Fiction Friday

Ten days into 2020, and I have been reading like a crazy person. TV? What TV? Show me the books! I started off with Twisted Twenty Six, by Janet Evanovich. 

I love this series, they are always laugh out loud funny, and this one focused on Grandma Mazur, which was a hoot. Stephanie is also getting better at her job, which is fun to "watch". I am still Team Ranger, but I wish she would make up her mind either way!

Sidebar here, to focus on the challenges I signed up for, which I talked about in my last Fiction Friday, here.

This book filled the following prompts:

Book Bingo: My Choice

Pop Sugar: 20 in the title

Wizarding World: series of 6+ books

A to Z: "E"

52 in 52: W in the title

USA: New Jersey

Next I read Wonder. I wanted to focus on Booked 2020 as much as possible, and this filled one of the prompts. Y'all. Every middle school kid needs to read this book. Maybe even 5th grade. This book broke my heart. I loved the different perspectives, they really showed how life is, and the different ways people see the same situation. 

Challenge Prompts:

BINGO: Movie adaptation

Popsugar: same title as a movie, but unrelated (there are multiple movies called Wonder)

Color Code: Blue

Wizarding World: Blue Cover

Mount TBR: book 1

A to Z: "P"

52 in 52: leaves you thinking

USA: New York

Booked2020: Finish in a Day

I was going to use it for the prompt about wearing a hat, but I finished it so fast, and my daughter gave me another book that fit that prompt, so....

Next up was the second book in the Hannah Swensen series. I am addicted to this series. My daughter turned me on to them, and now I keep ordering them! Pretty soon I will be able to get them from the library, but they don't have the earlier books.  Anyway, the mystery was good and I didn't figure it out until just before she did, which was fun. I am totally Team Mike. 

Challenge prompts:

BINGO: About food

Pop Sugar: Pink cover

Wizarding World: Set at Christmas

A to Z: "F"

Mrs Darcy: Recommendation 

52 in 52: Recipes inside

USA: Minnesota

I chose this book because I needed one set in Hollywood for Booked2020. There were some slow parts, but overall a really good book. It was about Hollywood in the 30s, and it's based on true facts, so some parts were hard to read. Clark Gable was a bit of a jerk, I'm not gonna lie. 

Challenge Prompts:

BINGO: Artist as the protagonist (because actors are artists, and also, one of the main characters was a legit artist)

Pop Sugar: More than 20 letters in the title

Wizarding World: Gold on the cover

A to Z: "A"

Europe: Italy (a portion of the book was in Italy)

52 in 52: Title begins with A

USA: California

Booked2020: Set in Hollywood

This book was given to me by my daughter when she was here for Christmas. She knew it would fit my WOC prompts, but look! She is wearing a hat! I adored this book. I plan to borrow the rest of her Jasmine Guillory's books from the library. Very quirky, and the main characters were over 50. LOVE!! This was also a quick read.

Challenge Prompts:

BINGO: written by a WOC

Pop Sugar: Written by a WOC

Color Code: Green

Wizarding World: Green Cover

A to Z: "G"

Europe: United Kingdom

52 in 52: Features Royalty (the Queen, plus a Duke and Duchess)

Booked2020: Hat on Cover

Next up is another Hannah Swensen book. I am loving how close the sisters are getting and I am still Team Mike. I wonder if that will change? I guessed the murderer about 3/4 of the way through, second guessed myself, and then changed my mind back. So much fun!

Challenge Prompts:

BINGO: Author is from my country

Wizarding World: Law is broken (you know, murder)

Mrs Darcy: book 1 out of 3 with the same author

52 in 52: in a series

I didn't count this as book 2 with the same author since I used Strawberry Shortcake Murder for another prompt in that challenge. The way I am ripping through these,  I won't have a problem getting 3 anyway!

I started this one today. It's my Booked2020 Cover Crush and for Pop Sugar, it's my Anthology. I love Joe Hill, so this should be an easy read, for the most part!

What are you reading right now?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Gnome Trail Race

2019 Goal Update

I cannot believe that 2019 is coming to a close! I just did my final update on my 2019 Achievement Board. Lots of colors, lots of blanks spaces, and I am pretty ok with all of it. There are some goals that I look back on, and wonder why I didn't reach them, and some that were beyond my control (injuries, Class Pass canceling their app, etc)

I made my 2020 Board which you can read about here:

I was accepted back as a 2020 Bib Rave Pro!

I completed my Challenge 365 Journey yesterday and I am registered for 2020!

I read a ton of books, and after I finish this post I will read my 94th book of 2019! I have so many challenges on tap for 2020 which you can read about here:

I ran or walked 830 deliberate miles this year. I only counted miles that I set out to complete, not steps. 

I found a fun new app that will help me obsess over reading....

I covered 1817 miles via steps. It fell short of my 2019 mile goal, but I am ok with that. My team beat 2019 miles, and that is more important. I have my 2020 team ready to go!

I love the coloring page this year!

I am ready to take on 2020, and focus on the Journey. I am going to do more yoga, and start attending Burn Boot Camp. I am registered for a 6 week program and plan to join after it ends. I have trips planned to Cuba and the UK, one of which includes horseback riding. The hubs and I are most likely celebrating 25 years of marriage in Costa Rica, and once he actually books it (don't get me started on that!) I will pick some scary stuff to do. I plan to fire a gun in 2020, and learn to do it properly (this is not up for debate). I am getting my first tattoo. I am doing indoor sky diving. I will be challenging myself as mush as possible!

What will you try for the first time in 2020?

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Edition

Fiction Friday.... 2020 Reading Challenges

I haven't done a Fiction Friday in a really long time, and I was about to try and decide how far back to go, when I had a better idea! Let's talk about my reading plans for 2020. I read at least twice a week, more often if I'm nearing the end of a book and HAVE to know how it ends! 2019 was the first year I completed the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge.
I tried for three years to complete that challenge and it eluded me every year. The challenge dares you to read genres you wouldn't normally read, or authors you've never heard of. I didn't go for the Advanced prompts, although I think I did cover a few of them. In 2020, I'm going for the whole thing:

I have most of the books all planned out, using as many from my TBR shelves as possible. Yes, shelves. As in five. Volunteering at a use book store and frequenting Little Free Libraries is hazardous to my shelf space. There are 50 books on the list, and I've read 86 this year so far, so as long as I plan well. 

Pop Sugar is my most important (to me) challenge. I have found a bunch more that will be fun to try, but I won't be heartbroken if I don't finish them. If I had to read one book for each prompt in every challenge, it would be hundreds of books, so I plan to allow myself to use one book for each challenge, without doubling it up in any one challenge. 

SO

If I read Twisted Twenty Six by Janet Evanovich.....

 

It will be my "Book with twenty in the title". I could use it for several different prompts, but I will choose that one. I will then move onto the next challenge (I have them all in a handy little BuJo) which is a Book Bingo challenge. I can use that as a "book from last year's TBR" since I got it in 2019 but will read it in 2020. I will continue checking each challenge to see if the book fits in any of them, choosing only one prompt per challenge. Make sense? There will be books that will fit many challenges and books that only fit one or two.

Moving on!

2020 Book Bingo Reading Challenge with Shinjini. I love BINGO, so this was a no brainer. I have maybe a third of the squares planned out, and I will figure out more of them later. Sometimes I stumble onto books that work out and sometimes I am frantically doing a google search in November. It's how I roll.

Color Coded Challenge

This is exactly how it sounds. You need to find 9 books that either have a color in the title or predominantly featured on the cover

2020 Wizarding World Tour Reading Challenge

This one is fun because the prompts are divided up into schools, and you are working your way from school to school. I have not even remotely planned this one out, I am hoping it works out on its own! There are over 50 prompts!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

This challenge only uses books that you already own. If you take it down off of your shelf and read it, then the book counts. If you buy it, borrow it, and then immediately begin reading it, then it does not count. You cannot use library books. My first goal is Pike's Peak, which is 12 books. I am the worst at this, I am always finding new books and immediately reading them!

Litsy A to Z 2020

Litsy is an amazing app, like Instagram for Book Nerds. There are swaps, challenges, games, and books. All the books. I am addicted. One of the members hosts the A to Z challenge each year and 2020 will be my first attempt. The goal is to read a book whose author's first or last names begin with each letter of the alphabet. So my example book above could count for J or E.

Modern Mrs Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge

Reading Europe 2020

This is another Litsy Challenge. The goal is to read a book that takes place in each country, and they provide a list and a google form to sign up. My first goal is to hit 10 countries. If that is all that I manage, I am fine with it! If I hit that goal faster than planned, I will raise the goal to 15 or 20.

the 2020 Reading Challenge, 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Love this one. Lots of unique prompts that will be fun to read. I haven't planned this one yet either, but it will be fun to try.

50 States Reading Challenge

This is a fun challenge for any age level. Read a book that takes place in each state. If a book takes place in more than one state, I plan to write it down for each state, but in erasable ink, so that I can choose later which state to use it for. I printed out a blank map and will color in the states as I go, but only if it's decided about, not those books that I have written in erasable ink. 

#Booked2020

This is another Litsy Member Challenge. These three amazing ladies put on the challenge each year and give out prizes at the end of each season. . I did three seasons in 2019 and then totally blew off Fall. I plan to follow it all the way through in 2020. 

Whew! That is a lot challenges! There are so many more out there, but a girl has to draw the line somewhere. Or does she? Hmmmm...

Anyway.

I have read 86 books so far in 2019, and my goal was 50. And then it was 75. I will likely read at least two more. I am starting 2020 off with a goal of 75. Check back to see how I fare with all of my challenges.

Do you have reading goals for 2020?