2025 Reading Challenge discussion

so... i just discovered a bunch of the challenges that i'd like to participate in. I figured this is a good place to keep track of them!

I started this year by trying to read 12 books, but mostly because of a lot of trips, the library, and ebooks, i've way exceeded that initial goal. I've totally fallen in love with reading again!

I'm keeping track of my personal yearly goal here

10/16 - I changed the title and location of my yearly challenge thread, to accurately reflect my goal of 70 books this year! The link above is corrected...

October Monthly Challenge - this is the one that dropped me down the rabbit hole! I'm looking forward to seeing if i can actually do this!

October Challenge

THIS is my latest post in this challenge.

10/16 upped goal to 5 from 3
10/24 Updated Post here

FALL BACK CHALLENGE
Duration: October 1 - October 31, 2015
Progress / Goal: 6 / 5

10/24: Challenge Completed!

1. Fall Back in Time – Like to reminisce about the past or get lost in your memories? Read a book about travelling back in time, a historical fiction novel or a non-fiction history book. Up Jumps the Devil - not so much time travel as seeing history (and let's hope it's fiction!) through the eyes of lucifer himself...

2. Fall Back to Sleep – Is there anything better than falling back to sleep when you are still tired? Read a book where a character realizes big dreams or where a character’s dreams haunt or otherwise affect their waking hours.

3. Fall Back in Love – There is nothing like having love return after a dry spell! Read a love story where the characters are taking a second chance on love – successfully or unsuccessfully! A Perfect Spy - this might be an odd choice for this category, but as Mr. Canterbury says" "we can only betray what we love". He did take a second chance (and a third, and more), but in the end he was unsuccessful in having everything he loved.

4. Fall Back on Family – No matter what your definition of family is, there is nothing like being able to count on them! Read a book about a family’s togetherness or a family’s dysfunctionality. - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings This story about family, and what that means, and how it ties us was beautiful. I'm glad i read this book.

5. Fall Back on Good Friends – Many are the experiences we share with good friends! Read a book about an amazing or difficult experience shared by friends. I Am Pilgrim - sometimes, you have to count on old friends to stitch you back together after you save the world.

6. Fall Back on Strength – Sometimes we have to reach deep within ourselves or rely on the strength of others to overcome obstacles. Read a book where the main character finds the strength (internal or external) to overcome difficulties they face. Ready Player One - sometimes we learn that you don't need to be level 99 to start... or to finish

7. Fall Back – Sometimes we must retreat or give ground in order to achieve our goals and/or find peace. Read a book where the character(s) must go back before they can move forward. - The Sum of All Fears - step back from the button! While Jack Ryan may have stepped forward, it was everyone stepped back that kept the world from ending.

8. Fall Back! –Sometimes you just need to let someone know they need to calm down and back off. Read a book where the main character is able to overcome another character who tries to block their success.

9. Fall Back on Old Habits – Our routines can help us or keep us from growing. Read a book where the main character struggles to change his/her ways or where his/her habits help to solve problems for him/her or for others.

10. Fall Back, Spring Ahead – This daylight savings time adage helps us to remember which direction to set our clocks. Read a book about time travel, that takes place in the fall or spring, or that has fall or spring in the title.

Let's see which ones i can get to!

After some poking around, i found the yearly challenges! The first one that looked exciting was the #readwomen challenge. My main post is #879 here

#READWOMEN
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Progress: 21/20 COMPLETED!
1) Margaret Atwood - I've read 4 of her books this year, including the MaddAddam series, which i loved
2) The Aviator's Wife
3) The Selection - Kiera Cass's series was not my favorite
4) Sharp Objects
5) Still Alice - loved this book
6) Gregory, Philippa - read several of her books and loved them.
7) The Girl on the Train
8) Euphoria
9) The stone cutter - one of my new favorite authors
10) Station Eleven
11) Consequences - i hated this book
12) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
13) The Burgess Boys
14) The Goldfinch

update for 10/16
15) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - i will plan to read more of her in the future.
16) And Then There Were None - a quick read, and i want to read more of her in the future too!
17) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - i read this earlier this year but forgot about it. Such a great book!
18) The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince - I read this earlier this year as well. it struck me as so well researched.
19) We Were Liars - also read earlier this year, and while not my favorite, it was still fun.

Update for 10/24
20) The Night Circus
21) The Iron King

Another yearly challenge that i found and thought was fun was the A-Z Challenge. My first post is here.

Post for 10/24 is here

final post is here
A-Z CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Progress: 23 / 26

10/24 update: 25/26

11/22 update: 26/26 - Challenge Completed!

Note: I'm going to try and only use the first letters of the main words in a title of a book, and only use author's initials if i run out of time in year...

A: Act Of Terror
B: The Burgess Boys
C: Command Authority
D: Devil in a Blue Dress
E: Euphoria
F: Foundation
G: The Goldfinch
H: Heart-Shaped Box
I: I, Robot
J: Up Jumps the Devil
K: Our Kind of Traitor
L: Lies My Teacher Told Me
M: MaddAddam
N: Native Son
O: The One
P: How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
Q: The White Queen
R: Rosemary's Baby
S: Still Alice
T: The Time Keeper
U: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
V: The Serpent of Venice
W: Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
X: XO
Y: The Year of the Flood
Z: Zeroville

The last yearly challenge that I want to join is the I Spy Challenge. My first post is here.

My 10/24 update is here

11/22 update is here

I SPY CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Progress: 20 / 25
10/24 update: 22 / 25
11/8 update: 24 / 25
11/22 update: 25 / 25 Challenge Complete!

1. Color - Devil in a Blue Dress
2. Number - Forty Signs of Rain
3. Things That Grow - In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
4. Seasons - Winter's Passage
5. First Name - Rosemary's Baby
6. Places - The Serpent of Venice
7. Body Part - Heart-Shaped Box
8. Weapon - Sharp Objects
9. Body of Water - The Lady of the Rivers
10. Form of Water - The Year of the Flood
11. Product of Fire - Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See i might try to find another book that matches this one better...
12. Celestial Body - The Long Earth
13. Architecture - The Man in the High Castle
14. Senses - All the Light We Cannot See
15. Royal Title - The White Queen
16. Family Member - Native Son
17. Elements - The stone cutter
18. Time of Day - The Night Circus
19. Metal - The Iron King
20. Emotion/Feeling - Act Of Terror
21. Animal/Insect - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
22. Something to Read - The Rabbit Back Literature Society
23. Gender Identifier - The Girl on the Train
24. Paranormal Being - Mort
25. Occupation - Lies My Teacher Told Me

One thing that these challenges are making me do is actually look at all the books i've read so far this year... and think about which other ones I'd like to read. I'm an engineer, so playing with all this data is fun (spreadsheets! tables! formulas!).

I think I'm going to keep with my random "let's see what the library has" method of picking books though (don't want to get too pre-planned or obsessive) but hopefully these challenges will help me think more about what i've read.

And next year, i'll plan to join earlier!

I went through and updated my challenge posts... I've decided the challenges are fun, but i have to watch that i don't start worrying about whether a book meets a challenge requirement or not... I want to keep just picking up books as i go along, and not be too pre-planned about what i read. I wonder if i start earlier next year, whether i should plan some of challenges in advance, or not?

Part of the problem is that i never know when the library will have what... maybe i won't pre-plan my actual reading books, but i will make sure my "wish list" has enough things in it that i can meet the challenge goals, without having to worry too much?

After succesfully completing the October Challenge, I'm excited about the November Challenge next!

11/22 update is here

NOVEMBER CHALLENGE: REMEMBRANCE
Duration: November 1 - November 30, 2015
Progress / Goal: 4 / 3 (stretch goal of 5)

1. Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent (Christian faiths): This holiday celebrates the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert, where he resisted temptation by Satan. Read a book about giving up something, or about resisting temptation.

2. March 9th, Baron Bliss Day (Belize): A day to remember the fourth Barron Bliss of Portugal, who died off the coast of Belize and left the country 2 million dollars in a trust fund. His money established libraries, museums, health clinics, and the water supply system, making him the greatest benefactor of the country. Read a book about the establishment of a charity or public works project, or a book which features a great benefactor. The Kingmaker's Daughter In early England, there was no greater benefactor than Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker. This story about what his ambition did to his daughters, plus how the Kings he put on the throne repaid others, sheds light on the darker side of providing benefits (especially to those who didn't earn them)

3. 15th day after the Spring Equinox, Qingming Festival (China/Taiwan): A celebration for the equivalent of "spring cleaning" for the columbarium, graves, and burial grounds of ancestors while honoring their ancestors. Read a book which takes place at a gravesite, or which features paying homage. The Black Dahlia - definitely a gravesite, and definitely paying homage

4. 27th of Nisan, Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day (Israel/Jewish faith): An observation of Israel's day of commemoration for the ~6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Read a book about the Holocaust, or which features World War II. The Warsaw Anagrams - this book talks about the Warsaw ghetto's, and what happens in those horrible conditions. It was another book i had a hard time putting down, and a scary mystery to boot

5. May 4th, Remembrance of the Dead (Netherlands): This national holiday is immediately followed by Liberation Day on May 5th, constituting one remembrance for both victims and liberation. Read a book about a liberation, or a book prominently featuring holidays.

6. May 9th, Europe Day (European Union): A celebration of the commemoration of the Schuman Declaration, proposing the principle founding ideas of the European Union. Read a book featuring the unification of groups of people, or which features a council working to defend democracy or the rule of law.

7. Last Monday in May, Memorial Day (USA): A day to remember the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. Read a book which remembers a war hero, or tells a story of a group of people surviving against all odds.

8. 15th day of the 7th lunar month, Obon Festival (Japan/Buddhist faith): The origin of this festival from a story in which a disciple of Buddha uses supernatural powers to see his deceased mother suffering in her after-life. Buddha encourages his disciple to make offerings and witness his mother's release. The disciple danced with joy, making dancing and offerings central to this family reunion holiday. Read a book about a family reunion or a book which highlights a form of dancing.

9. August 15th, India Independence Day (India): The celebration of independence from the British Empire. Read a book set in India, or read a book about a country achieving independence.

10. September 11th, Anniversary of the Twin Towers Collapsing (USA): A day to remember a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States. Read a book involving a terrorist plot, or a book set during the collapse of the Twin Towers.

11. October 31-November 2, Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead (Mexico): A gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember family members who have died, and support their spiritual journey. Read a book about a spiritual journey, or a book which celebrates the deceased. - The Red Queen - This book is about both Margaret's spiritual journey to put her son on the throne of England, which is very much how she sees it, and her celebration of Joan of Arc. While Queen Margaret, My Lady The King's Mother, was not the most sympathetic character, her determination is impressive!

12. November 11th, Poppy Day/Armistice Day (Commonwealth of Nations): The First World War remembrance day celebrated by the Commonwealth of Nations. Read a book set during the First World War, or a book which features the fall of an empire. The Absolutist - oh my goodness, wow. This is one of those stories that stays with you. Set before, during and after WWI, it's hard to stop reading about these people

And now for the December Challenge ! I want to read a poem a day - I never read poetry and this seems like a fun way to get into it.

So far, I've checked out Dark Sparkler and A Book of Nonsense - More Nonsense. If I need more, I will check out some more.

I'll list the poems as I read them below. I will probably update once a week:

First post (updated as we go along): here

Second post (note - pick better poetry next time!): Here

ADVENT CALENDAR CHALLENGE
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2015

Update 12/20: Progress: 20 / 24
1. Book of Nonsense: #1- 50
2. Book of Nonsense: #51 - 112 (that went faster than expected)
3. Dark Sparkler: Li Tobler
4. Dark Sparkler: Untitled Actress & Thelma Todd
5. Dark Sparkler: Miriam Lebelle
6. Dark Sparkler: Judith Barsi
7. Dark Sparkler: Peg Entwistle
8. Dark Sparkler: Jean Harlow
9. Dark Sparkler: Martha Anne Dae
10. Dark Sparkler: Jayne Mansfield
11. Dark Sparkler: Carole Landis & Anissa Jones
12. Dark Sparkler: Susan Peters
13. Dark Sparkler: Dominque Dunne
14. Dark Sparkler: Sirkka Sair
15. Dark Sparkler: Cindy Jenkins
16. Dark Sparkler: Brittany Murphy
17. Dark Sparkler: Bridgette Anderson
18. Dark Sparkler: Shannon Michelle Wilsey & Jane Doe
19. Dark Sparkler: Heather O'Rourke & Abigail Nell & Lupe Velez
20. Dark Sparkler: Tarumi Sachdev, Julia Thorp & Sharon Tate

11/28 update: the poems got too depressing, so i finished the rest of them in about a day, before my family showed up for christmas visits. For the last four days of the challenge, i read short SF stories from The 1986 Annual World's Best SF, which was a lot more fun!
21. Earthgate - J. Brian Clark
22. On the Dream Channel Panel - Ian Watson
23. The Gods of Mars - Gardner Dozois, Jack Dann, Miachel Swanwick
24. The Jaguar Hunter - Lucius Shepard

Challenge Completed!

I'm excited to have finished the 2015 challenges, with the exception of the december challenge. I've started signing up for the 2016 challenges... it will be interesting to see how my "not planning" goes with the various challenges! I hope 2015 finishes strong, and that 2016 is another great reading year!

2015 IN REVIEW

1. Did you (or will you) reach your 2015 reading goal? - Yes! I way exceed my first goal, and upped my goal several times this year. I loved being able get back into reading...

2. What were your favorite books this year? The Martian , anything by Phillipa Gregory and Up Jumps the Devil

3. What were your least favorites?
The Selection and all the rest of those books... and the book that shall not be named (Consequences

4. Was there a book that made you stretch out of your comfort zone?
Iron Curtain : The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945-1956 - because it made me think about things
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - same

5. Did you discover any new genres?
I got into a more horror/mysteries courtesy of Camilla Lackberg

6. If you participated in any of our yearly challenges, what was your favorite?
My favorite was the A-Z challenge! It let me read such a variety of books!