How I did with the Fall Reading Challenge
I did much better with the Fall Bingo card than I did with my Summer TBR reading challenge. Although I didn’t get a Bingo, I ended up reading six books! I think it helped me have choices for which to complete, and when I accepted I didn’t need to get a Bingo, it was a much more enjoyable experience.
What I Read
A book under 250 pages:
Discontent by Beatriz Serrano is a 192-page contemporary fiction set in Spain. Marisa is a millennial struggling with existential dread induced by the expectations of corporate life. On the surface, she looks very successful, having the perfect enviable life. However, she hates her job and all her co-workers, and every day she dreams of being hit by a bus so she can go on disability.
Her success, which is largely built on lies and stolen work from other people, is in danger of coming undone when she’s forced to go on her company’s annual team-building retreat.
Fall colors on cover:
Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon is a 288-page fantasy, set in the world of The Priory of the Orange Tree. This tells the story of how the Yscalins bowed down to the Nameless One.
A ghost story:
Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting by Richard and W. H. Chizmar is a 336-page horror novel set in an abandoned lighthouse in Harper’s Cove. Strange disappearances and unexplainable murders haunt the local lore of the Widow’s Point Lighthouse. Is it haunted, cursed, or something more sinister? Told in a found-footage style, this was gripping story from start to finish.
A book over 400 pages:
Katabasis by R. F Kuang is a 559-page dark academia novel. Two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save Professor Jacob Grimes, the greatest magician in the world and their only ticket to completing their dissertation and living their academic dreams.
Gothic tale:
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas is a 369-page horror novel set in 1765 Zacatecas. When her town is overcome by plague, Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine. But soon other dangers emerge. Alba being hallucinating, sleepwalking, and convulsing violently. She senses something beneath her skin.
Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make a fortune and escape his family’s legacy. His cousin’s betrothed, Alba, is not his concern. But he can’t help noticing her every time she walks into the room, which is why he notices her slowly deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood grows.
A cozy read:
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister is a 366-page contemporary romance novel set in Australia. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they first crossed paths as undergraduates in the literature department thirteen years ago. Now that a highly coveted teaching opportunity has come up, their rivalry hits epic proportions. Jonah needs the job to move closer to his recently divorced sister and her children, while Sadie needs the financial security and freedom of a full-time teaching position.
When Sadie notices that the job offers partner hire, however, she hatches a plot to get them both the job. All they must do is get legally married. It’s a simple win-win solution but when sparks begin to fly, it becomes clear that despite their education, these two may not have thought this whole thing through.
Current Physical TBR
I went on a bit of a spree on Book Outlet with their Black Friday $6.99 deal and have bought some extras through Book of the Month, so my physical TBR definitely grew. Before I started the fall challenge, I had 126 books on my TBR shelf; now there’s 155!
I’m not sure how effective these challenges are for me to keep my physical TBR under control, but it’s been fun so far, so I’m going to keep at it!
Winter TBR Bingo
Since my Fall challenge was a success, I decided to stick with the Bingo card for the Winter TBR Challenge as well. I’ll run this challenge from December to February, so an extra month compared to the fall challenge. Usually the holidays are quite busy, but January and February for me are pretty quiet months, so hopefully I can knock out quite a few physical books during this time! I think just using the prompts as ideas instead of focusing on getting a Bingo will help me read more as well.
Join the Challenge
Download your copy for free here and join in on the fun! Drop your picks in the comments or tag me on socials @notesfromtheshelf.
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