Full rules and sign-up linkups can be found at the link for each challenge.
I set my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal at 180 books for 2021. That seems to be about the average I can manage, year to year.
The Backlist Reader Challenge 2021
Host: Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Progress: 4/15 (27%)
1 January, 2021 — 6 January, 2022
Failed
- Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
- The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse
- Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
- Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman
I host The Backlist Reader Challenge 2021, so of course I’m participating again this year. My goal is to read 15 books published in 2019 or earlier that have been on my TBR list (on Goodreads) for a while, with an emphasis on books I have been given as well as older ARCs. My secondary goal is to actually post reviews for all of them… or at least most of them.
Below are the books I have read but not yet reviewed. Books marked with a * are books I reread, but haven’t read in more than 10 years and had largely forgotten.
- Knitting Without Tears (Elizabeth Zimmerman)
- Amendment of Life (Catherine Aird)
- The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes (Leonard Goldberg)
- Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches
- The Tea Dragon Society (Katie O’Neill)
- Last Writes (Catherine Aird)
- Jackaby (William Ritter)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)
- Scandal Above Stairs (Jennifer Ashley)
- Death in Kew Gardens (Jennifer Ashley)
- The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan) – audiobook and ebook
- The Anatomist’s Wife (Anna Lee Huber) – audiobook
- Mary Russell’s War, And Other Stories of Suspense (Laurie R. King)
- Mortal Arts (Anna Lee Huber) – audiobook
- Sorcerer to the Crown (Zen Cho) – currently reading
Audiobook Challenge 2021
Host: Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer
1 January, 2021 — 31 December, 2021
Completed!
I’m participating in the Audiobook Challenge 2021, hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer. This year, I’m aiming for the Weekend Warrior level of 5-10 audiobooks.
Below are the books I read but have not yet reviewed for the Winter COYER Challenge. Books marked with a * are books I have read or listened to before.
- The Windsor Knot (S. J. Bennett)
- The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan) – listened to most of it, but had to finish the last few chapters as an ebook when my library check-out ended
- The Anatomist’s Wife (Anna Lee Huber)
- Mortal Arts (Anna Lee Huber)
- A Grave Matter (Anna Lee Huber)
- The Shadowy Horses (Susanna Kearsley) – reread; previously reviewed here
- The Winter Sea (Susanna Kearsley) – reread
- The Firebird (Susanna Kearsley) – reread
- Chaos on CatNet (Naomi Kritzer) – currently hibernating
COYER Seasons 2021: Winter
Host: Berls & Michelle @ Because Reading
Progress: 1/4 (25%)
1 January, 2020 — 31 December, 2021
Failed
Winter Season: January 1 – February 28. My goal was to read and review at least 4 of my January and February ARCs, plus any other qualifying books. (Qualifying books are ebooks you own that cost under $1.99, and audiobooks you own that cost under $5.) I actually read plenty of qualifying books (or reread them) — I just didn’t write the reviews, and they weren’t all ARCs.
NOTE: The Winter Season ended Feb. 28, but I am leaving the challenge widget open through December 2021 because not all my reviews posted within the Challenge period.)
COYER Seasons 2021: Spring
Host: Berls & Michelle @ Because Reading
Progress: 10/5 (200%)
1 March, 2021 — 31 December, 2021
Completed!
- An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn
- Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
- The Unforgiven by Heather Graham
- The Art of Betrayal by Connie Berry
- Beyond by Mercedes Lackey
- Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley
- Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley
- The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse
- Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas
- The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber
Spring Season: March 1 – June 30. My goal was to read and review at least 5 qualifying books. (Qualifying books are ebooks that cost under $1.99, and physical books and audiobooks that cost under $5. This season, library books are also allowed.)
NOTE: The Spring Season ended on June 30, but I am leaving the challenge widget open through December 2021 because not all my reviews posted within the Challenge period.)
Below are the books I read but have not yet reviewed for the Spring COYER Seasons challenge:
- Jackaby (William Ritter)
- Romancing the Duke (Tessa Dare)
- From Spare Oom to War Drobe (Katherine Langrish) – ARC
- Undercover Duke (Sabrina Jeffries) – ARC
- Jolene (Mercedes Lackey) – ARC
- Someone to Cherish (Mary Balogh) – ARC
- Devil in Disguise (Lisa Kleypas) – ARC
- Castle Shade (Laurie R. King) – ARC
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)
- Scandal Above Stairs (Jennifer Ashley)
- Death in Kew Gardens (Jennifer Ashley)
- The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan) – audiobook and ebook (both formats qualified)
- A Scot to the Heart (Caroline Linden) – ARC
COYER Seasons 2021: Summer
Host: Berls & Michelle @ Because Reading
Progress: 7/10 (70%)
1 July, 2021 — 31 December, 2021
Failed
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- The Forbidden by Heather Graham
- Mary Russell's War: And Other Stories of Suspense by Laurie R. King
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
- Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
- The Wizard's Cookbook by Aurelia Beaupommier
- The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley
Summer Season: July 1 – September 30. My goal is to read and review at least 10 books. (This season, any book qualifies: any format, any price, any source.)
NOTE: The Summer Season ends on Sept. 30, but I am leaving the challenge widget open through December 2021 because not all my reviews will post within the Challenge period.)
Below are the books I read but have not yet reviewed for the Summer COYER Seasons challenge. Books marked with a * are books I have read or listened to before.
- Beauty (Robin McKinley) *
- The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (Laurie R. King) *
- Guild Boss (Jayne Castle) – ARC
- Mary Russell’s War, And Other Stories of Suspense (Laurie R. King) – review pending
- A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Laurie R. King) *
- A Letter of Mary (Laurie R. King) *
- Mortal Arts (Anna Lee Huber) – audiobook
- The Moor (Laurie R. King) *
- O Jerusalem (Laurie R. King)*
- Once a Laird (Mary Jo Putney) – ARC
- The Forbidden (Heather Graham) – ARC – review pending
- The Unknown (Heather Graham) – ARC
- Danger at the Cove (Hannah Dennison) – ARC
- Cold-Hearted Rake (Lisa Kleypas)*
COYER Seasons 2021: Fall Scavenger Hunt
Host: Berls & Michelle @ Because Reading
Progress: 2/5 (40%)
1 October, 2021 — 23 December, 2021
Failed
Fall Season: October 1 – December 23. My goal is to read and review at least 5 books. (This season, any book qualifies: any format, any price, any source.)
Rules: There are 50 prompts; all books must fit one of the prompts to qualify. You can have more than one book per prompt, but each book only counts toward one prompt.
NOTE: The Fall Season ends on Dec. 23, but I am leaving the challenge widget open through the end of December because not all my reviews will post within the Challenge period.)
Scavenger Hunt Prompts (list to come)
31. A book with a number in the title: Nine Coaches Waiting
TrekAThon (Round 1)
Host: Louise @ Foxes and Fairy Tales
Progress: 1/5 (20%)
1 July, 2021 — 31 July, 2021
Failed
The Trekathon ran from July 1 through July 31, 2021. The challenge was to beam up as many crew members as possible before the end of the month. I set my goal at 5 books. Using the same book for more than one prompt was only allowed after you “beamed Scotty up.” The books did not have to be SF or fantasy.
Prompts:
- Captain Kirk — Read a 5-Star prediction: ~ Chaos on CatNet (Naomi Kritzer) or The Vanished Days (Susanna Kearsley, ARC)
- Commander Spock — Read a Science Fiction book: ~ Chaos on CatNet (Naomi Kritzer)
- Lieutenant Sulu — Read a book with a weapon on the cover: ~ Possibly A Dance with Fate (Juliet Marillier)or The Solstice Connection (Lisa Shearin) or Once and Future (Capetta and McCarthy)
- Lieutenant Uhura — Read a book everyone’s talking about: ~ Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)
- Ensign Chekov — Read a YA or MG book: ~ Probably Six Crimson Cranes (Elisabeth Lim), or possibly The Girl With the Dragon Heart (Stephanie Burgis) or Thursday’s Child (Noel Streatfield, ARC) or Spin the Dawn (Elizabeth Lim)
- Doctor McCoy — Read a book featuring death or a character injury: ~ The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, A Letter of Mary; The Moor; O Jerusalem; (all by Laurie R. King); Possibly The Conductors (Nicole Glover; ARC)
- Yeoman Rand — Read a book with a red cover: ~ Possibly Sorcerer To the Crown (Zen Cho), Fireborne (Rosaria Munda), or the illustrated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (J. K. Rowling) or The Art of Winnie The Pooh (James Campbell)
- Lieutenant Commander Scott — Read a book either set somewhere you’ve never been or somewhere you’ve never read about: ~ Guild Boss by Jayne Castle (I’ve never been to Harmony); O Jerusalem (Laurie R. King); Danger at the Cove (Hannah Dennison) – ARC; currently reading;
- Nurse Chapel — Read a book with a face on the cover: ~ Chaos on CatNet (Naomi Kritzer)
Additional Goals
I want to read and review at least some of my backlog of review copies. (As a bonus, they will all count for COYER Seasons, and the 2019 books will count for The Backlist Reader Challenge.
I want to read more of my own books, especially books that were given to me, or books recommended by close friends and family.
I want to be better about reviewing generally. For some reason, I have been in a major reviewing slump for a while now. I hope it’s just inertia, and that I can do better this year. However, I am not setting a specific goal; the quarantimes blues are still a thing, after all.
I want to read more diversely. Books by and about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) people; LGBTQIA+ people; people of non-Christian religious faiths; people with disabilities or mental illness.
