Challenge Reading Wrap-Up - 2020

Well, this was a dismal failure.

The pandemic kept me working at home, like many people, for most of the year. Around August (I think it was August), I started going to the office 2 days a week, but to minimize exposure I've been driving instead of taking the train. Navigating big-city traffic is vastly more taxing than commuting to the station and reading for 2 hours per day. And when I get home, I'm exhausted! I hadn't truly appreciated the train until this year. I plan to go back to riding and reading as soon as I feel safe doing so.

Nevertheless, I did pretty well on the reading front. It was the reviews that dragged me down. I simply didn't do them in a timely manner. 

As the end of the year approached, I had faith that I could put a push on at the end and write a whole bunch of reviews at the 11th hour. Maybe they would have been super short. Maybe they would have been lousy. (Maybe they would have been both.) But I would have gotten them done . . .  except I didn't. 

Having a house fire (even a relatively small one) can upset even the best-laid plans, and these were far from that. 

And now, it's time to make my confession.

Color Coded Reading Challenge: I read 8 of the 9 books I chose but failed to review any of them. Bummer. Maybe I'll write the reviews later and back-load them. The other option is to declare review bankruptcy -- I'm seriously considering it -- and give myself a fresh start. Heck, I could use one!

 

Mount TBR Reading Challenge: This was a double fail. I didn't make my number, reading only 20 of 24 books and writing only one review. In keeping with the mountain-climbing scenario, that means I've collapsed somewhere on the higher slopes of Mount Blanc, attended by buzzards. Don't bother sending a search party. I'm resigned to my fate. 

Gaia Reading Challenge 2020: Apparently the official theme of 2020 is the double fail. I read only 3 of 5 books and, once again, did not write any reviews. I barely even participated in this challenge, to tell you the truth. It's hosted from Australia but I might as well have been on another planet for all the participation I brought to it. Pitiful and disappointing (on my part). Maybe I should call it a triple fail. It sure feels that way. 

I really want to sign up again this year -- a year without challenge reading is unthinkable after all this time -- but I'll have to do some soul-searching along with the sign-ups. I need to solve my non-reviewing problem. Obviously what I like about challenge reading is the READING. But that's only part of the story.

Suggestions to encourage review-writing are welcome, while I try to figure this out. What are your strategies for making your reviews happen?