ŷ������

My word will be: PRAY

P-
R-
A-
Y-

Msg 7 updated with words and goal - aiming for 12 books with MENTAL HEALTH

Welcome welcome to one of the most wholesome corners of the internet!
I hope you all check back here when life starts getting you down, not only to remind yourself of your pledge but that there are lots of us striving towards improvement!

SPELL A BETTER WORLD CHALLENGE
1 January - 31 December 2021
I really kind of "fell off the wagon" with reading this year. Maybe it was COVID, maybe it was me. I was really disappointed in myself, over a lot of things. 2020 was a tough year, for everyone. My goal in 2021 is to love myself more, the way other people see me. I want that goal to reflect my reading as well.

Words: LOVE YOURSELF

12 / 12 --- CHALLENGE COMPLETE

✔L: Land
✔O: Oona Out of Order
✔V: Veins of Gold
�̧: Evvie Drake Starts Over

✔Y: Yesterday's Gone: Season One
✔O: One by One
���: Under Different Stars
✸�: Rich People Problems
���: The Sun Down Motel
�̧: Every Vow You Break
✔L: The Last Survivors
✔F: Float Plan

Count me in
Find the joy

J Jessica Darlings it list
O Abby in Oz, whatever after special edition #2
Y Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim

I simply would like to be happy in 2021 and to spread happiness.
My word is Happy, so please sign me up for 5 books.
H:
A:
P:
P:
Y:

Katlyn wrote: "I simply would like to be happy in 2021 and to spread happiness.
My word is Happy, so please sign me up for 5 books.
H:
A:
P:
P:
Y:"

Thats a great word Katlyn! Everyone has such great words! Good luck everyone.

I would like to join this wholesome challenge!
And I hope everyone (also my country) could be a bit more tolerant towards each other, so my word will be tolerance (9 letters).

I mostly read in Dutch, so I will use the Dutch titles to create the word.

T: Troje �� Stephen Fry (Troy)
O:
L:
E: En elke ochtend wordt de weg naar huis steeds langer �� Fredrik Backman (And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer)
R: Robijnrood �� Kerstin Gier (Ruby Red)
A:
N:
C: Confrontaties �� Simone Atangana Bekono (confrontations)
E: Een ladder naar de hemel �� John Boyne (A Ladder to the Sky)

I will try this one

mine will be 0/16

6/16

H
O The Only Woman in the Room
P
E The Emerald Horizon1/9/2021

F
A After 1/15/2021
I I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban2/2/2021
T
H

A After 2 2/9/2021
N Note to Self: Change the Locks1/24/2021
DDangerous Passage

L
O
V
E

There are many things I want for this upcoming year ... some of them have been covered in the lovely posts already made ... but I couldn't come up with anything that fit exactly what I wanted ... until yesterday when I was thinking about Christmas music and I remembered Peter, Paul, & Mary's song: Don't Let the Light Go Out which they sang on their Christmas Special, which I have on DVD. Rather than spell the song title, though, I have decided to use the phrase that begins each verse. Something I want to remember to do more of in the coming year.

Progress: 14/14

Completed!

L Lending a Paw
I The Ivory Dagger
G Grey Mask
H High-Wire Henry
T The Thin Woman

O The Only Good Yankee
N The Novice's Tale
E Evans Above

C The Case Is Closed
A All the Great Pretenders
N Night-Night, Spot
D Distant Blood
L Long Time Dead
E The Edge of Sadness

First of all, I think this challenge is AWESOME!! Thank you for providing this space for all of us.

My goal for 2021 is divided into three main thoughts regarding emotional health. I've always believed that if we are emotionally healthy, and love ourselves with all our imperfections then we can love others and therefore built together a better world.


1. FEAR DOESN'T DEFINE US
(18 books)

F Fever 1793
E An Ember in the Ashes
A Anna Dressed in Blood
R Renegades

D Deep Betrayal
O One of Us Is Lying
E Edgeland
S The Sun Down Motel
N The Nocere
T The Things She's Seen

D Dry
E Eternal Flame
F The Female of the Species
I The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
N Nemesis and the Swan
E The Enchanted

U UnDivided
S Scythe


2. PAIN WON'T STOP US
(14 books)


P The Power
A American Road Trip
I I Found You
N Not If I Save You First

W What Big Teeth
O One to Watch
N The Nightingale
T Then She Was Gone

S Sadie
T To Kill a Kingdom
O Olivia Twist
P The Program

U Underwater
S Shadow and Bone


3. PRACTICE POSITIVITY & CLAIM A HAPPY FUTURE
(35 books)


P The Palace of Lost Memories
R The Rose Society
A And I Darken
C Challenger Deep
T Tuck Everlasting
I Instant Karma
C Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
E Every Heart a Doorway

P Promise Bound
O Orphan Train
S Spellbreaker
I Impostors
T Think and Grow Rich: The Original, an Official Publication of The Napoleon Hill Foundation
I I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
V The Vegetarian
I The Institute
T Twenty
Y You May Now Kill the Bride

&

C Caraval
L Lock Every Door
A Angelfall
I In Some Other Life
M Monument 14

A All the Stars and Teeth

H The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus
A The Archived
P The Perfect Nanny
P Prodigy
Y You Don't Know My Name

F The Forgetting
U Under the Never Sky
T Those Across the River
U Unrivaled
R The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
E The Edge of Everything

Count me in please. My goal is 16
Olive Again, by Elizabeth Strout
Push by Ashley Audrain
They said this would be fun by Eternity Martis
I
Message of Hope from the Angels by Loran Byrne
I
Speak, Silence by Kim Echlin
Midnight Library by Matt Haig
&
P
A
The Vanishing Half
I
Exiles by Kline
No Truth without Ruth by Krull
Concrete Rose by
Eat Better, Feel Better by Giada de Laurentis

What a lovely challenge. Just reading everyone’s words makes me feel lighter and more optimistic! My goal for 2021 is to be more open, loving, and adventurous, so I’ll go with “build bridges, not walls,�� for 20 books.

Progress: 20/20
B Bed of Roses, 01/11/21
U Undercover Bromance, 07/15/21
I Indelible, 01/18/21
L Lord of the Pies, 07/17/21
D Devil in Winter, 02/21/21

B The Boyfriend Project, 02/15/21
R The Ruin of Kings, 11/22/22
I The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, 01/23/21
D Deadly Silence, 04/12/21
G Gods of Jade and Shadow, 01/10/21
E Ethan: Lord of Scandals, 06/27/21
S The Snow Child, 02/06/21

N The Night Circus, 03/20/21
O Out, 03/20/21
T Twenty-Seven Years in Alaska: True Stories of Adventure in the Alaskan Wilderness, 02/11/21

W Wool, 03/12/21
A All Creatures Great and Small, 02/19/21
L Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, 02/15/21
L The Lucky Few: Finding God's Best in the Most Unlikely Places, 04/03/21
S Savor the Moment, 03/05/21

I'd love to join this challenge! My word—or rather, phrase—would be nosce te ipsum, a Greek phrase meaning 'know thyself'. They add up to 12 letters, so put me down for 12 books! :)

N
O
S
C
E

T
E

I
P
S
U
M

Progress: 34/36

💚 KIND Kindness is in short supply so my goal is to make a person's day a little bit better whenever I can.
K:Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I: Iron Kissed 🌟🌟🌟🌟
N: The Night Circus 🌟🌟🌟
D: The Diary of a Young Girl 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💚VOLUNTEER I'm planning to be more active with volunteer to help others.
V: Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite 🌟🌟🌟
O: Old Yeller 🌟🌟
L: The Last Wish 🌟🌟🌟
U: Uprooted 🌟🌟
N: Nothing But Blackened Teeth 🌟🌟🌟🌟
T: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man 🌟🌟🌟
E: Eragon 🌟🌟🌟🌟
E: The Eagle of the Ninth 🌟🌟🌟
R: Runaway Vampire 🌟🌟🌟🌟

MENTAL HEALTH I took some major blows this year, so I will continue to make strides to a more positive mindset.
M: Magic Bites 🌟🌟🌟🌟
E: Enclave 🌟🌟🌟🌟
N
T: The Inheritance Games 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A: All Systems Red 🌟🌟🌟🌟
L: The Last Final Girl 🌟🌟

H: Home Before Dark 🌟🌟🌟🌟
E: Eileen 🌟🌟
A: American Gods 🌟🌟🌟
L: The Lost Village 🌟🌟🌟
T: The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor 🌟🌟
H: Haunted Flint 🌟🌟

FINISH DEGREE Self explanatory.
F: Full Tilt 🌟🌟
I: Immortal Unchained 🌟🌟🌟🌟
N
I: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 🌟🌟🌟🌟
S: Storm Front 🌟🌟🌟
H: Hex Hall 🌟🌟🌟🌟

D: Darkfever 🌟🌟🌟
E: Ex-Heroes 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
G: Ghost Road Blues 🌟🌟🌟
R: Road Rage 🌟🌟🌟
E: Ex-Patriots 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
E: Emma in the Night 🌟🌟🌟

This is such a nice idea!

SPELL A BETTER WORLD
Duration: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Progress: 0/15
Work hard, be happy :)

W:
O:
R:
K:

H:
A:
R:
D:

B:
E:

H:
A:
P:
P:
Y:

My goal for this year would be to go with the flow.


12/13

G: The Gilded Ones
O: One to Watch

W: The Wicked King
I: I Am Change
T: A Thousand Perfect Notes
H:

T: The Telltale Heart
H: How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
E: Educated

F: The Final Empire
L: The Lies of Locke Lamora
O: Openly Straight
W: The Wife Between Us

Can you put me down for 14 letters please!

Duration: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Total : 5 / 14

K
I Illuminae - 08/02
N
D
N
E Every Note Played - 02/01
S
S

───── ⋆⋅♥⋅�� ───── ⋆⋅♥⋅�� ───── ⋆⋅♥⋅�� ─────

C
A
R The Catcher in the Rye - 26/01
I The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao - 11/02
N
G This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor - 16/02

Please put me down for 10 letters

10/10

C - Cocaine Blues January
O - Oksana, Behave! February
M - Of Mutts and Men January
P - The Pastor's Wife February
A - Anne of Green Gables April
S - Stand Up Straight and Sing! January
S - Set the Stars Alight January
I - The Island by Victoria Hislop February
O - Only Uni by Camy Tang April
N - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass January

I'm in:

L ��
O ��
V ��
E -

I'm in for 12: "BE A GOOD HUMAN"

B- Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates
E- Escaping from Houdini

A- The Au Pair

G- Gone Girl
O- The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
O- The Only Good Indians
D- Deadmen Walking

H- The Heart Forger
U- An Unwanted Guest
M- Murder Once Removed
A- The Art of Deception
N- Nine Perfect Strangers

I've changed my number of books from 12 to 16 please (original post 45). Thank you :)

SPELL A BETTER WORLD 2021
Msg #79

Goal #1: A BETTER WORLD
Progress 0/12
A:

B:
E:
T:
T:
E:
R:

W:
O:
R:
L:
D:

Goal #2: KINDNESS HUMILITY EMPATHY
Progress 0/23
K:
I:
N:
D:
N:
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S:
S:

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I:
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Aiming high!!

Great! I am in!!
Behind the English title I wrote the Dutch title also, just for myself to search easier.

My goal for 2021 to spell the world a better place is to read the next 18 books:

C = Crossfire �� Dick Francis, Felix Francis (NL titel: Spervuur)
O = One Hundred Names - Cecilia Ahern
U = Uglies - Scot Westerfeld
N = finding Nouf - Zoë Ferrares (NL titel: Zoeken naar Nouf)
T = the Trowaway Children �� Diney Costeloe (NL titel: de verloren kinderen)

Y = Yemma �� Mohammed Benzakour
O = One Hundred years of Solitude - García Márquez Gabriel
U = girl Under the tree - Sara Blaedel
R = the Racketeer �� John Grisham (NL titel: De Afperser)

B = Break Down �� B.A. Paris (NL titel: Gebroken)
L = Another Love - Amanda Prowse
E = Echo Burning �� Lee Child (NL titel: Brandpunt)
S = the Snow Geese �� William Fiennes (NL titel: de sneeuwganzen)
S = Station Eleven �� Emily St John Mandel (NL titel: station elf)
I = Into the Water - Paula Hawkins (NL titel: in het water)
N = Nine Elms �� Robert Bryndza (NL titel: Zonder Gezicht)
G = the Girl who escaped Isis �� Farida Khalaf, Andrea Claudia Hoffmann (NL titel: het meisje dat van IS won)
S = Strays �� Britt Collins (NL titel: de kat die de weg kwijt was)

This seems like a very fun challenge, and all the words just bring so much joy and hope!

Please sign me up for 9 books, and the word will be ABUNDANCE.

This is my word of the year and the idea is to build an Abundance Mindset which is basically about being grateful for what you have and feel fully sufficient at all times. I'm hoping to actually be able to find books that relate to this and form the word but that might be too difficult. We'll see :D

A -
B -
U -
N -
D -
A -
N -
C -
E -

I'm in!

SPELL A BETTER WORLD
Duration: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

My words are LOVE YOU, HR

L :
O :
V :
E :

Y :
O :
U :

H :
R :

Updated msg 5

Just completed my first letter “N�� - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. I have been avoiding this book since it came out, as I represent kids in the system who are sent to kid prison. Almost every detail was accurate, from the terrible food, to the egg-water, to the physical abuse. The thing is, this is historical fiction but this crap is still happening today. These facilities were not shut down after the atrocities at Dozier were finally unearthed and the truth couldn’t be shutout anymore. They now are operated by for-profit companies. Most of the stories this book contains could have been told by children who came out of the facilities last year. We have to stop treating people as disposable. We have to recognize systemic racism and root it out. “I know there’s nothing in here that changes people. In here or out there are the same, but in here no one has to act fake anymore.�� “That’s what the school did to a boy. It didn’t stop when you got out. Bend you all kind of ways until you were unfit for straight life, good and twisted by the time you left.�� I appreciate everything the author does in this book. Maybe, one day, this will truly be historical fiction in Florida. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars

1/16

Updated msg 5

Just completed my “R�� book - Happy People Read and Drink Coffee by Agnes Martin-Lugand, translated by Sandra Smith. Well, this book has a misleading title! Not what I expected at all. Not sure if it was the writing or translation, but the emotions of the characters jumped around so much, it was hard to be sympathetic for them. The plot itself was interesting. Worth reading with the above caveats. 3.5 stars

2/16

Updated msg 5

Just completed my first “A�� title - Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison. This book is a revelation! I had to take it in small bits because I’m so mad at the lies about dieting and wellness I’ve been embodying since I was a kid. “It’s hard to smash the patriarchy on an empty stomach, or with a head full of food and body concerns, and that’s exactly the point of diet culture.�� This makes so much sense! “‘I left my childhood feeling like, though I was successful in school and got into a college I was excited about and had good friendships, overall my life was a failure because I couldn’t lose any weight.’�� Same - I felt like a failure at my law school graduation because I had gained weight during my finals. “‘Weight loss doesn’t heal people from their internalized weight stigma. Bad body image is not cured by weight loss.’�� I’ve never been happy with my body, no matter the size or how much I lost. “Many things contribute to health, meaning it’s not all down to personal responsibility, the way diet culture wants us to believe - not by a long shot.�� “Your body is not meant to be at a weight that it can sustain only through restriction.�� “We can’t predict what’s going to happen to your weight when you give up dieting, but it doesn’t matter one bit in terms of your health or worthiness.�� My one critique was that the author’s references to the Life Thief seemed sarcastic and detracted from her overall message. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars

3/16

Message 39 updated: 1 / 11 books read. (Word 1 is Quaintrelle)

Welcome everyone! Happy New Year! I'm so excited to start crossing books off for this challenge!

Congratulations Megan and Kylie for already completing your first books! 🎉🎈

Updated Post #88
My goal is to have HOPE and HEALING
11/11 Complete

H - The Haunting of H. G. Wells READ
O - On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century READ
P - The Price of Paradise READ
E- The End of the Affair READ

and

H- Hercule Poirot's Christmas READ
E- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine READ
A- Across the Winding River READ
L- Last Scene Alive READ
I- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster READ
N- The Names of the Dead READ
G- Gloryland READ

7/24

Motivated, Patient, Tolerant

M- The Memory Police (01/21/2021)
O-
T- Time's Eye (01/04/2021)
I- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (02/22/2021)
V-
A- How to Be an Antiracist (01/09/2021)
T- The Trials of Koli (02/01/2021)
E- Station Eleven (01/15/2021)
D-

P- Prelude to Foundation (02/12/2021)
A-
T-
I-
E-
N-
T-

T-
O-
L-
E-
R-
A-
N-
T-

My word for this year is STRENGTH

so 0/8 books read so far for this

S
T
R
E
N
G
T
H

Update Message #27: 1/69

Finished a "P" book today The Princess Game. If you're into these Amazon Originals collections, this one has a full cast recording for the audio, and I always find that pretty exciting.

Count me in!

Progress: 7/11
C- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Completed 5/4/21)
O-
N-
T- The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda's Road to 9/11 (Completed 24/01/21)
E- Educated by Tara Westover (Completed 23/2/21)
N-
T- THE IDOL THIEF (Completed 08/06/21)
M- An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness (Completed 11/03/21)
E- Frenzy of Evil (Completed 01/12/21)
N-
T- Tortilla Flat (Completed 01/10/21)

*I will add more titles as and when I decide on them.

I love the positivity you all have and show!
I will go for a sentence my grandmother wrote in my album about 40 years ago: Het geluk zit in 't kleine
Which means: Happiness is in the small things.

H - Hepburn's Necklace by Jan Moran (17-1-2021)
E - Empress in Disguise by Amanda Roberts & Zoey Gong (31-8-2021)
T - A Breakfast Tail by Jaxon Reed (4-1-2021)

G - Gangster Anders en zijn vrienden by Jonas Jonasson (26-2-2021)
E - Extreem luid en ongelooflijk dichtbij by Jonathan Safran Foer (10-5-2021)
L - Paws for Lunch by Jaxon Reed (3-1-2021)
U - Once Upon a Devilishly Enchanting Kiss by Bree Wolf (31-1-2021)
K - Een verre kust by Jenny Colgan (27-1-2021)

Z - Zangvogels by Christy Lefteri (30-9-2021)
I - If You Keep Me by Ciara Knight (18-1-2021)
T - Been There, Bone That by Maddie Sutton (27-2-2021)

I - In je dromen ga jij by Inge van der Krabben (22-1-2021)
N - 19% kans op geluk by Yvanka van der Zwaan (12-8-2021)

T - Tricky Paws by Corrine Winters (11-2-2021)

K - Once Upon a Kiss Gone Horribly Wrong by Bree Wolf (2-2-2021)
L - Loes, Luca & Liz by Saskia M.N. Oudshoorn (3-3-2021)
E - De engelen van Elisabeth by Els Florijn (3-8-2021)
I - Love and Illness find Pemberley: (Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Clean and Wholesome Continuation) Book 1 of 4 by Eliza Heaton (24-4-2021)
N - Een nieuwe start by Robyn Carr (3-9-2021)
E - Een engel in Rome by Amy Harmon (5-7-2021)

Updated message #14: 1/22

wow, count me in too. my word for this year is ASSERTIVE - 9 in total

A
S
S
E
R
T
I
V
E

I'll fill out as I decide!

Sign me up for 15! What a unique challenge, I am enjoying reading others choices and just the overall vibe in this one!
My words this year are participate more. Like so many, I often put myself in the background of life and cheer on others or live vicariously through them. (Especially in 2020, whew!). This year, my goal is participate in life more. To remind myself I'm worthy of good myself and help support my community <3

P - Peter Darling (completed Jan 10)
A - All My Mother's Lovers
R - Red, White & Royal Blue (completed Feb 15)
T - That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story
I - Into the Water
C - Cinderella Is Dead
I - I'll Be the One
P - Parrotfish
A - After Delores
T - Toil & Trouble
E - Edited Out: A Carmen Ramirez Mystery

M - Mexican Gothic
O - Our Chemical Hearts
R - Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
E - Early Departures

Update message #27: 2/69

Suz An wrote: "Great! I am in!!
Behind the English title I wrote the Dutch title also, just for myself to search easier.

My goal for 2021 to spell the world a better place is:
(2/18)

C = Crossfire �� Dick Franc..."

2/18 read
One amazing and one I feel disappointed about.

Aw, this looks like so much fun and I really love the sentiment. I would like to join, please!

My main goal for this year is to Spend Wisely. I messed around with my money so much for the first half of my twenties. I'm 26 now and I say, no more of that shit.

My second goal is to practice more Self Care. I work full-time and I do my university online at the same time. I want to be more mindful of myself during these busy times.

[S]:
[P]:
[E]:
[N]:
[D]:

[W]:
[I]:
[S]:
[E]:
[L]:
[Y]:

and

[S]:
[E]:
[L]:
[F]:

[C]:
[A]:
[R]:
[E]:

Read so far: 0 / 19

Message 74 updated! 1/14 books read!

Message 75 updated, 1/10 books read :)

Message #27 Updated: 3/69

Updated Post #88
1/11 Complete
My goal is to have HOPE and HEALING

Update to Msg #54

Love, Peace & Harmony

1/17

H - Red Harvest - 01/04/21

Updated msg 5

Just completed my second “A�� - Awaken the Dragon by A. C. Arthur. Overall, I ended up enjoying this book and want to continue the series. For the first quarter of the book, I was confused. The reader is dropped into a world that is not explained very well. I had a difficult time visualizing it. And the action scenes and dialogue jump around quite a bit. Things smoothed out a bit towards the midway point of the book, and the world is explained by the end. Should make the second book a bit easier to start. Worth reading! 3.5 stars

4/16

Welcome everyone! So glad to see so many of you finishing your first few books already!

I've finished 3/24

N: Night by Elie Wiesel

I: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

A: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman