This week’s Weekly Geeks topic was suggested by Sheri of A Novel Menagerie. She writes:
“Reading Challenges: a help or a hurt? Do you find that the reading challenges keep you organized and goal-oriented? Or, do you find that as you near the end of a challenge that you’ve failed because you fell short of your original goals? As a result of some reading challenges, I’ve picked up books that I would have otherwise never heard of or picked up; that, frankly, I have loved. Have you experienced the same with challenges? If so, which ones? Do you have favorite reading challenges?”
I figure it’s about time I got back into this weekly event and what a perfect way. I LOVE READING CHALLENGES. They help and they hurt, only because I find I have to keep up with my reading and set my schedule much more than ever before. I have to be very organized if I’m going to to accomplish the reading I set out to do. I am now more goal-oriented in my reading and while I still have plenty of books that are unscheduled and on a whim, I still find I stick close to the original. Since I still consider myself a newby to challenges, I wasn’t as let down when I didn’t finish a couple challenges last year, but it helped me realize more how to change my goals in the future.
I have a lot of favorite challenges. This year it’s been the Countdown Challenge, the 999 Challenge (or 999×2) and the Vampire/Love Bites Challenges. The last two specifically helped introduce me to Sookie Stackhouse and is now my new favorite over Stephanie Plum, if you can imagine. I only join challenges I enjoy because that motivates my reading more. While some other challenges look interesting, I can tell I won’t enjoy them as much or the reading so I avoid them. Maybe next year I will step out of the box.