Have you heard about the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge? Thanks to Brenda and Norma (Traveling Sisters), who have an active The Traveling Friends group on Goodreads, I learned about this summer reading challenge over the weekend and I think I’m keen to join! To be honest, I’m pretty horrible with challenges, mostly because I’m really terrible at keeping track of what I’m reading and for what specific challenge/prompt, but this one is fairly short, so I think it’ll be a lot easier to keep track of since I’m only aiming to finish the “For Beginners” list. Also, this might sound like a silly question but what constitutes summer? When people talk summer I always assume June/July, but according to Google (yes, I Googled) the summer months are June, July, August. Here’s what the challenge looks like:
Good as gold: Read a book that won a Goodreads Choice Award.
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. Vengeful won for the Best Science Fiction of 2018 on Goodreads. I’m excited to read the sequel to Vicious because I absolutely loved it when I read it earlier this year!
The book is better: Read a book being adapted for TV or film this year.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. The Goldfinch movie will be coming out in August and the trailer looks seriously amazing! I’m so excited for it, so I’m hoping to have finished this book by then. I started reading this as a group read in February but I was in such a heavy slump that month, it really affected my mood and made me unable to finish the book.
Short & sweet: Read a book with less than 100 pages (or a book you can finish in one sitting).
Is it cheating if I choose a graphic novel for this prompt? I’d like to read the graphic novel The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow by James Tynion IV. Since we’re talking about less than 100 pages, I’m approximating that’s probably just Vol. 1.
On the bandwagon: Read one of the most read books right now on Goodreads & New voices: Read a debut novel.
I’ll be reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens for two of the summer challenge prompts for practical purposes. I’m so excited to finally be reading this book! It has absolutely gotten all the hype on bookstagram especially and I’m so curious to see if it will live up to all the hype.
Actually want to read: Read a book that’s been on your Want to Read shelf for more than a year.
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel has been on my GR Want to Read shelf since December 2017. I’ve heard so much about this book so I’m looking forward to finally ticking it off my list!
Not from around here: Read a book set in a different culture from your own.
Our Kind of People by Uzodinma Iweala. I had the privilege and pleasure to meet Iweala last year at a book festival in Bali called the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I wish I also got his recently released fiction novel: Speak No Evil, but I only picked up this non-fiction (signed and personalized)!
In the friend zone: Read a book that a friend has recommended.
In the Traveling Friends group there’s a thread of recommendations from reader friends for this prompt. I have chosen to go for The Flatshare Beth O’Leary.
It takes two: Read a coauthored book.
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. Christina Lauren is probably my favorite writer duo. Their books never fail to make me laugh, cry and genuinely feel all the things. This is a fitting book for the challenge as it is also one of my planned reads for Pride month!
Wheel of format: Read a book in a format that you don’t normally read in (a graphic novel, poetry, a play, an audiobook, etc.).
This is the perfect prompt for me to finally finish the audiobook for Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It’s narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who I stan so hard, so I honestly don’t know why I haven’t finished it yet!
Past love: Reread a book you loved when you were younger.
For this one I’m going to choose one of the Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal books (which surprisingly are all on Kindle Unlimited right now)! I used to LOVE reading about Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. I really wonder where all those books of mine went to. I haven’t chosen a particular book from the 100 book long series, but I’m excited to read one of them on Kindle and see how I feel about it now!
Armchair traveler: Read a book set in a destination you want to visit.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I’m (low key) obsessed with Alaska. I think the first time I really fell in love with Alaska was when I read a Nora Roberts novel that was set there, and after that there was no looking back. I honestly can’t even tell you why specifically because I’m sure I’m romanticizing it in my head, but one of the reasons is definitely for the natural environment.
Will you be participating in the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge? If you are, I’d be curious to know what books you’ll be reading!
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat 🙂
dinipandareads 
Thanks for letting me know about the challenge!! 🙂
There’s also going to be a NEWTS harry potter challenge in august, by Book_Roast and it’s always fun ^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking about NEWTS but I didn’t do the OWLs so is it still possible to do NEWTS? I know this is just a fun challenge but… it feels like cheating? Haha 😂
LikeLike
How fun! Good luck knocking these off your list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck! I miss having a summer vacation adulting is no fun! Summer for me summer was June and July but we were really close to another district that was July and August.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally agreed! Adulting is so not fun 😦 I’m trying to squeeze these reads in after work and on weekends, but time is passing much faster than expected! I’m gonna think of summer as June-August so more time for reading! Haha 😂
LikeLike
I am so glad to see you are joining in Dini! Great picks. I look forward to seeing your progress and any friends reads you are doing.
For us, Summer is the end of June (21) to mid-September.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Brenda! I’m looking forward to all the buddy reads for this summer challenge! Also, that’s a great period of time–even longer than I initially thought 😀 Makes me even see potential for trying to tackle the harder challenges! Haha
LikeLike
Good luck with your reading challenge!! I am awful at challenges too haha. And I thought Summer was May June and July 🤷
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s funny to see that people consider summer different months. I never thought of that before — but it’s interesting 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] posted about joining the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge earlier in June and as is pretty standard with my lazy ass, I have been really horrible at tracking […]
LikeLike
We got quite a few books in common 😀
I still have to read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah – but I’m looking forward to it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay book twinsies! Haha
The Great Alone is so so beautiful. I really hope you enjoy it 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too. Is she going to break my heart? Do I have to prepare myself? lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you’re anything like me then it’s a BIG yes! Hahaha have you experienced Hannah’s writing at all? If you have, then it’s probably going to be just as emotional 😂It’s so worth the heart break though (really, I swear lol)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve only read two books by her so far, Nightingale and Home Front – I’ll preparer myself – and have tissues close by – lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t read Home Front but The Nightingale made me weep like never before 😂 It was crushing! I really hope that you enjoy it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] After finishing This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel on Friday I found myself feeling very restless and unable to pick up another book. These are classic signs of a book slump for me and I’m sad to admit that I’m still undecided about my next read! I keep looking (read: gazing longingly) at the many books I have on my shelves and TBR carts, and I keep going back and forth between a few that I want to pick up, but when I start reading, I find myself woefully distracted by another book. I’ve also been distracted by my ARC August TBR list, which I haven’t even made the smallest of dents in! The fact that it’s already mid-August and I haven’t even really started an ARC has me feeling a little stressed out 😰 Welp. But I’m hoping to shake off this feeling in the coming week and hopefully finish (at least) one book! Here’s a list of the books that I started this weekend. Have you read any of these? What do you think I should continue with right now? A Random Act of Kindness is an ARC and Sweet Valley High is for one of my Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge prompts! […]
LikeLike
[…] I posted my last update about the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge at the end of July and then announced joining ARC August at the start of this month, I hit a pretty […]
LikeLike