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2021 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

Tobe Buffenbarger

Once again we come to the end of another reading year and a whole bunch of reading challenges. To review, I said way back in January 2020:

“I’m going for mood reading in 2021. I went with challenges that don’t stifle my reading in any way. I want my reading challenges to feel exciting and motivating. “

And that did stay true throughout the year. I really leaned into the mood reading let the rigid idea of reading challenges fall a bit to the wayside. Here’s a quick overview of what happened with the challenges that I did set up:

2021 Reading Challenges

  • Goodreads Challenge ✓

  • Perpetual Books ✓

  • UnRead Shelf

  • MMD Summer Reading Guide ✓

  • Winter TBR

  • Spring TBR

  • Summer TBR

  • Fall TBR

  • Currently Reading Podcast ✓

  • UnRead Shelf Project

And now let’s break down all the individual challenges, starting with those that I completed:

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 223/200 Books 100%

Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

  1. I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman (3/10/21)

  2. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

  3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

  4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (5/14/21)

  5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

  6. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

  7. A Jane Austen Education by William Dereieswicz (6/16/21)

  8. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (6/15/21)

  9. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

  10. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

  11. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

  12. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

  13. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

  14. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

  15. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

  16. Laundry Love by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

  17. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

  18. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

  19. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (10/23/21)

  20. Code Name Hèléne by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

Perpetual Books
Goal 30/30 Books 100%

  1. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

  2. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

  3. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

  4. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

  5. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

  6. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

  7. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

  8. Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/23/21)

  9. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

  10. To Sir Philip With Love by Julia Quinn (3/6/21)

  11. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

  12. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/20/21)

  13. Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/23/21)

  14. Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/24/21)

  15. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

  16. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov (4/7/21)

  17. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (4/16/21)

  18. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn (4/17/21)

  19. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov (6/5/21)

  20. The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov (8/7/21)

  21. Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov (8/14/21)

  22. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/25/21)

  23. Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/31/21)

  24. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/8/21)

  25. Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov (9/15/21)

  26. Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/22/21)

  27. Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov (9/28/21)

  28. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

  29. Bird Box by Josh Malerman (10/15/21)

  30. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov (10/16/21)

Kid Read-Alouds
Goal 15/15 Books 100%

  1. The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (1/16/21)

  2. Mathilda by Roald Dahl (1/26/21)

  3. Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (2/11/21)

  4. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (2/18/21)

  5. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3/5/21)

  6. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (3/19/21)

  7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (4/9/21)

  8. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (4/23/21)

  9. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (5/6/21)

  10. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate (5/21/21)

  11. Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel (5/28/21)

  12. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster (6/15/21)

  13. Scare Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Hiedicker (6/30/21)

  14. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (7/20/21)

  15. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (7/30/21)

Currently Reading Reading Challenge
Goal 12/12 Books 100%

  1. Kept me turning the pages after midnight - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2/5/21)

  2. Can't wait to give someone else - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (5/25/21)

  3. Binged in a day - Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

  4. Makes me feel cozy - Tales from the Hinterlands by Melissa Albert (4/20/21)

  5. Read with a buddy - The Widow by Fiona Barton (2/10/21)

  6. Takes me to another world - Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

  7. Reflects the season I read it - A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (3/5/21)

  8. Someone desperately wanted me to read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4/3/21)

  9. So good I didn't want it to end - The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

  10. Wanted to read so badly, but then it got lost in my TBR - The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1/26/21)

  11. I picked up randomly in the library or bookstore because it called to me - The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (5/22/21)

  12. Everyone is loving on Bookstagram, podcasts, or Goodreads - Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (3/12/21)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf
Goal 26/50 Books 50%

  1. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

  2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

  3. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

  4. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

  5. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

  6. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

  7. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

  8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

  9. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

  10. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

  11. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

  12. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

  13. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

  14. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

  15. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

  16. Lady Mechanika Vol. 5 (4/21/21)

  17. Lady Mechanika Vol. 6 (4/23/21)

  18. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

  19. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

  20. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

  21. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

  22. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

  23. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

  24. In a Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

  25. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

  26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

Fall Seasonal
Goal 8/25 Books 0%

  1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (10/8/21)

  2. Girls Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare

    • The Wallflower Wager (10/2/21)

    • The Bride Bet

  3. The Woods are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (10/5/21)

  4. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

  5. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

  6. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

  7. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

  8. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

  9. Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (12/21/21)

  10. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

  11. The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

  12. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kristin Bakis

  13. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters

  14. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

  15. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

  16. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

  17. Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

  18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

  19. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

  20. A Court of Throne sand Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  21. The Witches by Stacy Schiff

  22. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

  23. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

  24. Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

  25. Rereads

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

    • The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (10/24/21)

Unread Shelf Project Reading Challenge
Goal 11/24 Books 16.7%

  1. January: High Expectations - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

  2. February: Got for free - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

  3. March: Bought on a trip -

  4. April: Bought from used bookstore - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

  5. May: Bought as a new release -

  6. June: Bought in a spending spree - Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

  7. July: Bought for the cover -

  8. August: From an independent bookstore -

  9. September: Want to learn from -

  10. October: Secretly afraid of -

  11. November: Published before 2000 -

  12. December: Reminds you of childhood -

  13. More than 500 pages -

  14. Impulse buy -

  15. On the shelf longer than a year - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

  16. Author you've never read before - The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

  17. Bought because of a recommendation -

  18. Given to you that you didn't ask for -

  19. Got for a special occasion - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

  20. Favorite genre - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

  21. Bought because of the hype - Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

  22. From a Little Free Library -

  23. Most recently acquired - The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

  24. Backlist title by an author with a newer release available - Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

Summer Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 40%

  1. Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

  2. Troy by Stephen Fry

  3. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

  4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

  5. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

  6. For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

  7. The Guide by Peter Heller

  8. Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

  9. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

  10. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

  11. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

  12. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

  13. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 (9/17/21)

  14. Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw Series by Michelle Hodkin

    • The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

    • The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #1)

    • The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2)

  15. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

  16. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (7/30/21)

  17. Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

  18. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

  19. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

  20. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

  21. Black Cobra Quartet by Stephanie Laurens

    • The Untamed Bride

    • The Elusive Bride

    • The Brazen Bride

    • The Reckless Bride

  22. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

    • The Thousandth Floor

    • The Dazzling Heights

  23. Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel

  24. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

  25. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (6/25/21)

Winter Seasonal
Goal 14/25 Books 56%

  1. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

  2. Still Life by Louise Penny (own)

  3. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

  4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

  5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (own)

  6. Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux

    • Sanctum (1/23/21)

    • Catacomb DNFed

    • Novellas DNFed

    • Escape from Asylum DNFed

  7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas (library on hold)

  8. The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (1/23/21)

  9. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (library on hold)

  10. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (1/12/21)

  11. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

  12. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (library on hold)

  13. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow (2/5/21)

  14. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

  15. Underland by Robert Macfarlane (2/3/21)

  16. Wellington by Aaron Mahnke (1/16/21)

  17. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (library on hold)

  18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (own)

  19. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (own)

  20. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (library on hold)

  21. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (library on hold)

  22. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (own)

  23. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (2/13/21)

  24. Lock In by John Scalzi (1/30/21)

  25. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

Spring Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 32%

  1. Foundation by Isaace Asimov

  2. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis

  3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

  4. Lady Mechanika series

    • Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (4/21/21)

    • Volume 6: Sangre (4/23/21)

  5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

  6. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

  7. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz (6/16/21)

  8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

  9. Experiemntal Film by Gemma Files

  10. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

  11. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

  12. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

  13. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  14. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

  15. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

  16. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

  17. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

  18. Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

    • It’s In His Kiss (3/30/21)

    • On the Way to the Wedding (4/16/21)

    • Happily Ever After (4/17/21)

  19. Swamplandia by Karen Russell

  20. Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster (5/5/21)

  21. The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

  22. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

  23. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence (6/15/21)

  24. Will Storr vs The Supernatural by Will Storr

  25. The Nest by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney