2025 Reading Challenge discussion

That's one per pay period!

1. In the Shadow of the Banyan
4 stars, historical fiction, Cambodia during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, told from the perspective of a child.

2. American Gods
4 stars. Can the coming war between the old Gods and the new Gods be averted? I think I might get more out of this book if I read it again. Many layers and much to think about.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo
4 stars! At 1200 pages, this was a huge commitment but what a great story. Beautifully written.

4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
3 stars, felt it got repetitive, but I can definitely relate to her depiction of an introvert in an extrovert's world.

5. Americanah
4 stars, very insightful, the immigrant experience vs. life in Nigeria.

6.Memoirs of a Polar Bear

2 stars, really didn't like it, and found it less engaging as it progressed through its 3 stories.

7. The Rosie Project

4 stars, what fun! Couldn't help thinking the author ripped off Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper, but I enjoyed it very much.

Shelly wrote: "7. The Rosie Project

4 stars, what fun! Couldn't help thinking the author ripped off Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper, but I enjoyed it very much."

I loved it too! Are you going to read The Rosie Effect as well?

Susy wrote: "Shelly wrote: "7. The Rosie Project

4 stars, what fun! Couldn't help thinking the author ripped off Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper, but I enjoyed it very much."

I loved it too! Are you..."

hmmmm. not planned but if i run across it, i might!

The Invisible Bridge
4 stars!
Quite a big book, took a long time to get though it, but I loved it. Loved how the story wound its way through Europe before and during WWII. I also didn't really know the history of Hungary in the war, so I was enlightened. A very strong piece of historical fiction.

Good luck reaching your challenge, Shelly!

9. The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold: Adventures Along the Iron Curtain Trail
4 stars
A different look at the Cold War and how Eastern Europe has attempted to come out from behind the Iron Curtain. Tim Moore cycles over 5,000 miles!!! on a bike path in the shadow of the Iron Curtain, through 20 different countries, and on an 2 speed East Get,an bike with 20" wheels. The worst place on his journey and possibly on the planet, Roumania.

10. A Man Called Ove
4 stars

11. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
wow! 4 stars

12. Sudden Death
I tried to like this book, but it just didn't happen. It was medicinal. I know it was good for me, but it tasted bad.
2 stars

13. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
loved it! 5 stars

14. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
4 stars loved the honesty, the history and the blending of languages.

15. Would Everybody Please Stop?: Reflections on Life and Other Bad Ideas
3 stars, meh.

16. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar
3 stars, a good story, nice piece of historical fiction, but somewhat predictable and unbelievable at the same time.

17. We Are the Ants
4 stars
excellent YA fiction, with important themes of family, sexuality, depression and bullying.

18. The Dispossessed
5 stars
Very powerful, especially these days!
Definitely the kind of book that needs to be read more than once.

19. March Violets
3 stars
pre-war Germany/Berlin was an interesting timeframe.

20. Retail's Seismic Shift: How to Shift Faster, Respond Better, and Win Customer Loyalty
3 stars

21. Only Forward
4 stars
Very interesting, very dark

22. The Virgin Suicides
4 stars

You're almost there Shelly! How has you reading year been so far, did you discover any new favourites?

Ilona wrote: "You're almost there Shelly! How has you reading year been so far, did you discover any new favourites?"

Thanks Ilona! So far this year I have given 5 stars to 2 books, both in the science-fi genre.
The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin, which is considered a classic and rightfully so! Its political perspective is very relevant today.

My favorite book this year is The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison. This is a dystopian novel, where a virus has killed most of the world's population, especially women. The women who survive the plague are very scarce and men with power seek to enslave them. Another very relevant book today!

23. The Remains of the Day
4 stars
A fast read but so powerful. So understated but so full of despair, My first Ishiguro novel but now looking forward to others.

So close, Shelly!
You know, I've been putting The Book of the Unnamed Midwife off, because I wanted to wait for the third book so I could read them all back-to-back, but since it's your favorite of the year, I might have to bump it up to the top of the reading list in 2018 :)

Best of luck reaching your goal! Happy reading!

24. Good Morning, Midnight
3 stars
An intersting premise-- an astronomer at the Arctic Circle, and a crew of astronauts returning to Earth after a two year journey... but there has been no communication from Earth for over a year. What has happened to Earth's civilization?

25. Homegoing
4 stars, beautifully written. I liked how each story had a distinct character and voice, moving through time on both sides of the Atlantic.

Yay, just one more to go Shelly!! You're almost there!👏

26. The Last Days of Night
4 stars
Last one! What a fun story, based on the battle to build the grid between Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla. Will it be AC or DC?

Shelly wrote: "26. The Last Days of Night
4 stars
Last one!..."

Yay!! Congratulations Shelly!!!