2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hi all!

It's that time of the year! Time to vote for the last month, December! The theme of December is Long Nights.

Please remember to state a connection to the theme when you nominate. Thank you :)

Here are some short rules for nominating books:

~ Each person can nominate 1 book.

~ Book must be available both as a physical copy and as an ebook.

~ Authors: Please do not nominate your own book.

~ Please include the name of the book and the author or link to the book.

~ Please do not nominate books that are part of a series, unless it is the first book.

~ You can second someone else's nomination, but that will count as your nomination.

~ When nominating, please state a connection to the theme.

~ You cannot nominate a book which has previously been a group read. Past buddy reads are fine. (See Group Reads in the bookshelf)


This thread will be closed by October 25th, and we will choose ten books for the poll. If there are more than ten books nominated, we will choose the ten most nominated. If there is still a tie to get into the top ten, we'll go back to the Goodreads average rating to see which is highest.

I'd like to nominate The Longest Night by Andria Williams. The book is set in 1959 and centers on a young family who relocates to Idaho to work on the nation's first nuclear reactor.

I am going to nominate Night by Elie Wiesel. It is about the experiences from the author and his father in concentration camps during World War 2. In this book night represents a world without God, a world of suffering.

Megan wrote: "I'd like to nominate The Longest Night by Andria Williams. The book is set in 1959 and centers on a young family who relocates to Idaho to work on the nation's first nuclear reactor."

This sounds good. I'll second it!

I would like to nominate A Long Way Down. This is set on New Year's Eve as a group of four wildly different people find themselves contemplating suicide on top of a building before the stroke of midnight.

Ilona wrote: "I am going to nominate Night by Elie Wiesel. It is about the experiences from the author and his father in concentration camps during World War 2. In this book night repre..."

Looks super-interesting. Thanks!

I would nominate Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón:

"His story begins in the heart of old Barcelona, when he meets Marina and her father Germán Blau, a portrait painter. Marina takes Oscar to a cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m. precisely a coach pulled by black horses appears. From it descends a woman dressed in black, her face shrouded, wearing gloves, holding a single rose. She walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the mysterious emblem of a black butterfly with open wings."

My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. It's a classic detective story that takes place over one very long night:

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.

Isolated by the storm and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer amongst a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again...

Alicia wrote: "My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie."

I'll second it.

I'd like to nominate Winter: Five Windows on the Season by Adam Gopnik.

My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. It's one of her best known and most loved detective stories.

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer.

Isolated by the storm and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer amongst a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again...

Charlsa wrote: "My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. It's one of her best known and most loved detective stories.

Just after midnight, the famous Orient..."

I second this one.

Charlsa wrote: "My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. It's one of her best known and most loved detective stories.

Just after midnight, the famous Orient..."

I second this one as well - loved it and wouldn't mind to re-read it :-)

Murder on the Orient Express has already been nominated by Alicia.

I second ReGina's nomination of A Long Way Down .

I will sixth Alicia's MotOO nomination. I'd like to (re? I don't remember) read it before I watch the new film.

I nominate The Christmas Chronicles as told to Jeff Guinn. The autobiography of Santa Claus, How Mrs Claus saved Christmas and the Santa Search. It's a little more than 700 pages and follows Santa from his origins to modern day times. The book is three separate tales and is perfect for a long December night. Appropriate to the season as well.

Ilona wrote: "I am going to nominate Night by Elie Wiesel. It is about the experiences from the author and his father in concentration camps during World War 2. In this book night repre..."

I second Night. It is one of the most important reads about the Holocaust.

Murder on the Orient Express sounds good but I think I'm going to nominate An Inspector Calls which also takes place over the course of one long night, which feels a lot longer for the characters as things change for them. Also, I'm not 100% sure but I think it's set during winter.

Melanie wrote: "Ilona wrote: "I am going to nominate Night by Elie Wiesel. It is about the experiences from the author and his father in concentration camps during World War 2. In this bo..."

I will also second Night

Annn wrote: "I would nominate Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón:

I'll second Marina, I've been wanting to read this author!

For December, I would like to nominate Night Over Water by Ken Follett. It's an older read but really good! A night flight in September of 1939, the world's most luxurious airliner, the Pan Am Clipper, takes its final flight from Southampton to neutral America, carrying aboard passengers from the cream of society, and the dregs of humanity, shadowed by a danger they do not know exists. Beth

I'll seventh Murder on the Orient Express.

(The Christmas Chronicles sounds good as well, but I'm not sure I want to commit to that long of a book in December. :D)

Charlsa wrote: "My nomination is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. It's one of her best known and most loved detective stories.

Just after midnight, the famous Orient..."

This one is already both nominated and seconded so it's very likely going to be in the poll and another seconding won't change it. When the poll is up the one voted on the most wins. Do you want to change your nomination or do you want to"second" this one? :)

Beth wrote: "For December, I would like to nominate Night Over Water by Ken Follett. It's an older read but really good! A night flight in September of 1939, the world's most luxurious airliner, the Pan Am Clip..."

I will second this :)

Thanks everyone, keep'em coming :)

I'd like to nominate One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

"The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression."

Carly wrote: "I'd like to nominate One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

"The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in t..."

I have that one, I would love to read that one.

Closing later today :)

COmpletely forgot to close it so I'm doing that now and posting poll tomorrow :)