2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Personal Challenge 57/50 books
Yearly Challenge: Finish Line 30/30 books
Quarter 1 Challenge 5/5
Quarter 2 Challenge 5/5
Quarter 3 Challenge 5/5
Quarter 4 Challenge 5/5
OG Book Club Baddies Group reads 11/11

Personal Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. The Clan of the Cave Bear - 4 stars
2. The People We Keep - 5 stars and a book hangover afterwards
3. The Housemaid's Secret - 5 stars and another book hangover afterwards
4. Iron Flame - 4 stars, dragged in the middle but it was soooo good at the end AND WHAT A CLIFF HANGER
5. Rise of the Sea Witch - 4 stars, some parts were confusing but such a great Ursula backstory!
6. Remarkably Bright Creatures - 5 stars, so cute!
7. Entombed in Glass - 4 stars, had some parts where I was really confused but the ending made up for it and tied things together.
8. Pursuing Madness - 5 stars, I really loved how the trilogy ended!
9. None of this is True: SO GOOD 5 STARS
10: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: 4 Stars, so informative
11. My Word: 4 stars, love me a good Real Housewives book
12. The Valley of Horses: 4 stars, really loved the story!
13. Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom: Good to hear more things from Gypsy's perspective, cannot wait for her memoir!
14. The Quarantine Princess Diaries: 3 stars, I will never not read a Princess Diaries book but this one was lacking.
15. Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story: 5 stars. This was so amazing and powerful.
16. The Doomsday Mom: 5 stars, Great telling of the Lori Vallow/Chad Daybell story.
17. The Woman in Me: 2 stars, Team Britney but the writing in this book was HORRIBLE
18. Black Buck: 5 stars, it was INCREDIBLE
19. A Spring in the Desert: 4 stars
20. The Night and its Moon: 4 stars
21. Prayers for an Inclusive Church: 5 stars
22. The Sun and its Shade: 5 stars
23. The Good Daughter: 5 stars and my head is just SPINNING from all the twists. So good!
24. Reality Check: 4 stars, loved reading The Situation's book!
25. The Gloom Between Stars: 5 stars, so good!
26. The Dawn and its Light: 4 stars, well-written but the author needs to develop her villains more.
27. From Sin to Amazing Grace: 5 stars, such a good read and more updated theology of sin.
28. The Secret Book of Flora Lea: 5 stars, so heart-wrenching and well-written!
29. If You Tell: 5 stars, WHAT EVEN
30. The Mammoth Hunters: 5 stars
31. Persie Merlin and the Dying Song: 4 stars
32. What Happened to You?: 5 stars
33. The Silence of Sodom: 3 stars
34. Disentangling from Emotionally Immature People: 5 stars
35. Cooking for Picasso: 4 stars
36. Daughters of Erietown: 4 stars
37. Small Sacrifices: 5 stars
38. The Women: 5 stars
39. The Housemaid is Watching: 4 stars
40. You Will Know Me: 5 stars
41. Kim Jiyoung: Born 1982: 5 stars
42. Entrances and Exits: 5 stars
43. The Fury: 3 stars
44. Savage Appetites: 4 stars
45: Listen for the Lie: 4 stars
46: Wolf Hall: 4 stars
47. Braiding Sweetgrass: 3 stars
48. Kill for Me, Kill for You: 5 stars what a ride!!!!
49: Bring up the Bodies: 5 stars
50. The Plains of Passage: 4 stars
51. Othered: 3 stars
52. How to Teach AI: 3 stars
53. In a Dark, Dark Wood: 4 stars
54. This is Not a Holiday Romance: 3 stars
55. A Well-Trained Wife: 5 stars
56. The Mirror and the Light: 4 stars
57. White Tears/Brown Scars: 5 stars

Yearly Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

IV. Songs - Complete these opening song lyrics.
1. Ed Sheeran, Bad Habits, 2021
Every time you come around, you know I…Listen for the Lie
2. BTS, Butter, 2021
Smooth like butter, like a…Small Sacrifices
3. Lady Gaga, Stupid Love, 2020
You’re the one that I’ve…Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized
4. Pharrell Williams, Happy, 2014
It might seem crazy what I'm 'bout to…Kill for Me, Kill for You
5. Rihanna, Diamonds, 2012
Find light in the beautiful…:Iron Flame
6. Carly Rae Jepsen, Call Me Maybe, 2011
I threw a wish in…The Secret Book of Flora Lea
7. Black Eyed Peas, I Gotta Feeling, 2009
I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be…The Gloom Between Stars
8. Beyoncé, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), 2008
Up in the club, just broke up, I’m doing…The People We Keep
9. Eminem, Lose Yourself, 2002
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are…Cooking for Picasso
10. Sinéad O’Connor, Nothing Compares to U, 1990
It's been seven hours and fifteen days since you took…The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook
11. Prince, Let’s Go Crazy, 1984
Dearly Beloved, we have gathered here today to get…The Housemaid's Secret
12. The Eagles, Hotel California, 1976
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in…The Valley of Horses
13. The Mamas and the Papas, California Dreaming, 1965
All the leaves are brown and the sky is…: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
14. Elvis Pressley, Heartbreak Hotel, 1956
Well, since my baby left me, well, I found a new…Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation - How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison
15. Dooley Wilson, As Time Goes By, 1942
You must remember this, a kiss is…: Pursuing Madness

V. Idioms - Complete these idioms using your book titles.
1. Up a creek without a…The Plains of Passage
2. As snug as a bug in a…The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism
3. Look before you…Bring Up the Bodies
4. Throw caution to…The Clan of the Cave Bear
5. Stop beating around the…The Sun and Its Shade
6. It is always darkest before…The Night & Its Moon
7. Don’t kill the goose that lays the…The Woman in Me
8. The pot calling the kettle…:Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
9. Like a cat on a hot tin…Wolf Hall
10. Your guess is as good as…My Word
11. Too many cooks spoil the…Rise of the Sea Witch
12. Two heads are better than…The Good Daughter
13. All that glitters is not…Entombed in Glass
14. Every dog has his…The Women
15. A rising tide lifts all…Remarkably Bright Creatures

Quarter 1 Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Let's start off with 5/5

1. Hell, Norway -- 1899 (-14.8F / -26.0C)
This village is named for the Old Norse word hellir, which means overhang or cliff cave. It is home to Stone Age rock carvings and an annual Blues in Hell music festival.
Read a book that involves music, is set in Norway, or has a mountain or cave on the cover. The People We Keep

4. Anchorage, Alaska, United States -- 1947 (-38F / -38.9)
This city offers glacier viewing by boat or air, an abundance of wildlife including beluga whales, moose, and bears, and a museum featuring art of the native peoples.
Read a book with boat or air travel, about a large mammal, or written by an indigenous author.The Valley of Horses

5. Fraser, Colorado, United States -- 1962 (-43F / -41.7C)
Situated in the Rocky Mountains near the Continental Divide, this town offers dog sledding, tubing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. It sits at an elevation of 8,574 feet.
Read a book featuring winter sports, a division of any type, or published in 1962. Iron Flame

6. Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States -- 1912 (-43F / -41.7C)
Visitors enjoy fishing, biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding, and almost any winter activity. History buffs can visit forts, learn about the area’s military history, America’s westward expansion, and the local First Nations people.
Read a historical or western book, a book with a horse on the cover, or a book about indigenous peoples. The Clan of the Cave Bear

13. Astana, Kazakhstan -- 1893 (-60.9F / -51.6C)
Astana has been known in the past as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and Nur-sultan. You can visit the Palace of Peace, which is a pyramid-shaped palace that houses a university, an opera house, a spiritual center, and more.
Read a book about someone with a name change, a book about spirituality, or with a palace or pyramid on the cover. Rise of the Sea Witch

OG Book Club Baddies Group Reads (this is my in person book club, just thought it would be fun to track our reads!

1. January: The People We Keep
2. February: Remarkably Bright Creatures
3. March: None of This Is True
4. April: The Housemaid's Secret
5. May: The Good Daughter
6. June: The Secret Book of Flora Lea
7. July: Cooking for Picasso
8. August: The Fury
9. September: Listen for the Lie
10. October: Kill for Me, Kill for You
11. November/December: This Is Not a Holiday Romance

Quarter 2 Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

4. Spring is a time of renewal. Read a book about a new beginning or starting over, or that is related to birth or growth in some way.:Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation - How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison

6. Tulips and daffodils are among the first flowers to bloom in spring. Read a book with pink or yellow on the cover, a book set in the Netherlands, or the first book in a series.: The Night & Its Moon

7. Love is in the air. Read a romance novel or any novel in which two characters are in love.: The Dawn & Its Light

13. Earth Day. Read a book related to environmentalism (fiction or nonfiction), an e-book or audiobook, or read a book with a green spine or cover. The Sun and Its Shade

14. Mardi Gras. Read a book with a character who is in disguise or is hiding something, a book with gold, green, or purple on the cover, or a book set in New Orleans.The Good Daughter

Quarter 3 Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


Sports List
Basketball 🏃‍♂️👩‍🦽: The Daughters of Erietown
Gymnastics 🏃‍♂️: You Will Know Me
Shooting 🏃‍♂️👩‍🦽: The Fury

Host Cities and Years
1932 Los Angeles, United States 🏃‍♂️: Listen for the Lie
1988 Seoul, South Korea 🏃‍♂️👩‍🦽:Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Quarter 4 Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Oktoberfest: Find books with a festive or cultural celebration.
It’s a Killer Thriller Night: Pick thrillers or mystery novels.: Kill for Me, Kill for You
Sweater Weather: Read cozy books set in fall or winter.: In a Dark, Dark Wood
Woodland Wander: Choose books with a forest or nature setting.: The Plains of Passage
Remembrance Day: Select books related to historical events or honoring memories.: Bring Up the Bodies
Days Until Christmas: Pick books with a holiday theme or set during the festive season.: This Is Not a Holiday Romance