2025 Reading Challenge discussion

So my goal is to read 40 books next year. I have read 40 so far this year and probably will finish a few more before the year is over. Usually 40 would be no problem, but having a baby in February so my reading may go down a little bit, unless I count the books Ill read to my baby (which I might).

Here is the list of books I plan on reading in 2018:

1. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (Finished 1/7/18)
2. Artemis by Andy Weir (Finished 1/11/18)
3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Finished 1/19/18)
4. Batman: Nightwalker by Maire Lu (Finished 1/24/18)
5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Finished 1/30/18)
6. Four Blind Mice by James Patterson (Finished 2/3/18)
7. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (Finished 3/9/18)
8. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Finished 3/15/18)
9. The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson (Finished 3/19/18)
10. Time Jumpers by Brandon Mull (Finished 3/29/18)
11. NYPD Red 5 by James Patterson (Finished 4/2/18)
12. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Finished 4/8/18)
13. Purple Hearts by Michael Grant (Finished 4/15/18
14. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson (Finished 4/20/18)
15. Angel by James Patterson (Finished 4/24/18)
16. Last Breath by Karin Slaughter (Finished 4/25/18)
17. Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly (Finished 4/30/18)
18. London Bridges by James Patterson (Finished 5/5/18)
19. Mary, Mary by James Patterson (Finished 5/7/18)
20. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (Finished 5/20/18)
21. The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan (Finished 6/17/18)
22. Private Count to Ten by James Patterson (Finished 6/21/18)
23. Legendary by Stephanie Garber (Finished 7/4/18)
24. Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrim by Rush Limbaugh (Finished 7/11/18)
25. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Finished 7/17/18)

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
Fugitive Six by Pittacus Lore
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson
A Crystal of Time by Soman Chainani
9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan

Wrath of the Dragonking by Brandon Mull
Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
Last Seen by Sara Shepard
The World of Throne and Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

A lot are new releases in series I read. There is also a couple of series (Longmire and Alex Cross) I am trying to get caught up on so I'll be reading a handful of those books. And then books that have been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for awhile that I want to finally read.

2018 Book Stats:
Books Read - 25
Pages Read - 9097

Wow, sounds like you’re all set up! So sweet that you include reading to your baby as well. I think that’s a wonderful idea!
Good luck Chris!

good luck, Chris! Love the list do you have one you can not wait to pick up?

Blagica wrote: "good luck, Chris! Love the list do you have one you can not wait to pick up?"

Thank you. A few I am really excited to read are The Song of Ice and Fire series (just started those), Time Jumpers (the finale to a really good series), Artemis, and the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition (I really love those).

Just finished A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Awesome book, cant wait to read the other books in the series. Ill probaly start the TV series soon.

Just finished Artemis by Andy Weir. Really wanted to read this as I really enjoyed The Martian. I did enjoy reading this, not as much as The Martian tho. At first I didn’t like that it was written in the first person, where she talked to the reader a lot. But as the book went on, I started to enjoy it more. Had a good storyline, glad I read it.

Just finished Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I really enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read. First book in a trilogy that I plan to read this year. I had read the two Six of Crows books by Leigh Bardugo a couple years ago which I loved. Those books and this trilogy are in the same universe so I have been wanting to read this for awhile now. It did not disappoint.

Just finished Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu. This book brought out the superhero nerd in me. It was the second book in the DC Icons books they are writing. I enjoyed reading an adventure about Bruce Wayne in his pre Batman era.

Finished reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Definitely got added to one of my books I will recommend to other readers. I really enjoyed the storyline plus all the game and movie references in it. Also found out the author is writing a sequel so I am looking forward to that. Also, the movie is coming out in March which I plan to now see.

Chris wrote: "Finished reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Definitely got added to one of my books I will recommend to other readers. I really enjoyed the storyline plu..."

Same here!

Chris you are making so much great progress this year. Do you have a book that stands out?

Finished reading Four Blind Mice by James Patterson. Quick read which I love about James Patterson. Good murder mystery which I come to expect from his Alex Cross series. Easy entertaining reads.

Blagica wrote: "Chris you are making so much great progress this year. Do you have a book that stands out?"

I really enjoyed reading Ready Player One. Very excited to see the movie as well. Plus I enjoyed reading Game of Thrones.

Awesome Ready Player One is on my list for this year.

Two months down ten to go! I hope March is a success for you.

Finished reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. I wanted to reread this because I found out that he is writing a sequel later this year. This is one of my all time favorite books. Im glad I reread it.

Finished reading One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Really enjoyable book, had me guessing the whole time. They describe it as a mix between Pretty Little Liars and The Breakfast Club. I would agree with that. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

Finished reading The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson. I love reading James Patterson's books because they are such quick reads. The Alex Cross series is very entertaining, this is the 9th one I have read and I always enjoy reading them.

Finished reading Time Jumpers by Brandon Mull. This was the final book in the Five Kingdom series. I came across this series back in 2014 and I am super happy I did. I loved this series and am sad that its is over. If you havent read any of these books, I suggest you do. This book was a great finale for the series.

A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Looks like you have had some awesome dreams this year. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads. Do you have a stand out book so far this year?

Blagica wrote: "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Looks like you have had some awesome dreams this year. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads. Do you have a stand out book so far this..."

Ready Player One was really good. I liked all the references in it. Im excited to go see the movie as well.

Finished reading NYPD Red 5 by James Patterson. First off, I refuse to call this Red Alert. Its the 5th book in the NYPD Red series, and all the other books were called NYPD Red, NYPD Red 2, NYPD Red 3, and NYPD Red 4. So I am not sure why they switched it up for this one and didnt put NYPD Red 5 on the cover. I know I sound book snobbish but as someone who buys books and keeps them all on a shelf, I like when series have continuity when it comes to their covers. So I am confused as to why they switched. Yeah I know, not a big deal but still wanted to vent, lol. On to the book, it was really good. Probably the best one in the series so far. Like I have said for every other James Patterson books, the riding style is what I like the most. Short chapters that are filled with action. Makes the book go by super fast and also really entertaining. Definitely would recommend reading this series if you havent started before. You could probably read all 5 books in one day if you had nothing else to do.

Chris wrote: "Blagica wrote: "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Looks like you have had some awesome dreams this year. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads. Do you have a stand out ..."

I loved the book as well.

Just finished reading Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. I enjoyed reading this book but not as much as the first one. I have a feeling the third book in this trilogy will be really good. I felt like this was your typical middle book of a trilogy, which is basically just a bridge between the first and third. Most of the action took place in the first few chapters and the last couple. In between was kind of slow. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Just finished reading Purple Hearts by Michael Grant. I really really really enjoyed this book. It was the final book in the Front Lines trilogy. Its an alternate history book about World War 2 but if women were in the war. I enjoyed reading the first two but this one I felt was just that much better. I think the war scenes were more raw and the stuff they talked about was more emotional. If you are into history, I would recommend reading this series.

Just finished reading The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson. This is the 5th book in the Walt Longmire series, which I really enjoy. Good murder mysteries based in Wyoming. I like the Western-ness to the books which is what I think makes them different from other murder mysteries I read. Overall, I really liked the book and cant wait to read the next one in the series.

Just finished reading Angel by James Patterson. This is the 7th book in the Maximum Ride series. I started reading this series back in 2011 and read the first 6 books in less than a year. Then for some reason I never continued reading the series. But I decided to start reading it again. This book was pretty good. Its pretty much just like all the other books in the series though. But I still liked it. Quick and easy read which I liked.

Just finished reading Last Breath by Karin Slaughter. This is a prequel novella to a book I read last year. Really quick read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. SEMI SPOILERS AHEAD I definitely didn't expect for it to end the way it did. I thought one of the main characters was actually good but turned out to be very manipulative. Not exactly happy she got away with everything at the end tho, wish she would have got busted. But a very enjoyable read.

Just finished reading Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly. This book is part of the Harry Bosch series, which I usually don't read. I do read his Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller) series which is in the same universe. I originally picked up the Lincoln Lawyer books because I enjoy the courtroom and that is what those books are mostly about, trials in court. But this book included both characters so I decided to read it. Another of the Lincoln Lawyer books had both characters as well. I really enjoyed this book and it kind of makes me want to read the Harry Bosch books from the beginning. So we will see if I actually decide to start at the beginning and catch up. I'm sure I would like the other ones as much as I like this one, just not sure if I want to start a new series that has 20 books already written.

“Reading brings us unknown friends” While the warm weather is coming I hope you make some new friends in May!

Just finished reading London Bridges by James Patterson. This was Book 10 in the Alex Cross series. While I feel like these are books are a lot of the same thing written over and over again, I still enjoy it. They are quick reads with a lot of action. I'm almost half way caught up with the series and excited to see how the rest of them play out.

Just finished reading Mary, Mary by James Patterson. This was Book 11 in the Alex Cross series. This was a really good book. It kept me guessing who the killer was until the very end. Like all the other ones, it was a really quick read. Because the way he writes his chapters, it draws you in and makes you want to continue reading.

Just finished reading A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. This was a novella in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. It is kind of the bridge between the original trilogy in the series and future books. While I did enjoy the book, I feel like it didn't do much to further the storyline. It felt more like just a random story that was written to pass the time before the next book comes out.

“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!

Just finished reading The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan. This is the third book in The Trials of Apollo. I love Rick Riordan's books as I enjoy reading his style of mythology. Took me longer than I wanted to do really get into this book, but once I did, I read it pretty quick.

Just finished reading Private Count to Ten by James Patterson. This is the 13th book in the Private series. I enjoyed this book and thought it was better than the previous book in this series that was based in India. Not sure why I liked it better, but I did.

Hoping July is full of Awesome reads for you you are doing a great job.

Just finished reading Legendary by Stephanie Garber. This is the 2nd book in the Caraval series. I really enjoyed reading the first book in the series. And I did enjoy reading this one, just not as much. This was one was really enjoyable to read but I just didnt think there was as much action as the first. Overall, I did enjoy this book and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Just finished reading Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims by Rush Limbaugh. This is the 1st book in the Rush Revere series. I have had this book on my bookshelf for a long time and just never actually read it. I am a really big fan of time travel and I do enjoy reading about history, so this book covered both of those topics. It was an easy read as its meant to be for kids, but it was enjoyable still.

Just finished reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
This book has been on my To Read list for a long time. I really really enjoyed this book. I live near Chicago so it was cool reading about the World Fair that took place in Chicago. Hearing about how they basically designed and built everything that was at the fair. Also reading about HH Holmes was interesting as well. If I only have one complaint about this book, it is that I wish they had more about Holmes in the book. But overall, this was a great read.