The Cozy Owlet

Reading reflections for 2022 (and some challenge commitments!)

This has been really interesting year. I managed to read 140 (!) books this year, and it was around book 100 that I realized I wanted to think more critically about my reading materials. That launched this blog, an experiment: how would my reading experience change if I forced myself to engage with a prompt? I realized I wanted something easy (for me) to engage with, so I chose to go deep on Miss Marple. (She might be a niche topic, but she’s an absolute favorite – I can’t get enough.)

And then I realized – I really like writing about what I read. And I also like thinking more critically about how that gets translated into the world around me. Some of the most fun I’ve had this year is in breaking down the techniques literary adapters use for TV. Also – thinking about writing for others forces me out of myself a little bit. In the last few months since the blog’s launch, I’ve found myself reaching for new and different authors and stories to try and finish up the seasonal projects I’ve given myself. Blogging, so far, has made me a different reader, and so far, I like her. (And, of course, I get to read ARCs now, which is pretty damn cool.)

Committing to some reading challenges in 2023

I want to make sure I maintain these benefits, and that I do so in a sustainable way. While it’s a lot of fun to come up with projects for myself all the time, it can be a lot of pressure. So I’m hoping to use 2023 to dip my toe into reading challenges.

I won’t be going too far afield from my usual reading zones: I’ll be doing a challenge on cozy mysteries, another on epistolary novels, and a third on NetGalley ARCs. I hope that these particular challenges will let me relax a bit and read what I love, while still providing some structure to this blogging adventure. And I hope that this will be a better way to connect with the rest of the book-blogging community!

So, here are the challenges I’ll be working through next year:

Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies 2023

I read a lot of cozy mysteries, but I often feel like I’m staying within my comfort zone. I particularly love cozy mysteries that involve cooking – but I know there’s a whole wide world of cozy out there. I’d love to explore it more thoroughly, and Socrates’ Book Reviews Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies challenge should force me to do just that.

I’ll be trying to hit the Snoop level for now, via challenge A. (Update 2/18: Based on my current progress I’ll upgrade from Snoop to Investigator! So, one cozy in each genre, plus more cozies of my choice throughout the year.)

We’ll see how far I get – and I’m excited to see what I learn after all these reads. I’ll keep everything tagged, and you should be able to track my reading (once I get to it) here:

Cozopoly

I’m not above trying to optimize for dopamine with these challenges, and when I saw The Cozy Mystery Club‘s Cozopoly Board, I knew I had to make it into a reading challenge. I’m not entirely sure how it will work (there are no published rules right now). Right now, I’m thinking something like:

  • I place a book on the space each time I read something that meets the category. The same book can count for multiple spaces.
  • If I get three books on the space, I guess that’s a house?
  • If I get three houses (or nine books! imagine) I can put a hotel there?
  • Not sure what happens post-hotel, but it also seems unlikely I will get there

We’ll see how this goes – I’m certainly going to have a good time playing around in Adobe Express next year! You can keep track of my updated Cozopoly board here, with related books below.

Epistolary Reading Challenge 2023

I LOVE epistolary novels. (They made up an entire third of my favorite book reads for this year.) So when I found this low-key reading challenge from Jamie Ghione at Whatever I Think Of!, I was all-in. This challenge basically consists of reading (and enjoying) as many epistolary novels as you want to – something I’m more than happy to do. I’m already looking forward to my Janice Hallett binge…

While the challenge rules don’t require that you commit to any number of books, I’m going to see if I can hit 10 next year.

You can keep track of my epistolary adventures in 2023 below:

NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2023

ARCs are an AMAZING part of having a book blog. It is genuinely so exciting to get to read books ahead of their release. I’ve also found that reading ARCs forces me to “look ahead” a little bit and experiment a little with my reading materials. While there are plenty of books on NetGalley that fit within my comfort zone, I also get to browse a bunch that don’t – and sometimes, I will pick them up and love them to death.

That said, I’ve already started getting a little in over my head with these, and I’d like to remind myself to read them consistently. Because I’m committing to this for the blog (and I’m aware that I’m doing other challenges in parallel), I’ll try to hit the Bronze level at 10 ARCs for the year. Hopefully I can blow through this!

The books that I read as part of this challenge will be tracked here:

Miss Marple Deep-Dives

Last but not least, I have 8 books (and BBC & iTV adaptations) left in my Miss Marple deep-dive series. I’d like to be able to finish this up next year and then figure out the Next Big Thing for this blog. Even if this is my totally niche series, it’s one that I’ve found really fulfilling, and that I’m proud to create. You can track my progress on these posts below:

So… I guess that’s it? Looking at the whole list, it seems like a daunting task – but I suppose that’s the point to a large extent. I’m excited to push myself a little more in 2023 and see where this takes me.

See you on the other side – and till then, stay cozy, and stay curious!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Ellora

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4 responses to “Reading reflections for 2022 (and some challenge commitments!)”

  1. yvonne473 Avatar
    yvonne473

    Thank you for joining the Cruisin’ thru Cozies and NetGalley & Edewlweiss Reading Challenges! Good luck to you on all of your challenges.

    1. Ellora Avatar
      Ellora

      Excited to take them on! I’ve been building up a hefty TBR (and raring at the bit to start it)

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