2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2023
>
Gina wants to read 100 books in 2023
Welcome to the group, Gina! Great goals. Wishing you the best of luck in 2023.
My booksJanuary
✅ CyberWorld 4.0: The Secrets Of Yonderwood (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ 52 Stunden Informatik (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Griechische Sagen: Von Sisyphos bis Tantalos (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Where the Crawdads Sing (audio book)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ 10th - Drei Freunde, eine Liebe 01 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ 10th - Drei Freunde, eine Liebe 02 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ 10th - Drei Freunde, eine Liebe 03 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Neverworld Wake ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ After You (series book) ⭐️⭐️
9 books
__________
February
✅ Klammroth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Love: Vintage Minis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Iphigenie auf Tauris ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Magieflimmern (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Kleine Psychologie des Alltäglichen: 77 Lektionen, das Leben besser zu verstehen ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Madame Bovary ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ C++ Programmieren: für Einsteiger: Der leichte Weg zum C++-Experten (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning (non-fiction) ⭐️
❌ Herland (audio book) ⭐️
9 books
__________
March
✅ The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Red Queen (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Elevation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 01 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 02 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 03 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 04 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 05 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 06 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ In a Dark, Dark Wood (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Sophie's World (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
12 books
__________
April
✅ The Fifth Season (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ All Is Not Forgotten ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Daughter of Smoke & Bone (series book, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Was man bei Licht nicht sehen kann (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 07 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 08 (manga, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 09 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 10 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 11 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 12 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Das Meer: Gedichte ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Schattenblick (audio book, series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Once Upon a River (audio book) ⭐️⭐️
13 books
__________
May
✅ Angelfall (series book, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Vol. 1 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Looking Glass (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Days of Blood & Starlight (series book, reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Loveless, Volume 13 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Realm of Dragons (series book, audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Journey to the Center of the Earth (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Bildverarbeitung und Objekterkennung (non-fiction)
8 books
__________
June
✅ A Brief History of Time (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Das Kind, Das Vom Ende Der Welt Träumte ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Re:ZERO, Vol. 1: Chapter 1: A Day in the Capital (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Re:ZERO, Vol. 2: Chapter 1: A Day in the Capital (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Pride and Prejudice ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The It Girl (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Blutmagie (series book, audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Simplify Your Life. Einfacher und glücklicher Leben (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Android Studio Electric Eel Essentials - Kotlin Edition (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10 books
__________
July
✅ The Obelisk Gate (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Vol. 2 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Vol. 3 (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Twelfth Day of July (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Treasure Island (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Dreams of Gods & Monsters (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Stories To Make You Smile: The Reading Agency (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
9 books
__________
August
✅ Ring (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ CyberWorld 5.0: Burning London (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ World After (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Princess Ai: Destitution (manga) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Handmaid’s Tale (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Götterdämmerung (series book, audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Daheim (audio book) ⭐️⭐️
7 books
__________
September
✅ Skylark (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ CyberWorld 6.0: Anonymous (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Pawn (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Lady Molly Of Scotland Yard (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Dilaras Wegträumgeschichten: Anthologie gegen Mobbing ⭐️⭐️
5 books
__________
October
✅ Arm of the Sphinx (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ CyberWorld 7.0: Bunker 7 (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Japanische Märchen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Meditieren für Anfänger: Gesund durch Meditation (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Shadowlark (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Starlight in Our Dreams (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ His Pain ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Game of Thrones: Das Lied von Eis und Feuer 1 (series book, audio book) ⭐️⭐️
8 books
__________
November
✅ In the Lives of Puppets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ End of Days (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The ABC's of LGBT+ (non-fiction) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Nettle & Bone (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Bazaar of Bad Dreams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Doctor Sleep (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌ Principles of Marketing (non-fiction)
7 books
__________
December
✅ Frankenstein: The 1818 Text ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Nutcracker and Mouse King (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Ice Twins (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Luck in the Shadows (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Hinter verzauberten Fenstern (audio book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ Lark Ascending (series book) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ I Was Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✅ The Christmas Compromise ⭐️
8 books
__________
✅ Read
❌ DNF
Book 19Elevation by Stephen King ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was a really good short story. I'll be thinking about the story for a while. King delight me again and again.
March starts well.
Book 20 Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The non-fiction part was really good, but the fiction part wasn't really for me.
Book 21Red Queen by Christina Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I likes this book better than the first one and the character development of Alice I liked the most.
Book 22 In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The plot twist wasn't surprising, but I really enjoyed the audio book and the really, really good narrator.
Book 23Loveless, Volume 01 by Yun Kouga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of my favorite manga series that I definitely want to reread and finish. ❤️
Book 25The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It shares the first place with Joyland from the Stephen King books. Just Wow.
Book 28Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
DNF on 50% | Beautiful writing style, interesting (background)-story, but I don’t really enjoying reading this - at least at the moment. Maybe I'll give it another chance sometime!
Book 31Das Meer: Gedichte by Andrea Wüstner (Publisher) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a poetry collection with the theme of the sea. There are many beautiful poems!
Book 34Loveless, Volume 09 by Yun Kouga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thought I read that part, but I didn't. So this is not a reread. 😅 How could I forget to read it? ... okay, that's me. 😂
Book 36Schattenblick by Bianca Iosivoni ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5 stars? It was ... okay, but I was not really thrilled.
Book 37Was man bei Licht nicht sehen kann by Kerstin Gier ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was expected a mystical story, but it was very different. It was funny, emotional and very cool. What I liked most was the development of the characters and the development of the relationship between them. I loved the book and I'm excited for the Second book!
Book 39All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For me the best psychological thriller I have read.
Book 40Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
It seems that I always have a dnf in the month. But this time on 70%. In general, I can say that the atmosphere was charming, but the story was very boring.
Book 42Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was reread and a really good book. The last third is what makes the book special.
Book 43 The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect. It was just perfect and actually deserved more than 5 stars. This whole book was something special, extraordinary and complex. I just really, really enjoyed the book and I really needed breaks (especially at the end) to process my feelings. I'm really looking forward to the second book!
Book 44Loveless, Volume 13 by Yun Kouga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is currently the last volume in the manga series and I have to say that the quality of the book has dropped a bit in the last 3 volumes, but I still enjoy reading it and I hope more volumes will be released.
Book 45 (Half time, guys!)Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was actually really looking forward to the book, but now I'm a bit disappointed. The beginning was really slow and the main plot starts at 30%. Then at 70% I really liked the book, but it was a bit late.
The narrator was a little too "loud" and euphoric at the beginning. Fortunately, he improved and he was then the one who kept the story alive with his narration. Good job!
Book 46Looking Glass by Christina Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In general, I can say that the stories are good. The second one was the highlight (maybe of the whole series?), but the last story rounded it all off perfectly.
Book 47Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Vol. 1 by Homura Kawamoto ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was surprisingly very cool. I thought the protagonist was pretty awesome and want to read more from her!
Book 48Angelfall by Susan Ee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As good as the first time! It just has everything and is just special. For me, it stands out a lot from the other young adult fantasy books, making it my favorite book in this genre. It actually deserved more than five stars!
Book 49Bildverarbeitung und Objekterkennung: Computer Vision in Industrie und Medizin by Herbert Süße, Erik Rodner
Apparently I follow my pattern of one DNF per month. That is a book about image processing and object recognition. I'm a beginner for this topic and this book was not for beginner. I have no idea why my lecturer recommended it.
Book 50Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The first volume was better. It was a bit more special, but still the second volume was good enough. I just expected more since it was a reread and for some reason I thought this book was better than the first volume. I guess I was little wrong about that.
Book 51Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The book was good, but the narrator (in German) was really bad.
Book 52The It Girl by Ruth Ware ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was good, but it started late with the "thriller" part, only from the middle on. The plot twist was - as in In A Dark, Dark Wood - not really surprising, though it was well done. A little better than in In A Dark, Dark Wood. For that, the atmosphere was relatively featureless.
Book 53Das Kind, Das Vom Ende Der Welt Träumte by Antonio Scurati ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many themes were brought into the little italian book: dreams, pedophilia, racism, etc., but the big theme was actually the violence of the media and it was shown the very negative side of the world. The story in general was told in a really chaotic and jumbled way. I really loved that. I thought the play with the view changes was really cool. In and of itself I thought everything was good, it's just that with the title and blurb you had a different expectation of the story. And the only thing I didn't like was the epilogue. Actually the author raised more questions than answers (that I liked), but at the end it seemed like he had to explain and justify the title of the book.
Book 54Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 1: Chapter 1: A Day in the Capital (manga) by Tappei Nagatsuki ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked the concept and the characters of the manga, and I definitely had fun reading it. Only the beginning was quite abrupt and it has also taken until I have found myself in the story. Which is somewhat problematic with only 160 pages.
GOAL UPDATE 🥳18/18 manga
I reached the goal of reading 18 manga. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 1: Chapter 1: A Day in the Capital (manga) was my 18th manga this year, but not my last. I'll read four more, then I'll have to stop reading manga. Finally, I don't want to overdo it either, but I actually just borrowed 3 more manga from the library and one I've had in my TBR for a long time. 😅
So I increase my goal to 22 manga!
Book 55Android Studio Electric Eel Essentials - Kotlin Edition: Developing Android Apps Using Android Studio 2022.1.1 and Kotlin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It is a dnf for me for now. Nevertheless, I rate the book well, because I just needed the book for a course in the study and I have it now "finished". I will use the book more as a reference book instead of reading it normally. Anyway, the book has really helped me to build up basic knowledge and has already helped me with smaller things.
Book 56Simplify Your Life. Einfacher und glücklicher Leben by Werner Tiki Küstenmacher ⭐️⭐️⭐️
In general, it had already given a good overview of life and how to simplify it, but in some topics you noticed that they don't really have a clue in this area, because they wrote some things wrong or explained it insufficiently. On the other hand, the writing style was fluid and the cartoons were cute.
Book 57 The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide by Robert Louis Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I already knew the plot before I listened to the audio book. I thought the idea was brilliant, but I really didn't expect that the realization of the idea was so well done. In addition, the writing style was amazingly simple and fluid. The speaker was also super selected. His voice fit the story and he has read it really great. Had I probably not heard of the book and its plot before, it would be guaranteed 5 stars but I had then but something was missing.
Book 58Re:Zero Capital City 2 by Tappen Nagatsuki ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm glad to be done with this arc and I enjoyed it, but I probably won't read the other arcs. The ending was good - a happy ending you can live with, but also pretty open to further parts of the series.
Book 59Blutmagie by Laura Kneidl ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was really better than the first volume, but there are also points that I disliked.
Gina, you're well on your way to reaching your goal, and only about halfway through the year. I hope the rest of 2023 is good to you! Happy reading! 😊
TerryJane wrote: "Gina, you're well on your way to reaching your goal, and only about halfway through the year. I hope the rest of 2023 is good to you! Happy reading! 😊"
Thanks! The way to reach my reading goal is easier than I thought. I have now read more books than I actually planned!
Book 60A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For me the best nonfiction book! Hawking has such an invigorating writing style and was able to explain complex theories very simply. At the same time, he seemed likeable the whole time I was reading the book and has a good sense of humor, which he uses skillfully.
Book 61Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3,5 stars
It was like a roller coaster ride. There were phases I didn't like and phases I did like. But the end part was quite good for me. I just expected the book to be more about romantic feelings.
Book 62Stories To Make You Smile: The Reading Agency by Fanny Blake ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was okay. Some stories made me smile and some stories confused me as to why they were in this audio book. But there was one Stories that I really liked and could listen to often (when I'm in a sad mood). Other than that, the other stories were okay, but not very stunning.
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Lark Ascending (other topics)I Was Here (other topics)
The Ice Twins (other topics)
Luck in the Shadows (other topics)
Hinter verzauberten Fenstern (other topics)
More...
- 18 manga -> 22 manga
- 16 audio books -> 20 audio books
- 14 non-fictions
- 70 fictions (fantasy, horror, etc.)
- 30 series books -> 33 series books
- 12 rereads
____________
Stats
✅ manga: 22 of 22
✅ audio books: 22 of 20
non-fictions: 13 of 14
✅ fictions: 71 of 70
✅ series books: 33 of 33
✅ rereads: 12 of 12
✅ All: 105 of 100
____________
There are also books with German titles because they are not translated into English.