2025 Reading Challenge discussion

47 Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue
Rating: **
Completion Date: 6/8/20

It had potential to be a good book, but I don't think it was well written. I can understand that information from this time period about women is hard to come by, but I think the information that they did have could have been used better.

Challenges used for:
Popsugar #42: with "20" or "twenty" in the title
ATY #21: related to Maximilian Hell
2Q: Creativity Island Escape
2Q: Pinspiration
June: Singing in the Rain #7

48 Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Rating: *****
Completion Date: 6/13/20

This was a good variation of a fairy tale. I enjoyed that it was different and I wasn't sure where the MC was going to go in her life. It is a good book that shows how 2 sides can both think they are the hero of the story.

I am also proud of myself for reading an ARC before the book was published.

Challenges used for:
ATY #39: author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
Adventure Club #7
June: Singing in the Rain #4
2Q: Creativity Island Escape
Popsugar # 3: A book with a great first line

49 The Graveyard Book
Rating: ***
Completion Date: 6/15/20

I thought it was a good story. I get why the ending had to be as it was but I did not like it.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #6: A bildungsroman
ATY #33: about a non-traditional family
A-Z: G
2Q: Pinspiration
June: Singing in the Rain #6

50 The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 6/21/20

I have been listening to their podcast for years. So I had to read the book. I enjoyed it, but I still think their format works better as a podcast then book.

Challenges Used For:
Color: Ugly to you
June: Singing in the Rain #5
2Q: Creativity Island Escape
2Q: Pinspiration

51 The Starless Sea
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 6/24/20

Kind of weird. I really enjoyed it but somewhat confusing. But it sucked me in and spun its tale.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #8: upside-down image on the cover
ATY #19: A fantasy book
Kind of a Big Deal: Long
TBR
June: Singing in the Rain #3
2Q: Creativity Island Escape

52 The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 6/26/20

A good book about sports history and what it takes to win. You don't often hear about athletes from that period unless they are the most famous ones.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #31: book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title
ATY #32:related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan
A-Z: O
June: Singing in the Rain #10
2Q: Pinspiration

53 Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 6/30/20

A good short book. Of course having seen the movie before those were the people I was picturing. It's been awhile since I watched the movie but it seemed to follow pretty close.

Challenges Used For:
Kind of a Big Deal: Short
June: Singing in the Rain #1

54 Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Rating: ***
Completion Date: 6/30/20

As with all of Mary Roach's books, it is written in an entertaining way that is also educational.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #14: an author with flora or fauna in their name
ATY #37: Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book 1
TBR

55 An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 7/6/20

Maud, the little old lady is a pistol and everybody needs to be careful. Her antics were entertaining and fun to read.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #11: An anthology
Kind of a Big Deal: Short
Genre Jammin' #5: translated from another language into the language you are reading
3Q: Women of the World

56 Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 7/8/20

A good book if you want to dip your toes into the Plague waters, but not fully swim yet. It was interesting and some times ironic, as this was written a few years ago and with what we are going through now.

Challenges Used For:
A-Z: R
TBR
July: The Solar System #6
3Q: Once Upon A Time

57 Book Love
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 7/18/20

So many of the comics fit my life so well.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #16: A book that has a book on the cover
ATY #26: A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
Kind of a Big Deal: Short
July: The Solar System #2
3Q: Once Upon A Time

58 The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror
Rating: **
Completion Date: 7/21/20

A few of the stories were good but I didn't like others. Not sure it was worth my time.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #2: A book by a trans or nonbinary author
ATY #23: A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
Kind of a Big deal: short
July: The Solar System #3
3Q: Once Upon A Time

59 What's a Ghoul to Do?
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 7/23/20

I really enjoyed this. I was in a little slump and it reminded me that I should read some books that I want to read. That not every book needs to be a bestseller or the must read book. The story was fun and didn't require any deep thinking.

Challenges Used For:
ATY #20: The 20th book [on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list, etc.]
Popsugar #36: A book with a pink cover
Serial Reader
Genre jammin #10: Falls into your favorite sub genre
3Q: Women of the World

60 The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Rating: ***
Completion Date: 7/27/20

This was ok, but pretty dry. Had a lot of good info, but could be hard to get though big chunks at a time.

Challenges Used For:

61 A First-Class Catastrophe: The Road to Black Monday, the Worst Day in Wall Street History
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 7/30/20

A good book detailing the market crash of 1987. As deal with much of the stuff that was talking about in my daily job, it was interesting to see how stuff has or has not changed. Maybe not for people that don't have a background in finance. But not to heavy handed.

Challenges Used For:
July: The Solar System #1

62 How They Croaked
Rating: **
Completion Date: 7/31/20

Geared towards kids and has the humor for that. However there were somethings presented as "facts" that are myths or rumors.

Challenges Used For:
Kind of a big deal: Short
July: The Solar System #4

63 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Rating: ***
Completion Date: 8/10/20

It was good, but I was slowly losing interest the second half of the book.

Challenges Used For:

64 A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception, and Survival at Jonestown
Rating: ****
Completion Date: 8/11/20

A good book about some of the people and their stories within the Peoples Temple.

Challenges Used For:
ATY #22: A book with the major theme of survival
August: Friends are Forever #3
3Q: Women of the World

65 The Sun Down Motel
Rating: ***
Completion Date: 8/13/20

It wasn't bad, but it didn't keep my attention. I found that I have like some of her other books better.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #33: at least a four-star rating on Goodreads
ATY #45: by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
TBR
August: Friends are Forever #2

66 Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife
Rating:**
Completion Date: 9/17/20

I did not enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed her other books.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #38: A book by or about a journalist
ATY #38: Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites: Book #2
A-Z: S

67 The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story
Rating:***
Completion Date: 9/29/20

Not bad focused more on the authors relationship with Bundy then the actual crimes.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #40: favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
ATY #34: A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
Kind of a Big Deal: Long

68 Monster Whisperer
Rating:****
Completion Date: 10/7/20

Challenges Used For:
A-Z: T
Kind of a Big Deal: Short

69 Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
Rating:***
Completion Date: 10/12/20

A good book for general information. Don't read this if you are looking for cited information and detail stories. But over all it was a good book of messups.

Challenges Used For:
Popsugar #25: only words on the cover, no images or graphics
ATY #36: book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim

70 Strange Practice
Rating:****
Completion Date: 10/14/20

I enjoyed this. I like how it was a group effort, and everything wasn't just solved by 1 person.

Challenges Used For:
A-Z: A
Serial Reader
TBR
Popsugar #5: A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics

71 Have a Nice Guilt Trip
Rating:***
Completion Date: 10/15/20

Another good book in the series.

Challenges Used For:
Serial Reader

72 I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool
Rating:***
Completion Date: 10/19/20


Challenges Used For:
Serial Reader

73 1st to Die
Rating:****
Completion Date: 10/19/20

I enjoyed this more then I thought I would. I also liked that the chapters were really short.

Challenges Used For:
Serial Reader
TBR
Genre Jammin: #11
Popsugar #49: A book from a series with more than 20 books
ATY #41: A mystery

74 Home Before Dark
Rating:****
Completion Date: 11/9/20

This book kept me on my toes, and was a quick read.

Challenges Used For:
Clear the Shelves
Color
TBR
Genre Jammin: #14

75 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Rating:***
Completion Date: 11/16/20

This was a good book. I have found I enjoy listening to Neil Gaiman read his books.

Challenges Used For:
ATY #42: A book that was nominated for one of the ‘10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World'
Kind of a big deal: short
TBR