So this challenge last year was… well it was mostly a bust. Not because I didn’t read a ton of books – I more than met my goal of 52 – I just was absolutely TERRIBLE at tracking which of my “official” goal books I read, and completely forgot to track any of them over at the official #Beatthebacklist blog page for points. So, this may be more of a challenge than I even expected, but I’m OK with that. Just like last year, my goal is to primarily read physical books that I already own, and my minimum goal is 52 books – so a book a week.
Added to that, I want to try to make sure at least half of the books I read this year are by people of color, so 26 books minimum. I’d love to have a predominantly marginalized TBR this year, but I know I do read a lot of white queer authors, and I want to keep being mindful of my own blind spots and biases. It is a bit of a challenge hitting that number considering I’m only going off books I already own as I have only gotten really focused on diversifying my reading list over the past few years, so a lot of what I purchased prior to that was pretty painfully white. But I got close to 26 books by people of color, and that will be the one exception to my “It must be a book I already own” rule – if I am given/buy backlist books by people of color, then they will likely be shifted onto this list until I at least hit that 50% mark. I have the ones I know off the top of my head that I already own on here already, but I’m still only just barely at 26 books, so I need to take another look at my shelves and see if I missed any books by people of color. If not, then I definitely need to keep it in mind as the year progresses.
Adding to the complications of trying to organize this particular TBR (because I can NEVER make things easier on myself LOL), is that I am planning to read a good 10 books (the highlighted ones at the top of the list - edit, these WERE the highlighted ones at the top of the list but that list has now been reorganized because I suck at sticking to one form of organization LOL) over my two week winter break which started this past Saturday. Some of those will be read after the 1st, but that still means some of the books by POC on this list may not actually be read in 2020. We’ll see how/when I end up reading things to help reach that goal! Where ever I end up, I will adjust this list as we hit the new year just to keep myself on track.
I will as always be listening to audiobooks and probably reading some ebooks as well, but I really do want to move physical books out of my house if at all possible. And I can’t convince myself to purge books I haven’t even read yet LOL.
(So umm just FYI: keep an eye on my twitter over the course of the year – I may be doing some more “random box of books” giveaways as I decide what I absolutely need to own a copy of and what I’m willing to pass on so someone else can get an awesome read.)
In any case, below is the list I currently have planned to read. If my year goes anything like 2019, it’s entirely possible things will end up moved, but if I read a backlist book that isn’t on here, I may just… shift things to put it on the list. Because I’m an adult and I do what I want! After all, it’s not like I lack for backlist books to read by any means. I recently made the mistake of counting all the books on my “haven’t read yet” pile, and it topped out at around 160 give or take a few that I have up there to re-read so I can tackle the unread sequels I haven’t gotten to yet. Other than my rule of 50% must be by POC, this list is flexible and no where near set in stone.
Wish me luck and just an FYI, if you would like to join me in tackling your backlist pile, the blog post and sign up are here: https://www.novelknight.com/btb2020/
Edit as of 1/01/20: So I only ended up moving one book off this list prior to 2020, so we're still in about the same shape as far as books by POC and ARCs to get through. My winter books and ARCs (well what I originally thought were the only ARCs on my shelves; I realized while going through my shelves that I have more than I thought I did thanks to gifts of backlist ARCs) Wish me luck!
Editing again 1/05/19 LOL: I decided that now that I have the general goal list, I'll be updating them to list the order that I read/date read, as well as updating the Bingo card. Off to a good start I think!
The Jumbies - 1/05/20 - "Middle grade" *
Rise of the Jumbies - 1/09/20 - "Pirates or Set at Sea" *
Alien: Echo - 1/26/20 - "Unusual Science"
A Conspiracy of stars - 2/09/20 - "Plant(s) on the Cover"
Shades of Milk and Honey - 03/02/20 - "Released in the 2010s"
The Serpent's Secret - 04/13/20 - "Book With a Quest" *
The Light at the Bottom of the World - 4/25/20 - "Main Character has a Pet" *
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix - 8/29/20 - "Owned for Over 2 Years" *
City of Ghosts - 10/07/20 - "Black and White Cover"
Wintersong *
Stealing Snow *
Nocturna *
Wicked Fox *
We Hunt the Flame *
The Storm Crow
Wicked Saints
From Twinkle With Love *
With the Fire on High *
Anna Dressed In Blood *
Girl of Nightmares *
Shadow Run
Pride *
Hungry Hearts *
The Last Namsara
Three Dark Crowns *
Empress of a Thousand Skies *
Sekret
Wicked Like a Wildfire
The Sandcastle Empire
Mirage
Retribution Rails
The Stars are Legion
Shallow Graves
The Wrath and the Dawn *
Truthwitch
Of Fire and Stars
Once and Future
Children of Blood and Bone *
The Diviners
These Ruthless Deeds *
The Brilliant Death
Akata Witch *
Temper *
Shadow of the Fox *
Wild Beauty *
The Girl From Everywhere *
The Cruel Prince
Give the Dark My Love
Beyond the Red *
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Bonus Reads! AKA Books I'm not counting as part of the specific goal list, but I still read including audiobooks, ebooks, 2020 releases, upcoming ARCs etc. Many will prolly also be backlist titles, but not the specific physical ones I planned to read. Mostly I just want a full accounting of what I actually read when and in what "order" though these will be odd half/decimal numbers to fit in where they would be on the main list LOL
0.1 Rolling In the Deep - 1/04/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
4.1 Rose Daughter - 2/23/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
4.2 Into the Drowning Deep - 2/25/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
4.3 Imaginary Numbers - 2/27/20 - physical book - first read of 2020 purchased new release
4.4 Madame Xanadu: Disenchanted - 2/27/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
5.1 Glamour in Glass - 03/05/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
5.2 Without a Summer - 03/18/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
5.3 Burn for Me - 03/25/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.4 White Hot - 03/25/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.5 Wildfire - 03/26/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.6 Diamond Fire - 03/26/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.7 Sapphire Flames - 03/27/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
5.8 A Hidden Fire - 03/28/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
5.9 Beka Cooper: Terrier - 4/01/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.10 Beka Cooper: Bloodhound - 4/02/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
5.11 Beka Cooper: Mastiff - 4/06/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
6.1 Clean Sweep - 4/19/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
6.2 The Librarians and the Lost Lamp - 04/19/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
6.3 Sweep in Peace - 4/22/20- audiobook - re-read of backlist book
6.4 Manga Classics: Macbeth - 4/23/20 - manga/graphic novel - first read of non-list backlist book
6.5 One Fell Sweep - 4/24/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
7.1 A Discovery of Witches - 4/27/20 - physical book - re-read of backlist book
7.2 Sweep of the Blade - 5/03/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
7.3 Sweep with Me - 5/03/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
7.4 On The Edge - 05/25/20 - audiobook - re-read of backlist book
7.5 Wilder Girls - 06/09/20 - ARC - first read of non-list backlist book
7.6 Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes - 06/12/20 - eBook - first read of non-list backlist book
7.7 Summon the Keeper - 6/13/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
7.8 The Kinsman Universe - 06/15/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
7.9 Small Magics - 06/16/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
7.10 A Phoenix First Must Burn - 06/19/20 - physical book - first read of 2020 purchased new release *
7.11 Written in Red - 06/21/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.12 Hideaway - 7/08/10 - audiobook - first read of 2020 purchased new release
7.13 Strange Practice - 7/10/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.14 Dreadful Company - 7/11/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
7.15 Grave Importance - 7/14/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
7.16 Shadow of Night - 7/19/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
7.17 You Can't Touch My Hair - 7/20/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book *
7.18 The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - 8/02/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book *
7.19 The Good Luck Girls - 08/03/20 - ARC - first read of non-list backlist book *
7.20 Where the Woods End - 08/10/20 - ARC - first read of non-list backlist book
7.21 Magic Bites - 8/15/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.22 Dealing with Dragons - 8/16/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.23 Indexing - 8/20/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.24 Indexing Reflections - 8/22/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
7.25 Rosemary and Rue - 8/26/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.1 A Local Habitation - 8/31/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.2 In the Shadow of Spindrift House - 9/01/20 - ebook - first read of non-list backlist book
8.3 An Artificial Night - 9/05/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.4 Late Eclipses - 9/08/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.5 One Salt Sea - 09/10/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.6 Ashes of Honor - 9/12/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.7 Chimes at Midnight - 9/14/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.8 On a Sunbeam - 9/18/20 - ebook - first read of non-list backlist book
8.9 The Winter Long - 9/22/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.10 A Red Rose Chain - 9/28/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.11 Once Broken Faith - 10/01/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
8.12 Blackbird - 10/03/20 - physical book - first read of non-list backlist book
8.13 The Brightest Fell - 10/04/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.1 Night and Silence - 10/06/20- audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.2 The Unkindest Tide - 10/10/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.3 A Killing Frost - 10/13/20 - audiobook - first read of 2020 purchased new release
9.4 The Haunting of Maddy Clare - 10/17/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.5 An Inquiry into Love and Death - 10/23/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.6 Silence for the Dead - 10/27/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.7 Sorcery and Cecilia - 11/01/20 - audiobook - reread of backlist book
9.8 Home Improvement - Undead Edition - 11/07/20 - audiobook - first read of non-list backlist book
9.9 Gundam Wing Episode Zero - 11/08/20 - graphic novel - reread of backlist book
9.10 Gundam Wing Blind Target - 11/08/20 - graphic novel - reread of backlist book
9.11 Gundam Wing Ground Zero - 11/21/20 - graphic novel - first read of non-list backlist book
9.12 The Awakening - 12/16/20 - audiobook - first read of 2020 purchased new release