2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE: Monthly Challenges
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September - Trust Exercises
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How to Participate:1. Post here telling the challenge leader that you'd like to join the challenge. You can choose your books for the challenge at the beginning, or add them as you go. You can join a challenge at any time, as long as the challenge is still active. You must choose a goal for the challenge.
2. Whenever you finish a book for the challenge, post here and let the challenge leader know so they can update your progress. Please be sure to post the number of books you have completed and the number of your original message every time you post an update.
The challenge leader is not able to keep track of your total number of books for you because of the number of participants in the challenge. The number of the original post is used to identify you, as there can be many members with the same name. The challenge leader will not look at this post to track your progress.
Example:
Message 32 updated! 2/10 books read!
P.S. Please do not delete posts! It makes updating very confusing for the Moderators! If you decide to leave the challenge, please just let us know. You can edit your original post to say {redacted}. Thank you!
PARTICIPANTS
Hoping to Trust (signed up)
Allison (Message#26) - 0/2
Amy (Other Amy) (Message#6) - 0/1
Bookspective (Message#12) - 0/2
Brianna (Message#13) - 0/3
Learning to Trust (participating)
Chrissie (Message#7) - 1/3
Lynn (Message#24) - 5/6
SarahKat (Message#5) - 7/10
Masters of Trust (completed)
Ashley (Message#11) - 6/5
Carri Carey (Message#3) - 6/6
Kristina (Message#9) - 10/10
Megan (Message#14) - 4/4
Patricia (Message#10) - 2/2
Sarah (Message#16) - 5/5
Suzanne (Message#27) - 4/1+
TerryJane (Message#8) - 11/10
STATS
Updated: Oct 3
Participants: 15
Books pledged: 70
Books read: 66
Challenges completed: 8
I plan to read 6 for this challenge:� Recommended by my best friend -
Things in Jars - Read 9/22/22� Recommended by a high school boyfriend -
The Things They Carried - Read 9/9/22� Recommended by my book club leader -
The Hunting Party - Read 9/1/22� Recommended by my son -
The Final Empire - Read 9/19/22� Recommended by my other son -
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre - Read 9/6/22� From Oprah's Book Club -
The Poisonwood Bible
..
I am going with one trusted source - Oprah's Book Club
- A celebrity's reading list (Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, etc.)
0/3
1.
2.
3.
Possibilities
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
- Sula by Toni Morrison
- Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Edit: Leaving challenge. Busy month, no time.
0/0
..
I will sign up for 7 to start with! I'm hoping to be able to increase that, but we'll see.10/10
🤩پ: The Giver of Stars
🧛Other Bestie: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
🧔ٲ: The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way
👼Friend from Church: This Tender Land
🦸Husband's Friend: Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1
👨🎤EDz: Spellsinger
🕵️♂️Friend from High School: All Good People Here
🧙♂�'Nother Friend: Storm Front by Jim Butcher
🐲Daycare Friend: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
🐴Work Friend: Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Oh, hey this fits with something I've wanted to do for a while. I have the Bowie list, the Boxall 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list (all editions), and the Mustich 1000 all on my shelves and I read off of them in fits. I've been thinking about prioritizing the books that are on all three lists. For what I personally have not read, that would be these:Bowie + 1001 + 1000
The Great Gatsby
The Master and Margarita
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Madame Bovary
In Cold Blood
Lolita
On the Road
The Leopard
A Clockwork Orange
Realistically, I will only probably be able to do one of those this month, so that's what I'll sign up for for this challenge.
0/1
Finished: 2022/10/20I'll be reading books recommended by my fellow co-workers (and mostly borrowed from them). Count me in for 3.
3/3
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🤸♀� TRUST EXERCISES - Monthly ChallengeDuration: September 1 - September 30, 2022
Progress: 16/10 -- COMPLETE (view spoiler)
Trust ExercisesSeptember 01 - September 30
Progress: 10/10
Sign me up for 10, please! My list is a mishmash of recommendations from family and friends or books people bought for me as a gift I haven't gotten around to yet.
� 1. The Overstory by Richard Powers
� 2. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
� 3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
� 4. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
� 5. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
� 6. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
� 7. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
� 8. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
� 9. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
� 10. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
TRUST EXERCISESSeptember 1 - September 30, 2022
Sign me up for 2, please!
Progress:0/2
I am going to try for 51. Lessons in Chemistry
2. Othello
3. A Man Called Ove
4. The Last Olympian
5. The Last Flight
6. The Hacienda
Sign me up for 2 please Trust Exercises
Sept 1- Sept 30, 2022
Progress: 0/ 2
TRUST EXERCISESSeptember 1 - September 30, 2022
Sign me up for 3, please!
1.
2.
3.
I’m in for 4!1. Rec’d by bestie - Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor - completed
2. Rec’d by bestie - Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor - completed
3. Rec’d by GR Choice - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby - completed
4. Blurb by fav author - What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster - completed
4/4 - challenge completed!
Sign me up for 5 books5/5-COMPLETED
�1)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(3/9/22)
�2)Song of Solomon(22/9/22)
�3)As I Lay Dying(6/9/22)
�4)A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments(14/9/22)
�5)Some Love, Some Pain, Sometime: Stories(7/9/22)
Updated msg 14Recommended by bestie - Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor. The plot twists and dances with surprise in this book! I love the author’s writing. She has compassion for her characters while also realizing they need flaws. I really like how she’s bringing Sunny’s brothers into the story as well. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
1/4
Update to Message 5: 5/7I am having such fun with this challenge!
5/7
🧛Other Bestie: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor
👼Friend from Church: This Tender Land
🦸Husband's Friend: Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1
🧙♂️EDz: Spellsinger
🕵️♂️Friend from High School: All Good People Here
Update to message #3 - 3/6 books read!
Updated msg 14Recommended by bestie - Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor. This author thinks on another level! Good writing and character development are things I expect from the author. I also expect the unexpected, and I was not disappointed. I want to re-read this in the future when my life is less stressful - the images drawn might make more sense then. Whole series is definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
2/4
Updated msg 14Recommended by ŷ Choice - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. It’s going to take me awhile to unpack this book. So good! “It was bad enough being a Black man in the good ol� US of A and talking to the cops. You always felt like you were on the edge of some imaginary precipice during any interaction with an officer of the law. If you were an ex-con, it felt like the precipice was covered in bacon grease.� The writing is excellent! The characters are complex and making tough choices and going through evolution on the page. Just brilliant! “love is a kind of crazy.� So much truth in this book! Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
3/4
Update to Message 5: Please update my goal to 107/10
🧛Other Bestie: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
👼Friend from Church: This Tender Land
🦸Husband's Friend: Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1
👨🎤EDz: Spellsinger
🕵️♂️Friend from High School: All Good People Here
🧙♂�Storm Front by Jim Butcher
🐲His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
TRUST EXERCISESSeptember 1 - September 30, 2022
5/6 as of September 14!
- A best friend
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano
September 2--5 STARS
- A significant other
- A family member
- A co-worker
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
September 14--5 STARS
- A fellow ŷ member
Started Early, Took My Dog (Jackson Brodie #4) by Kate Atkinson
September 8--5 STARS
- A teacher
- A librarian
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
September 10--5 STARS
- A book club friend
Dumplin' (Dumplin' #1) by Julie Murphy
September 3--5 STARS
- A favorite author's endorsement
- A social media recommendation (Booktok, blog, etc.)
- A celebrity's reading list (Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, etc.)
- Our Secret Santa gift list
Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien
Update to posting #24: 5/6 as of September 14 Raised my goal to 6 for now.
2022 Reading ChallengeSeptember - Trust Exercises
Duration: September 1 - September 30, 2022
Progress: 4 out of 1+
This month we are celebrating trust. What better way to do that than to trust in our fellow readers? The idea is to read books based on recommendations or reviews from friends, family, co-workers, online friends and more:
- A best friend
- A significant other
- A family member
- A co-worker
- A fellow ŷ member
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert - - 9/15/2022 - 405 Pages
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren - **** - 9/5/2022 - 290 Pages
In a Blink by Kiki Thorpe - **** - 9/14/2022 - 128 Pages
- A teacher
- A librarian
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis - **** - 9/8/2022 - 160 Pages
- A book club friend
- A favorite author's endorsement
- A social media recommendation (Booktok, blog, etc.)
- A celebrity's reading list (Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, etc.)
- Our Secret Santa gift list
You may choose your recommended reads from one trusted resource or several. Just let us know how many books you plan to read for this exercise in trust!
Update to Message #7: 11/10Complete!
If I read more books appropriate for this challenge in the next 1-1/2 weeks, I will come back to add them. Thank you, Carri, for this marvelous challenge!
🤸♀� Girl, Interrupted - Recommended by my middle daughter
🤸♀� The Last Thing He Told Me - Reese Witherspoon's Book Club
🤸♀� Maybe in Another Life - Highly rated by author Jillian Cantor
🤸♀� These Silent Woods - Review by Audiofile Magazine on library website
🤸♀� I Must Betray You - Endorsed by author Chris Bohjalian
🤸♀� Paradise - Oprah's Book Club
🤸♀� Beautiful Little Fools - Endorsed by author Kate Quinn
🤸♀� The Girl Who Played with Fire - Winner of ŷ Choice Awards 2009; endorsed by two favorite authors; rated highly by several GR friends and a book club friend
🤸♀� The Women in the Castle - Nominee for ŷ Choice Awards 2017
🤸♀� The Book of Life - Recommended by a book club friend
🤸♀� Salt Houses - Nominee for ŷ Choice Awards 2017
Update to message #4: 0/0. I am dropping out of this challenge. This month has been way busier than expected. Great challenge, no time. Heavy sigh.
Debra Diggs wrote: "Update to message #4: 0/0. I am dropping out of this challenge. This month has been way busier than expected. Great challenge, no time. Heavy sigh."Sorry to hear that, Debra! Take care and we'll see you next time!
Updated msg 14Blurb from fav author - What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster. I appreciate the author’s effort and what she tried to accomplish. I liked that her characters were complex, and that she didn’t seek to fix everything for them. However the alternating timelines and character perspectives was distracting and was not done seamlessly. I guessed the twist well before it happened. I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. 3 stars
4/4 - challenge completed!
Update to message 9 - 10/10 books, challenge complete!
Update to Message #7: 16/10Carri, I read 5 more books recommended by (mostly) trusted sources since I last updated. Oprah and the 1001 list are kind of hit or miss, but I'll count them. Thanks again!
Update message 10#progress: 2/2
haha, I'm sorry late update. I've just been busy this month:)
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall- from a book club friend.
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez - from a best friend.
Great job, everyone! Hope you had fun!
Late update but I did finish 10/10!🤩پ: The Giver of Stars
🧛Other Bestie: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
🧔ٲ: The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way
👼Friend from Church: This Tender Land
🦸Husband's Friend: Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1
👨🎤EDz: Spellsinger
🕵️♂️Friend from High School: All Good People Here
🧙♂�'Nother Friend: Storm Front by Jim Butcher
🐲Daycare Friend: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
🐴Work Friend: Green Rider by Kristen Britain
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Way of a Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Continues His Way (other topics)This Tender Land (other topics)
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor (other topics)
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1 (other topics)
Green Rider (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kathryn Moon (other topics)Jim Butcher (other topics)
Naomi Novik (other topics)
Kristen Britain (other topics)
Kristen Britain (other topics)
More...
September 1 - September 30, 2022
This month we are celebrating trust. What better way to do that than to trust in our fellow readers? The idea is to read books based on recommendations or reviews from friends, family, co-workers, online friends and more:
- A best friend
- A significant other
- A family member
- A co-worker
- A fellow ŷ member
- A teacher
- A librarian
- A book club friend
- A favorite author's endorsement
- A social media recommendation (Booktok, blog, etc.)
- A celebrity's reading list (Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, etc.)
- Our Secret Santa gift list
You may choose your recommended reads from one trusted resource or several. Just let us know how many books you plan to read for this exercise in trust!
This challenge was suggested by Carri Carey, who will also be its leader. Thanks, Carri!