Beat the Backlist and Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge 2017!

On By TeacherofYAIn Book/Site Links, Daily Updates/Tags/Pingbacks, My Memes

So I’ve signed up for two challenges…and I haven’t even told you guys about it! So it’s time before I post another review!

My first challenge, and I am really excited about it (gotta get some books read that I own or are not NEW RELEASES!) is the Beat The Backlist challenge hosted by Novelknight’s Blog:


Here is the info, straight from her site:

The Beat the Backlist Challenge is focused on knocking off titles that have been on your TBR for a while, or even ones that get pushed aside for new releases. Over the years, and especially this one, we’ve noticed that new releases are getting more and more attention while our TBRs continue to grow. While we LOVE new releases, we also want to show some of those older titles love too.

This challenge doesn’t have levels or a set number of books you need to read.

YOU set your own reading goal. YOU pick the books. YOU read at your own pace.

Whether you’re a casual reader looking to work on your TBR list with a bunch of people, or a competitive reader seeking a bit of extra motivation this year, Beat the Backlist is for you. Everything is optional and there are only 2 guidelines. 

The idea here isn’t to make this a competition, but to help you shrink your TBR with a bunch of other people doing the same thing. BUT if you’re looking for a little extra motivation for this challenge…

Guidelines 

THIS CHALLENGE WILL RUN FROM JANUARY 1ST TO DECEMBER 31ST, 2017. 

That’s right. You have an ENTIRE YEAR to complete your goal.

BOOKS MUST BE RELEASED PRIOR TO 2017

(this challenge isn’t for new releases)

That’s it! Those are the only guidelines!

We HIGHLY encourage you to post your reading updates throughout the year on your social media platform of choice using the hashtag #BeatTheBacklist! (I haven’t done this, lol!)

You can also tag our challenge Twitter account in your updates so we can share them! Make sure to follow us for challenge updates and announcements, as well as for the Twitter chats coming up!

This is so up my alley. I could stop requesting and buying books (on sale) and I would still have enough books to read until at least the end of the year! So this is important! And I have already a couple titles to add to this list. (I’m not sure how to keep up unless I get a physical journal and write them down or do a monthly post…what do you guys do to keep track of your challenge books?)

I’ve read:

  1. Shadows of the Forest (regrettably) – Emma Michaels [RaR, pub 2016]
  2. Possession – Annie Oldham [RaR, pub 2014]
  3. Illusion (review to come) – Annie Oldham [RaR, pub 2016]

All are before 2017! So there you go! Three in the bag there!

But…

I’m also participating in another challenge! 

This one is called the 2017 Netgalley & Edelweiss challenge and it’s hosted by Bookishthingsandmore Blog:


And this is the info:

“Have you ever logged on to Edelweiss or Netgalley with the intention of “Just Looking” and then logged off having requested 5 new titles even though your TBR is a mile long? This challenge will (hopefully) give you the incentive to tackle your review books, stumble upon new ones, and get your Netgalley percentage to the desired 80%!

Challenge Guidelines

The challenge will run from Jan 1, 2017 – Dec 31, 2017.

Anyone is welcome to join. You do not need to be a blogger, just post your reviews and come back every month to link them up.

Any genre, release date, request date, length, etc. counts so long as it came from Edelweiss or Netgalley.

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews.

If you forget to link up one month it’s not a problem just add your reviews next month.

If you would like to move up or down levels that is completely fine and at your discretion.

If you have any questions tweet me @BookishThings or e-mail katrina@bookisthingsandmore.com!

Hashtag: #NGEW2017″

My quote option has issues sometimes so I quoted it manually. Lol. But I’m psyched about this one because I have galleys to read from Netgalley and authors who’ve emailed me…and other places where I get books (looks away guiltily)… 

I’m not sure about the levels because I’m not good with remembering things…and I have a lot going on…but I do want to be encouraged to complete galleys and this will be fun! And it still allows me to read New Releases without having to break my other challenge, lol! They are like complete opposites! 😂🤣

Read so far:

  1. Freeks (Blog Tour) – Amanda Hocking [Netgalley]
  2. The Bear and the Nightingale [Netgalley]

So those are my challenges! And I will rock them! 


Already drinking some coffee and picking up another book!

Good luck to anyone that’s also participating in challenges this year: I hadn’t been able to sign up this year because I wasn’t blogging at the time….

Which brings me to a SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT…

This is my 6 month blogoversary!! Yay!


This time in July I started TeacherofYA’s Book Blog…who knew anyone would read it? 🤔😮

Here’s to another 6 months…and then on my 1 year…I’ll have a giveaway! Yaya!

I love you all, and Happy Reading, y’all!

81 thoughts on “Beat the Backlist and Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge 2017!”

  1. Jacquie (Rattle the Stars)

    First, HAPPY 6 MONTHS!!! YAY!! I’m sending tons of hugs your way.

    The NetGalley & Edelweiss Challenge is so totally my jam…I’m signing up. I request way too many books and it sounds like it’s something I can excel at. I’m also doing the Beat the Backlist Challenge. I’m slowly trying to review books that I did for it already. I’m just bad at posting my progress. Anyway, good luck!

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      1. Jess (beaucoupbooks)

        I’m doing the goodreads challenge (are you?) and the new adult fiction challenge. I’ve seen so many reading challenges but I feel that doing a bunch of them would just be stressful

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    1. Aww, thanks! Now that I have so many more books, my eyes are like going crazy!! So many possibilities of what to read!
      I can’t wait until your new iPad comes in and then you can have two bookshelves permanently! I love that you thought of

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      3. onebookishgirl

        Haha its always good weeks if you are someone in particular.
        I just haven’t had much time to read, theres always animals needing to be fed or some shit… Seriously they know where their food is, they can get it themselves haha.

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    1. Well, I wasn’t blogging last year, so I hope I can do these! Thank you, by the way! Are you doing any this year? I just hope to basically do what I usually do, which is read, but I do want to focus on some of my overlooked books that I’ve owned.

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      1. I tried doing the Popsugar challenge last year but it was hard balancing reading books that fell under the categories and books that I was sent for review, so I gave up on it. This year I’m not doing any but the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, which is my reading goal. I just read whatever I’m sent or I want to read! 😊 And I am trying to read books on my shelves that I haven’t read yet, too! But it’s hard! 😂

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      2. See, that’s a kind of challenge I could do too! I don’t like having to read a book from this category or that category bc I never know what I have to read and when. I used to do monthly Goodreads challenges, but those were mainly one book and it was either read a book with a green cover or starts with the letter A or something like that.
        I like your challenge or my challenges bc they are open to whatever books you want to read! Yay!

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      3. Definitely! You have more freedom to choose! Plus, you can get both books you want to read and books you’re sent to review! (I also tried things like “clean the shelf monthly challenge” but short-term challenges are hard since you don’t know what’s happening soon!) 😊 I’m on track with my goal! 😉

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    2. I’m happy for you! Make that goal happen!
      Yeah, I def need flexibility bc I get a lot of nice indie authors asking me to review their books and I have a hard time saying no… then there’s the library books lol!
      I’ll keep rooting for you and your challenge! 😊🙌

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      1. Thank you! I’m aiming for it! I did 64 last year (including some short stories with ISBN’s) and I’m trying to beat that! And I love indie authors! They’re some of the nicest people you’ll meet! I know how you feel! That’s why I’m glad I have two co-bloggers with me; I can give them electronic copies that I can’t read at the time. And honestly, I don’t even check out library books anymore! Lol! School and the number of unread books in my Kindle and bookshelves won’t let me check some out! 🙂

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    3. I shouldn’t bc I just end up taking them back but I can’t resist!
      You will rock this yr, I can just tell!
      You have goodreads? I’m on there if you and I aren’t friends yet…I’m on there as Stephanie Plotkin! Friend me and we can congratulate your progress!

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      1. I do! It’s Kester Nucum, and I’ll add you! It’s so nice to make new blogger friends! And you will do a lot of amazing things! I know that for sure! You’re already having more views and follows than me and I’ve been out a little longer than you! Plus, you’ve read way more books than me last year! Lol! I wish I could read that many but I don’t have the time! But I’ll keep track of your progress! I’ll congratulate you whenever you hit certain points! Woo hoo! Let’s both beat our goals!

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    4. Wow! Thank you!
      I added you to my GR friends! I’m always happy to make a friend!
      Also, I’m prob not going to hit my goal this year bc I had a lot more free time last year than this year…but I guess it isn’t all about the quantity, but the quality of the book…right! 😉
      (Nah…I love the quantity, too! 🤣😂🤣)

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      1. I seriously feel like everything is a chore when I sign up for challenges and set reading goals. I guess I am lazy haha.. or more like to indecisive to commit, and then it bothers me when I do not finish haha. So I just set a number of books on my GR yearly and make internal promises to branch out more, be more diversified 😉

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  7. Super big congrats on the 6 months anniversary!! I can’t believe you’ve only been doing this for 6 months – you’re such a pro! As for keeping track of the challenge books, you’re on Goodreads, right? I always create a bookshelf whenever I want to keep track of a certain genre or list. Not sure if this helps. XD Congrats again!! 🙂

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    1. Wow, great idea! Thank you! 😘😘😘
      And thank you for saying such sweet things! I still feel like a total novice! But when you say something like that, it makes me feel so good, like I’m really doing it right! I always hoped that I made a good blog!
      I’ll be making a GR shelf now! ::runs to Goodreads::

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    1. Thank you!! You’re doing some as well, aren’t you? (it’s so hard to tell who started what! lol!!)
      Thank you for the support!! I can always tell when someone really cares, and you always do, so thank you, my blogger bud!

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    1. Thank you! A book toast!! ::raises book 📚::
      Yes, the two shouldn’t be too bad. I just want to make sure I read my galleys and read the books I own. New books are tempting but then that old book you say you’ll read next time is never gonna get read!
      I hope the next six months is so awesome bc I really am more excited about reaching a year! 😉🤞

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  12. Happy 6 months anniversary! It really seems much longer to me, it feels like I’ve known you and your blog since I started ;-). Good luck with your challenges! For the moment I’m trying to avoid Netgalley (I’m all caught up and I just want to stay that way a little while longer) and I’m trying not to sign up for too much so that I can finally read a book that I have bought myself. I could do the other tag then but you just never know what’s going to happen so I’m keeping myself pressure-free :-). I’m sure you will rock this though!

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    1. Oh, pressure free is the way to be!!
      I’m doing it bc I’ve never done a year challenge before…so I thought, “What the hell?” 🤷‍♀️
      Thank you! It feels like a lot longer to me, too, but in a good way! I feel like I’ve known you guys forever!!
      I know we will knock our reading out of the park this year…I’m pretty much only doing the Netgalley one to clear off my shelf and feel good doing it! 😊🙌
      To another 6 months with my blogger bunnies!! 🐰

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      1. The longer we blog, the better we learn our limits I think. In the beginning I was requesting and agreeing to everything but now I’m really more selective. I know there will always be books so I shouldn’t be so desperate ;-). I like being a blog bunny, so cute !

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    2. Yes…I have def learned to limit some stuff, lol! Loving the idea of trying to slow down and read some books that have already come out. 😊
      You are my first blogger bunny, so now you’ll always be my blogger bunny 🐰!!
      Inge, my BB 🐰!! 😘😘😘

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  13. Kourtni @ Kourtni Reads

    Okay I laughed a little too hard at the “I’ve read Shadows of the Forest (regrettably)” comment, hahaha.
    Congrats on 6 months! Your blog is lovely and it honestly seems like you’ve been blogging for much longer!
    Good luck on your challenges 🙂

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    1. Thank you! (I couldn’t help saying it 😂🤣😂)
      It certainly feels like I’ve been at it longer!
      Thank you…I hope I at least read more backlisted books bc I own so many that I want to read!
      Here’s to another six months! Then I can do a giveaway and I’d really like to do that. But thank you for making me feel so accepted here in the community.

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    1. The Beat The Backlist is perfect! It’s basically just reading books that have already come out before this year! Great idea.
      Thank you…I can’t believe it’s been 6 months, but it also feels like it’s been longer! There will def be more months to come! 😘🙌

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  16. Congrats on your 6 Month Blogoversary! I am also participating in the NetGalley/Edelweiss challenge & I’m keeping track of my books via excel spreadsheet. It helps prioritize which books I should be reading 1st as well in order to review on time 😉

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      1. Hmmm, so for the iPad you can use Google Sheets which you can access from any device since you can save to cloud. I’m not to savy with excel or sheets but it was simple enough to create my spreadsheet. Nothing crazy in other words lol. Here’s to another 6 mths 💜

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    2. Thank you: I’ll check it out! Google sheets? I’ll see what I can find on that.
      I want to get a physical book journal for the year, and make it kinda fun, but I just don’t know which one to choose, and I am NOT the bullet journal type, lol. So hopefully this Google thing will work! Thanks, Lily! 😘

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    1. Thank you! So far, so good! I’m about to review The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman and Holding Up The Universe! Both work for Beat The Backlist, so it’s time to pick a Netgalley title and read that next!
      It’s really fun…I just haven’t figured out the best way to keep track of them yet besides maybe a Goodreads shelf?

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      1. July 2014. I didn’t have a focus in mind at the time. My posts were all over the place and then I went on a hiatus. Read & review here and there. Only started on focusing in books in May 2016 😊 sometimes I feel regret not knowing my focus so my blog name doesn’t have anything to do with books 😫

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