2023 Challenges Wrapup, and what next?

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This year I cut way back on the challenges, and then I just about didn't keep track of the ones I did have going.  I know I hit my goals, but I can't prove it.  The only one I officially finished was Adam's TBR Pile Challenge, which is being retired:

Not sure I ever got the right graphic...

  1. Map Drawn By a Spy, by Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Cuba)
  2. The Green Roads of England, by Hippisley-Cox
  3. The World of Odysseus, by M. I. Finley
  4. How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, by Drakulic
  5. Wife of the Gods, by Kwei Quartey (Ghana)
  6. Pageants of Despair, by Dennis Hamley (this is a children's book??)
  7. The Way to the Sea, by Caroline Crampton
  8. Ransom for a Knight, by Barbara Leonie Picard
  9. The High Book of the Grail (Perlesvaus), ed. Nigel Bryant
  10. How Democracies Die, by Levitsky and Ziblatt
  11. Samson's Hoard, by John Verney
  12. Hippolyte's Island, by Barbara Hodgson
  13. Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  14. Red Famine, by Anne Applebaum  

I definitely hit my goals for Bev's two TBR Challenges too, but I didn't keep track.

I read a few titles from around the world, but not that many, and not that many books from my CC list either.  I did hit all the Spins though!

In 2023, I tried to read about Ukraine and Russia, and I didn't read as much as I wanted to (I still have nearly a whole shelf of books!), what I did get done was useful and enlightening.  


So what are my plans for 2024?  My favorite challenges have all gone away, which is a bummer, but also part of the circle of life for the blogosphere.   Book blogging is now a dinosaur activity, and one I am not keeping up with too well, but I really don't want to stop.  For one thing I love how many people I've gotten to know, and I miss the ones who have gone on to other things.  I also find having this blog record of my reading to be super-useful.  I can go back and see what I've read and what I thought of it!  

I've gone ahead and picked 12 (+2 alternates) books from my TBR shelf to Definitely Get Done in 2024, even though I don't plan to officially participate in any challenges. 

I think my 2024 focus is going to be British geography and pre-history.  You can see me moving into this theme with The Green Roads of England, The Scouring of the White Horse, and A Land, and I have a very good reason for it.  I am really, actually going to be hiking the Ridgeway in June!  I'm so excited about this, and I have a lot to do to prepare, like strength training, gear gathering, and neolithic monument reading.

Comments

  1. Lory @ Entering the Enchanted CastleDecember 30, 2023 at 12:44 PM

    What, you can't prove that you met your goals?!? Bad dinosaur. You didn't mention the Ozathon, but I hope you'll still be along with us for a bit anyway. That's great that you'll be hiking the Ridgeway, too. Have you read Landlines by Raynor Winn? Loved her books this year -- I only do armchair long distance hiking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 31, 2023 at 5:08 PM

      Oh, I'm definitely doing the Ozathon! I forgot to put it in the post because it's already happening...but I'll be there! I've never heard of Landlines, so I'll have to look it up!

      Delete
  2. curlygeek04December 31, 2023 at 11:17 AM

    Congrats on finishing the TBR Pile Challenge! I didn't do so well with it this year. Next year, in addition to the Ozathon, I'm going to concentrate on reading the books already on my shelves, so I'm signing up for a few backlist challenges. I also want to do some re-reading. Good luck with your hiking, that sounds fantastic!

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