Love, Like, and Not For Me Reading Challenge 2023

If you’ve been following along with my personal reading challenges, you’ll know I did an Indie Books Challenge in 2021 where I discovered I did read quite a lot of indie books and a Diversity and Inclusivity Challenge in 2022 where I discovered diversity is a really broad thing so it’s possible to find it in most books. You might have also noticed I didn’t post how I did in December 2022. That was, partly, because I didn’t need yet another post expounding on just how diverse almost every book is if you look hard enough, and, partly, because I got tired and lazy and wanted to step far away from this blog for my own sanity.

I’ve decided to take a more casual and low key approach to The Lily Cafe this year as it starts to evolve into something that reflects me better because this blog will always be a reflection of me and I am so much more than just a book lover (you may have also noticed I haven’t put out a Bookish Wish yet. I don’t intend to this year). But this challenge might also be called an Honesty Reading Challenge, which might make me sound a little crazy once things get going, but also appeals to the split I feel in my spirit.

I’ve always striven to write objective reviews that carefully walk a line between what’s good and what’s bad about each book. I try to step back from myself as a person and assess the book by itself. Of course, I do have some strong thoughts, which usually come out better in my First, Middle, and Last Impressions posts. I do, though, try to keep my reviews more polished and professional. But that means a piece of heart is missing. Sometimes I really didn’t like the book, but, based on the things I assess in it, it ends up with a higher rating than my personal feelings about it would warrant.

So, my reading challenge this year is to lay out my real heart feelings about every book I read each month so I can be more honest with myself while also providing the detailed, professional reviews I’ve come to expect of myself, and that so many authors have appreciated so much.

Love is pretty self-explanatory. If I love a book, no matter how many problems it might have, I’ll list it here. Like means I liked the book, but didn’t love it. It was good but no definite hard feelings either way. I expect most books will actually fall here, which makes me sad, but maybe it’ll push me to really explore what I love. Lastly, the books that were not for me. These might not necessarily be bad books, and they might even get rave reviews from other bloggers and even I might rate it a 4, but, just like every other reader, I have my own personal tastes, so some books are just not for me, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad and shouldn’t be read.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about this one!

So, here’s my challenge: be honest with myself about how I personally feel about every book I read.

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on: Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook