I enjoy participating in reading challenges and sharing books I have enjoyed. Most of these challenges involve the type of books I would be reading anyway. The only difficulty comes in the time it takes for record-keeping. I haven’t decided yet which challenges I will participate in next year. But I can recommend any of these.
Most of the challenge hosts require a wrap-up post at the end of the year. I shared my Back to the Classics Challenge Wrap-Up, hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate here. But I decided to include all the rest in one post so as not to be tedious for readers.
Bev at My Reader’s Block hosts the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. The idea is to read books you already owned before the start of this year. Bev has made levels in increments of twelve, each named after a mountain, and we’re to choose a level to shoot for. Even though I’ve reached Mt. Ararat (48 books) the last couple of years, I decided to play it safe and stick with Mt. Vancouver (36 books).
That turned out to be a wise decision as I just made it with 38 books. Instead of making a separate list, I marked the books in this category with (MTBR) on my list of all the books I read this year.
Shelly Rae at Book’d Out hosts the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. She provided 12 categories of nonfiction, and participants chose which level they want to aim for. Thankfully, this year she has included a Nonfiction Grazer category where we set our own goals for how many and what kind of nonfiction to read. That worked best for me this year.
I read a total of 33 non-fiction books this year, which can be seen on my Books Read in 2022 post.
As to my personal goals for this challenge:
- At least one biography, autobiography, or memoir. I read a few: Always, Only Good: A Journey of Faith Through Mental Illness by Shelly Garlock Hamilton; The Enchanted Places: A Childhood Memoir by Christopher Milne; Jesus Led Me All the Way by Margaret Stringer; Where I End: A Story of Tragedy, Truth, and Rebellious Hope by Katherine Elizabeth Clark.
- One writing book: I’ve started Writing for the Soul: Instruction and Advice from an Extraordinary Writing Life by Jerry B. Jenkins, but haven’t finished it yet.
- One book of humor: Didn’t get to this one.
- One Bible study book: 10 of Warren Wiersbe’s “Be” commentaries.
- One Christian living book: 100 Best Bible Verses to Overcome Worry and Anxiety, a devotional book by various authors; Joy: A Godly Woman’s Adornment by Lydia Brownback; Treasures of Encouragement: Women Helping Women by Sharon W. Betters; Women and Stress: A Practical Approach to Managing Tension by Jean Lush and Pam Vredevelt.
- One book of letters or journals: Did not get to this one either.
- One book by C. S. Lewis that I have not read yet: The Four Loves.
- One book on organization or productivity: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown; Ten Time Management Choices that Can Change Your Life by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims.
- One book pertaining to a holiday: Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World by Hannah Anderson
- One book related to midlife or aging: “Don’t Call Me Spry”: Creative Possibilities for Later Life by Win Couchman; Aging With Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture by Sharon Betters and Susan Hunt; The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You by Lisa-Jo Baker
Even though I didn’t hit every category I wanted to, I did more in others, and I feel I had a rich and varied nonfiction reading experience this year.
The Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Caffeinated Reader. I aimed for the Binge Listener level at 20-30. I finished 30, so I was right on target. I also marked these on my list of books read this year. I posted what I had listened to through June at the check-in here. Here are the ones I listened to through the end of the year:
- Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by Lady Carnarvon
- Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer
- Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
- The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill
- Enchanted Isle by Melanie Dobson
- The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck
- The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron
- A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White
- The London House by Katherine Reay
- The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White
- The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
- The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White
- The Search by Grace Livingston Hill
- Snowed In for Christmas by Cami Checketts
- The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
- Three Fifty-Seven: Timing Is Everything by Hank Stewart and Kendra Norman-Bellamy
- To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna White
The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is hosted by The Intrepid Reader. I aimed for the Medieval level of 15 books. I completed 22.
- Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer
- Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
- The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill
- Enchanted Isle by Melanie Dobson
- The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper
- The Hatmaker’s Heart by Carla Stewart
- The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron
- A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White
- The London House by Katherine Reay
- The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White
- Mourning Dove by Claire Fullerton
- Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
- The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
- The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
- The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White
- The Search by Grace Livingston Hill
- Shadowed by Grace: A Story of Monuments Men by Cara Putman
- Shadows in the Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp
- The Stranger by Melanie Dobson
- To Treasure an Heiress by Roseanna White
- Worthy of Legend by Roseanna M. White
As you can tell, Roseanna M. White and Kristy Cambron are favorites in the category.
I’ve included split-time novels here, which have both a modern and a historic timeline. I’ve never been sure whether classics count—books written before our time but were modern in the time in which they were written. If so, I’d have eleven more.
And finally:
The Literary Christmas challenge hosted by Tarissa at In the Bookcase. For this I read:
- The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Heaven and Nature Sing: 25 Advent Reflections to Bring Joy to the World by Hannah Anderson
- Midnight, Christmas Eve by Andy Clapp
- Snowed In for Christmas by Cami Checketts
I also started Hope for Christmas by Malissa Chapin, but haven’t finished it yet. Maybe I will by the end of the year.
I didn’t get quite as many in this category as I had hoped to, but we had a very busy December.
Whew. It’s been a good year of reading.
Congratulations on your reading achievements, and thank you for participating in the Nonfiction Reader Challenge
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