2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Joan's Jammin' in 2019
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Buddy Reads 2019January
�The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
�They Both Die at the End
February
�Red Rising
�Victoria
March
�Golden Son
�Where'd You Go, Bernadette
April
�The Circle
�Commonwealth
�Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
�The Secret of Lost Things
June
�The Woman in the Window
July
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
August
The Thorn Birds
October
The Testaments
2019 ŷ Choice Awards Challenge-2018 Winners and Nominees�Gone Rogue- read 2018
�Artificial Condition - read 2018
�Leah on the Offbeat - read 2018
�The Immortalists - read 2018
�Darker - read 2017
�Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
�Educated
�Becoming
�Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History
�The President Is Missing
�The Woman in the Window
�Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History
�All Your Perfects
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
The Kiss Quotient
What If It's Us
Iron Gold
Us Against You
Obsidio
Legendary
An American Marriage
The Wife Between Us
Joan's Sizzlin' Summer Reading ChallengeRules are that you have to complete one book in every section so a total of 12 books
5/12
JUNE
1. In the Summertime
One of the best-selling singles of all time, this song by Mungo Jerry is perfect summer listening.
☀� Read a book with a title beginning with a letter in SUMMERTIME
☀� Read a book that appears on one of the ŷ staff summer reading lists
☀� Read a book which appears on this list of best-selling books of all time
�2. June, July, August
☀� Read a book by an author whose first or last name starts with J or A.
☀� Read a book that was first published in June, July or August of any year. - All Your Perfects
☀� Read a book with 6, 7 or 8 in the number of pages (eg 157 pages; 650 pages; 282 pages)
�3. Bloomsday
16 June is Bloomsday, a celebration of the life of James Joyce. His book Ulysses takes place entirely on 16 June.
☀� Read a book with a main character whose name begins with a letter in LEOPOLD BLOOM - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
☀� Read a book by an author who has the same first and last initials
☀� Read a book set in Ireland or by an Irish author
�4. Beach reads
Who doesn’t love sitting on the beach or by a swimming pool soaking up the sun and enjoying a good book?
☀� Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in BEACH or SWIMMING POOL
☀� Read a book with the sun, sea or a swimming pool on the cover OR a book with a mostly yellow or blue cover
☀� Read a book from one of these lists of great beach reads: The Woman in the Window
🏖 The 100 greatest beach reads ever
🏖 Text on the beach - the 50 best summer reads ever
🏖 The 25 best beach reads of the year so far
JULY
1. Summer in the City
Another famous summer song, this was top of the charts for three weeks in summer 1966.
☀� Read a book by an author whose first and last initials appear in SUMMER IN THE CITY
☀� Read a book set in a capital city
☀� Read a book first published in the 1960s or set in the 1960s
2. Travel the world
Summer is the perfect time for travelling and exploring new places, or “visiting� new places by reading about them.
☀️Read a book set in a country other than the one you currently live in
☀� Read a book with a map on the cover or in the book
☀� Read a book set in a fictional location
3. Nelson Mandela Day
Held on 18 July, this day honours the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
☀� Read a book with a main character whose name begins with N or M.
☀� Read a book by an African author or a book set in an African country
☀� Read a book you added to your TBR in 2018
4. Winter Wonderland
Let’s not forget readers in the Southern Hemisphere who will be in the middle of winter during this challenge.
❄️ Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in WINTER WONDERLAND
❄️ Read a book set in or by an author from a country in the Southern Hemisphere
❄️ Read a book from one of these winter reading lists:
⛄️ Best books to read when the snow is falling
⛄️ 20 books for the cold dark months
⛄️ TED’s winter reading list
AUGUST
1. Summer Nights
One of the most famous songs from the musical Grease, Summer Nights was a hugely popular song in summer 1978.
☀� Read a book published in a year that includes any two of the numbers 1, 9, 7, 8 (eg 1955, 2017, 1802, etc)
☀� Read a book where an event that’s important to the plot takes place at night
☀� Read a book with a main character who shares a first or last name with a character or actor from the movie Grease
�2. Summer is too short for bad books
So pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy.
☀� Read a book in a series you enjoy - Golden Son
☀� Read a book by a favourite author
☀� Read a book published in 2019 that you have been looking forward to
3. International Beer Day
Held on the first Friday in August, this day encourages people to enjoy a beer with friends and sample new beers from other countries.
☀� Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title appears in INTERNATIONAL BEER DAY
☀� Read a book where the characters drink beer or visit a bar.
☀� Read a book that is the first book you have read by an author from that country (example: I’ve never read a book by a Sudanese author so I could count a book by Tayeb Salih for this prompt.)
�4. Back to school
Summer always goes by so quickly. Before you know it the days are getting shorter, it’s edging towards autumn and for students it’s the start of a new school year.
☀� Read a book by an author who is new to you
☀� Read a book from this list of books often read in high school
☀� Read a short book, defined as 200 pages or less. - Annihilation
I completed my first book of 2019. I jumped on the Bird Box bandwagon and read the book and watched the movie. Of course I enjoyed the book more. I actually had nightmares while reading it. The movie wasn't really scary to me but I did enjoy it. They changed a bunch of stuff and that kept me guessing a little bit. I rated the book 4 stars. I wasn't a fan of the ending but I guess I can't come up with a better one.1/60
Well I've slowed down since January except for I've been reading graphic novels so I'm still ahead in my book count but fell behind in my Around the Year in 52 books challenge.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - this was a cute book and the WWII information was really interesting. I wasn't a fan of the ending though. I would highly recommend it though. I rated it 4 stars.
They Both Die at the End - I really liked this book and I actually liked the ending. I feel like I've hated the ending in the recent books that I've read. I ended up rating this 4 stars.
Herding Cats, Big Mushy Happy Lump and Adulthood Is a Myth - I loved these books. They made me laugh so hard. I rated them 4 and 5 stars. This was so refreshing to read and laugh out loud.
Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon - This was so interesting. I loved listening to the audio. I learned so much and I rated it 5 stars.
Gemina - I wasn't as in love with it as I was the first book but there were some twists I wasn't expecting. I'm trying to fit the third book in my challenge somewhere soon. I rated it 4 stars.
We Were Liars - I wanted to like this book more. Some of it hit close to home as the main character was dealing with migraines which is what my daughter is dealing with now after a car accident at the end of October. I wanted to like this book more but I found some of it unbelievable. I rated it 3 stars.
9/60
Well I haven't really posted on here this year. It has been a hard year for me personally. I lost my Mom in March and this year has just been a little crazy with my kids' health also.I'm ahead on my annual challenge but behind on my Around the Year challenge. I'm also behind in my buddy reads. I'm not sure how I have so many that ended up in April. I swear they were more spaced out than that. I'm going to be running a little behind on those. I'm trying to read the ones where just one other person signed up with me.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - I was hoping to like this more than I did. It was a little weird and it wasn't really spooky like I was hoping. I rated it 3 stars.
The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington - I really enjoyed this book. I learned some things that I didn't know. It was interesting how he had the first bodyguards and really the start of the intelligence agency.
There were some parts I struggled to get through. I listened to it on audio. I rated it 3 stars.
Red Rising - I really thought I was going to be more in love with this. It finally started picking up halfway through and I haven't been motivated enough to start the second one. I am planning on finishing the series though. The length and the drawn out content are sort of holding me off though. I only rated it 3 stars.
Little Moments of Love - This was a cute graphic book but didn't make me laugh like Sarah Andersen's books. I gave this 3 stars also.
Victoria - I thought this would have extended into her marriage but it cut off when she decided to marry Albert. I wanted more from this book. I'm now reading the non-fiction Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire which I'm finding fascinating. The historical fiction was a little more fluff but I still liked it. I rated this 3 stars also.
The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown - I learned a lot about her and it was a fun audio book. I rated this one 4 stars.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - I picked this one up in the library because it was on the shelf. I didn't agree with some of it. It was interesting but it wasn't for me. I did it as an audio book also. I rated it 2 stars.
Five Feet Apart - I read this in a couple of days. It was an easy fun read but I thought The Fault in Our Stars was much better. I did rate it 3 stars just because it kept my interest up and I did learn about cystic fibrosis.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - This was a neurotic book that was fun to read. I probably wasn't in the right mood for it while I was reading it and probably would've gone through it much faster at a different time in my life. It took me awhile to get through but I loved the writing. I rated it 4 stars.
The Circle - This was a great idea for a book but the book just didn't carry it through. I got frustrated with the main character and some of the thoughts and rambling. I liked it up until Book III. I watched the movie right after and they changed what I would have from the book so I actually liked the movie much better. I rated it 3 stars.
19/60
I really enjoyed Educated. I didn't know what to expect. I put it on hold at the library because it helped me with my ŷ Choice Awards challenge that I have been doing the past couple of years. Her story was really interesting. I highly recommend it. She lived in the Idaho mountains and her family doesn't believe in modern medicine and she was home schooled. I highly recommend it. I rated it 5/5 stars. I listened to it on audio and the reader also did a great job.Commonwealth - This book was a disappointment to me. I just didn't care about the characters enough and it spanned over many years and it just didn't feel that enough happened. I did like the writing. I rated it only 2 stars.
The President Is Missing - I also checked this one out of the library due to the ŷ Choice Awards challenge. It was another good surprise. I started it out on audio and finished up reading the physical book over the weekend because I wanted to see what happened. I only listen to audio on my commute to work so I had to finish it up early. I liked the book a lot but I felt like it got tied up a little too easily. I do recommend the book. I rated it 4/5 stars.
The Secret of Lost Things - so wow - another 2 star read. I rated it 2 and not a 1 because in the beginning it was at least charming. Then I don't know what happened about 2/3 through. This book could have stayed a secret!!! Actually it did kind of stay a secret because I have no idea what the ending meant. Waste of time - can't get those hours of my life back.
23/60
I read Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire. It was really good. I started out listening to it on audio and the library loan ran out. My Mom had the book so I ended up reading the last 200 pages. I definitely learned a lot from it. It was a great non-fiction read. I rated it 5 stars.I'm trying to pick up a little steam in reading. This has been such a weird year for me personally. I'm wondering also if my challenge isn't precluding me from reading quicker. Some of the prompts I'm not that interested in or the book I picked out for the prompt is boring me or by the time I got to the prompt I wasn't into reading what I picked. I'm looking forward to the next set of books so hopefully the next few months will go better.
24/60
I finished Becoming. I really enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio and Michelle Obama narrated it so that made it even that much better. All of the little details about living in the White House I found fascinating. I didn't really know her background and after reading that I respect her that much more. I always thought she was a classy lady. This book just proved it. I rated it 5 stars.I read The Lesser Blessed which I wouldn't have read without the ATY challenge. I read it for the prompt with the indigenous people. I picked the shortest and cheapest book for this one since I wasn't really into the prompt. The books I saw I just wasn't that interested in or I had already read the ones that I wanted to. I did enjoy the book. The characters were extremely well developed for being a short book. It was a little dark for me. It was like an edgy dark kind of book. It just wasn't my thing but I'm glad I read out of my comfort zone. I rated it 3 stars.
The ATY group is doing a challenge within a challenge for the summer so I posted that above. Hopefully that will get me caught up in the ATY challenge.
26/60
I listened to Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History. I'm glad Bill O'Reilly narrated it. It wasn't as good as other books in his Killing series but I thought it was a pretty solid read though. I rated it three stars. I just felt like he more or less just jumped right into the story and I felt a little lost for awhile but I figured it out. I didn't count this book for my ATY challenge but it did count towards by ŷ Choice Awards challenge.I also finished Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. I counted this towards prompt #30 a book featuring an elderly character. I liked the main characters but as far as the other characters, I just thought there was a lot of them. The book also jumped around a little bit too much for me. Normally I don't mind that but in the book, I did.
28/60
I read The Woman in the Window basically in one day. I couldn't put it down. I did jump in a couple of spots while reading it. I did enjoy the Hitchcock aspect of it. I did guess one of the twists but I think you were supposed to catch on at that point. I rated it 5 stars.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was a quick read. The ending will stick with me for awhile. To see the Holocaust through the eyes of a child in the book made the Holocaust even worse. I rated it 4 stars.
Annihilation was a good short Sci-Fi book. It had me guessing as to what was going on up until the end. I liked the character and I thought it was interesting that no one had names. There were creepy parts in this one too that made me jumpy while reading it. I rated it 4 stars. I'll continue with the series to see what happens next.
All Your Perfects was a good book about marriage. I read this one fast also. I liked the main character and I could identify with her. I rated this one 4 stars also.
Johnny Carson - I listened to this on audio. I enjoyed learning about his life but he wasn't that nice of a person. So now when I watch reruns I'll have that in my mind. I rated it 4 stars.
I feel like these books got me back in my groove. I enjoyed reading them and I was getting pretty frustrated at some of my reads this year.
33/60
Forward: A Memoir - I listened to this on audio and I really liked it. Abby is a great inspiration. She has such a good heart and is pretty loyal to her friends. It was interesting reading about her trials and tribulations and how she felt about soccer. I rated it 5 stars.I finally got through Golden Son. These books really take me a long time to read. I really liked the ending and it will propel me to pick up the next book quicker than I would have. All in all though I rated it 3 stars. I just can't keep the families and names straight although by the end of the second book I feel like I caught on better.
35/60
I haven't been reading that much as of late. If it wasn't for audio books I'd really be behind this year. I'm fine on the annual ŷ challenge but I'm behind on the Around the Year challenge and I missed the summer challenge by one book.Anne of Green Gables - I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was charming and fun to read. Some of it was dated because of when it was written but it was still really fun. I may continue on with the series at some point. It was definitely better after she turned 13 but still overall very enjoyable. I rated it 4 stars.
Obsidio - I was disappointed in this book of the series. I just didn't connect with the characters like I did in the first two. I rated it 3 stars. I'm glad I read the series though. The format was really cool and unique in the first book but by the time the third book came around the format lost the fun quality for me.
The Color Purple - I listened to this on audio. The accent really got on my nerves about halfway through the audio. If I heard children pronounced Cherldrin one more time I thought I was going to scream. I think I would have liked this book more if I didn't listen to the audio. I'm not an overall fan of listening to fiction on audio. To try and get caught up a little bit I tried it with this one. I think I'm going to make a mental note to check the accents before I do another fiction one. There have been some audio fiction that I've enjoyed this year but not this one. Getting to the story though - the story of Celie is an important one. Her character transformation was amazing in this book. I only rated it 3 stars and I think we can blame the audio for that.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After - this also is an important story of the Rwandan massacre. I learned a lot in this book. I also listened to the audio for this. The time periods skipped around too much for me on audio. I also checked out the physical book to see what was going on and that helped tremendously. For the most part I have problems of biographies where they skip around. I guess I prefer when they go in chronological order. I rated this one 3 stars also.
What Alice Forgot - I needed this book this year. I feel like I have had my share of mediocre reads but this one was not. I wasn't expecting much and I was so pleasantly surprised. It made me look at my own life through this lens. I thought this was a fantastic book. I read it pretty quickly. It was a 5 star read for me.
Morning Star - I'm starting to blame my slow reading progress on this series. It takes me so long to read these books and I finally half way through can't put them down but I literally read this for two months. I read some others in between but basically 2 months. I'm glad I'm reading the series but it takes my reading mojo away and the books are long. I have the next one to start and I just can't pick it up yet. I ended up rating this 3 stars which actually is a little harsh. There were some really good plot twists in it. That's when I can't put it down.
On the Come Up - This was an excellent audio. I hadn't planned on reading this one this year but I got an itch to read it. The audio was good for this book I think because of the rap. It wasn't as good as The Hate U Give but it kept my interest and it was a fun book. I rated it 4 stars.
The Thorn Birds - this took me a month to read. It was almost 700 pages. I really liked the flow of her writing. I've always wanted to read this book. I watched the miniseries as a kid and loved it. My only complaint was the end. It seemed she wanted to tie it up somehow and I just think overall the ending didn't really work with the story. I thought it could of ended in the part before. I think she wanted to end it with the third female generation but I think that part we all didn't care too much about. I rated it 4 stars.
The Prince and the Dressmaker - I like to pick up a graphic novel every once in awhile and this one was fun. I started reading them I think last year. I rated it 4 stars.
I'm currently listening to Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail on audio. Some of it is definitely raw but I'm enjoying it so far.
I'm currently reading Atonement. I liked this book so far but there definitely isn't much dialogue in it so it is taking me longer than expected. I'm hoping to finish it today and watch the movie at some point.
44/60
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Color Purple (other topics)The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After (other topics)
Anne of Green Gables (other topics)
Obsidio (other topics)
What Alice Forgot (other topics)
More...
�1. A book that was nominated for or won an award in a genre you enjoy - Shirley Jackson Award - Annihilation 🎥
�2. A book with one of the 5 W's in the title (Who, What, Where, When, Why) - What Alice Forgot
�3. A book where the author’s name contains A, T, and Y - The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
4. A book with a criminal character (i.e. assassin, pirate, thief, robber, scoundrel etc) - Grist Mill Road
�5. A book by Shakespeare or inspired by Shakespeare - We Were Liars
�6. A book with a dual timeline - Bird Box 🎥
�7. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #1 - Red Rising
�8. 2 books related to the same topic, genre, or theme: Book #2 - Golden Son
9. A book from one of the top 5 money making genres (romance/erotica, crime/mystery, religious/inspirational, science fiction/fantasy or horror) - Still Me
�10. A book featuring an historical figure - Victoria
11. A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals (title, cover, subject) - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - snake
�12. A book about reading, books or an author/writer - The Secret of Lost Things
�13. A book that is included on a New York Public Library Staff Picks list - Where'd You Go, Bernadette
�14. A book with a title, subtitle or cover relating to an astronomical term - Morning Star
15. A book by an author from a Mediterranean country or set in a Mediterranean country - All the Light We Cannot See
16. A book told from multiple perspectives - Atonement
17. A speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy, scifi, horror, dystopia) - Requiem
18. A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of elements - Iron Gold
19. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR - Us Against You
�20. A book featuring indigenous people of a country - The Lesser Blessed
�21. A book from one of the polarizing or close call votes - a book relating to or set in a National Capital City - Becoming
�22. A book with a number in the title or on the cover - Five Feet Apart 🎥
�23. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #1 Something Old - We Have Always Lived in the Castle
24. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #2 Something New - New to me author - Lilac Girls
25. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #3 Something Borrowed - Dorothy Must Die
�26. 4 books inspired by the wedding rhyme: Book #4 Something Blue - Gemina
27. A book off of the 1001 books to read before you die list - Great Expectations
28. A book related to something cold (i.e. theme, title, author, cover, etc.) - Let it Snow
29. A book published before 1950 - Rebecca
�30. A book featuring an elderly character - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
�31. A children’s classic you’ve never read - Anne of Green Gables
�32. A book with more than 500 pages - Obsidio
33. A book you have owned for at least a year, but have not read yet
- Beautiful Creatures
- Fallen
�34. A book with a person's name in the title - Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
35. A psychological thriller - The Wife Between Us
�36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list - The Circle 🎥
�37. A book set in a school or university - On the Come Up
�38. A book not written in traditional novel format (poetry, essay, epistolary, graphic novel, etc) - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 🎥
�39. A book with a strong sense of place or where the author brings the location/setting to life - Educated
�40. A book you stumbled upon - They Both Die at the End
�41. A book from the 2018 GR Choice Awards - The Woman in the Window
42. A book with a monster or "monstrous" character - World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
43. A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) [fiction or nonfiction] - The Last Days of Night
44. A book related in some way to a tv show/series or movie you enjoyed (same topic, same era, book appeared in the show/movie, etc.) - The 100
�45. A multi-generational saga - The Thorn Birds
�46. A book with a (mostly) black cover - The President Is Missing -
�47. A book related to food (i.e. title, cover, plot, etc.) - Commonwealth
�48. A book that was a finalist or winner for the National Book Award for any year - The Color Purple
49. A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country - Memoirs of a Geisha
�50. A book that includes a journey (physical, health, or spiritual) - All Your Perfects
�51. A book published in 2019 - The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
�52. A book with a weird or intriguing title - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 🎥
� - Completed
🎥 - Watched movie/TV show/series related to book
- Audio book
Eye Candy