Challenges: My approach for 2009
>> Wednesday, December 24, 2008
This is a post that actually started out as a comment on Amy’s post about reading goals. It worked well as a starting point for my own post about my approach to challenges for 2009.
I have now completed all 16 of the reading challenges I joined in 2008. While I have enjoyed every challenge (although not every book), I really want to scale back the challenges for next year. I'm going to limit myself to a handful of favorites.
I love to read about new challenges and even those I’ve never considered actually joining have often inspired me to look at books that might fit the challenge criteria. I’ll start by looking at my TBR list to see what I already want to read that would work for the challenge or I might start browsing the library catalog or Powell’s website for possibilities. I might even add a book or two to my TBR list from what I see other bloggers listing for the challenge.
Even when I do actually join a challenge, I’m not sure which part is more fun, the planning or the doing. I love making lists of possibilities and adding books to my TBR list. I also really like the feeling of accomplishment when I’ve completed a challenge and put together my wrap up post.
On the other hand I feel like for the past couple of years I’ve been committing myself to too many challenges. It’s not that I’ve committed to more than I could do because I have completed all that I joined. I changed my tactics a bit this year and really looked for ways to overlap books and count them for more than one challenge. I did that pretty successfully and my record is counting Peter the Great for 7 different challenges. I think my frustration is that participating in too many challenges takes some of the spontaneity out of my reading choices and I miss that.
So for 2009 my challenge related goals will include:
I have now completed all 16 of the reading challenges I joined in 2008. While I have enjoyed every challenge (although not every book), I really want to scale back the challenges for next year. I'm going to limit myself to a handful of favorites.
I love to read about new challenges and even those I’ve never considered actually joining have often inspired me to look at books that might fit the challenge criteria. I’ll start by looking at my TBR list to see what I already want to read that would work for the challenge or I might start browsing the library catalog or Powell’s website for possibilities. I might even add a book or two to my TBR list from what I see other bloggers listing for the challenge.
Even when I do actually join a challenge, I’m not sure which part is more fun, the planning or the doing. I love making lists of possibilities and adding books to my TBR list. I also really like the feeling of accomplishment when I’ve completed a challenge and put together my wrap up post.
On the other hand I feel like for the past couple of years I’ve been committing myself to too many challenges. It’s not that I’ve committed to more than I could do because I have completed all that I joined. I changed my tactics a bit this year and really looked for ways to overlap books and count them for more than one challenge. I did that pretty successfully and my record is counting Peter the Great for 7 different challenges. I think my frustration is that participating in too many challenges takes some of the spontaneity out of my reading choices and I miss that.
So for 2009 my challenge related goals will include:
- signing up for only a few favorite challenges – I’m going to try to keep it to 5 or 6 at the most.
- viewing the other challenges I see as opportunities to create possibilities rather than commitments.
- focusing on continuing the many series I've already started (for the TBR challenge my list will be all series books from series I've started).
- keeping lots of room for spontaneous reading choices.
In other words . . . "becoming a damn fine drifter" when it comes to my reading choices.
No stars – I couldn’t even finish it
1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it.
2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK.
3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment.
4 stars – I really liked it. I really think you might like it too.
5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone.
7 comments:
Good luck with your goals!
Happy Holidays!
The planning is definitely something I enjoy doing! :-) And the reading. Good luck with your goals this next year. Have a wonderful holiday season.
I definitely enjoy the planning aspect too.
Best of luck with your goals. :)
Merry Christmas!
Sounds exactly like what my reading goals are for next year too. Merry Christmas!
I am with you. I had to cut myself off from the temptation of the challenges. I will do the handful that were favorites, but not go overboard. I didn't finish all of the ones I joined. Some I finished and kept going anyway and forgetting the ones I 'needed' to finish.
I enjoy the planning a lot, but I certainly didn't successfully complete the challenges I joined last year. Your philosophy sounds good to me.
Kailana: thanks! I hope I can stick to my plan and resist joining challenges.
Literary Feline: I just love making lists of books that might work for challenges. Thanks - hope you're having a great holiday season too.
Amy: I really figured out this year that I really do enjoy the planning as much if not more than the doing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too.
Nicola: Good - we can support each other! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too.
Vickie: I'm really going to try to keep it to 5 or 6 favorite challenges. I've got 3 I'm committed to already so I have to be very very choosy.
Booklogged: and even if you didn't complete the challenges, as long as you enjoyed the planning and the books you did read I think you've been successful.
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