2025 Reading Challenge discussion

My challenge is to read 21 books in 2021. I'm well on track! For 2020, I completed my challenge of reading 20 books. As you can see, if I keep this pattern up, I'll add 1 book to my challenge each year!!

WATCH FOR SEPARATE POSTS ON FURTHER BOOKS. New goal 30 books!!!
I've completed my 2021 challenge of 21 books in 2021! Therefore, I will keep on reading anyway!!! Here are the 21/21 completed titles so far:
Run of David Sedaris books which are often hilarious and sometimes cringe-worthy semi-autobiographical stories-
1. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
3. Calypso
4. Naked
5. (my favorite...will leave you guffawing repeatedly!) Me Talk Pretty One Day
Books read in Spanish:
6. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly Talentos ocultos: La genialidad no tiene color. La fuerza no tiene género. El valor no tiene límite.
Three by Isabel Allende
7. Largo pétalo de mar
8. Más allá del invierno
9. Eva Luna
10. The Bone Collector in Spanish El coleccionista de huesos
Five grief books due to the sudden death of my dear mom in December of 2020.
11. Levels of Life
12. How to Survive the Loss of a Love
13. The Year of Magical Thinking
My favorite grief book so far...
14. The Light of the World where the poet/author hauntingly describes the devastation following her husband's sudden death.
15. This book falls in the intersection of grief books and my new, favorite, prolifically read author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie! Notes on Grief
16. Americanah
17. The Thing Around Your Neck
Next come some books about language...
18. Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language
19. When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of Speech, for Better And/Or Worse
A book about racism:
20. Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
21. This book caught my attention on the Quick Reads shelf at the library:
Bright Lights, Big City See my review for more info, but NO spoilers!

I am so sorry about your loss, Julietta! Wishing your strength in this difficult time.

Thank you, Ilona. I appreciate your kind words!

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss :( Moms are very special people.

You're making great progress on your goal this year! I love that you've organized your reading by categories, I might have to borrow that idea!

Thank you, Lisa. Maybe you can answer a question I have...how can I make my titles blue?

Hi Julietta! I think Ilona might have already answered your question in the other thread but you should be able to click on “add book/author” when you’re creating your post and it will create links to the book titles and authors. I think it only works when you’re creating a post on the website though, I don’t see that option when I’m using the app. Hopefully this helps!

oic, thanks!

I'm adding books to my original post as I finish them. Looks like I'll easily surpass this year's goal!

I've upped my book challenge number from 21 to 30 because I've already more than completed my amount! Now I'm going to go back and do a separate post on my more recent reading. Let's see if I make it to 30 this year!!!

Since I've upped my challenge number from 21-30, I'll post overflow books here separately.

On a trip to the local library, I encountered books by Mhairi McFarlane from England. These are love stories with a similar plot structure. Girl meets weird/character flawed Boy, Girl feels twinge of love for Boy, Boy turns out to be noble after all, Love prevails!

22. Just Last Night
23. Don't You Forget About Me
24. If I Never Met You

Book #25/30 (new goal)

25. Love Medicine This is such an incredible book in every aspect (poetic writing style, powerful themes, character development, colloquial/natural dialogue, hallucinations that enlighten, multigenerational/intertwining families plus Native American) that I may have to make it my new favorite! Luckily, there seem to be 7 more books that extend the story of the Kashpaw, Lamartine and Nanapush families! Looks like I'll be able to spend more time with these people.

Book #26/30

My 4th Romance category book by Mhairi McFarlane. She's done it again! See my review for more details, but no spoilers!

Who’s That Girl?

Book #27/30

In a completely different category, (because I like to read several books at the same time that are absolute opposites in subject or tone) is this non-fiction, autobiographical work about the author's ascent/descent into manic depression. Since Kay Redfield Jamison is an expert in the field of bipolar illness, her insights are all the more poignant seen from the first person point of view! Hold on tight, it's gonna be a wild ride!

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

Book #28/30

Back to Mhairi McFarlane and her twisty romance novels!

28. It’s Not Me, It’s You

Book #29/30

Another book that we're reading in my Spanish Language Book Club, "Libros y Cafe". (Sorry, I don't know how to do the accent here.) I would highly recommend this book for anyone with a heart! If you're stuck on Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez for their multigenerational/magic realism work, try Sofia Segovia out. You will also learn a lot about Mexican history, especially the Spanish flu and agrarian reform period. Please see my review for more information.

El murmullo de las abejas

Book #30 of 30! Yay! I've reached my NEW goal and the year isn't even over!

This is another book in Spanish by the fabulous Julia Alvarez from the Dominican Republic. From the Tia Lola series. Apparently there are 4 books for Young Adults and I accidentally read the last in the series. Terrific, easy to read book with a bit of mystery and a quirky, fun family! Read my review to find out more about the ovaried types of writing that the author does and to get some more recommendations!

De cómo tía Lola terminó empezando otra vez

Bonus books for 2021

#31 of 30

I had never heard of this blogger/queer activist/autobiographer! His writing style is FULL of voice and that voice is loud and proud, honey! (He likes to add "honey" and expressions like that to his writing.) This book was a roller coaster of metaphysical downs and ups with some tips on how to live a full and authentic life tossed in! Highly recommended as a break from all those scary or heavy wading books you are probably also into.

Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays

Congrats on meeting your new goal, Julietta!!

Thanks so much, Lisa! It feels good!