Alternately: In Which I am in WAY Over My Head LOL
As some of you might know or remember from my post last year, #ARCAugust is a readathon challenge run by @ReadSleepRepeat that’s been going on several years now (You can get the details over at the announcement blog here: http://readsleeprepeat.org/2020/07/26/arc-august-2020-announcement/). It’s intended to help folks plow through their stacks of ARCs aka “Advanced Reader Copies”, be they physical or eBook copies. We’re allowed to read upcoming releases or books that have already been officially published (which is good for those of us who are horrendously behind on our To-Be-Read pile and thus are months if not years behind the release schedule – oops?). Basically, it doesn’t matter what kind of ARC or when the book came out, if it’s one we have yet to read, we can include it. (Or well, I guess it can technically be a reread too, but that is NOT where I’m at right now LOL.)
For me, well, I… have more ARCs on hand than I thought I did.
A lot more.
When I was gathering ARCs for the image above, I truly thought it was only going to include about half as many as it does – specifically those larger YAs bookending the whole set. But as I was double-checking my shelves, I realized I’d completely forgotten the box of backlist (previously published) ARCs a friend sent me a few months ago.
Last year was bad enough having 4 ARCs sent to me mid-August, but discovering these additional 9 more buried by my massively overstuffed bookshelves makes it pretty much guaranteed I will NOT be reading all of these this month.
(Let’s not talk about the virtual ARCs I know I have scattered about hard drives and my eReader, OK? I just can’t take that kind of pressure.)
Add in the fact that reading physical books has been very difficult for me in the mess that is 2020, and the likely successful reads I expect this month gets lower still.
But regardless, I KNOW having the community of a readathon tends to give me encouragement, and at least this one is a solid month long which also gives me a decent amount of time to read, even if I’m dragging my feet. I think I should be able to read at least 4 (1 a week) minimum, but I’m hoping for more than that if I can get my reading groove back.
I’m not making a hard and fast TBR this time (beyond the pile itself), but there are 3 that I for sure want to successfully read first:
THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS by Charlotte Nicole Davis – I already have this one started, so I KNOW I can finish it within the challenge.
KINGDOM OF THE BLAZING PHOENIX by Julie Dao – I LOVED the first book, and was thrilled to get an ARC of the sequel. I started it, then promptly lost it (it fell behind several other books on my shelf), found it for last year’s #ARCAugust, re-started it, and then misplaced it yet again (this time at my work office). So by all the literary gods, I AM going to get to read it start to finish this month. Period. End of story. (Er well, end of that particular story in this case LOL)
WHERE DREAMS DESCEND by Janella Angeles (Release date 8/25/20) – This is the only ARC out of the pile that is a pre-release read, and I’ve already promised it to a friend when I finish, so I REALLY want to get it finished and reviewed prior to release day. I’ve heard awesome things about it, so I’m really excited to dive in, thus putting it in my top 3 for the challenge.
As for the others? Who knows what order I’m going to read them in! Several of them are actually on my #BeatTheBackList challenge TBR for the year so it’s possible I will end up focusing on them since I’ve been looking forward to all of them for a while, but alternately, I may see if I can knock out some of the middle grade ARCs from the surprise pile as they’re generally faster reads which might mean I read more of them total.
I’ve got options is what I’m really saying, and whether that’s a good thing or not depends on how ready my brain is to make a decision or not. Suggestions on which ones to read next (other than the 3 I mentioned) are appreciated, of course, but please don’t take offense if I get distracted and pick a different title lol.
And, of course, if there end up being challenges and/or a bingo card like last year, I do tend to get inspired by those which may help make my decision, as well. We’ll see!
Now to just hope hope hope hope hope that I don’t randomly get more ARCs this month.
I’ll still be listening to my current audiobooks, as well, too, though I’m hoping to finish at least one of them tonight to get it off my plate before the challenge starts tomorrow.
Are any of y’all joining in for #ARCAugust? What’s your TBR looking like? I’m game to buddy read if anyone wants to!
ETA: And now with Bingo Card and Order of ARCs Read!
1) The Good Luck Girls - 2019 Release - "Finish 1 ARC" - 8/03/20
2) Where the Woods End - 2018 Release - "Read 1 middle grade/graphic novel ARC" - 8/10/20
3) Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix - 2018 Release - "Read 1 ARC that does not have a person on the cover" - 8/29/30