2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Okay, so my goal was 12 last year and I read 57 - not too shabby! However, summer vacation and a significant number of children's books assisted in achieving that goal. While I will have Spring Break, that's likely the only real break I'll have this year and I want to read more adult/YA books this year. So, I think 25 is a good goal, but I'm hoping I can crush it again like last year!

Good luck on crushing it;)

Thanks Megan! Looking forward to doing so!

So, for January I read and .

I have full-blown reviews posted, but in quick summary, I enjoyed This Is Where I Leave You; I could have skipped Matched.

The big point that I want to make about This Is Where I Leave You was the point of view. It was quite enjoyable to read this kind of book from a male perspective (and quite a bit of insight as well) - pile the heaps of crazy on top of it and it makes for an enjoyable mid-winter read.

Matched, on the other hand, is a book I would recommend to my 15-year-old-niece. If you've left high school, this really isn't the book for you. It was too cute, superficial, and easy when it had some many opportunities to delve into something meaningful. Part of me wants to read the sequel to see if she does it, but I feel confident I will be disappointed.

With a few less days in February, let's see if I'm up to the challenge of two more books next month!

Good luck with your challenge, ReGina! Good for you for being on track so far. :)

Thanks Cassandra! From the looks of it, I might actually be ahead of schedule this month. And I need a break from work, so I have a feeling I'll be reading quite a bit more this month! Have any good recommendations?

My favorite book so far this year is Me Before You, even though I'm not done with it. I saw you already read that one, though! I also enjoyed We Were Liars, even though it's gotten pretty mixed reviews here in the group. I always recommend Neil Gaiman, especially The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Cassandra wrote: "My favorite book so far this year is Me Before You, even though I'm not done with it. I saw you already read that one, though! I also enjoyed We Were Liars, even tho..."

Thanks for the recommendations Cassandra. One of my TBR buddies also recommended We Were Liars, so I'll definitely pick that one up. I'll check out The Ocean at the End of the Lane as well; sounds interesting. And I read Me Before You in December, and it was one of my favorites as well. I have a feeling I will not enjoy the movie as much, but I might be pleasantly surprised!

Somehow I missed posting my books for February, so I get to double-up now.

For February, I read , , and .

I have reviews posted, but February was a good reading month for me. The Rosie Project was thoroughly entertaining as was Where'd You Go Bernadette. Kizzy Ann Stamps is a great book for upper elementary kids as it tackles the topic of integration in a way that is accessible for kids while having a strong-willed female protagonist. All around, great books.


For March, I read , , , and .

I really do enjoy a bang-up reading month, and this was it. I would never have read Station Eleven without this reading group, but I'm so glad I did. There is an eerie feeling to this book that follows you, but it doesn't play out in the way you think it's going to. It was also a very interesting universe created - the world after an apocalyptic flu. Excellent book. I also wouldn't have read Silver Linings Playbook without this group. I had seen the movie, so I wasn't ready for the changes between the screen and the book. They were also bizarre changes to me. I understand some changes you have to make so the book will translate to an external action story, but these were just weird. But that was a great point of discussion for me, and it allowed me to enjoy the book that much more. I'm just glad I can now say I have read Harry Potter. My friends still have hope they can turn me into a wizard-supporting muggle, but I don't know about that one yet. Finally, Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl - the book isn't as funny as the web series, but it is extremely poignant and refreshingly honest about topics that are rarely discussed. The hair hierarchy chapter sold me on this one. Great read for anyone, but especially for awkward (or semi-awkward) black girls.

Happy birthday to me! I got to read a decent amount this month AND I bought books for my birthday - I love it!

For April, I read , , , and .

I have reviews on all of these posted. However, Hyperbole and a Half is, by far, the funniest book I have ever read. In a challenging month, I really needed this book. Go get it right now! There is a decent amount of profanity, which I'm not a fan of, but I laughed out loud so many times, people around me thought I was crazy.

The Curious Incident was also enjoyable. I couldn't see where it was going, which was really nice. I hate predictable books. The Lemonade Crime was not as good as the first one, The Lemonade War, but if you have a kid who liked the first one, he or she will probably like this one too.

Finally, I read Speak, which was recommended to me by one of my teens. I enjoyed this book. I did want the main character to stand up for herself a little more and develop a deeper spine by the end of the book, but it shows teen angst appropriately and it truly felt like being inside a real teenager's head.

I just finished The Girl on the Train, but I finished in May, so it will be in next month's review. I'm also in Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln and picking The Book Thief back up, so hopefully May will be a bang-up month as well.

ReGina, it just dawned on me that you sent me a message recommending Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened and I never responded. I really appreciated you thinking of me, especially because I was so busy with life at the time, and I kept thinking I would respond later. I guess "later" ended up being now, so I want to apologize for not saying anything sooner and also thank you for taking the time to send me the recommendation.

I'm swimming in books to read right now, but I definitely want to get to Hyberbole and a Half sometime this year! :)

Cassandra wrote: "ReGina, it just dawned on me that you sent me a message recommending Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened a..."

Believe me, I understand - no worries! You should save that book for when you're stressed out and you need a laugh. You will seriously get one (several, actually). If and when you pick it up, let me know what you think!

I'm a little late, but for May, I read and .

These are interesting books to review. Double Dog Dare is easier as it was very engaging, not predictable (which is a big deal for a kid's book), and has both a male and female protagonist. I enjoyed it and I think most kid would too.

However, I did not have the same reaction for Girl on the Train. It's a good book and I would recommend it to others. However, the main character is so annoying and unsympathetic that it made it very difficult for me to get through it. I really wanted to smack her. Alot. Other than that, great book.

Hopefully, I can knock quite a few back in June!

So, I'm crazy behind. Let's catch up.

In June, I read . In July, I read .

In August, I read and . In September, I read .

My reviews are all posted, so I won't go into that too much. For the kids' book, I finally read one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books because I just had to at this point. I still don't think it's great, but I'm for anything that gets kids reading at this point. But the transition to chapter books - real chapter books - is a must for upper elementary.

For the young adult books, I liked E&P. Wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was enjoyable. I liked Red Queen much better. Some of that is because I read that with my niece, but it was also a much better book. Definitely a leader in the dystopian YA world along with The Hunger Games. In my opinion, much better than Divergent.

For the adult books, I enjoyed OITNB, but this is why I either read the book or see the movie. The changes between the genres throws me, and I get caught up in that as opposed to the actual details of the book. Best thing about that book was that it got me to donate about 50 books to women's prisons and some of my friends did the same, which was awesome.

I love Amulya, so I enjoyed The Mango Season. It's no Serving Crazy with Curry but it was a good read as well. I still struggled with the odd juxtapositions of the main character - I don't understand how you are willing to stand up to your grandfather about his sexist beliefs but you are too chicken to tell your family that you are engaged to an American. That didn't ring wholly true for me, but people are contradictory by nature, so I let it go.

I need to knock out five more to meet my challenge for the year, so I think I can handle that. Definitely reading for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks!!