Bookish Challenges discussion

Every month, we take inspiration from a unique fact and turn it into a reading adventure! Our goal? To explore books that connect to the theme in creative ways, share our discoveries, and help each other find unexpected gems.

The Challenge

1. 📖Choose a book that relates to this month’s theme—directly or in a surprising way, your creativity sets the limit!

2. 💬In this thread, discuss your read, share insights, and recommend books to others.

3. ⚠️ Mark spoilers clearly so everyone can explore new titles at their own pace!

4. 🏆 Earn Points! At the end of the month, 10 points will be awarded to everyone who reads and discusses their book in the thread!

5. ⏳Only books completed after the first of the month count towards Theme of the Month challenge. For this one, only books completed after the 1st of April.

This April we celebrate bold adventures, uncharted territories, and stories that push boundaries!
On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history aboard Vostok 1, becoming the first human to travel into space! 🌍🚀 As he orbited Earth, he famously declared "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!"), marking the beginning of human space exploration.

Ready to launch into a new read? Drop your book choice below and let’s discover books that take us farther than ever before! 🚀📖

Joe Haldeman's Marsbound series is pretty good, especially if you're not a huge SciFi fan, which I'm not - they often get too technical for me.



I also enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Hi Catsalive! Thank you for the recommendations! This is the Theme of the Month for April, so points will be awarded only for books completed after the 1st of April. Join us once the month of April starts with the books your completing that fit our theme!

Book & Author: The One by John Marrs
Plot Match Your DNA announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. Very different people have received the notification that they have been matched and we get to follow their stories towards "happy ever after" .. or not.
How it fits One of the characters is the founder of Match Your DNA, the researcher that found the gene that pairs people with their soul mate. Her work marked the beginning of a new way of finding love.

Book & Author: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Plot : The book is about teen girls who are pregnant and subjected to stay at a home until they deliver their babies. For some time this practice has been going on. But the new girls Fern, Zinnia, Rose and Holly don't want to accept the way they are treated here or in the world where they have no choice. Hence they embrace witchcraft to take matters in their hands and all hell set loose after this.
How it fits : only after they embrace witchcraft to take revenge / make things better for them, a change comes along and the girls are no longer that afraid. It sets out a chain of events (view spoiler)[ that eventually removes that establishment forever (hide spoiler)]

Elena wrote: "Book & Author: The One by John Marrs
Plot Match Your DNA announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of pe..."

I really enjoyed reading this one Elena! I had the audiobook which was full cast.

Cinder Marissa Meyer


PLOT: Cinder is a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.
HOW IT FITS: Based on Earth, humans live with androids and from space the Lunar people, whose Queen has a evil plan (of course!!)

1st in a series it was enjoyable and i will read the next book in the series at some point. The stories are retellings of fairy tales hence the name of the MC. 4* 27/04/25

Points have been awarded