2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Adriana's 85 Book Challenge
January Books To-ReadMain Books:
Picture Books:
If I have Time:
Ha! It looks like an F. Hopefully that's not a bad sign. I always read a lot in January so this should be fun. Depending on if I get a certain book on Christmas I might have to add a book later but otherwise these are the books I want to start off in January.
I won't count picture books or re-reads towards my goal. If a book is part of a challenge I'll add a little note at the end.
I just realized to do my String Theory Challenge I can't plan all the books in the future so I'll have to keep that in mind next time. I'll probably swap a book for another to make it work in January. Problem solved!
Book #1
4/5 stars*Great book to start off the year. So many books to look up just based on this one little book. Glad Anna was able to see the obvious - her friend needed her. Also got me in the mood to craft something. Crocheting please don't be hard!
Pages: 146
Challenges
The Chinese Zodiac Quarterly Challenge:
#8 The Ox. Oxen aren't very sociable and prefer life-long friendships to casual acquaintances. Read a book in which the main character could be described as an introvert.
1/5 books complete.
New Year's Resolutions Monthly Challenge:
#1 Save more money. Instead of buying a book, read a book you borrowed (from a friend or the library) or was given to you as a gift.
1/4 books
You've got some interesting looking reads there, Adriana! I read Inkheart last year and enjoyed it. And I like the look of Netherwood...And have fun with your crochet work - I learnt how to crochet just over a year ago and am loving it! It does take away from reading time, but then I found the wonder of audiobooks!! Although if I'm doing a complicated pattern, I need to stop the audiobook until I've got the stitches down pat, otherwise I miss great chunks of book!
Thanks for the support Kathryn! Over the weekend actually (I have all the materials now) I'm planning to learn some of the basic techniques so crossing my fingers I'm able to pick it up quickly or I at least have some patience which I'm sure it will require. I've only read? one audiobook before. It's great when it's on your phone and you can take it everywhere but I can see how it can get a bit troublesome when trying to concentrate on crocheting.
Adriana wrote: "I've only read? one audiobook before. It's great when it's on your phone and you can take it everywhere but I can see how it can get a bit troublesome when trying to concentrate on crocheting. r ..."It 's OK if you're just doing granny squares around and around (although I have forgotten the extra cluster of stitches in more than one corner before now!) or a blanket that is the same stitch or two back and forth but even so, I do find my counting can become a bit pathetic when the audiobook gets interesting!!
I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and they look like something I can really love to do and get me excited about crocheting in the long run. I would think scarves or hats would be really hard but I'll keep in my mind what you told me (:
Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and they look like something I can really love to do and get me exc..."I haven't tried amigurami - I don't know what I'd do with them when I finished them! But a friend has done some and I think she found them easy enough, although they look a bit fiddly to me!!
I haven't made any hats, but scarves are dead easy - like a blanket, but narrower - back and forth, back and forth. And I've made a granny square scarf as well - really easy - 8 granny squares and just sew them together in a row.
Book #2
4/5 stars*Fun book filled with magic and poisons (duh). Kyra's journey to kill her best friend after some events... was a great one. Fred was extremely charming although I wish Kyra didn't mention he was handsome so much. A little bit rushed in parts. I have a feeling this was going to be a series but unfortunately I found out the author died and this was published two years after her death which is really sad. She made a great book though. Kyra's strength and personality made me enjoy it the most. And Rosie the pig...
Pages: 276
Challenges
The Listopia Yearly Challenge:
Fairy Tales Retold
1/35 books completed
The Chinese Zodiac Quarterly Challenge:
#11 The Dragon. The Dragon is often considered to be the strongest sign, and the only one that is a mythical animal. Read a book that contains a mythical or paranormal creature.
2/5 books completed
New Year's Resolutions Monthly Challenge:
#7 Go on a trip. Read a book that takes place in a country you've never been to. (This can be a made up country.)
2/4 books complete
Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and they look like something I can really love to d..."What do you mean fiddly haha (: Hard or weird looking? I expect mine to turn out a bit odd... I am just starting out after all.
Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and they look like something I can ..."No, I just think they'd be fiddly to make - not hard, exactly, but just because some of them are quite little - I think I'd be all fingers and thumbs trying to make some of them - trying to join little bits of crochet work together, and working in such small spaces!! But let me know how you find it!
Book #3
4/5 stars*Didn't expect the magic portion to be the way it was. The explanation of it was interesting. I realized reading Matilda that Roald Dahl is pretty wicked when it comes to his books. The books I know about are pretty cruel to its main characters even if they triumph in the end. It shows the real world in a children's book but of course somewhat exaggerated. Happy that the movie adaption was so close to the book's writing.
Pages: 240
Challenges
New Year's Resolutions Monthly Challenge:
#5 Watch less TV. Instead of watching TV or going to the movies, read a book that got turned into a movie or TV show.
3/4 books completed
Oh, Matilda! I remember reading that book long time ago. That's a nice book, though don't remember too much of the plot now. I remember always enjoying Roald Dahl's books when I was younger. Have you read any of his other books?
The wrote: "Oh, Matilda! I remember reading that book long time ago. That's a nice book, though don't remember too much of the plot now. I remember always enjoying Roald Dahl's books when I was younger. Have y..."I've read only two others but I'm planning to read three books in total of his this year. I've read Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Giraffe And The Pelly And Me by him. You?
Picture Book #1
2/5 stars*Cute. I liked the background the main images were on and the "eaten" end of the book. Would have liked it to be longer or more different than usual. It was an okay read.
Book #4
5/5 stars*Took me forever! Loved all the characters. Loved everything that was this book. I'm sure the happy ending won't last long. The second book should be good but I'm going to wait until I actually have time to read another 500 paged book.
Pages: 534
Challenges
The Chinese Zodiac Quarterly Challenge:
#9 The Tiger. Tigers love to be challenged. Read a book you find challenging in some way maybe because of its length, style, or subject matter.
3/5 books completed
Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and they look like ..."I have planned the whole day Thursday to get started and I'll let you know. The semester has just started and I decided to tackle such a large book so I haven't had the time. Thanks for encouraging me! I'll definitely keep you updated.
Sorry I didn't respond to your message before.
Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craze about them and..."No worries, Adriana. Enjoy your day of crocheting! And I read Inkheart last year and really enjoyed it but haven't read any more since. I'd forgotten that's another series I'm in the middle of!
Oh, and I wouldn't bother with the movie, if you get the opportunity to watch it - it seemed completely different to the book, in my opinion. I watched half of it and decided I had better things to do with my time than watch the remainder!!
Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Adriana wrote: "I'm actually wanting to create toys or amigurumi's with this book: Amigurumi. There's an apparent craz..."Thanks! I thought I saw that there was a movie of it in my library. I didn't really plan on watching it anyways. I feel like it looked a bit old even though that doesn't make a movie unlikable. I just had a bad experience with Safe Haven the movie and I don't want to go down that road so soon.
Mathilde / Ikvindlezenleuk wrote: "I started reading Inkheart last year, but I stopped after about 120 pages. I didn't find it a gripping story. Too bad because I was very much looking forward to it. I decided to use my time reading..."A lot of people have felt similar to you it seems. There's a lot of mixed reviews because I guess people expect a lot more because they heard it was so great I don't know or maybe like you it didn't hold their attention. For me I really enjoyed it and thankfully I had the time to read it and not rush (:
Do you know of any books similar to Inkheart that you enjoyed? I'm always up for recommendations.
Book #5
4/5 stars*Better than I thought especially since it was going down the road of love triangles. Obvious things are obvious though... It was fun and fast and had some depth to the story.
Pages: 196
Challenges
The Chinese Zodiac Quarterly Challenge:
#5 The Dog. While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance.
4/5 books completed
Book #6
5/5 stars*Deliciously dark. Explores a lot of the ways we see out food but to the extreme of course. Loved Sasha - easily to relate to and she had this such mature, confident, logical way about her that I couldn't help liking her.
Pages: 280
Challenges
The Chinese Zodiac Quarterly Challenge:
#3 The Monkey. Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book.
Challenge Complete!
Failed miserably with books as guides for crocheting. Couldn't do a "simple" magic circle. Tomorrow I'm trying to see if the internet will help me if not I have a friend who crotchets that might help.
Adriana wrote: "Failed miserably with books as guides for crocheting. Couldn't do a "simple" magic circle. Tomorrow I'm trying to see if the internet will help me if not I have a friend who crotchets that might help."Try Youtube, Adriana. I know some ladies (older ladies, I might add!) who swear by it for learning crochet techniques. And the good thing is you can watch it all through, then go back and watch it again, pausing it while you try to do what you've just watched. I am not a pro at magic circles myself, and whenever I want to try one, I have to find something that tells me how to do it! If I can find the one I used last time, I'll post the link for you!
I think it is the more solid way to go. I've been browsing some techniques and it'll take some time but it seems easier without reading about it and getting some illustrations in between.
Adriana wrote: "I think it is the more solid way to go. I've been browsing some techniques and it'll take some time but it seems easier without reading about it and getting some illustrations in between."I think this is the tutorial I used last time I tried a magic ring - and it worked for me - I just can't store in my head how to do it! I probably need to do it again and again and again! Good luck!
Ooh Thanks! I'll check it out tomorrow (:Book #7
3.5/5 stars*Reminiscent of Coraline and Breadcrumbs. It started out really great and continued that way but there were some things about it that made it miss the 5 star mark for me. Pretty violent for an MG book as well as scary at times.
Pages: 343
Book #8
2.5/5 stars*Good but not as fun as I thought it would be.
Pages: 216
Challenges
The Listopia Yearly Challenge:
Must Read Classics
2/35 books completed
I'm crashing y'all's crochet conversation! I learned how to crochet from this amazing FREE video series: It's seriously awesome, and graduates you from the very basics to more difficult things.
Thanks! You girls are so awesome to me XD
I just finished Peter Pan last night. I kind of agree with you on your rating. message me and we can talk about it.
I messaged you back Alison. Thanks for discussing it with me (:On an unrelated note my cat just got spayed today. Really worried about her all day but I was able to finish my 9th book!
@Kathryn- I'm pretty new to crocheting and everything and maybe I'm just slow to start but I don't think pictures really help me :/ ~ But thank you so much! Your link will definitely help me once I've gotten used to doing it a couple of times (:
@Erika- Thanks! She goes a bit fast for beginners. I might try her out but I think I've found the right "instructor" for me online.
I think I'm getting the hang of the elusive magic circle. I'm going to try a couple more times to make sure I've got it. I'm sorry I'm so slow! At least I'm trying I guess :P
Adriana wrote: "I messaged you back Alison. Thanks for discussing it with me (:On an unrelated note my cat just got spayed today. Really worried about her all day but I was able to finish my 9th book!
@Kathryn-..."
Gosh, don't apologise for being slow, Adriana!! I started with regular granny squares, not magic rings, and that was hard enough. And I think magic rings are harder again! It's just a matter of finding what works for you. It sounds like you're getting there - don't stress about how long it takes - you'll get to a point where it becomes second nature!
I like the look of that site, Erika - I've bookmarked it so I can refer to it as needed!
Thanks for being so awesome Kathryn ^__^
Book #9
4/5 stars*Very fun read even if it waned towards the end. It was pretty addictive.
Pages: 433
Challenges
The Yearly Monopoly Genre Challenge:
Chick lit
Book #10
4/5 stars*Loved Eve's character! Her and Ana's friendship was fantastic. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
Pages: 430
Adriana wrote: "Book #10 4/5 stars*Loved Eve's character! Her and Ana's friendship was fantastic. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
Pages: 430"
This sounds good� But I just counted - I've already added 19 books to my TBR this month - almost a book a day (which is actually good, compared to last month - at least so far - still 10 days to go!), and I'd like to not add any more until I get rid of some more (preferably through reading them!). I'll have to bear this in mind, though...
lol how's your cat doing? mine will be getting spayed sometime this year. I'm worried. She is my first animal I have had by myself.
Alison wrote: "lol how's your cat doing? mine will be getting spayed sometime this year. I'm worried. She is my first animal I have had by myself."It's really tough for the girls because they get more removed than I thought. She has this scar on her but she's doing alright. The day I got her back she looked very sleepy and uncomfortable. She was really hungry afterwards but I made sure to give her small amounts of food and water like I was supposed to. Thanks by the way. It's a little worrying the first day back but she should be fine the day afterwards (:
I caved in and now me and my friend who can crotchet is going to meet up with me this weekend. She's going to give me a crash course with some others. It's going to be awesome! I should have done it sooner.
@Kathryn- I've done the same thing. I added so many books to read this January that I didn't realize it was too much! (They aren't listed above. I have a pile of them in my room) I'm adding them on to my February to read list so it's alright if you do the same. The dialect is a bit tough to get used to but it's a really good book once you get passed that.
Adriana wrote: "I caved in and now me and my friend who can crotchet are going to meet up this weekend. She's going to give me a crash course with some others. It's going to be awesome! I should have done it sooner."That's a good idea, Adriana. Hope it is a productive day full of lots of learning for you! I go to a craft group every fortnight and find that good fun as well as helpful - if you're having trouble, someone else might be able to help you or if you need some ideas about colour combinations (or reassurance!) or suggestions for little extra touches, they generally offer good ideas...
Adriana wrote: "@Kathryn- I've done the same thing. I added so many books to read this January that I didn't realize it was too much! (They aren't listed above. I have a pile of them in my room) I'm adding them on..."Oh, the books I've added so far aren't ones I plan to read this month (that list is already full, so's February's!!). The books I've added this month are just books I've added to be read at some point!!
I hope so too! It's going to be great (:Picture Book #2
4.5/5 stars*LOVED the illustrations and the story was pretty darn cute.
The lesson was postponed. My friend got sick and couldn't make it :(Book #11
2.5/5 stars*Just alright. The story and character didn't grab me. It was more of a build up to the next book. I just didn't feel a connection. Went by really fast.
Pages: 304
Challenges
New Year's Resolutions Monthly Challenge:
#3 Exercise more. Read a book whose cover shows people being active in some way OR read a book in which one of the main characters is an athlete.
Challenge Complete!
Book #12
2/5 stars*I skimmed a lot. I guess since I already know the story it wasn't as fun. It dragged on and I just didn't like it as much as the movie version. The illustrations were nice.
Pages: 103
Book #13
3/5 stars*I don't know what it is about me this January but the books I've been reading are lacking. See Jane Run kept me on my toes as far as the mystery went but Riley was a bit too dramatic for my taste.
Pages: 288
I'm hoping to read one more book in January but here is what I'm planning for next month:February Books To-Read
Of course these books are subject to change like what happened with January. My goal is to read at least 10 books. I'm going to start reading yearly challenge books in March.
*I am horrible at crocheting apparently. My friend came over and I had such a hard time making a scarf. My yarn seems to be all wrong and my hook needs to be bigger but I got the basic technique now so I'll keep on trying to do better.Book #14
4/5 stars*Beautifully written. I feel this sweet, sad lingering feeling after reading this story. Warmed my heart.
Pages: 240
Monthly Explorations in Love Challenge
#5 Chronophilia. When you only date people of a certain age group, derived from the God Chronos (father time). Read a book where the main characters are vastly different age ranges OR read a book that spans a large amount of time.
1/5 books done
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
ARRGH! (other topics)The Willoughbys (other topics)
Unite Me (other topics)
Unite Me (other topics)
The Willoughbys (other topics)
More...
EDIT: I've changed my goal to 101 - 7/17/14
EDIT: I've changed my goal to 85 - 12/8/14
Adriana's Little Corner of the World
2014 Books Read: