As 2011 comes to a close and I reflect on my many reading challenges attempted this year, I've learned some valuable lessons for 2012. I was most successful reading books in categories I already read a lot (duh), and where I found the easiest access to the books (double duh). Although there were some surprises, for the most part it's not hard to see why I failed at a lot of these.
Debut Author Challenge - 12/12 books read, and then some
Lesson learned: This one was the most surprising - I was on track for most of the year and found I was more excited to read some of the debut books than I was for books by known and beloved authors. I discovered this year that I love supporting debut authors and reading books with fresh voices. Because I don't know the authors, I don't really know what to expect, which made reading fun and exciting.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Already signed up.
YA Historical Fiction Challenge - 11/15 books read
Lesson learned: I love historical fiction, but not all of it is YA. I had a lot of books I wanted to count, until I realized they were adult fiction. Still, I love the genre regardless of age group and wish I could have completed this one.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Definitely signing up, but at a lower level.
Shifter Challenge - 11/20 books read
Lesson learned: Really? With one of the easiest lists to put together, I still couldn't make this happen? I think I just got distracted by other reads, and had some disappointing experiences on some new series that prevented me from filling up the list with their sequels. I think I prefer my shifters in moderation.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Slim.
Show Me the Free Challenge - 4/12 books read
Lesson learned: I may get them for free, but that doesn't make them any more appealing, particularly if the ONLY reason I got it was because it was free. I had a hard time making myself read these.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Definitely giving it another go, because 1) Missie is awesome; and 2) if I don't sign up, I'll NEVER read these darned free books!
Paranormal YA Reading Challenge - 12/12 books read
Lesson learned: Very easy to complete, but the blogger hosting this one disappeared, then changed her blog name a bunch of times, and I gave up trying to find her again.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Zero.
Get Steampunked! Challenge - 4/5 books read
Lesson learned: SO CLOSE! I have steampunk galore sitting on my shelves, and having started
Soulless there's still a chance I can finish this challenge. I did learn, however, that I love this genre hardcore and can't wait to read more.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Guaranteed!
Morbid Romantica Challenge - 11/12 books read
Lesson learned: I loved that this one featured a different category each month. The variety kept the challenge fresh every month.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Good.
YA Series Challenge - 19/30 books read
Lesson learned: I read a lot more new series books than old ones, and didn't feel the need to finish a lot of series I started. Still, it's so satisfying marking off series books so I'm definitely doing this one again.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Guaranteed!
Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge - 9/12 books read
Lesson learned: I may love reading these, but I don't like reviewing them. I think I'll keep this category as a pleasure read and not a blog read.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Very slim.
Black Dagger Brotherhood Challenge - 6/9 books read
Lesson learned: I got a bit BDB-ed out midway through this challenge. The stories got less interesting, and I wish more people had participated in Bookaholic Does Blogging's book club discussions of the series. So interesting, but where was everyone?
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: I don't plan to re-read any of these, so no challenge for me.
Take a Chance Challenge 3 - 3/10 books read
Lesson learned: The categories were not as fun as I had hoped, and didn't drum up very many books I actually wanted to read. HUGE FAIL.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Very slim.
Fantasy Reading Challenge - 6/6 books read
Lesson learned: Wow, I read more fantasy than I thought I would. I'm not sure I need a challenge to keep me reading in this genre.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Slim.
Gothic Reading Challenge - 3/5 books read
Lesson learned: There's not a lot of gothic fiction out there, and with such a small genre I had a hard time finding books I wanted to read that fit in. I do like gothic fiction a lot, though, but haven't decided if I want to do another challenge.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: 50/50.
Vacation Reads Challenge - 6/6 books read, but not in dedicated time frame
Lesson learned: Short term challenges are even harder for me. I think I'll stick to year-long ones.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Not good.
E-book Challenge - 48/75 books read
Lesson learned: I really overestimated how many ebooks I'd be reading this year. Because of all the tours I joined, I read a lot more physical books than I thought. This easily accounted for my deficit in this challenge.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Not good.
Writer Musings Reading Challenge - 119/100 books read, and counting
Lesson learned: I'm bad at remembering to link up my reviews, but Tabitha gives away great prizes so if she does this again, I think I'll sign up. I was SHOCKED at how many books I was able to read this year, even if some of them are graphic novels. I used the Goodreads challenge to track my numbers this year, so I hope they do it again in 2012!
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Good.
Reading Challenge Addict - 5/17 challenges complete
Lesson learned: Too many challenges, too little time. I need to read more crossover books and be more judicious in my challenge selections next year. I also want to try out some new ones, so I doubt the total volume will decrease much.
Likelihood I'll sign up next year: Almost guaranteed.
I'll start posting my sign-up posts for 2012 in the next few weeks, so consider this a pre-emptive apology for glutting up your feeds. :)
