January Challenges - My Picks
What is the point of a book challenge I saw someone querying yesterday? Isn’t reading supposed to be fun? I totally think you can have both.
Firstly, setting yourself a target for reading books does not mean you’re in competition with everyone else. You read the entire 1200 pages of the Lord of the Rings or a novella like Murderbot they are both one book. You want to read over 100 books quickly? Then get the entire Mr Men or Little Miss books – 133 books and you’ll be done in a month! Well done you!!
Secondly don’t forget that everyone reads at a different pace, has varying other time commitments and well things that are more important than books to deal with.
Book challenges though should be seen as commitments. I think most of us do it to help us remember to give time to read. Perhaps not surprising say especially if we’ve had several years of the world throwing everything at us on a daily basis. Stating I want to read a book a week or more is you promising yourself some reading time. Want to avoid pressure try setting your target at 1 book for the year – you’ll have hit it early and then read whatever and as much as you want.
There are of course other types of challenges. Read more diversely. Have an equal split of books by gender. Read more books by authors of colour. All of these are trying to read a bit more widely – those who bemoan book challenges I’d like to see their reading lists for each year…
For me the challenges are give myself time to relax with reading and for this year in particular get some shelf space freed up.
Remember challenges are not for you to get a gold medal you’re only in competition ultimately with yourself. But be the best you and not everything has to be on Goodreads! You can just do things your way or just pick up any old book!
PS don’t forget to always ensure you have fun. If not change your challenge
Now saying all that what books are in my 12 and #TidyMyTBR challenges?
The 12 in 2022
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – kindly chosen by Debbie
A young couple - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Will Navidson and his partner Karen Green - move into a small home on Ash Tree Lane.
But something is terribly wrong - their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Neither Will nor Karen are prepared to face the consequences of this impossibility.
What happens next is loosely recorded on videotapes and interviews, leading to a compilation of the definitive work on the events on Ash Tree Lane, unveiling a thrilling and terrifying history.
Loose sheets, stained napkins and crammed notebooks prove to be far more than the ramblings of a crazy old man . . .
I’m getting warned about this one already. A horror tale that uses page design to do weird things. A book many don’t finish so why is this first of my twelve to read in 2022? Well it’s a mixture of 1) It happily was in Mount TBR already; 2) January is a good month for getting hard things done for me 3) I’ll probably have a bit more time to red before work gets very busy later this month
And for my #TidyTheTBR choices
1 – The newest book in Mount TBR is
Alias Space and Other Stories by Kelly Robson
Alias Space and Other Stories is the first fiction collection from Nebula Award-winning writer Kelly Robson, who vaulted onto the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror stage in 2015, earning spots in multiple Years Best anthologies. This volume collects Robsons best stories to date, along with exciting new work, and notes to accompany each piece.Robsons stories are noted for their compassion, humanity, humor, rigor, and joy. This volume includes the chilling gothic horror A Human Stain, winner of the 2018 Nebula Award; the madcap historical fantasy Waters of Versailles, which was a finalist for both the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards; and science fiction stories such as the touching Intervention, chilling The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill, obscene What Gentle Women Dare, heartbreaking Two-Year Man, and many others.These fourteen stories showcase Robsons whip-smart richness of invention, brilliant storytelling, deep worldbuilding, and devilish sense of humor.
Picked up this collection after listening to a really excellent Coode Street podcast with Robson talking about the book and their writing approach. Looking forward to it
Stretch Goal – The Oldest Book in Mount TBR
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
Twenty years ago , sixteen year old Tara Martin took a walk into the mysterious Outwoods in the Charnwood Forest and never came back. Extensive searches and police investigations find no trace and her family is forced to accept the unthinkable. Then on Christmas day Tara arrives at her parents' door, dishevelled, unapologetic and not looking a day older than when she left. It seems like a miracle and Tara's parents are delighted, but something about her story doesn't add up. When she claims that she was abducted by the fairies, her brother Peter starts to think she might have lost her sanity. But as Tara's tale unfolds, those who loved and missed her begin to wonder whether there is some truth to her account of the last two decades.
Graham Joyce was a writer I read lot in my teen years and twenties, books I remember really enjoying were The Tooth Fairy, Indigo and Smoking Poppy they excelled in strange dark fantasy stories. However they also seemed in the early days of online fandom came across as a totally good person and those who knew him in convention fandom which I didn’t really join until a few years ago speak about him with kindness. He passed away at an early age due to lymphoma in 2014. I wished I’d met them
This book has stayed in my shelves since 2012 by the look of it so I think well worth rediscovering this writer
And on my own mission to clear the shelves some personal SHORT stretch goals for January’s TBR cleanse
We Who Are About To… by Joanna Russ (a gift from my friend Lems) this novella looks like a good way to start some classic SF&F
Thin Air by Michelle Paver – a winter themed horror story (looks short too)
Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin – I love the rebus series but keep putting off reading them as I clearly think I don’t deserve yet reading a book by a great author I like. This habit must change this year!
Elevation by Stephen King – another novella I’d like to get past in an effort to get up to date. King can be anything from amazing to eh….you actually wrote this? I wonder which this will be?
