2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Whew! My first Goodreads group and my first reading challenge! I've seta goal for 25 books in the year. I figure 2 books per month is good, considering I've got a bazillion things going on in my life and I don't want to set my goal at an unachievable level. I've recently gotten back into reading so I want to make it fun, and not like something that's going to make me feel crappy if I can't make it. I read at work on my lunch breaks, at home after dinner, on transit to and from work (provided my motion sickness stays away long enough), so I imagine I'll be reading more than 25, but we shall see! I haven't picked out those 25 yet, but I'm hoping to work my way through my to-read list.

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4 / 25 as of Jan. 17, 2018

Hi Stream and Pool, welcome to your first group and your first challenge!! Wishing you the best of luck with it & a very happy New (reading) Year! May you find some amazing reads along the way!

If you plan on bringing down your TBR list, you might be interested in The TBR Jar Challenge.

Thank you for the welcome!

If you plan on bringing down your TBR list, you might be interested in The TBR Jar Challenge.
Ooo thank you for the link! I'll definitely check that out.

1 of 25

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
***

Okay, so I didn't love this one. I didn't hate it either. I guess I'd call it pleasant, but forgettable. Set in 1962, Kitty is a middle-aged owner of a bookshop who starts to have vivid dreams of herself in another life. I won't say much more because I feel like, if you want to read this one, knowing too much beforehand will ruin it. Overall, it wasn't a terribly unique plot, I honestly found it to be quite predictable. Of course, it doesn't help that the blurb on the back (view spoiler)[mentions that Kitty/Katharyn starts to get confused about which is her real life. To me, the twist was a "oh, well, that was kind of obvious" moment, and reading the blurb on the back made it so I wasn't as surprised as I feel I was supposed to be (hide spoiler)].

Would I recommend it? Maybe if you're looking for an easy read with a bit if romance, a dash of history, and a pinch of intrigue on a rainy Sunday.

2 of 25

The Uninvited by Cat Winters
***

Another one that I enjoyed but didn't love. Set in 1918 Illinois, during the first World War and the Spanish flu outbreak, the story stars Ivy Rowan, a young woman who, after learning something terrible involving her family, leaves her farm home. Interesting thing about Ivy: she can see ghosts (aka The Uninvited). A little bit of adventure, a little bit of romance, and some pretty nice writing, this book was a good read (har har) but not something that really struck me as some other reviewers on the book page have expressed. (view spoiler)[I will say that I didn't see the twist near the end coming. Winters definitely caught me by surprise there. It wasn't as obvious as the twist in The Bookseller, and the blurb on the back didn't ruin it either which helped! (hide spoiler)]

Would I recommend it? Sure. Although it may not be a light read for some, it certainly isn't too dark or challenging either. It's very atmospheric, and a lot doesn't really happen per se, but overall I enjoyed it.

3 of 25

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
****

I was reading a book that had good reviews but was different from what I normally read, but it was honestly so dull I had to drop it. I have had this book for almost 10 years, sitting on my shelf waiting to be picked up. I'm really glad I did! It's a re-telling/"the story you didn't hear" of Alice and Wonderland. It features the characters you know from Lewis Carroll's book (with a twist), set in a Wonderland unlike the one we've grown up knowing. It was fast-paced and kept me interested, and while it wasn't exactly unpredictable, I kept wanted to go forward and find out what was going to happen (which was a nice change from what I was reading before). It's the first of a trilogy, so I may venture into the other two during my reading challenge.

Stream and Pool wrote: "
3 of 25


The Looking Glass Wars by [author|Frank Beddor]
****

I was reading a book that had good reviews but was different from what I normally read, but it was honestly so dull I..."

Which book was so dull if I may ask? You made me quite curious :)

Added The Looking Glass to my TBR!

Susy wrote: "
Which book was so dull if I may ask? You made me quite curious :) "


A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi. Not my usual taste
and I gave it a good shot but I just couldn't get into it. So much ~business~ jargon and a lot of characters, almost all of whom I just didn't really care about. The story didn't intrigue me enough to push past about 100 pages.

Phew, don’t have it on my TBR list!

Hi Stream and Pool interesting name I like it. 3/25 that is impressive I wish you all the best with reading this year.

Blagica wrote: "Hi Stream and Pool interesting name I like it. 3/25 that is impressive I wish you all the best with reading this year."

Thank you!! The name is from Gollum's Song :)

4 of 25

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
****

OooOooOoOooOooOOo! It seems I've been reading more ghosty stories than I usually do. This one was delightfully creepy. It's short (the edition I read was 200 pages, but others are even fewer) and very atmospheric which adds to the overall eerie nature of it. Set in a marshy English country village, a lawyer from London is set on a task for work to handle the affairs of a recently deceased woman. The entire town seems to silently warn him against this, without really indicating why, although he is soon to find out. I really enjoyed this one!

5 of 25

Crooked River by Valerie Geary
*****

I loved this. I loved it so much. The story is set in the late 80s, and is narrated by Sam, a 15 year old, and her sister Ollie, 10, who have recently lost their mother and have moved "in" with their father, an eccentric who goes by the name Bear and lives in a teepee in a meadow belonging to an older farming couple. It starts with the sisters finding a dead woman's body floating down Crooked River, and becomes a murder mystery, as well as a lesson in growth and handling grief and personal loss. It's an excellent novel. The differences in narration between Sam and Ollie is magnificent. I think I connected with this book as much as I did because I am an older sister to two sisters of my own.

The only thing I maybe didn't like as much was the ending, which to me seemed abrupt, and left me wanting more. It wasn't "final" in the sense that conclusions tend to be. But I guess that could also be seen as a good thing :)

6 of 25 Euphoria by Lily King
****

This is a novel loosely based on real-life cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, and is set in the 1930s on the Sepik River in New Guinea, where Margaret (named Nell in this story) and her husband Fen are studying native tribes. The story is told from the perspective of Andrew Bankson, another anthropologist who they meet up with near the beginning of the book, shortly after he has attempted to drown himself. It delves into culture, expectations, human nature, and is an all-around wonderfully written book.The imagery of this book blew me away. I was transported to another place and time, complete with details of smells and sights and how the air feels on your skin. All of my senses came alive.

I don't want to spoil anything, and I feel that this book is beyond my ability to describe it, but I definitely recommend it!

Six books down that is fantastic. What is your favorite so far this year?

I need to update! I've read 9 now, and my favourite had been Crooked River, although it's hard to make that decision. I'm pretty wishy-washy about picking favourites, especially because every book I've read as had strengths!

Fantastic nine is great!

Two months down 10 to go! I hope March is a success for you.

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

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