a new home and backlist TBRs

Hello and welcome to the new home of my newsletter! 

If you’re receiving this email, you subscribed to my newsletter either through NovelKnight Book Reviews previously or Forest for the Trees last year.

After far too many hours considering my options, I decided to move from MailerLite to the simpler Substack. It’s not the most ideal but suits my purposes for the time being. New space, new name, (mostly) same content.

My hope is to use this space as a combination of a newsletter and blog, and maybe this time it will be more than once every few months…

ANYWAY it’s nearing the end of the year and the start of 2023 which means… Beat the Backlist is returning for another year!

I started the BTB reading challenge back in 2017 as a way to tackle my never-ending TBR and it’s still going strong and ready for round 7 in 2023.

new to beat the backlist?

This challenge is all about tackling your TBR by focusing on books published prior to the current year. It can be hard to resist the shiny new book releases each year which is why we’re here to focus on what’s already come out. That said, flexibility was important to me when designing BTB so there are only two rules: 

1. The book must be published in the previous year or earlier (for the 2023 challenge, anything published in 2022 or earlier counts).

2. You have to start and finish the book in 2023.

And that’s it!

YOU set your own TBR/goal. Any format, any genre. Re-reads count, and you don’t have to own the book. It’s open for the entire year so whenever you feel like jumping in, you can!

You can also catch the challenge on StoryGraph and track your progress there!

but what about the prompts??

If you need additional motivation, you can give the optional reading prompts a try! There are two lists, one with 24 prompts (2 books a month) and a 52-prompt list (1 book a week). They come in list and bingo card form depending on your preference.

All graphics for the prompts are available on the challenge page! 

a tentative TBR for 2023

I’m a mood reader and it’s taken years for me to embrace it fully enough to be okay with not sticking to a TBR each year (even though it’s so satisfying to make one). This coming year is no different but I’m going to try approaching my yearly TBR a bit differently and give myself options, with a general focus on backlist titles and a more specific focus on the 52-prompt list for Beat the Backlist.

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For 2023, that tentative TBR includes…

Tamsyn Muir’s Nona the Ninth which I’m very angry at myself for not getting to sooner because honestly now I’m just going to have to read both Gideon and Harrow again as a refresher. It’s torture, I tell you! Pure, skull-ridden torture! [BTB prompt — name in the title]

I adored The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and am desperate to get to India Holton’s The League of Gentlewomen Witches. These books are so much fun! Witches with flying houses and plenty of hijinks, with the wrappings of a historical romance. 12/10 would recommend. [BTB prompt — set in or inspired by the 1700s or 1800s]

And the first book club title for my writing group is The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. In the past, I struggled to get through this book but I’ve heard the series is worth it so I’m giving it another go. [BTB prompt — giving an author a second chance]

It’s been a long time coming but I am FINALLY getting around to finishing the rest of the Green Bone Saga, starting with a re-read of Jade City followed by Jade War by Fonda Lee. Yes, I know they’re good. Yes, I know I should have read them sooner. We’re gonna make it happen, m’kay? [BTB prompt — family drama or court intrigue]

I’m also fully intending to dive into Alexis Henderson’s House of Hunger. Her previous book, The Year of the Witching, was one of my favorite books of 2020 so very exited for this new story. [BTB prompt — spooky vibes]

Also, yes, it’s long past time I read The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick. The Mask of Mirrors was a favorite of 2021 and I’ve been trying to find the time to immerse myself in this world once more and I think 2023 will be the year! [BTB prompt — an author writing under a pseudonym]

That’s all I have for you this time around! Looking forward to seeing what this space evolves into in the new year and will be back in 2023 with book recommendations, writing updates, and (of course) cat pictures because that’s what we do here.

I wish you all a happy holidays and hope the rest of 2022 treats you well! Here’s a kitten pic for good luck!

💜 austine