2-3-4 Challenge discussion

Let's take a look at our results for 2020:

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year?

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?

I did pretty well with my goal this year.
My goals for 2020 were as followed:
Read 25 books - I read 35 books, so I definitely did really well on that goal!
Read more books in series I read - I advance in 10 series by only one book each, but that is still good.
Read at least 5 books in cozy mystery genre - I read 6 books in cozy mystery genre, which is better than the year before.

2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
1: Ceremony in Death - Great addition to this series. It was different than the usual ones, but I still enjoyed it
2: The Third Victim - This book had lots and lots of twists and turns. I am really enjoying this series and I can't wait to read more of this series.
3: Stealing Shadows - Love Love this book. I forgot how much I really enjoy this author. It has everything that I like in a thriller book.


3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
Summer at Tiffanys was a great book, it was a nice easy read, but it had a lots of emotions to it and I really enjoy getting to see the characters again from the other book.

4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year?
Being able to finished the goodreads book challenge ahead of time was a big accomplishment for me. 35 books might not seem a lot but for me it made me feel great.

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
Pretty good:
✔ 1) Read 23,000 pages (24,036 read)
✔ 2) Read 70 books
✔ 3) Read 5 books that have been made into movies/TV shows (read 7)
✔ 4) Read 3 Trilogies
✔ 5) Complete 3 series
✔ 6) Get up-to-date in 3 series
I also read 8 new realeases.

2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
I have enjoyed reading the Lucy Kincaid series, but my favorite was getting up to date in the Dresden Files series. I also enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes series and look forward to finishing it this year.

3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year?
I bumped up my yearly total (60 to 70) and finished it right on time. I was getting nervous, but didn't want to rush my reading.

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
My goals were to finish 10 series, become up-to-date in 5 series, read 12 novellas, and read 100 books. I made all of my goals, mostly because I was home so much with the pandemic.

2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
I really enjoyed Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. Also loved Kendra Elliot's Mercy Kilpatrick series.

3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
I read lots of great books in 2020. Some of my favorites were:


4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year? I'm just happy I ended up finishing 130 books and that so many of them were great reads.

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
My goals:
✔ read 72 books --> read 82 books
- read 40 books I bought before 2020
- read at least 50% of the books I buy in 2020
✔ finish 3 series
✔ get up to date in 2 series
✔ Advance in 14 series (includes new started series)
✔ Read 30 series books (includes everything)
- Read at least 26 books over 400 pages long --> "only" did 17

I didn't make three of my goals, but with switching to audiobooks and hardly reading any of my paper books, I still almost made my goal of reading 50% of my bought books. And I'm happy with that and the goals I made.

2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
I liked City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline most from my series books. But I only read one book in the series for these, the series I read the most books in is the Deverry series by Katharine Kerr.

3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
Besides The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline I also gave The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 5 stars.

4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year?
Getting back to reading with all the changes this year, Some months I hardly read anything but I also had some very good months :)

How did you do with your goals for the year?
I completed 37/30 series
Up,to date 12/15
Read 296/200 books
2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
the heroine is a serial killer who falls for the agent hunting for her.
I discovered Ella Fields with this. She does some great angst
this is one intense angsty series
Colleen Hoover never disappoints
great romantic suspense series that I’m taking my time with to prolong the journey
cheating drama great grovel
great angst
Jewel Ann at her best

3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)
In addition to above


4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year? I never thought I’d read as many as I did but I can thank rarely leaving my house for that and it’s thanks to reading I still have my sanity with everything going down. I loved most of what I read so this was difficult to narrow down.I could easily list 50 books here, I tried to control myself.

Viki wrote: "1. How did you do with your goals for the year?

I did pretty well with my goal this year.
My goals for 2020 were as followed:
Read 25 books - I read 35 books, so I definitely did really well on th..."

Absolutely outstanding, Viki! 35 IS a lot, especially for a working Mom, too. Congratulations on a great year💜

Melissa wrote: "1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
Pretty good:
✔ 1) Read 23,000 pages (24,036 read)
✔ 2) Read 70 books
✔ 3) Read 5 books that have been made into movies/TV shows (read 7)
✔ 4) Read 3 ..."

Don’t you just love achieving goals? Excellent, Melissa💜 Makes me sigh after seeing you name the Dresden Files as your favorite series. Seems I’ll never get back to it.

Robin wrote: "1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
My goals were to finish 10 series, become up-to-date in 5 series, read 12 novellas, and read 100 books. I made all of my goals, mostly because I was ..."

Well done, Robin💜 One of the bright sides of this pandemic is the extra reading time we got. You did read some wonderful books!

Lieke wrote: "1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
My goals:
✔ read 72 books --> read 82 books
- read 40 books I bought before 2020
- read at least 50% of the books I buy in 2020
✔ finish 3 series
✔ g..."

Congratulations on making so many of your goals, Lieke💜 You set some ambitious ones, too. I really like that you adjusted your approach after switching to so many in audio format. And, you enjoyed your reading in the process!

Laura wrote: "How did you do with your goals for the year?
I completed 37/30 series
Up,to date 12/15
Read 296/200 books
2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
..."

Talk about making the most of the extra time home! Kudos on a fantastic reading year, Laura💜 Each month, I could “hear” your excitement over your reading results! Congrats on achieving most of your goals and, most importantly, loving so much of what you read.

1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
Even though I kept my goals simple, they still were a challenge.
- Get up to date in 20 series (19)
- Complete 10 series (6)

I read a LOT more standalones this year but I was still making good progress with my series. I missed my up to date goal by one day. As far as completed, authors I read don’t seem to want to end the series😏

2. What were your most outstanding series that you read during the year?
Mercy Kilpatrick by Kendra Elliot
Victorian Rebels by Kerrigan Byrne
Scarlet Falls by Melinda Leigh
Cobra Elite by Pamela Clare
Detective D. D. Warren by Lisa Gardner
DI Kim Stone by Angela Marsons
Carter Island by Cate Beauman

I enjoyed more but these rose to the top.


3. What were your most favorite books read (series and standalone)?
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Golden in Death by J.D. Robb
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Who Speaks for the Damned by C.S. Harris
The Bear by Andrew Krivak
Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Switch by Beth O'Leary
The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard


4. What were you the most proud of accomplishing this year?
I loved listening to so many more standalone titles, the “one and done” feeling of satisfaction you get from them, while continuing to enjoy my series reading. It was the best of both worlds and I didn’t feel as if I sacrificed anything to get that balance.

Jonetta wrote: "1. How did you do with your goals for the year?
Even though I kept my goals simple, they still were a challenge.
- Get up to date in 20 series (19)
- Complete 10 series (6)

I read a LOT more stan..."

Great job Jonetta. 19 up to date? WOWZA! That is amazing! I’m glad you incorporated standalone into your goals. It’s freeing to not be chained to all series reading. Good luck this year.

Thank you, Laura! The group reads helped a LOT. You're right, it is very freeing to get into those standalones.