2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I prefer to underestimate and over deliver, rather than the reverse....so I'm going to try for 25 books in 2025. It definitely seems doable, especially since I exceeded this year's goal and anticipate ending with around 20. I can always adjust later.

I'd also like to participate more in group challenges and buddy reads, as my schedule allows. Can't wait!

1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie Holmberg - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Night Watchman by Lousie Erdrich - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro - ⭐⭐⭐
6. James by Percival Everett - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Laboulaye's Fairy Book by Édouard Laboulaye - ⭐⭐⭐
10. The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine - ⭐⭐⭐
11. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
12. Lost by Gregory Maguire - ⭐⭐⭐
13. Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton - ⭐⭐⭐
14. The Calling Process: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Purpose and Pursuing Your Dream Job by Dan Cumberland Career & Meaning Consultant Speaker Blogger ⭐⭐⭐
15. Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke - ⭐⭐⭐
16. Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall - ⭐⭐⭐
17. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
18. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - ⭐⭐⭐
19. All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
20. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
21. The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens by Richard N. Haass ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
22. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
23. Themes and Variations by David Sedaris ⭐⭐⭐⭐
24. There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev ⭐⭐⭐⭐
25. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
26. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
27. The Sirens by Emilia Hart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
28. Single Player by Tara Tai ⭐⭐⭐⭐
29. The Most Boring Book Ever by Brandon Sanderson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
30. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke ⭐⭐⭐
31. The Shining by Stephen King ⭐⭐⭐⭐
32. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sounds like fun.

Gina Marie wrote: "I prefer to underestimate and over deliver, rather than the reverse...."

I'm the same way! There's just something about increasing a goal rather than decreasing it, that is just more appealing and motivating, in my opinion.

Congratulations on surpassing your goal this year, btw. I'm certain you'll be able to reach it next year aswell. 😊

Wishing you all the best in 2025, Gina Marie. Can't wait to see what you'll be reading throughout the year!

I've already selected a list of books to read next year as part of the TBR Jar challenge. I'm really excited to get started!

Gina Marie wrote: "I've already selected a list of books to read next year as part of the TBR Jar challenge. I'm really excited to get started!"

Fun! That's a great list . I hope you enjoy Where the Crawdads Sing more than I did.
The Golem and the Jinni on the other hand, is one of my all time favorite books. Looking forward to your thought on it 😊

Happy reading!

First book of 2025 - Demon Copperhead. Five Stars!!

Now I'm starting The Mighty Red as part of a Buddy Read. It got me nostalgic for one of my college English classes and I went down a rabbit hole of academic research, so I'm now also reading The Novels of Louise Erdrich: Stories of Her People.

Finished The Mighty Red. Now I'm starting Keeper of Enchanted Rooms and I'm still finishing The Novels of Louise Erdrich: Stories of Her People. I'm also reading The Age of Reason.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The Night Watchman was another great Erdrich novel. She's definitely one of my favorite authors. I couldn't really relate to Go, but I thought it was a good story.

Still working on The Age of Reason and The Novels of Louise Erdrich: Stories of Her People. I really want to read James next, but I haven't been able to get hold of a copy. Not sure what my next book will be.

Well, I'm reading so much that I think it's time to update my goal. I'll be turning 43 at the end of the month and that seems like a good number to shoot for. It would be 13 more than I read last year but it doesn't feel like too much of a stretch. I might even surpass it. 😁

Hi Gina Marie! Looks like you are making great progress on your goal and enjoying lots of awesome books! I also really enjoyed James, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Book Lovers, to name a few.

I hope you've been able to make time for the group challenges and buddy reads! They can be so much fun!

Happy reading!

Hi Jenn,

I'm in such a wonderful reading groove this year. I'm having almost as much fun picking out books as I am reading them. And with all the many challenges I'm participating in, I'm discovering authors and books I wouldn't normally think to read. So far, I've enjoyed them all.

So far I've joined in two group reads and two buddy reads, and I'm participating in three of the yearly challenges in addition to a couple of my own.

What's you're favorite read so far this year?

Gina Marie wrote: "Hi Jenn,

I'm in such a wonderful reading groove this year. I'm having almost as much fun picking out books as I am reading them. And with all the many challenges I'm participating in, I'm discover..."

Doesn't it just feel great to be in a wonderful reading groove? I think that's what so wonderful about challenges, expanding our horizons. I used to be strictly a mystery reader and now I read so much more.

Yay for participating in the group reads and buddy reads. I need to be better about those. My problem is that I'm not a planner, so the timing never works out. For example, I would/could/should have joined the Little Women group read this month bc I was recently gifted a lovely edition of it. But here we are at the end of the month and I still haven't read it yet bc I didn't have the time. 🤦🏻

My favorite... let's see, I've loved Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1, both the novel and the graphic novels. I also enjoyed James as I mentioned before, Lore Olympus: Volume Six, All the Colors of the Dark, Out of My Mind... Can't pick one. It's like being asked to pick a favorite child. Can't do it. 😂

I just completed the Goodreads Summer Challenge with six days to spare. I wasn't sure I was going to make it, because many of the books I had planned to use for the prompts were unavailable from my library...dozens or more people ahead of me on the list for holds. I just kept changing my plans and ended up reading a few great books I wouldn't have otherwise. The last one was Heartwood by Amity Gaige. I loved it!

Now I'm only one book away from my 2025 Reading Challenge goal of 43, already an increase from my original goal of 25. At this rate I'll probably read more than 52 books, which seemed impossible to me at the start of the year. I'm going to leave my goal as is though, and just see how much I can exceed it by. 😁