2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I'm going for 75 again. I'm just shy of making my goal this year (I'm going to try to take advantage of my 6 days off at Christmas to hammer out my last 6-7 books) and I have a much more demanding job this year so it will be tough to get up to 75 again but I'm going to try. I'm also not participating in any of the yearly challenges - I'm going to do the monthly challenges instead since I found myself wanting to do more of them but having to balance those out with my yearly challenges first.

1. The Gravedigger's Brawl Abigail Roux
Completed: January 3/13
Rating: 5/5
Mini-review: Loved the atmosphere in this book as well as the relationship between Wyatt and Ash. I think this is the first book in awhile that had me spooked.

2. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir - Jenny Lawson
Completed: January 5/13
Rating: 4/5
Mini-review: I started this at the doctor's office because it was the only book downloaded on my phone thinking I would kill sometime then come back to it later. I don't think I've ever had a better time at the doctor's office. After trying unsuccessfully to keep from laughing out loud I ended up spending every spare second of my weekend finishing it. This was hilarious. Kind of random at times but it still made me laugh - a lot.

3. My Life as White Trash Zombie
Completed: Jan 12/13
Rating: 3/5
Mini-review: Meh. This was okay. I didn't find it particularly funny and it didn't really hold my attention. Angel was okay and I liked a lot of the secondary characters the story just kinda bored me - when it wasn't totally grossing me out.

4. Shards of Honour - Lois McMaster Bujold
Completed: January 17/13
Rating: 3/5
Mini-review: Another meh book. It started out well but then I found it got boring and I really didn't get how the characters fell in love so quickly. I'm debating picking up the next ones as I've heard they get much better but I've got so many books to read I don't see that happening.

5. Irish Bride - Alexis Harrington
Completed: January 19, 2013
Rating: 3/5
Mini-review: Again meh. This one started out really well and I enjoyed Aiden and the parts where they were travelling but once they got settled it went down hill. Part of the draw of westerns (for me anyways) is the gritty struggle to survive part. This book just kinda handed the couple everything and the main conflict was some rich land owners son following them all over hell's half acre. Which seemed excessive even for the most entitled of brats. Then the ending was wrapped up way to quickly and most of the climax happened off stage.