2016 Challenges

2016 brings with it new challenges, some of which I purposely sought out — such as reading challenges. I will regularly update this page to track my progress. As usual, I signed up for the Goodreads reading challenge. I’m also participating in a couple of challenges hosted by bloggers. Besides those, I set a few personal goals as well.

The official challenges I’m participating in are:

Goodreads Reading Challenge
Around the World
#RockMyTBR Challenge
Modified Popsugar Reading Challenge 2016
Diverse Reads
Bookish Scene: Project 52

For personal challenges, I set goals for non-fiction, classics and German books.

Official Challenges

Goodreads Reading Challenge

Goal: Finish reading 100 books
Status: 93/100 books
Sign-up link: Goodreads

Around the World 2016

Goal: Simply to document all the places I visit through reading books
Sign-up link: All About Books

#RockMyTBR Challenge

Goal: Reduce to 232 books
Planned Status: 0/86 books
Additional Status: 0/8 books
Entire Status: 4/94 books
Sign-up link: The YA Book Traveler

Looking at the books, ebooks and ARCs that I own, it will take a fair bit of dedication to ever reduce that number to less than 20. That's the eventual goal. For 2016 I'm taking the first step by reading more books that I already own. Only the books from my #RockMyTBR 2016 Goodreads shelf count. Every book I have acquired is shelved there. I'm doing this to dissuade myself from constantly borrowing and buying new books.

For every book that I buy, agree to review, am gifted, etc, the stakes will increase. Every additional book I acquire is an additional book I have to finish reading. At the end of the year I want to reduce my TBR count for 2017 to 232. As of January 1, 2016, that means I must read 86 books that I already own (including pre-orders) to reach that goal.

Modified Popsugar Reading Challenge

Goal: Complete 40 of 50 prompts (no double-counting)
Status: 23/40 prompts
Info link: Popsugar

The official Popsugar Reading Challenge 2016 only has 40 prompts. There are also a number of prompts that I know I won't even try to complete. The same goes for Crini, Elaine, Lillian, Maraia and Sana, with whom I'll be tackling the challenge again. That's why we modified some of the prompts and added another ten, so the number of prompts matches the 2015 challenge.

Diverse Reads

Goal: As many as possible
Status: 10 books
Sign-up link: Chasing Faerytales or Read. Sleep. Repeat.

In terms of reading more books that support diversity, I don't have a concrete numeric goal. I'm mostly curious how many I'll be able to read this year. Joining this challenge is a way for me to keep track. Consciously paying attention might also remind me to read more such books. Although, I've constantly been seeking out books especially about ethnic and religious diversity in the past, so in a way, this is also a challenge to push me further.

Bookish Scene: Project 52

Goal: Take weekly bookish photo based on theme
Sign-up link: Word Revel or What Georgie Did

Even though this isn't a reading challenge, it still is a challenge centred on books. It also involves photography. Since this is a Project 52, it values progression over time but doesn't require the daily commitment of monthly photo challenges.