Beat the Backlist Challenge (2020)

I have a book-buying problem: I take home every book that has a gorgeous cover, and they often end up sitting on my bedside table, unread, as the pile continues to grow and grow. Two of my 2020 Reading Resolutions are to read more of the books that I actually own and to borrow books from the library instead of buying my own copies, so what better way to keep me accountable than through a reading challenge?

The Beat the Backlist Challenge is hosted by NovelKnight and challenges readers to read books that were published in 2019 or earlier. I’m aiming to read at least 25 backlist titles that I haven’t already read, and I’m going to try not to re-read more than 5 books since my TBR pile is getting out of control.

My prospective TBR list can be found here since I find Goodreads to be the current best way to keep track of my book lists – especially since I know this list is going to change a lot between now and January! I’ll link my progress below, as well, once the challenge officially starts.

Here are the backlist titles I’ve read so far:

  1. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino (pub: 2019)
  2. Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto (pub: 2019)
  3. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (pub: 2019; my review)
  4. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (pub: 2019; my review)
  5. The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2011)
  6. The Ash-Born Boy by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2012)
  7. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (pub: 2019; my review)
  8. Circe by Madeline Miller (pub: 2018)
  9. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (pub: 2019)
  10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (pub: 2011; re-read)
  11. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (pub: 2019; my review)
  12. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (pub: 2019; my review)
  13. Vicious by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2013; re-read; my review)
  14. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (pub: 2014; my review)
  15. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (pub: 2017; my review)
  16. Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow (pub: 2019)
  17. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (pub: 2019)
  18. Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers (pub: 2019)
  19. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2015; re-read)
  20. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2016; re-read)
  21. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab (pub: 2017; re-read)
  22. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (pub: 1995)
  23. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (pub: 2019)
  24. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (pub: 2019; my review)
  25. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin (pub: 2019)
  26. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (pub: 2018)
  27. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (pub: 2019)
  28. Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo (pub: 2012; re-read; my review)

Are you participating in any reading challenges in the new year? How often do you read backlist titles as opposed to newly published books? Let me know in the comments below.

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