Reading Challenge 2021
Welcome to Pink and Dizzy's 2021 Reading Challenge!
I hoped you enjoyed taking part last year. I had so much fun discovering new books and stepping out of my comfort zone. Books ahve been a great escape from the nightmare we currently find ourselves living in. Stepping into a book for a couple of hours can take us to so many different places, in time, space and reality.
So I have been working hard to create a new and refreshing challenge and also to find a diverse range of options for you to choose from. You can download a copy of the challenge below, and you can also click through to suggestions for each category.
It was actually tough to find these books as often when you look on Amazon it only gives you the one author and it is only when you do a little more research that you realise it is two people or it has been co-authored etc. The books I have chosen below are a mixture of ones that I have read, am going to read or recommended by my husband. I had to turn to him for help with this post as a lot of his genre has books with two authors. As always if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear about them.
This is the perfect category to get you out of your comfort zone. To read something you would usually bypass as it's not your cup of tea or you think you won't like it. Up until two years ago, I only really read romance or contemporary fiction, then I did my first reading challenge and read my very first Psychological Thriller. I think I would now say that is my favourite genre. I still like a good old girly romantic comedy or a bit of blush action from the Flirt Club books, but book covers that now attract my attention are usually PT or Crime Thrillers. I never in a million years thought that would happen. I thought I was set in my ways. There are still some books that really don't appeal to me, which are mainly sci-fi and fantasy.
I thought this would be a simple and easy category for the Reading Challenge, but finding books with titles that aren't preceded with the word 'The' is actually quite tricky. There are lots of books that are one-word IF you take the word 'The' away, but that would be cheating. I was looking specifically for books with only one word.
This is the perfect opportunity for you to discover a new author or to read a book that you have wanted to read for ages that has been literally everywhere you turn. I have discovered so many new fantastic authors over the past two years since I started reviewing books with a bit more vigour. Up until last year, I had a trusty list of only five authors, and I would be obsessively looking to see if they had new books out. However, two of them haven't released books now for a couple of years, so I knew I had to broaden my horizons. I now have a list of over 50 names on it. It takes some keeping up with, and I've nowhere near cleared their back catalogue. Nevertheless, I still want more authors to add to my list.
A book adapted into a TV series is the next reading challenge category. This was actually quite an easy category to find books for. There are so many programmes out there that have either been based on a book or gotten the inspiration from a book. The majority of suggestions that I have listed below are programmes that I have watched and only realised during that they are based on a book. There are a few on the list that are on my 'To Be Watched' list. However, out of all the books listed below, I have only read one of the series, which is Vampire Diaries. That is definitely a slapped wrist moment for me that I haven't ever picked up the books for some of my favourite shows. Although, I did read Candace Bushnell's latest offering 'Is There Still Sex in the City' and that didn't work out too well for me. My review resulted in her blocking me on Twitter, oops! I've only posted the first book if it's part of a series, as often is the case that the TV series often veers away from the content of books. So as always, these are just suggestions based on my own preferences. There is, however, quite a variety, so if you haven't watched/read them, then I definitely recommend. If you have any of your own suggestions, please comment below.
A book based on a true story is the next reading challenge category. This was a really easy category for me as I have read a lot of the books that I have listed below. I hadn't realised there were so many books written that have either drawn on the author's personal experiences or have been based on well-known facts that have happened in history. The amount of 'fiction' books based on World War two is crazy. So I apologise that there are three included below, but they are iconic and very popular reads!
This, for me, is a really challenging category. I don't often step out of the world of fiction. However, whenever I have over the past couple of years, I've really enjoyed the books I've taken the chance on. So, I am looking forward to seeing what this category has in store.
I'm sure that you will have been reading loads of books this year and one of them may have been the start of a series, this is the perfect chance to delve back into that world and read a follow-on! Obviously, I don't know what books you've been reading so I can't suggest specific follow-ons to ones you may have started. So, the list of books I recommend has been compiled of series that I have read or am reading since I started this blog. I have chosen books over a variety of genres to keep it interesting. So, if you haven't started a good series, now is the time to get your teeth stuck in! Settle down in a comfy chair as you are in for the long haul!
The best audiobooks that I have listened to are the Harry Potter books, and they were narrated by Fry as well, and he is awesome and makes the book fun. I’d recommend the audiobooks of Harry Potter any day over the actual books just because of Fry!
Autobiographies are ten a penny, but actual fiction books written by a celebrity is something completely different. This means they potentially have a real talent for something other than being famous, acting, singing, or whatever is that has made them a celebrity. It was actually quite a hard category to find books for because if you search for 'books written by a celebrity', it will mostly bring up autobiographies or memoirs. You are of course entitled to interpret this category how you like, but the list below only contains fiction novels.
As I have mentioned a few times, my favourite book of ALL time is ‘Heaven by Virginia Andrews’. I’ve been trying to think about why this is my favourite book, and the only thing I can think of is because I have read it so many times I feel like I know the characters. I feel sorry for them; I dread what is coming and what is going to happen as the book is quite a sad and emotional book. I also realised it’s not just this book that makes it so special it is the entire series. Especially, the last book which is the most heartbreaking of them all. You know it can’t have a happy ending because you know what happens from having been told in book one. I cry my eyes out at the end of the series, every time, without fail. I don’t cry easily from books I have read, but I think with the Heaven series it is just so beautifully written that it draws you into the drama and their family. I can't really make suggestions for your favourite book, oly you know what that is, but here is a link to mine anyway.
I love reading books that have animals in them. Not necessarily books where it is written in the animal's voice but where they either have a predominant role or are there just slinking around in the background. Anyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with my baby cats, so I thought that this category was just fitting. It's not just any animal in a book but a cat. Some of the books I've recommended have a cat as a pet and is mentioned just now and again, but you know they are there, and they are essential to the main characters. Other books have a cat more in the foreground, and it is their story (but not necessary narrated by them). So I hope you manage to find a book to your liking and you get to curl up either alone or with a furry friend to read this one!
I’ll be posting my thoughts on the books I read for the challenge on here and over on twitter so follow me @pinkanddizzy and use the hashtags #pinkanddizzy #2021readingchallenge Please let me know how you get on and which books make the cut for this year. I do love doing these challenges with as many people as possible and finding out what choices everyone has made. Have fun and happy reading!