Goldilox and the Three Weres: 2018 Challenge Wrap Up

We've talked a lot about our epic reading slumps in the second half of 2018. Boy are we glad the year is over and we can put that behind us! But when we look at the year as a whole, maybe it's not as bad as it felt during those slumps? Here's how we did on our 2018 challenges.

See which challenges we're doing in 2019 here.

Gretl

Goodreads
I lowered my goal more than once over the course of the year. 2018 will be the first year since I joined Goodreads that I didn’t read 100 books. I ended up with 75 on a goal of 72. I really didn't think I was going to make it, so I'm happy to have some good momentum going in to 2019.

Beat the Backlist
Beat the Backlist is hosted by Austine at Novel Knight and focused on reading books released in 2017 or prior.

My goal was to read 2 Backlist books a month or 24 total. I was off to a great start the first half of the year but ended with just 21. (See more about them on my Goodreads shelf.)

But I'm optimistic about next year. I feel like the other challenges I'm doing in 2019 will help me make my Beat the Backlist goal too.

Rose Red

Goodreads
I made my Goodreads Challenge goal of reading 52 books this year by reading 80 books. Unfortunately, I did not make my unofficial goal of reading 100 books this year. I haven't read this few books in a long, long time. I'm so glad that the year of the reading slump is almost over. 2019 already looks like it will be better in all ways bookish.

Beat the Backlist
My goal was to read three backlist books a month for a total of 36. Thanks to the great 2018 reading slump, I didn't make it. Like Gretl, I started off the year great and was on track to make my goal until I got derailed. I am going to count myself lucky that I did get 18 backlist books read though! (See more about them on my Goodreads shelf.) I'll take it even though I didn't hit my goal

I think that I'll do better this next year. For one, I've finally broken out of the reading slump and, like Gretl, I think that the reading challenges I'm doing in 2019 will help keep me on track to make my 2019 Beat the Backlist goal.