Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon Signups! #2026HOHOHORAT

It’s time to sign up for the 14th Annual Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer. This year’s event will take place from Wednesday, November 25th through Wednesday, December 17th, 2026. During the event, participants will read or listen to as many holiday or winter reads as they can while taking part in challenges. Prizes, hot cocoa, bookish friends, and more!

I stopped participating in anything other than the annual Goodreads Challenge because of my schedule,  but wanting to (needing to) indulge in more seasonal titles, I signed up for the 14th Annual Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon today. Kimberly is looking for more challenge hosts, so if you are interested, you can email her through this link: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2026/10/14th-annual-ho-ho-ho-readathon-signup.html

2022 Bookish Promises Check-in

 

I am officially declaring myself an underachiever. LOL! This was the first year I didn't set goals or put together a business plan. So unlike me. Instead, I made 10 Bookish Promises. Since we are heading into the last quarter of 2022, I decided it was high time to see how I was doing. In one word: dismally. That's okay, though, because I tried something different and it didn't work. 

Here is what my list looked like in January and my thoughts on any progress. 

To read more from my TBR Pile than I did in 2021: Not going to happen. I just love my book tours way too much. 

To catch up on one favorite series: Not likely. I have books scheduled for review through early November. I am guessing some seasonal books might be on tour soon as well, so probably too far into the year for this to happen. I have eight books in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series to catch up on. 

To read one of the oldest books from my TBR Pile: This is possible, but I would need to be intentional about it. I would need to pull back on book tours for the rest of the year as well. 

To be okay with not finishing books I don't enjoy: This really is a struggle for me, because I know how hard authors work to create a book. I can't say I have come up against this yet in 2022, so I am getting better about my book selection. 

To write one First Chapter Review a quarter: Success! I've already written 12. I have one coming up on September 27 at my children's book blog. After that, I'm not sure. I'm thinking I will whack away at my TBR Pile by reading the first chapter and deciding if a book is for me or not, which helps with the promise above.

To not sign up for a single reading challenge except the Goodreads Challenge: Success! I love reading challenges, but staying on top of them when they are at a variety of blogs makes my eyes cross. The Goodreads Challenge will have to be enough for me. 

To read one leadership book this year: Not sure why I am having such a hard time with this one. Maybe part of it is because the last thing I want to do with my down time is think of how to be a better leader. I just want to put that part of my life aside and let my brain wind down. I've attended conferences this year and listened to some good podcasts. I should have a review of a leadership book coming this month, but I was hoping for one that I chose to read for the sake of reading it.

To get off some VBT mailing lists: Nope. No excuse. I just like hearing about books on tour. Yes, I am my own worst enemy. 

To re-organize my works in progress: I started this earlier in the year, but I really think this will be a December project. 

To re-think my publishing goals: Lots of thoughts tumbling around in my brain. I so admire the authors who were with my other publisher who closed during the pandemic that took the bull by the horns and steered it into finding new publishers or self-publishing and keeping their writing careers thriving. I should have a new book coming out next year. What I need to do is start getting back into school visits, authors fairs, and then decide if I will finish my middle grade novel. 

By the end of this month, I need to start thinking about my 2023 Business Plan for real estate. I also want to make more time for blogging, because I enjoy it. 

How are you doing with your 2022 goals? Is there something you are particularly focused on achieving before year end?

Happy Fall!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Promises I Am Making for 2022

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week is a freebie, so bloggers can take Top Ten Tuesday in any direction they want. Every couple of years, we look at bookish goals/resolutions (last post was 2020), but this year I am making bookish promises to myself. Promises feel so much harder to break than goals/resolutions.

Top Ten Bookish Promises I Am Making for 2022

To read more from my TBR Pile than I did in 2021: Fourteen of the 51 books I've read so far this year have been from my TBR Pile, but I want 2022 to be 50/50. Participating in blog tours is so much fun, but reviewing because you have to makes reading almost like work. Believe me, in 2022 I will be doing plenty of that. 

To catch up on one favorite series: When I get busy, my favorite series books that are hiding in my TBR Pile get forgotten. I am thinking I will go with the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series by my friend Marilyn Meredith. I caught up on her Rocky Bluff PD series this year.

To read one of the oldest books from my TBR Pile: My TBR Pile travels back to probably 2010 with some books. Who knows if I even want to read them anymore? The only way I will find out is if I dig them out of the closet and open them up.

To be okay with not finishing books I don't enjoy: This is so tough for me, because as an author I know how much writers put into their stories, and then there is the cost of packaging and shipping. I feel totally guilty when I don't review a book. I chose well in 2021, because I don't recall struggling with any books. 

To write one First Chapter Review a quarter: I wanted to write one every week in 2020, but didn't do it. I know with a packed schedule next year, even once a month is unlikely. Once a quarter is manageable. 

To not sign up for a single reading challenge except the Goodreads Challenge: I love challenges, but they don't love me. The Goodreads challenge is the one challenge I have any success with. I think that is because it is easy to track because I post my reviews there anyway. If I have to remember to go to another person's blog and post what I've completed, it's not happening. 

To read one leadership book this year: I have a few here, but they aren't always my thing. I started Atomic Habits, so I might finish that one.

To get off some VBT mailing lists: I signed up for several when I actively participated in them regularly. Now, I just want to focus on my TBR Pile and maybe one or two VBT companies to support. I love free books, but I'm committed to not taking on more than I can handle in 2022. 

To re-organize my works in progress: I have several picture books in various stages--partially completed, completed waiting for editing, edited that need to be submitted, etc. I'm not happy with my current filing system, which is a bunch of files in Word. I've already cleaned up my old files for other aspects of life. Next year, I want to organize my writing files so they will be easier to manage.

To re-think my publishing goals: I have to admit, 2020 was a kick in the teeth. Three of my four books went out of print when the publisher closed (thanks, COVID). To republish them requires almost more effort than it is worth considering two of the illustrators aren't easily available and it will require an additional monetary investment I'm not sure I want to make right now. Is that awful of me? I almost feel like I should let them go and start over. 

My middle grade novel is 3/4 finished, but I am totally rewriting the women's novel I am co-authoring with my sister. Only so much time in the day, so which way do I go? I'm willing to self-publish the middle grade novel, but there is a bit of a learning curve with that. I so admire authors who really know what they want to do and get it done.

That's it for my list. I look forward to visiting other bloggers today to see what direction they took this week's freebie. 

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5 Bookish Resolutions

 

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme that explores different topics. Originally created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, it is now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads. For a list of January topics you can click here. To participate, link your post back to the weekly post.

Well, this week's Top 5 Tuesday will certainly make next week's Top Ten Tuesday a bit easier. :) Both are about resolutions. We make them. We break them. But, we can't beat ourselves up too much. Every step in the right direction means progress. Here are my...

Top 5 Bookish Resolutions

Complete this year's Goodreads Reading Challenge - Considering what I anticipate as an even crazier work schedule than last year, I stuck to 40 books for 2021. I surpassed my goal in 2020, so I want to at least meet it this year.

Reduce the number of virtual book tours I participate in - I love VBTs, you know I do. There are so many authors looking for reviews of books I know I would enjoy, but I can't fit you all in and still feel like reading is a pleasure. I have two in January and two in March. That should be it for the first quarter.

Write two First Chapter Reviews a month - I usually like to focus on Kindle freebies or books that have been in my TBR pile for a long time. I review the first chapter of the book and say whether or not I would continue and why. I love doing these and want to get back to them.

Purge my TBR pile - Here is the hard truth: even if I stopped working right now and just focused on reading, it would take me years to go through the boxes of unread books I've accumulated over the last ten years. There are few I would even keep once I read them. This is the year to make the tough choices--which ones stay and which ones get donated. 

Read more nonfiction this year - I've really gotten away from nonfiction since I started blogging. Part of that is because I am so busy these days, I don't want to think too hard when I sit down to read. The reality is, however, that you can't grow if you don't constantly inspire and motivate yourself to do better. One way I do that is by reading. I can see at least half a dozen books on my shelf that are waiting for me. I want to pick them up.

Hope you've enjoyed reading my bookish resolutions. What are some of yours? 

Books I Want to Read for the 2021 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

 

The 2021 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge is the only challenge I am participating in this year. I am joining Escape with Dollycas Into A Good Book and her readers for this challenge. This is the level I have chosen:

Peckish – 1 – 25 Cozy Mysteries

I started a separate shelf on Goodreads for this challenge. Here are the books I have added so far.

Have you read any of these? I hope I get to at least all of them this year. 

2021 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

 

I avoided reading challenges this year, which ended up being good thing, considering all that 2020 entailed. That said, I am making some blogging changes for 2021--hopefully short-lived, but we will see how that goes--and want to tackle a new challenge. 

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book is hosting this challenge just for fun. 

Cozy mysteries, also referred to simply as “cozies”, are a sub-genre of crime fiction mysteries in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. The crime-solver is an amateur sleuth, usually but not always a woman, who is thrust into the aftermath of the murder. The protagonist frequently has an occupation or hobby that brings appealing information to the reader.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2021, and ends December 31, 2021.

Rules

1. Choose the level at which you would like to participate in:

Levels

• Peckish – 1 – 25 Cozy Mysteries
• Famished – 26 – 51 Cozy Mysteries
• Yearning – 51 – 75 Cozy Mysteries
• Starving  – 76 – 100 Cozy Mysteries
• Ravenous – 101 – 125 Cozy Mysteries
• Voracious – 126 – 150 Cozy Mysteries 
• Overindulged – 151 – 200 Cozy Mysteries
• Pigged Out – 201 or more Cozy Mysteries

You can always go up a level, but you can’t go down. 

2. You can Feed Your Need To Read with print, digital, or audiobooks.

3. You do not have to post a review, but the authors would appreciate it if you did. 

4.  You do not need to have a blog to participate. If you do have a blog, take the button above, put it on your blog and post about the challenge. 

5.  Join the Craving for Cozies Facebook Group here and share your progress with everyone. 

6. Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book for cozy giveaways and reviews.  

7. You can keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track!  It is super easy, Just click the MY BOOKS tab at the top of the page. When that page opens just click – ADD A SHELF in the left-hand sidebar. Title it Craving for Cozies Challenge and you are all set. 

If you post about your books on Social Media, please use the hashtag #CravingCozies

SIGN UP AT THIS POST ON DOLLYCAS' BLOG!!!!

Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2019 Reading Challenge

If you've read my blog this week, you already know that my 2018 reading challenges were an epic failure. I'm okay with it for many reasons, but that experience also convinced me to set my sights on something easier. Looks like I found it.

This reading challenge is sponsored by Linz the Bookworm and Tress at The Logophile. This challenge offers a “choose your own challenge” format, with five possible tiers to complete, depending on how many books per month you want to commit to read. They should get more challenging as you go along. There is a “free space” in each level and Level 3 includes three spots to read an entire trilogy. Some categories are repeated from last year and others have been modified to offer some new options.

Level 1: Book of the Month Club

1. A book with a red cover

2. Read a YA fiction novel

3. A book under 300 pages

4. A book you got for free

5. Reread the first book of a series you love

6. Read a book that takes place during the summer

7. A book whose title starts with the letter M

8. Read a romance novel

9. A book that has been turned into a TV show or movie

10. A book with a title done in alliteration (e.g. Pride and Prejudice)

11. A New York Times best seller (past or present)

12. Free space – pick any book!

Level 2: Casual Reader Club

13. A book by John Grisham

14. Read a fantasy novel

15. A book with a color in the title

16. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else

17. Read a detective novel

18. A book with a number in the title

19. Read a book about dragons

20. Read a book published by Penguin Random House

21. Read a book found on Project Gutenberg

22. A book about an artist (fictional or real)

23. A book that was published in 1999

24. Free space – pick any book!

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club

25. Read the first book in a trilogy

26. Read the second book in the same trilogy

27. Read the third book in the same trilogy

28. Read a book recommended by a friend/on social media

29. A book about a librarian

30. A book about breaking a code or a treasure hunt

31. Read a book by Brandon Sanderson

32. Read a book that takes place in a large city

33. A book suggested by https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

34. A book for under $3.00

35. A book with exactly three words in the title

36. Free space – pick any book!

Level 4: Speed Reader Club

37. A book over 500 pages

38. A book about time travel

39. A book with a form of weather in the title

40. Read a book published in 1969

41. A book authored by a Catherine/Katherine or variant

42. A book by Anne Rice

43. A book from Time’s All-Time Top 100 Books list

44. Read a coming of age novel

45. A book involving mythology

46. Read a self-published book

47. A book with the word dream in the title

48. Free space – pick any book!

Level 5: Overachiever Club

49. Read a book on a banned book list

50. The most recent book in a series you haven’t finished

51. A book that you judged by its cover (either positively or negatively)

52. A book that takes place in your home state

53. A book that takes place prior to 1965

54. Read a biography

55. Read a book you’ve previously abandoned

56. A book about a real or fictional politician

57. A book set in Asia

58. A book with a tree or forest on the cover

59. A book with the letter Z in the title

60. Free space – pick any book!

If you would like a downloadable PDF to print out the list, you can visit Linz's blog.

Good luck and happy reading!

2018 Reading Challenges - Epic Fail

Graphic from ebaum's world

Sometimes you meet your goals. This year, I:

• Participated in and won STORYSTORM
• Increased my sales volume in real estate and listed more homes than previous years
• Cleaned out my house
• Sent out Christmas cards for the first time in four years

Sometimes you only make progress on your goals. This year, I:

• Didn't send Clever Tom (my next picture book) out to agents, but I performed agent research and participated in #PBPITCH on Twitter a few times. 
• Didn't finish Amelia's Mission (my middle grade historical), but I wrote several chapters and attended almost all our writer's group meetings to get feedback.
• Didn't blog as much as intended, but have managed to keep five blogs going, resurrected another blog, and now contribute to two more blogs instead of only Christian Children's Authors. 

Then there are goals you simply don't even come close to. My 2018 reading challenges fit in that epic fail category. Since I knew time would be limited, and my responsibilities for my in-laws have increased, I promised myself to aim low. Well, the three challenges I signed up for never saw the light of day. 

I didn't even crack open one of the 12 books on my 2018 TBR Pile Challenge list. New books will always catch my eye, and virtual book tours are still of interest, so I have to realize that my TBR Pile will remain a mountain until I become independently wealthy and can stop working, or until I find the willpower to stop signing up for new virtual book tours. Neither seems likely.

On a good note, I read 43 books this year, which is 12 more than last year. I am going to set myself a reading goal of 50 books again this year and see how it goes. I'm also planning to join the 2019 Reading Challenge at Linz The Bookworm. It seems more manageable than what I have tried in the past. 

How did your reading challenges go? Have you decided what challenges you'll participate in for 2019? What will your first book be for 2019? 

2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

The 2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge is hosted by Passages to the Past! Sign Ups are open and ready for all that would like to join the challenge.

Here are the Reading Challenge details:

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• Everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)
• Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)
• Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, etc.)

During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

20th century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books

CHERYL'S GOAL FOR 2017: 5 BOOKS

To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky here or find instructions for how else you can join by clicking the link.

The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2017.

Don't forget to grab the Reading Challenge Button (above) to post on your blog. Please share about the Reading Challenge to your fellow friends and readers using the hashtag below!

#2017HFReadingChallenge

If you have any questions or comments please email Amy at passagestothepast@gmail.com.

What books are you most looking forward to in 2017?

2017 Blogger Shame Challenge

Yes. We're hanging our heads in some blogger-girl shame. lol

The Blogger Shame challenge is a cheeky way to admit our guilt...and go about fixing it. Tackling those review books that have slipped through the cracks over the years. Any review book over 4 months past due is game!

WHAT COUNTS

Any review book that is 4+ months PAST DUE.

Yep. Only OLD review requests that have slipped through the cracks count. Any format, any length.

LEVELS

Number of books tackled is entirely up to you! Minimum...1 review book.

CHECK IN POSTS

There will be three posts for the challenge.

• Sign Up Post: Link Up your sign up post on this page (let us know what you'll be tackling! make a list of specific titles or just the number of books you're tackling)
• Mid Year Check In: First week of June
• Wrap Up Post: Last week of December

GIVEAWAYS

There will be one end of the year giveaway picked from those that do the link up posts and finish at least one Blogger Shame review.

LINK UP

Once you have your SIGN UP post live just link it HERE. If you aren't a blogger but have past due requests please set up a Goodreads shelf dedicated to the challenge and link that up.

You can also snag the challenge button to add to your site!

Blogging and the TBR Pile

Who knew blogging would provide so many of us with more reading material than we could possibly read. I remember my early days of blogging in 2007 when I had to review books I had bought simply to draw attention to my blog.

Now? I haven't been able to open The Book Connection up to reviews in years and I am still behind. Yet, the requests keep coming. 

Perhaps that is because longevity in blogging isn't always the norm. When I was working in online book promotion, I can't tell you how many bloggers just dropped off the face of the planet with no explanation leaving promised book reviews unwritten. But we must understand that most bloggers are getting paid only in free books and that life sometimes gets in the way. 

Right now, I owe two for virtual book tours that have already ended: Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin and A Loaded Gun by Jerome Charyn. I'm reading both now while on vacation and hope to have these reviews posted by the end of next week.

I wonder what your TBR pile looks like right now because mine is ridiculous. Not even counting all the free Kindle books I'vev downloaded it must be in the hundreds. 

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Reading is supposed to be enjoyable and relaxing. When it starts becoming regulated, does it become less of both or either? 

How many books do you think are in your TBR pile?

Have you made changes in how many books you accept to keep your TBR pile at a manageable level?

Have you ever or do you now participate in virtual book tours? How has that influenced your blogging choices?

Has a large TBR pile ever forced you to stop taking new review requests or to temporarily stop blogging? 

Have you ever participated in a reading challenge to help you whittle down your TBR pile? Has it helped?