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Hey everyone! We had a great group of members who read (and completed) the challenge in list order last year, so I wanted to start a new thread for our 2023 reading list!

Are you setting any parameters for yourself? One book a week, only reading the prompts within the month, or just allowing yourself to go at your own pace? We'd love to see your ideas!

It surprises me, but I am thinking about reading in order this year, since I have the books picked out and that would reduce the decisions to nothing. I'll read at whatever pace my dear brain allows if I do it. (I do have at least two I'll have to move around some due to publication dates and a pair that I want to read in a particular order because that makes more sense to me for those books.)

2023 will be the second year I'm doing the challenge, and I'm planning to go through the prompts in month order. I think this will prevent me leaving all the harder prompts to the end of the list (which is what I did this year), and will give me a reasonable number of books to aim for each month without feeling overwhelmed.

I'm also doing another couple of challenges so if the books overlap then I might complete some of these prompts in advance of their position on the list. This should allow me time to do the other challenges I'm wanting to do too (the mini challenges, 52 Book club, Pick your own poison, rejects challenge, book nerds with no shelf control). I might not do ALL of these other challenges! My aim is to keep this a fun hobby!!! Oh and I'm also working on a multi-year round the world challenge, USA & Canada states and provinces challenge and UK Counties challenge. OK so that does sound like a lot now I've written it down.

I've already picked out reading options for this challenge, However I'll probably end up changing my plans for them as the year goes on, especially if I get involved in catching up on my ongoing series (currently midway on 23 different series lol).

I am new to this challenge and am not sure that I will be able to read the prompts in order, since I usually try to cross plan books for the many challenges I do. However, the idea of reading in month order is intriguing to me, and I might give it a try.

I'm definitely planning to read in (loose) order again. I will make exceptions here and there to manage library holds, books series, but will aim for one per week. And anything that get skipped for whatever reason will be a priority read to be finished within the month.

I've dabbled with a bit of planning but will buckle down and confirm my January reads this week!!

I read in order in 2021 (my first year in the group) and decided to try not reading in order for 2022 and didn't like it. I felt like I went through the challenge quickly and then forgot about it. I plan to go back to reading in order this year.

I’ll be doing the same thing as this year - mostly in order by month, but without pressure to do one book each week and tallowing books to get slotted in if necessary for a future prompt. I like that this allows me to schedule out my library holds without getting decision fatigue.

I've narrowed my options for January down to one or two (in case holds don't arrive as planned or dnf)

Week #1 - Jan 02-08
A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Alice Island
Black Sun - Tova

Week #2 - Jan 09-15
A book by an author you read in 2022
Darynda Jones - A Hard Day for a Hangover (p:Dec 22 2022)
Alice Feeney - Daisy Darker

Week #3 - Jan 16-22
A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year: Poll 17 - A book told from the villain’s perspective
If We Were Villains

Week #4 - Jan 23-29
A book with an interracial relationship
Crying in H Mart
The Sentence

Week #5 - Jan 30-Feb 05
A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
Remarkably Bright Creatures

I will be reading in order again for the second time. I do plan to go in prompt order, but am not going to limit myself to the scheduled week for the most part. I like to read spooky books in October and holiday books in December and I'm finding that having to work these around challenge books is more difficult than I'd like. So if I finish early, then I will be able to read what I like at the end of the year.

I often have a couple options per week so I can do library planning more easily. I'm prioritizing authors who are POC and/or LGBTQ+ and world lit wherever possible. Here's what January looks like so far:

A book set in a location starting with A, T, or Y
The Bread the Devil Knead (Trinidad)
Gold Diggers (Atlanta)
Fault Lines (Tokyo)
The Book Eaters (Yorkshire)
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World (Turkey)

A book by an author you read in 2022
Once You Go This Far by Kristin Lepionka

A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year: A book about language or linguistics
Meet Us by the Roaring Sea

A book with an interracial relationship
Honey Girl
Razorblade Tears
My Best Friend's Girl
Instructions for Dancing

A book with 4 or more colors on the cover

Chrissy wrote: "I often have a couple options per week so I can do library planning more easily. I'm prioritizing authors who are POC and/or LGBTQ+ and world lit wherever possible. Here's what January looks like s..."

Love your list, Chrissy!! I think I'll add Fortunes as a backup for colours to my list in case my hold doesn't make it in time.

I did this challenge in order for the first time this year, and really enjoyed the added restriction it gave me. (I haven't quite finished yet, I have the last 4 prompts to do this month!) I plan to do 2023 the same way - in order, but otherwise at my own pace, which as it turns out mostly stayed on track to one prompt a week anyway.

I think this year I'm going to try and read in order. I think it'll be a bit challenging but could actually end up being a lot of fun. So we'll see! I don't want to limit my pace so if I feel like reading more I can or if a book is taking longer than a week, I don't have to stress out. I can be a fairly quick reader if necessary.

I think I might try reading in order this year. I don't have any series books on my list this time which will make it easier. Series books never fit the prompts in the right order!

I'm going to give reading in order a try this year. Decision fatigue really seems to become a thing for me with this particular challenge, so I'm narrowing my focus by taking it one month at a time. I will, however, allow myself to read at my own pace, be that faster or slower than one book/week. I'm not putting any restrictions on what type of authors I read etc - I'm going to read what interests me and is available to me and fits the prompt... thats it. Ideally these will be books I already own, come from the library, or are KU. I'm also going to allow myself to reattempt a book I may have needed to put down and not finish, but I'll start over of course.

I'm interested to see how this affects my experience with this challenge and discuss it with you all 💗

I'm sort of a "list driven" person, so I really have a plan to read the prompts in order.

I've set aside enough options for each prompt that I should be able to find something to fit my other challenges each week.

I normally read 3-4 books a week, so my plan is to fill all my tasks for my other challenges with whichever prompt I'm working on that week.

We'll see how it goes.

Jenna wrote: "I'm going to give reading in order a try this year. Decision fatigue really seems to become a thing for me with this particular challenge, so I'm narrowing my focus by taking it one month at a time..."

This is one of the main reasons I liked reading in order. Sometimes the choices are just too much, so narrowing it down to just picking a book for the next prompt really helped. AND it helped spread out some of the more challenging prompts rather than having them all left to the end (like I did with Popsugar this year).

Sheena wrote: "...Sometimes the choices are just too much, so narrowing it down to just picking a book for the next prompt really helped...."

The Paradox of Choice. Give a person too many, and they can't pick one at all. I agree - it really helps to have a plan to limit the choices.

Planned my first 4 books of the year:

01. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y - Fault Lines (Tokyo)
02. A book by an author you read in 2022 Well Traveled - this released yesterday, I have it on hold at several libraries and am hopeful it will come in in time.
03. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list (A book club read) - Genuine Fraud - my book club meets on January 10 to discuss this. So I'll have to read 3 books pretty quickly! I may just go out of order though and do this one first.
04. A book with an interracial relationship When No One Is Watching

Nancy wrote: "Planned my first 4 books of the year:

01. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y - Fault Lines (Tokyo)
02. A book by an author you read in 2022 [book:Well Traveled|49..."

I love that you mention multiple library holds!! I do that too :D

The Paradox of Choice. Give a person too many, and the..."
... exactly!! It's a fine line between choice and challenge/restriction!

Sheena wrote: "... AND it helped spread out some of the more challenging prompts rather than having them all left to the end (like I did with Popsugar this year) ..."

... good point, this definitely seems to happen.

Here's where I'm at so far with Januar's plan. Ironically the "easiest" prompt (#2) is the only one I haven't filled yet, but I've got time to comb through last year's reads. This is where being not-great about documenting what Ive ACTUALLY read in the year comes back to bite me 😂

✨❄�� JANUARY ~ Prompts 1-5 🌧��
1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
Options for books set in Australia - I'm fascinated by the penal colony role in Australia's early history. I feel like it's largely glossed over/ignored/rewritten, and my eyes were really opened to this topic when I read Hell Ship by Michael Veitch back in 2020.
MM set in Australia:
- The Station ⭐��$🌈
- Red Dirt Heart
- Galaxies and Oceans
Nonfic re Australian history:
- Australia's Birthstain: The Startling Legacy of the Convict Era

2. A book by an author you read in 2022

3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 List
A book connected to Ireland:
Walking Between Worlds by Colette O’Neill 📖 $

4. A book with an interracial relationship
The Indigo Girl 📖 $

Blurb: "Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.

This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl."

5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
American Colonial: Puritan Simplicity to Georgian Grace��$

Jenna wrote: "The Paradox of Choice. Give a person too many, and the..."
... exactly!! It's a fine line between choice and challenge/restriction!

Sheena wrote: "... AND it helped spread out some of the more cha..."

I struggled the most with this one too. I had too many series to pick from. Re: Paradox of choice, I really need to work on my maximizers tendencies, LOL!! For Feb, I'm going to try and just find the first book that works with the prompt and go with it.

So as a Christmas gift to myself, I'm doing the whole The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter thing with my bookshelves this holiday season. I have more books on my TBR than I can ever get read by the end of my life.

In January, I created a new shelf called "added in 2022." I'm going to do the same for 2023. And I'm now in the process of adding 2021 and 2020.

Anything I added before that? I figure if I haven't read it by now, I'm not going to. I intend to get those all deleted so that they aren't just sitting there making me feel guilty about all the things I was "going to do and just didn't."

At the end of next year, I'll delete everything on the oldest shelf and rename that one to 2024.

It's the only way I can figure to manage "the paradox."

�� Pat wrote: "So as a Christmas gift to myself, I'm doing the whole The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter thing with my bookshe..."

Sounds like a good idea. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter is a GREAT book, and one I think could really help a lot of people. Ironically my family (Scandinavian, mostly Swedish) operates this way in many respects, so I really didn't realize that many people DON'T think this way in terms of what burdens they try to carry (mentally, physically) as well as regarding what they will leave behind for others to deal with. Good for you for realizing you need to do something different!

�� Pat wrote: "So as a Christmas gift to myself, I'm doing the whole The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter thing with my bookshe..."

That sounds like such a great idea!! I just recently deleted a whole bunch off my shelf with a similar mindset. I've been thinking around the idea of limiting my TBR to 200 ... quickly bumped from an original 100, lol ... books. I have this loose plan, that once a month, if I'm over two hundred I'll delete the ones I'm least interested in?!

And now, I'm going to go look up the book you mention ;)

I haven’t tried doing it reading the list in order. Maybe I will try. The hard part is that I generally use library books and can not always predict when they will be available.

I'm going to be reading them in order this year on a weekly basis; and have everything written out in my handy-dandy notebook on everything I'm reading for, not only for this yearly challenge, but a few other yearly things, too. I still have plenty of free-reading I can work in, too. Really looking forward to getting started!

�� Pat wrote: "I've set aside enough options for each prompt that I should be able to find something to fit my other challenges each week. "

Pat, I am doing the same. Here is my plan:

January

1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
The Strays - Australia
***The Janissary Tree - Turkey
Night Shift - Texas

2. A book by an author you read in 2022
Ray Bradbury
Nevada Barr
Barbara Kingsolver

3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (a book related to game, set, match - Hockey)
***Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (a book involving genetics, genealogy, traits, heredity, heritage)
The Siege Winter by Ariana Franklin (a book with one of the four seasons in the title)

4. A book with an interracial relationship
***Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
This Tender Land

5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
***

�� Pat wrote: "So as a Christmas gift to myself, I'm doing the whole The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter thing with my bookshe..."

Pat, in 2022, I began to rid my house and life of stuff and things I no longer use or wear. I donated the majority of it to various organizations and people who wanted it or had a use for it. My goal was to give each item a new life. I accomplished a lot!

Yet, I have more to do. I even found an organization that will take worn-out textiles and make something new with them. Unfortunately, I found them after those items went to the dump. (One of the few things I could not recycle.)

And, now imagine my surprise to learn that this book you mentioned is in my little local library! It will definitely make it to my reading.

After posting my list above, I decided to make a choice and check on the availability within my local library system for prompts 1, 3, 4 and 5. I have designated those choices with three stars.

Well, it is a good thing that I have checked, as the last two are NEW books and will have limited circulation. My choice was to place a hold now due to closures for the holidays and an unknown length of waiting. Also a good thing that I have others planned as backups.

I've had one of my planned January reads on hold for a few weeks now! It is telling me it will be in in time, fingers crossed.

Nancy wrote: "I've had one of my planned January reads on hold for a few weeks now! It is telling me it will be in in time, fingers crossed."

Bea wrote: "After posting my list above, I decided to make a choice and check on the availability within my local library system for prompts 1, 3, 4 and 5. I have designated those choices with three stars.

We..."

My plan is to do my best to line the library books up with their "allotted" time periods... and if I have to skip one because its not available, I'll just move on to the next prompt and then come back when said book is available.

Jenna wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I've had one of my planned January reads on hold for a few weeks now! It is telling me it will be in in time, fingers crossed."

Bea wrote: "After posting my list above, I decided to ..."

This is what I do too, and sometimes I'll read a bit earlier .. but I'l aim for in order as best as I can.

Bea wrote: "�� Pat wrote: "So as a Christmas gift to myself, I'm doing the whole The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter thing w..."

It's a great little book.

Nancy wrote: "I've had one of my planned January reads on hold for a few weeks now! It is telling me it will be in in time, fingers crossed."

I've been on the list for Demon Copperhead waiting list for almost 3 months now.

I work for the Metro Library of Oklahoma county. If I really wanted to I could bump myself to the front of the line (and justify it as a "readers advisory" job duty), but I have a strong sense of fairness, and I'm not the only library user in my community. I'm currently #15 waiting for 19 copies, and two of those are overdue... The rest are due back the first week of January.

It is saved on my Scribd account, so it's not like I can't get my hands on it. But yeah - the hot titles thing is very real pain for those of us who work at the library.

�� Pat wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I've had one of my planned January reads on hold for a few weeks now! It is telling me it will be in in time, fingers crossed."

I've been on the list for Demon Copperhead waiting lis..."

Morality is what you do when no one is looking... never have I experienced that more than when working in a hospital, behind closed doors and curtains... good on you for following your moral compass.

Jenna wrote: "... good on you for following your moral compass...."

Thanks. Although it would never occur to me not to. :-)

Is there a prompt that The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter works best for? Or maybe it will pop up in the best books of the month. It sounds like an interesting read.

I’m glad I found this thread. I’ll be reading in order by month for the first time. It normally only takes me a few months. So I figure this will force me to appreciate the challenge more, instead of trying to speed through as fast as possible. I am getting impatient to start! 🙂

RachelG. wrote: "Is there a prompt that The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter works best for? Or maybe it will pop up in the best ..."

5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
8. An author's debut book
13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover (KISS for sure, but there are two identical flipped chairs)
19. A book related to the arts
27. A book by an author from continental Europe * if you want to count Sweden see note in weekly thread
33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923

34. A novella
35. A book with a school subject in the title - "Art"
36. A book that has been translated from another language - Orginal title: Döstädning : ingen sorglig historia
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title ... "Swedish Death Cleaning" is a bit unusual, I think? LOL

Or there are several options in #3 a prompt that didn't make the list
A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting
A book that is eye-opening or thought provoking
Possibly ..An author who lives greater than 2023 miles from you
A book that's unlike what you usually read
(I stopped at Poll 11 if you want to keep going)

Geri wrote: "I’m glad I found this thread. I’ll be reading in order by month for the first time. It normally only takes me a few months. So I figure this will force me to appreciate the challenge more, instead ..."

Me too! Cannot wait to get started!! I've organized my books for January and have all 14 lined up; ATY main, January Winter Reading Challenge and one outside challenge.

I loved reading in order, but so happy that I wrapped up just a bit early this year because I've had very little time for reading in the past week. I'm planning to jump ahead on a couple books throughout this year so I can wrap up the main challenge in early December again.

Just a couple more days now!

Sheena wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Is there a prompt that The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter works best for? Or maybe it will po..."

Haha love it Sheena! I think RachelG. can hopefully find a way to squeeze it in with those options!

I've been thinking about this reading-in-order thing, and here's going to be my approach I think:

Overall goal is still to read in order as is reasonable.
Exceptions for:
- library books when they become available (will jump to that spot and then return to the original order)
- audible books - I spend a LOT of time listening to podcasts and audiobooks while doing housework etc during the day, so if something is on audible, it might get bumped further up the line OR be read simultaneously with a physical book
- if I REALLY want to read something specific, and thinking about trying to get to that book is distracting me from being able to read whatever's supposed to be next

I hope you all can forgive me for being a little unorthodox lol... I love the idea, and generally want to try to do things in order, but I'm also a Gemini and the more I box myself in the more I start to feel like the Kool-Aid man who's about to blow through the wall to escape the restriction lol... building in safety valves generally prevents disaster when making a plan!

That sounds like a good plan, Jenna! You have to do what works for you. I’m a Gemini too and usually rebel at too many rules like reading in order. I will try to fill in most of my tasks with either books I own, Hoopla or Scribd books. That way I’m not at the mercy of Overdrive. LOL They never become available when expected. I usually get books earlier than they predict, which throws off my schedule. This year I am just making room for my new releases from Overdrive. I’m usually drooling to read them and can’t wait! 🙂

Sheena. Thanks for the tip to maybe try and finish early. I can see how that would be a good thing with the holidays. And to start planning for 2024! 🙂

RachelG. wrote: "Is there a prompt that The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter works best for? Or m..."

It could be considered a "light" book - lighten the load of your life by getting rid of stuff that burdens you down.

It could also be considered a "dark" book - Death Cleaning sure sounds like a morbidly dark concept and mind set.

Jenna wrote: "I hope you all can forgive me for being a little unorthodox lol... I love the idea, and generally want to try to do things in order, but I'm also a Gemini and the more I box myself in the more I start to feel like the Kool-Aid man who's about to blow through the wall to escape the restriction lol... building in safety valves generally prevents disaster when making a plan!"

I figure that each of these prompts are broad enough to give me some latitude around my plan.

I love a plan, and I love making lists, if for not other reason than to scrap them and go rogue when I find something that I want to read that ALSO fits what the prompt for the week is.

A plan is really just a plan. And it's your plan so if you want to change it you can. It's not like its going to put up a protest or anything. LOL

Thank you Sheena and Pat for all the ideas of where Swedish Death Cleaning can go!

I am getting pretty antsy waiting for Jan. 1. I will have to see if I can hold out a few more days to start my first book.

I’m reading in order. I’ve been working on my list for the past few days, mostly pulling from my TBR shelf. So excited!

RachelG. wrote: "I am getting pretty antsy waiting for Jan. 1. I will have to see if I can hold out a few more days to start my f..."

Geri wrote: "That sounds like a good plan, Jenna! You have to do what works for you. I’m a Gemini too and usually rebel at too many rules like reading in order. I will try to fill in most of my tasks with eithe..."

�� Pat wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Is there a prompt that The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter works best for? Or m..."

It could ..."

This little group is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots on GR 💞 A great group of people and an awesome Mod... yay!!

Biting my nails to get started too!!

I cannot wait to get started!!

I've been filling my time playing with my personal tracking spreadsheet (copied from Emily's page) and have all my January books slotted in. 5 ATY main challenge, 4 ATY Winter Challenge and 5 outside challenge.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
The Atlas Six

Daisy Darker
Thistlefoot
Convenience Store Woman

If We Were Villains
The Golden Enclaves
The Night Shift

The Sentence
Hench
The Last House on the Street

Remarkably Bright Creatures
In the Shadow of Lightning

I'm working on managing my TBR list, and have gone through my oldest 30, either marking them for this year's prompts or deleting ones I've lost interest in. I've chosen my first choice for all Feb books and have started holds at my library thinking I can always freeze if need be. I aspire to repeat this at the end of every month, but we'll see ...