Given that 2020 has somehow been both the shortest and longest year in recorded history, it’s both surprising and somewhat of a relief that the new Beat the Backlist challenge is almost here!
I recently did a tour of my TBR on my BookTube, and going through it (as well as unhauling a few long-termers I know I won’t get to) has made me even more determined to truly beat that backlist in 2021.
Beat the Backlist has a pretty simple concept – read whatever you want, as long as it was published prior to the challenge year. And yes, re-reads count!
There’s some optional prompts – all available on a handy-dandy bingo card – but I’ll probably steer clear of them, since my track record with any kind of challenge based/restrictive readathon isn’t great.
I’m not planning on making pre-2021 books the only thing I read next year, of course, nor am I going to restrict myself to my TBR. But I AM hoping to clear out a good chunk of what’s there right now, and for those of you eagerly plotting ways to keep me accountable, don’t worry! I’VE GOT A LIST!
Let me present to you:
Jodie’s Beat the Backlist List
General TBR
- The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
- Kong: Skull Island by Tim Lebbon
- Angels & Insects by A.S. Byatt
- Possession by A.S. Byatt
- Night Over Water by Ken Follett
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
- Bloodline by Claudia Gray
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
- Hild by Nicola Griffith
- Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
- The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell
- Cold Bath Street by A.J. Hartley
- Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol
- The Great Swindle by Pierre Lemaitre
- The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
- Eye Marty by Marty Feldman
- A Story Lately Told by Angelica Houston
- Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson
- Can We All Be Feminists? edited by June Eric-Udorie
- The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
- The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
- Love, Anger, Madness by Marie Vieux-Chauvet
Ongoing Series/Expanded Universes
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown (re-read)
- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (re-read)
- Morning Star by Pierce Brown
- Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
- Dark Age by Pierce Brown
- The Trials of Apollo: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
- The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
- The Trials of Apollo: The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan
- The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
- The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
- The Kane Chronicles: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
- The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan
- Midnight by Derek Landy
- Bedlam by Derek Landy
- Seasons of War by Derek Landy
NetGalley ARCs that aren’t quite so… ARCy anymore
- Jennifer Strange by Cat Scully
- Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler
- Mr Campion’s Séance by Mike Ripley
- The House of Styx by Derek Künsken
- In the Realm of Ash and Sorrow by Kenneth W. Harmon
- Spindle City by Jotham Burrello
- Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup
There’s a few 2020 books on my radar that I’m keen to get stuck into that aren’t on this list yet, but this is a pretty extensive starting point. I’ll be referring to my TBR throughout the year, and hopefully we’ll see a good ol’ dint made in it in 2021.
If you’re planning on taking part in Beat the Backlist – and, honestly, it’s hands down the easiest reading challenge ever – let me know in the comments below! I’d love to find a few buddies to cheer on!
Jodie x
The Sword in the Sloan 