm
My daughter is really pushing me to read the Mistborn series. She’s a huge Sanderson fan. And I’ve read some Tessa Dare and one Sarah MacLean, but they both have a bunch of books I haven’t read, which I’m looking forward to.
Rita @ View From My Books
Great tentative list! What jumped out at me: I love Spencer-Fleming’s series, and I did happen to read all of the Sisters trilogy by Roberts years ago. I remember really enjoying them!
Rita @ View From My Books recently posted…Another 2017 Challenge I’ll Attempt Next Year
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks for the recommendation on the Spencer-Fleming series! And I enjoy Nora Roberts generally; that’s a trilogy I haven’t read yet, but I’m looking forward to it.