Mixing it Up: My 2023 Category Challenge

I may make some changes, but here is my first go at setting up a category challenge for myself. I read mostly fantasy and science fiction (adult and YA) and historical non-fiction, so my challenge is to include more books that are not those categories. I'm also a middle school librarian and have been neglecting to read books in that sphere, so I want to start with reading more MG. In addition to all my fantasy/sci-fi and history books, each month I will read at least one book in each of the following categories:

- Middle grade (any genre)
- Non-fiction (any topic other than history)
- Biography
- Classics or Contemporary Literary fiction
- Poetry

I will post at the end of each month with my progress.

Good luck with your 2023 reading!

Welcome aboard and have fun!

Welcome and enjoy your challenge. :)

Welcome and good luck! I joined the Category Challenge two years ago with a similar aim - to branch out again from crime fiction which was what I read mostly at the time - and it has worked so well for me!

Enjoy your reading, and welcome to the group!

Have fun with your challenge!

Welcome and good luck with your 2023 reading.

Wishing you a wonderful year of reading.

January Progress - 4/5 categories read

- Middle grade: Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel

- Non-history non-fiction: The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World by Max Fisher (and my only 5-star rating this month)

- Biography: Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley (so good!)

- Classics or Contemporary Literary fiction: The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

- Poetry: ugh, none. I knew this would be my most challenging category. Couldn't settle on anything I liked and put a few books on hold at the library, but haven't received them yet. So, I'll try again next month.

>10 penelopereader: Glad the Agatha Christie bio was good; I have it lined up to read this month. Wishing you a good reading month in February!

>10 penelopereader: Taking a BB for the Agatha Christie bio. I've read almost all her mystery novels but not much about the woman herself.

February Progress - 4/5 categories read

- Middle grade & Non-history non-fiction: Free Lunch by Rex Ogle (sure, one book can count for 2 categories. Why not?)

- Biography: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher and All About the Bronte Sisters by Carolyn Burns Bass (also middle grade)

- Classics or Contemporary Literary fiction: Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

- Poetry: Yeah, failed again. Might expand this category to include novels in verse, which I really do enjoy.

Read 14 other books in Feb that were my usual fantasy/sci fi and history, so I'm maybe not as much "mixing it up" as I am "dipping a toe" outside my faves. On to March!

>13 penelopereader: Nothing wrong with reading what you like and "dipping a toe" rather than "mixing it up"!

Nice. By the way, If you need help with thesis writing since you don't have enough time to complete it, go to this https://studyclerk.com/thesis-writing-help website which will aid you in finishing your thesis on time, and on this website, you can get competent writers who can complete your essay.

Ha, ha. Okay, so I'm super behind on documenting my progress here with this challenge... and on making progress with this challenge, so I'm going to mix up my mix-up and just post some of my reading adventures in the last minute... or maybe 4 months.

- Sci fi binge: A lot of great sci-fi books, especially the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, Station Eternity and Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, and Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton.

- The Half-Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - a reliable author whose books I consistently adore and this one was a 5-star for me.

- Non-fiction winners: The Wager by David Grann and Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson

- TJ Klune's In the Lives of Puppets, which I borrowed from the library but could not stop thinking about, so I purchased my own copy. One of those "must-own" books.