2020 Reading Challenges Attempted

Well, 2020 was certainly an interesting year, wasn’t it? At times I did well with my reading, and at other times I couldn’t read to save my life. But I ended up doing pretty well on my reading challenges this year. How did you do with your reading challenges?

Keep a look out for my 2020 Reading Stats post coming soon, where I break down the statistics of the books I read in 2020, with graphs! But for now, here are the lists of the reading challenges I participated in this year, and the books I read for each of them.

Goodreads Challenge

Hosted by: Goodreads
My goal: 100 books
Challenge Progress: COMPLETE! 103/100 books
(Note: I counted my DNFs and DNF FOR NOWs, even though Goodreads doesn’t. IDGAF.)
Pages Read: 28,815
(Note: I counted all the books I read for these pages. Yes, even audiobooks and even graphic novels/manga. As stated above, IDGAF.)

Books Read

1. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce – Pages Read: 262 – Date Finished: 1/9/20
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 522 – Date Finished: 1/10/20
3. Attack on Titan, Vol. 29 by Hajime Isayama – Pages Read: 192 – Date Finished: 1/10/20
4. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 337 – Date Finished: 1/15/20
5. Pride by Ibi Zoboi (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 304 – Date Finished: 1/19/20
6. Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June – Pages Read: 265 – Date Finished: 1/23/20
7. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 704 – Date Finished: 1/31/20
8. Legend by Marie Lu (REREAD) (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 305 – Date Finished: 2/3/20
9. Prodigy by Marie Lu (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 371 – Date Finished: 2/7/20
10. Champion by Marie Lu (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 373 – Date Finished: 2/13/20
11. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 352 – Date Finished: 2/22/20
12. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 121 – Date Finished – 2/25/20
13. Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill – Pages Read: 53 – Date Finished: 3/1/20
14. The Outsider by Stephen King (PHYSICAL BOOK & AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 561 – Date Finished: 3/8/20
15. Plate Tectonics by Margaux Motin – Pages Read: 256 – Date Finished: 3/8/20
16. He-Man/Thundercats by Rob David, Lloyd Goldfine, and Freddie E. Williams II – Pages Read: 160 – Date Finished: 3/8/20
17. Paper Girls, Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matthew Wilson – Pages Read: 144 – Date Finished: 3/9/20
18. Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 448 – Date Finished: 3/11/20
19. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker – Pages Read: 208 – Date Finished: 3/13/20
20. Ms Marvel Vol 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona – Pages Read: 120 – Date Finished: 3/17/20
21. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 451 – Date Finished: 3/20/20
22. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 664 – Date Finished: 3/23/20
23. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – Pages Read: 209 – Date Finished: 3/25/20
24. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”: The Authorized Graphic Adaptation by Miles Hyman – Pages Read: 160 – Date Finished: 3/25/20
25. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker – Pages Read: 303 – Date Finished: 4/5/20
26. Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau – Pages Read: 368 – Date Finished: 4/6/20
27. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 984 – Date Finished: 4/8/20
28. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore – Pages Read: 352 – Date Finished: 4/15/20
29. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (REREAD)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 390 – Date Finished: 4/20/20
30. The Walking Dead, Compendium 1 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 1,088 – Date Finished: 4/21/20
31. The Walking Dead, Vol 9 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/21/20
32. The Messengers by Lindsay Joelle (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: ? – Date Finished: 4/21/20
33. The Walking Dead, Vol 10 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/22/20
34. The Walking Dead, Vol 11 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
35. The Walking Dead, Vol 12 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 148 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
36. The Walking Dead, Vol 13 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
37. The Walking Dead, Vol 14 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
38. The Walking Dead, Vol 15 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 132 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
39. The Walking Dead, Vol 16 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/25/20
40. Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: ? – Date Finished: 4/28/20
41. The Walking Dead, Vol 17 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 132 – Date Finished: 4/29/20
42. The Walking Dead, Vol 18 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 4/30/20
43. The Walking Dead, Vol 19 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/2/20
44. The Walking Dead, Vol 20 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/4/20
45. The Walking Dead, Vol 21 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/5/20
46. Rebel by Marie Lu (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 376 – Date Finished: 5/6/20
47. The Walking Dead, Vol 22 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/6/20
48. The Walking Dead, Vol 23 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/6/20
49. The Walking Dead, Vol 24 by Robert Kirkman, et al. (REREAD) – Pages Read: 136 – Date Finished: 5/7/20
50. The Walking Dead, Compendium 4 by Robert Kirkman, et al. – Pages Read: 1,096 – Date Finished: 5/14/20
51. Alex + Ada: The Complete Collection, Deluxe Edition by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn – Pages Read: 376 – Date Finished: 5/17/20
52. Contagion by Erin Bowman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 432 – Date Finished: 5/19/20
53. Immunity by Erin Bowman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 411 – Date Finished: 5/22/20
54. Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 55 – Date Finished: 5/24/20
55. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 419 – Date Finished: 5/31/20
56. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (REREAD)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 454 – Date Finished: 6/3/2020
57. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (REREAD)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 400 – Date Finished: 6/15/20
58. Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 372 – Date Finished: 6/27/20
59. Cress by Marissa Meyer (REREAD) (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 552 – Date Finished: 7/3/2020
60. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 305 – Date Finished: 7/7/2020
61. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac – Pages Read: 240 – Date Finished: 7/9/2020
62. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 264 – Date Finished: 7/10/2020
63. Fairest by Marissa Meyer (REREAD)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 222 – Date Finished: 7/16/2020
64. The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks – Pages Read: 268 – Date Finished: 7/20/2020
65. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (AUDIOBOOK & PHYSICAL) – Pages Read: 448 – Date Finished: 8/7/2020
66. Attack on Titan, Vol 30 by Hajime Isayama – Pages Read: 192 – Date Finished: 8/7/2020
67. My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata – Pages Read: 143 – Date Finished: 8/8/2020
68. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley – Pages Read: 173 – Date Finished: 8/8/2020
69. Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano – Pages Read: 144 – Date Finished: 8/8/2020
70. The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Vol 1 by Philip Pullman, Stephane Melchior-Durand, and Clement Oubrerie – Pages Read: 80 – Date Finished: 8/8/2020
71. Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu – Pages Read: 288 – Date Finished: 8/22/20
72. Winter by Marissa Meyer (REREAD)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 827 – Date Finished: 8/24/20
73. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 369 – Date Finished: 9/1/2020
74. Check Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu – Pages Read: 336 – Date Finished: 9/1/2020
75. Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis (DNF)(AUDIOBOOK & PHYSICAL BOOK) – Pages Read: 141 – Stopped Reading On: 9/8/2020
76. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg – Pages Read: 496 – Date Finished: 9/18/2020
77. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (EBOOK) – Pages Read: 162 – Date Finished: 9/25/2020
78. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 435 – Date Finished: 9/27/2020
79. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (EBOOK)(DNF FOR NOW) – Pages Read: 136 – Stopped Reading On: 10/9/2020
80. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 504 – Date Finished: 10/30/20
81. Salvaged by Madeleine Roux (AUDIOBOOK AND PHYSICAL BOOK) – Pages Read: 352 – Date Finished: 11/11/20
82. Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin – Pages Read: 186 – Date Finished: 11/12/20
83. Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters – Pages Read: 128 – Date Finished: 11/16/20
84. Lumberjanes Vol. 2 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters – Pages Read: 111 – Date Finished: 11/17/20
85. Lumberjanes Vol. 3 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Carolyn Nowak – Pages Read: 112 – Date Finished: 11/21/20
86. Paper Girls, Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matthew Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 144 – Date Finished: 11/27/20
87. One by One by Ruth Ware – Pages Read: 372 – Date Finished: 12/1/20
88. Paper Girls, Vol 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matthew Wilson – Pages Read: 128 – Date Finished: 12/2/20
89. The Toll by Neal Shusterman (AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 625 – Date Finished: 12/3/20
90. Paper Girls, Vol 3 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matthew Wilson – Pages Read: 128 – Date Finished: 12/3/20
91. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Grace Ellis – Pages Read: 112 – Date Finished: 12/6/20
92. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang – Pages Read: 240 – Date Finished: 12/6/20
93. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki – Pages Read: 143 – Date Finished: 12/7/20
94. Lumberjanes Vol. 5 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, and Kat Leyh – Pages Read: 112 – Date Finished: 12/11/20
95. Lumberjanes Vol. 6 by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, and Carey Pietsch – Pages Read: 112 – Date Finished: 12/12/20
96. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 176 – Date Finished: 12/14/20
97. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 200 – Date Finished: 12/18/20
98. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (DNF)(AUDIOBOOK) – Pages Read: 167 – Stopped Reading On: 12/18/20
99. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 3: Commercial Suicide by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Tula Lotay (REREAD) – Pages Read: 200 – Date Finished: 12/20/20
100. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 4: Rising Action by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 168 – Date Finished: 12/20/20
101. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 5: Imperial Phase, Part I by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 200 – Date Finished: 12/27/20
102. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 6: Imperial Phase, Part II by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (REREAD) – Pages Read: 168 – Date Finished: 12/29/20
103. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol 7: Mothering Invention by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson – Pages Read: 208 – Date Finished: 12/30/20

20 LGBTQ+ Books in 2020

Hosted by: Enthralled Bookworm
My goal: All 20 books
Challenge Progress: Failed :( 12/20 books

I thought about using the Bingo card that was also an option for this challenge, but ended up just simply listing the LGBTQ+ books I read in 2020.

Books Read

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – This is a retelling of The Illiad in which Achilles and Patroclus fall in love with each other.
2. Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill – A graphic novel about a princess who saves another princess and they end up falling in love.
3. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, et al – This one is not centered around queerness, but it is about the childhood of a gay man, so I’m counting it.
4. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – A f/f science fiction story about two time traveling agents working for rivaling agencies.
5. Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau – A YA graphic novel about two boys whose relationship blossoms while working together in a bakery.
6. Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx – A short story about two men who work together as ranch hands and fall in love.
7. Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor – This is a YA sci-fi novel where all 3 main characters fall somewhere under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. There is a fantastic f/f relationship and a character who is described as being possibly ace/aro.
8. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – This is a science fantasy book about lesbian necromancers.
9. My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata – A graphic memoir about a woman finding her sexuality and her way through depression.
10. Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu – This is a graphic novel/manga about a gay college student who plays hockey and loves to bake. It’s adorable!
11. Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu – The sequel and finale to the series about a gay college student who bakes and plays hockey. Such a great graphic series!
12. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki – A graphic novel about a teen girl in the ’90s and how she copes with the death of a fellow student’s boyfriend, while also exploring her sexuality.

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Hosted By: My Reader’s Block
My Goal: Mount Blanc (24 books from my TBR pile)
Challenge Progress: Failed :( 11/24 books

Books Read

1. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce – Acquired in 2015
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman – Acquired in 2019
3. Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June – Acquired in 2018
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas – Acquired in 2019
5. Prodigy by Marie Lu – Acquired in 2013
6. Champion by Marie Lu – Acquired in 2016
7. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas – Acquired in 2019
8. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas – Acquired in 2019
9. Contagion by Erin Bowman – Acquired in 2018
10. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake – Acquired in 2012
11. Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin – Acquired in 2016

2020 Read Harder Challenge

Hosted By: Book Riot
My Goal: 12 of 24 Tasks
Challenge Progress: COMPLETE! 13/12 Tasks

Books Read

1. Read a book about a natural disaster: The Silent Land by Graham Joyce (about a couple who get caught in an avalanche)
2. Read a book that takes place in a rural setting: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (takes place at a house in the middle of nowhere in Scotland)
3. Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color: Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Retelling of Pride & Prejudice, by an author of color, and all the main characters are people of color as well) (I don’t understand what they mean here by a “canon story” because canon just means anything that is officially part of the story, but I’m counting this one because it’s a retelling of a classic written by an author of color.)
4. Read a doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (704 pages, published in 2016)
5. Read a picture book with a human main character from a marginalized community: Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez (The main characters are Black and Latinx. I read a lot of picture books to my son, but I do not list picture books in my main reading challenges, but I will list this one here, since this challenge specifically states to read a picture book.)
6. Read a historical fiction novel not set in WWII: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (While the Trojan War is still debated on whether it is factual or not, the city of Troy seems to be regarded as a real place, where it once was thought to be fictional. So although the events of this story may or may not be based on actual events and people, I’m going to go ahead and call this one a win for historical fiction that isn’t set in WWII.)
7. Read a graphic memoir: Plate Tectonics by Margaux Motin (also They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, et al)
8. Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non): Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas. (I don’t know if this book has the best representation when it comes to someone with a disability, but Chaol has a disability in this one.)
9. Read a sci-fi/fantasy novella (under 120 pages): This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. (Technically this one isn’t under 120 pages, but it’s still considered a novella, and it’s sci-fi, so I’m counting it.)
10. Read the LAST book in a series: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. I didn’t love this series like other people seem to, but I also didn’t hate it like other people seem to. I enjoyed parts of it, and didn’t enjoy other parts. I don’t know if I would have read the last few books if not for my book club, though.
11. Read a debut novel by a queer author: Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
12. Read a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations, or Indigenous author: Code Talker by Joseph Bruchach. (This author is only part Native American, and he is a part of the Abenaki tribe, not the Navajo tribe that this book is about, but I want to count it because this author is at least part Native American, and the story itself is about Navajos who became Code Talkers in WWII.)
13. Read a book by or about a refugee: Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano (This book is about several characters who journey from Africa to Europe, in search of a better life.)