2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I just completed the 3rd book for the Buildings triple and am starting the book to finish the Things in the Sky double. Then I'll look again at what still needs to be filled to choose my next book.

I think we should take a moment to appreciate how great we're all doing. Awesome job, Better Off Read!!

Yes!

Great reading and great teamwork, Better Off Read!!

🎉

All right, I finished The Mars Room & updated the spreadsheets. Looking at completed prompts & what people are currently, reading, I decided to to choose a book for the "something you'd find in a garden" prompt. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession has grass on the cover, but could also slot into some other categories if need be.

I've just finished Princess of Souls and added it to the 'proper title' prompt, and will continue on with Chain of Iron for the 'element' prompt. Another book I'm currently reading fits in with the 'flowers' prompt as well as the 'something you find in garden' & 'colour blue'. If I still have time, i'll attempt to read another book to complete an unfinished prompt.

I finished The 18th Abduction which can obviously go for numbers but since we don't seem to have anything for crime, I thought I put it there at least for now. I have a couple of books on hand that can go for numbers, if needed.

I plan on reading Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich next bc like all my other books, is a quick and easy read.

I finished The Art Thief & added it to the spreadsheets. I scoured my bookshelves for something with a vehicle but I have nothing right now! So instead I'm turning my attention to the numbers prompt & reading Barn 8. If all the "currently reading" notations are correct, those are the two prompts that seemed most in the need at the moment.

I finished Erasure and used it to complete body part. I will finish If Cats.... tonight and it can be our last animal prompt.

I will check the spreadsheet tomorrow am and see what we still need and then check my shelves to see if I have anything. It seems we need "vehicles" the most, I'm sure I have options for that

Denise wrote: "I finished Erasure and used it to complete body part. I will finish If Cats.... tonight and it can be our last animal prompt.

I will check the spreadsheet tomorrow am and see what we still need an..."

Is a boat considered a vehicle at all or we thinking things on the road only?

I definitely think a boat counts as a vehicle!

Ciara wrote: "I definitely think a boat counts as a vehicle!"

Awesome. TY.

I finished Siren Queen to complete our triple a proper title.

I'm going to start Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries by Tonya Kappes that can fulfill a vehicle prompt and a crime prompt. However, I can shift gears if needed. I'm having trouble figuring out what is still needed and what is being currently read.

I am a little confused as well. I am reading 2 things: The Ring for Accessory and Welcoming Seas which can work for crime or vehicle but probably better as crime.

Going by what's marked as Currently Reading and this discussion, it looks like
-the Animals triple will be completed by If Cats..., (Denise)
-the Flowers triple will be completed by The Bloody Chamber (Jaida)
-the Element single will be competed by Chain of Iron (Jaida)
-the accessory single will be completed by The Ring (D.L.)
-the Number triple will have be completed by Dirty Thirty (JennH) and Barn 8
-The vehicles prompt should be completed by What Happens in New York (Nichole) & Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries (JennH)

So we're still needing 1 for Something You Find in the Garden, & 1 for type of crime. Did I miss anything someone has in progress for those ones? I've got one all set for Something you find in the garden if no one else has one going for it.

Betty wrote: "Going by what's marked as Currently Reading and this discussion, it looks like
-the Animals triple will be completed by If Cats..., (Denise)
-the Flowers triple will be completed by The Bloody Cham..."

I just finished 1 for Type of Crime. :)

Betty wrote: "Going by what's marked as Currently Reading and this discussion, it looks like
-the Animals triple will be completed by If Cats..., (Denise)
-the Flowers triple will be completed by The Bloody Cham..."

Wow, awesome. This helps a lot. I can finish both my books today. And can help with anything else that is needed or might not be finished in time.

I will finish Barn 8 today. I didn't get much reading done yesterday, sorry. I thought I was going to have the whole day to read, but my boyfriend got a surprise day off work so I saw him instead.

The readathon runs until the end of Sunday for each individual's local time, right? I'm on the American West Coast so it's still early morning Saturday here, I have two full days of reading ahead of me. Maybe we'll crack into bonus prompts?

Bailey added the bonus prompts to the spreadsheet for us! So take a look at them if you’re done with your books for the standard prompts.

Awesome! I spied on the bonus prompts the other day on another team's spreadsheet & I have a ton of stuff that will work. I have about 100 pages left in Barn 8, which is proving to be another quick read, so I will dive on in once I finish.

How exciting! We did it! I haven't taken a look yet bc I want to focus on finishing my books - I'm almost there. I hope I have books that can work and that I can finish in time.

I am in California so I also have more than a day left. I’ll see what’s in the bonuses and try to knock out something. I finished Cats but can’t access the spreadsheet rn

I am also on the west coast so I have another day left :) I am working on Accessory and I'll check out Bonuses.

Hi, I just finished ‘Sweetness in the Skin’ and used it to complete the prompt for animals. I’m in the UK so I’ve got a day left to read and I’ll finish ‘What Happens in New York’ for the vehicle prompt and see what else I can finish for the bonus prompts

For some reason I'm struggling with the bonus prompts. I was blanking on what books I had on hand fit. It took me quite a bit of figuring out and some outside assistance to come up with book options.

I was also wondering if the books from the original prompts are locked in, and that we need to use new books for the bonus prompts. Bc one of my books, The Book of Lost Names, would work for the famous landmark if we could switch things around. I feel that the color blue prompt would be easier to replace.

JennH wrote: "For some reason I'm struggling with the bonus prompts. I was blanking on what books I had on hand fit. It took me quite a bit of figuring out and some outside assistance to come up with book option..."

I think the books for the original prompts are locked in now. Because the bonus prompts don’t “unlock” until we have completed all of the original prompts.

It looks like animals is completed so I don't have a prompt for If Cats...

They are sitting on a bench looking at the ocean, so we can possibly still use it for "element" (I think water counts as an element) or things found in a garden (garden bench).

For now I'm not assigning it a prompt. At the very least we can get 168 pages for a non-prompt.

Should we attack the singles for the bonus prompts? I'm open to what prompt to do next

I have a library book due back soon that happens to have Big Ben on the cover, & it has a fast-moving vibe, which I really need right now because I am zonked. I'm not up for a serious piece of lit fic right now, I need something lighter. So I'm going to dive into that for the "famous landmark" prompt.

Denise, if you need a prompt for "If Cats Disappeared..." maybe you could slot it into the "office" bonus prompt? It looks like the person on the bench is dressed for the office.

I moved "Sweetness in the Skin" to things you find in a garden because of grass/plants on the cover. Then I placed "If Cats..." in animals.

Ciara - that sounds great for famous landmark

I'll use my current read "Majestica" for A Made Up Word

Betty wrote: "JennH wrote: "For some reason I'm struggling with the bonus prompts. I was blanking on what books I had on hand fit. It took me quite a bit of figuring out and some outside assistance to come up wi..."

Makes sense. Just wishful thinking on my part.

I'm listening to The Stranger in the Library that can go for books, and reading A Smoking Bun for temperature.

I think something's wrong with our prompt points at the bottom. It say Grand Total: REF - reference does not exist??

Am I right that in thinking that we need one more book for Type of Crime??

D.L. wrote: "I think something's wrong with our prompt points at the bottom. It say Grand Total: REF - reference does not exist??"

Thanks for the heads up - it's fixed now

D.L. wrote: "Am I right that in thinking that we need one more book for Type of Crime??"

Good catch - yes we still need one more for Type of Crime

Betty wrote: "D.L. wrote: "Am I right that in thinking that we need one more book for Type of Crime??"

Good catch - yes we still need one more for Type of Crime"

I'll read one for it. I have a bunch of mysteries :)

hi all, I'm currently finishing up Chain of Iron for the elements prompt, but unsure if I'll finish The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories before midnight (it's the 11th for me). Is anyone reading a book that could potentially fit the prompt 'flowers' if I don't finish it in time? sorry if I've caused a big inconvenience, its just been hectic these past two days and I've fallen a bit behind my reading!

Jaida wrote: "hi all, I'm currently finishing up Chain of Iron for the elements prompt, but unsure if I'll finish The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories before midnight (it's the 11th ..."

I can finish Anne of Green Gables for flowers. If you are able to finish, we can use Anne for "farm".

Denise wrote: "Jaida wrote: "hi all, I'm currently finishing up Chain of Iron for the elements prompt, but unsure if I'll finish The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories before midnight (..."

thank you! I'll update the group once the challenge is over for me to let you know.

I've just finished Chain of Iron and completed the 'elements' prompt. I've filled out the rest of my part of the google sheet as well. I ended up putting the pages I read for The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories under the page points category. Slightly disappointed I couldn't complete my last book, but glad I read the books that I did. Hopefully everyone has a successful rest of the challenge!

Jaida - thanks for being an amazing part of Team Better Off Read! Congrats on all the reading you did!

Denise - thanks for reading Anne of Green Gables for the flowers prompt. We have a great team working together on this readathon.

Jaida wrote: "I've just finished Chain of Iron and completed the 'elements' prompt. I've filled out the rest of my part of the google sheet as well. I ended up putting the pages I read for [book:..."

Wow, is the readathon over for you already? I'm so impressed you read 2 such big books for the readathon. Love The Last Hours trilogy, btw.

I'm focusing on the bonus prompts but the spreadsheet looks as if we still have some open regular prompts. I can switch gears, if needed.

Oh my God, D.L., I love that you read a Babysitters Club book for the readathon! I became a crazed super-fan when they very first book was released in 1986 & own the entire series (including the mysteries & the super-mysteries). I reread them all as an adult in like 2009 (?) & reviewed every single one here on Goodreads. Why? I don't know. I didn't have a kid yet so I had too much free time, apparently? I got quoted a few times on various Babysitters Club podcasts. What a thrill.

JennH wrote: "I'm focusing on the bonus prompts but the spreadsheet looks as if we still have some open regular prompts. I can switch gears, if needed."

We should be all set on the regular prompts.
Nichole is finishing a book for Vehicle, D.L. is reading a book for Type of Crime, and Denise is finishing up Anne of Green Gables for flowers.

I'll be finishing Majestica today for the Made Up Word bonus prompt.

I'll be finishing up the landmark prompt soon. I'd really like to finish one more book today as well, if possible. Should I try to pick something off the single bonus prompts to maximize points, or should I just go with whatever & accept the page points?

Ciara wrote: "I'll be finishing up the landmark prompt soon. I'd really like to finish one more book today as well, if possible. Should I try to pick something off the single bonus prompts to maximize points, or..."

Read whatever you'll enjoy. JennH is reading one that fits for the Book (library, page, ink, etc.) double so if you have one that fits that it would be perfect.

Betty wrote: "Ciara wrote: "I'll be finishing up the landmark prompt soon. I'd really like to finish one more book today as well, if possible. Should I try to pick something off the single bonus prompts to maxim..."

Perfect, I can do that!

Ciara wrote: "Oh my God, D.L., I love that you read a Babysitters Club book for the readathon! I became a crazed super-fan when they very first book was released in 1986 & own the entire series (including the my..."

Glad to meet another BSC enthusiast lol I love these books. I have since I was a kid and I don't think I'll ever outgrow them. I re-read them constantly. That's so awesome you've been quoted on podcasts. I will have to check out your reviews ASAP.

Finished Anne of Green Gables and posted under Flowers for the triple.

This was my first read-a-thon, it was fun. I hope the next one is during a vacation though, I have really neglected my planning and grading to read!

I finished A Smoking Bun, and I am done. I’ve entered my info on the spreadsheet. But I’m on my iPad - no access to computer at the moment - and it was a little weird. So please fix if there are any errors.

This was also my first readathon, with the group. I also wish I didn’t have so much going on. But it was different and it was fun.