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2021 Reading Challenges

Apparently a blog is forever, since this one is still hanging out there. I could be using it to write about being a traveler, but that's been done and most of my thoughts should remain private anyway (they are *not* flattering). So I'm going to track my 2021 reading challenges instead because that's the only set of goals I'm really setting for myself this year. (2021 goal = have fewer goals.) 


League of Extraordinary Penpals

It's a secret! This challenge is part of a penpal group that I pay to be in, so they don't want people sharing the challenge. I'm going to try to figure out how to review and track these books here without sharing the challenge in ways that aren't okay. 

For now, I'll just say that I'm tackling the Genre-tastic, Book Club, Around the World, Dewey Decimations, and Social Butterfly challenges, not all of which involve reading a book. 

Current point tally 4/5/21: 150

5 Countries

I'm in an Around the World group on Goodreads and last year I really slacked on finding new and exciting international literature. Since I have such a giant TBR pile already of physical books, I'm going to set a very modest goal of 5 books set in other real places. This is also a challenge because I read a lot of fantasy which is set in places that don't exist. Sigh. 

1. Vietnam - Finding the Dragon Lady
2. Ireland - The Guest List
3. Thailand/Seychelles - The Girl in the Mirror
4. 
5. 

The Booker Dozen 2020

The Booker Prize for Fiction longlist is 13 books open to writers anywhere, writing in English, and published in the UK or Ireland. Some of the best books I've ever read have come from these lists. 

1. The New Wilderness - Diane Cook (shortlist)
2. This Mournable Body - Tsitsi Dangarembga (shortlist)
3. Burnt Sugar - Avni Doshi (shortlist)
4. Who They Was - Gabriel Krauze 
5. The Mirror & The Light - Hilary Mantel - I had no idea this was the third book in the trilogy so I have now started at the beginning of the series.
6. Apeirogon - Colum McCann
7. The Shadow King - Maaza Mengiste (shortlist)
8. Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid - READ 
9. Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart (winner)
10. Real Life - Brandon Taylor (shortlist)
11. Redhead by the Side of the Road - Anne Tyler
12. Love and Other Thought Experiments - Sophie Ward
13. How Much of These Hills is Gold - C Pam Zhang

Goodreads 60 Books

Any 60 books. That's it. 

1. The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

2. Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid

3. Finding the Dragon Lady: The Mystery of Madame Nhu - Monique Brinson Demery

4. The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

5. Girl A - Abigail Dean

6. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

7. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

8. Divergent - Veronica Roth

9. The Girl in the Mirror - Rose Carlyle

10. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

11. Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel

12. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

13. The Firebrand - Marion Zimmer Bradley

14. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein

15. Redhead by the Side of the Road - Anne Tyler

16. The Guest List - Lucy Foley

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