2020 Challenge Progress

[Margaret]

Jalilah wrote: "I changed my read for Dragons. I was hesitant about Uprooted because of many members lukewarm reactions-..."

I liked Uprooted but didn't love it. Beauty and the Beast retellings tend to be a hard sell for me, as well as any book that features a romance between a much older dude and a teenager. That said, the forest is cool, and I did like the main character. Novik on a prose level is an excellent writer. I enjoyed Spinning Silver more (no dragons).

I enjoyed both of these:
The Golem and the Jinni
The Dj..."</i>

<i>Amanda wrote: "Margaret wrote: 'I still haven't read a djinn book, so I'm interested in what you read for that!' -..."

I enjoyed both of these:
[book:The Golem and the Jinni
[book:The Djinn Falls in Lo..."

I also loved The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories.

[Margaret]

Whelp, my post did that italics thing too. Oh well!

[Asaria]

Margaret wrote: "I liked Uprooted but didn't love it. Beauty and the Beast retellings tend to be a hard sell for me, as well as any book that features a romance between a much older dude and a teenager. That said, the forest is cool, and I did like the main character. Novik on a prose level is an excellent writer. I enjoyed Spinning Silver more (no dragons)."

I didn't mind the romance part, but age gap doesn't bother me most of the time. That being said, I can't stand rude, disrespectful jerks in books. Unfortunately, a lot of BaTB retelling writers think it's a brilliant idea to write the Beast as one.

I had more issues with rushed pacing, especially in the later chapters.

[Margaret]

I don't really remember the pacing anymore.

[Margaret]

How's everyone doing on their challenge? Is anyone missing a few categories and need some quick reads to try and finish before the year is over?

[Asaria]

Margaret wrote: "How's everyone doing on their challenge? Is anyone missing a few categories and need some quick reads to try and finish before the year is over?"

Mission accomplished :) . For 2021 challenge I think I'll stick only to American female writers to change the pace.

[Annette]

Margaret wrote: "How's everyone doing on their challenge? Is anyone missing a few categories and need some quick reads to try and finish before the year is over?"

I finished a couple of months ago but I guess I didn't post that I did. See Message 18. Was a fun year!

[Margaret]

Yay!

Great picks, Annette. I love how some of y'all list all the books you read that qualifies for a theme. I list the first book that qualifies for a theme, and then none others (in other words, I only list 1 book for each theme). Maybe next year I'll keep track of all the books on each theme that I read.

Asaria, I keep meaning to read more translated work, but I never quite manage it. I do generally have quite a few books I read from England and Australia, but only a few from any other country than those and the U.S. So I think it's great to change up the pace like that!

[Leah]

Margaret wrote: "How's everyone doing on their challenge? Is anyone missing a few categories and need some quick reads to try and finish before the year is over?"

I have 2 more to go - Djinn and Cats. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

After I finish those 2 for our group challenge, I have 5 more to go for the 2020 general reading challenge. It's been a rough year, obviously, and it's been many years since I was short on the challenge(s) this close to year's end. Not gonna fret, just gotta read 2 medium length (275 pp or shorter) books a day this week.

[Jalilah]

Oh! I almost forgot to write down all I read! I never did a placeholder.


1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc) The Deep
2. Fairies/Changelings The Queen of Nothing
3. Witches/Crones I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem
4. Nature Spirits/Green Man Silver in the Wood
5. Dragon The Future Falls
6. Djinn Djinn City
7. Tricksters Crow Winter
8. Shapeshifters Empire of Wild
9. Ghosts The House of the Spirits
10. Cats The Night Tiger
11. Reader's Choice Mexican Gothic ( for ghosts)
12. Reader's Choice Tithe ( for fairies )

[Niledaughter]

I read 13 books but not in all the categories

1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc)

None


✅ 2. Fairies/Changelings
The Queen of Nothing

✅ 3. Witches/Crones
Serpent & Dove

✅ 4. Nature Spirits/Green Man
Son of the Shadows
Child of the Prophecy


✅ 5. Dragon
Seraphina
Dragonflight



6. Djinn



✅7. Tricksters
Cruel Beauty

✅ 8. Shapeshifters
Shadow of the Fox
Soul of the Sword
Night of the Dragon



✅9. Ghosts
The Ghost Bride
The Mystery of Grace

10. Cats


✅11. Reader's Choice ...Alternative world/ High fantasy
Warbreaker


12. Reader's Choice.... Mythology

[Margaret]

Lots of good books read!

While I have finished our reading challenge and my personal reading goal of at least 100 books (I'm at 134 right now), I have 3 more challenges remaining on Book Riot's Read Harder challenge. I think I can do it. I need to read a literary journal, which will take me 1-2 days, a memoir about a religion I'm not a member of, and I'm currently a third of the way through a short book that meets that criteria, and a romance with a single parent. I have one picked out. I'm hoping to read and listen to my choice on audio, and hopefully, that will mean I finish it by NYE. I need to finish the lit journal and the memoir first. It's going to be close.

[Annette]

Margaret wrote: "Lots of good books read!

While I have finished our reading challenge and my personal reading goal of at least 100 books (I'm at 134 right now), I have 3 more challenges remaining on Book Riot's Re..."

Excellent!

[Asaria]

I realized I didn't post my final list too.

1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc)
The Deep
2. Fairies/Changelings
Rhapsodic
3. Witches/Crones
Howl's Moving Castle
4. Nature Spirits/Green Man
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: With Pearl and Sir Orfeo
5. Dragon
Dary bogów
6. Djinn
The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday
7. Tricksters
The Master and Margarita
8. Shapeshifters
Blanca & Roja
9. Ghosts
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
10. Cats
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
11. Reader's Choice - The Troyan War
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
12. Reader's Choice - Biblical
Genesis by Bernard Beckett

[Asaria]

Margaret wrote: "Asaria, I keep meaning to read more translated work, but I never quite manage it. I do generally have quite a few books I read from England and Australia, but only a few from any other country than those and the U.S. So I think it's great to change up the pace like that! ..."

I need that change because I partially have lost the joy of reading. What's the point of reading diversely if you force yourself to get through? Just for the sake of ticking off another author or country from the list... No fun! But it helped me to realize a few things. I lean towards European and Asian fiction as well as I notice a quite strong representation of American literature every year. At a cost, as I've explored Africa and Southern America the least.

Margaret wrote: "Lots of good books read!

While I have finished our reading challenge and my personal reading goal of at least 100 books (I'm at 134 right now), I have 3 more challenges remaining on Book Riot's Re..."

Good luck! You can do this!

[Susan]

I fell far short of the challenge, mainly bec of false starts on so many themed books that simply didn't feel worth finishing. I'm growing less tolerant of books that don't compel or delight me.

So the ones I did finish are books I would recommend.

1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc): nil
2. Fairies/Changelings: The Star Child
3. Witches/Crones: I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem
4. Nature Spirits/Green Man: Evergreen
5. Dragon nil
6. Djinn nil
7. Tricksters: nil
8. Shapeshifters: Perhaps I can count The Forest of Enchantments? There are shapeshifters, but they're not the main characters
9. Ghosts: The Shadowy Horses
10. Cats nil
11. Reader's Choice: The Guinevere Deception (witches)
12. Reader's Choice : She: A History of Adventure (witches)
And I must list Lolly Willowes--yet another witch!


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[Margaret]

Susan wrote: "I fell far short of the challenge, mainly bec of false starts on so many themed books that simply didn't feel worth finishing. I'm growing less tolerant of books that don't compel or delight me.

..."

I haven't read any of those!

[Mary]

Let's see:

1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc) Julia's House Moves On
2. Fairies/Changelings The Dark Archive
3. Witches/Crones Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1
4. Nature Spirits/Green Man Undeading Bells
5. Dragon Beyond the Hundred Kingdoms
6. Djinn Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn
7. Tricksters Ghost in the Council
8. Shapeshifters Company of Strangers
9. Ghosts Part-Time Gods
10. Cats Beyond the Clouds, Vol. 1
11. Reader's Choice From All False Doctrine
12. Reader's Choice Frozen Dreams

[Margaret]

Mary wrote: "Let's see:

1. Water Creatures (mermaids, selkies, kappa, etc) Julia's House Moves On
2. Fairies/Changelings The Dark Archive
3. Witches/Crones [book:Witch Hat Ateli..."

Another group of books I haven't read. The Julia's House books look cute.