2026 Reading Challenges

2026 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Kid Read Aloud

• Top 100

• Book of the Month

• Nonfiction Reader

• Speccy Fiction

• Romanceopoly

• She Reads Romance

• Cover Lover

• Fairytale Retelling

• New Releases

• Seasonal Challenges

GoodReads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. .

UnRead Shelf (25) - My eighth year participating in this particular challenge. I never seem to actually finish this challenge, but do love the push to read my own books. You can find more information about this challenge at The Unread Shelf.

Kid Read Alouds (30) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We have some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

Book of the Month (12) - I have a large stack of previous Book of the Month reads just sitting on my floor. I want to read at least 12 of those.

Top 100 (25) - I always pull out the Top 100 rated books off my Goodreads To Read shelf. I want to make a plan to read 25 of those books. Some also appear on my Unread Shelf so that should help.

Nonfiction Reader (12) - I definitely need to get more nonfiction back into my reading. I’m hoping to get to at least one nonfiction a month. More information at Book’d Out..

Speccy Fiction (12) - Along with the Nonfiction Reader challenge, Book’d Out is hosting a speculative fiction challenge this year. I’m all for speculative fiction reads! I’m going to try to read one from each of the categories. Sign up here.

New Release (12) - I’m joining this new-to-me challenge to account for those new books that I always get distracted by. Sign up at The Chocolate Lady’s Book Blog.

Romanceopoly (37) - I somehow missed this one last year, but I’m back this year. I read a ton of romance and am excited to get back into this challenge. More information at Romanceopoly.

She Reads Romance (12) - Another romance reading challenge for this year. More information at She Reads Romance.

Cover Lover (50) - I love the idea of a challenge focusing on cover designs. I definitely judge a book by its cover. More information at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books..

Fairytale Retelling (12) - I always love fairy tale retellings and this challenge is perfect for me. More information at Charity Rau.

Seasonal Challenges (12) - Last minute, I decided to resurrect my seasonal reading challenges. These will mostly be focused on knocking out some reads I want to areas that I am lacking in.

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I also decided to create my own spice meter for romance books. A 1-5 scale seemed too limiting for the types of books I read. So I expanded it to 8 levels with corresponding explanations. I will be rating all of my romance books on this new scale.

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My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2025 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

For 2025, I added some reading challenges to my plan, but didn’t force myself to tailor my reading to those challenges. I had a good variety of challenges, but my overall reading took a hit this year. I really leaned into my mood reading to help keep me motivated.

Overall Stats

3/16 Challenges 18.8%

440/598 Spots 73.6%

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 249/200 Books 100%

Completed Challenges

Spooky Season
25/25 Books 100%

1. Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove (9/4/25)

2. Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (9/8/25)

3. In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant (9/9/25)

4. A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck (9/24/25)

5. Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz (9/25/25)

6. Lone Women by Victor LaValle (9/27/25)

7. The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud (9/28/25)

8. The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers by Jen Campbell (10/3/25)

9. Zomromcom by Olivia Dade (10/4/25)

10. Rosen Blood Vol. 1 (10/8/25)

11. Rosen Blood Vol. 2 (10/8/25)

12. Rosen Blood Vol. 3 (10/9/25)

13. Rosen Blood Vol. 4 (10/9/25)

14. Rosen Blood Vol. 5 (10/10/25)

15. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (10/11/25)

16. The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates (10/18/25)

17. Tomes of Terror by Mark Leslie (10/23/25)

18. Fiend by Alma Katsu (10/24/25)

19. Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen (10/25/25)

20. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (10/28/25)

21. The Great Mortality by John Kelly (11/5/25)

22. My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher (11/7/25)

23. This House is Haunted by John Boyne (11/12/25)

24. A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig (11/19/25)

25. The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (11/26/25)

She Reads Romance
12/12 Books 100%

1. Contemporary - Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks (12/20/25)

2. Erotic - The Demon’s Bargain by Katee Robert (3/28/25)

3. RomCom - The Lodge by Kayla Olson (12/13/25)

4. Historical - The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (12/26/25)

5. Fantasy - Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander (8/9/25)

6. Queer - Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert (4/16/25)

7. Sports - Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (3/22/25)

8. Dark - The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe (1/17/25)

9. New Adult - Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon (12/24/25)

10. Paranormal - The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert (4/10/25)

11. Suspense - Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert (12/12/25)

12. Holiday - The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (12/17/25)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf Project
28/50 Books 56%

1. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (1/11/25)

2. Small Angels by Lauren Owen (1/22/25)

3. Partials by Dan Wells (1/21/25)

4. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (2/4/25)

5. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck (2/15/25)

6. Horseman by Christina Henry (2/19/25)

7. Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver (2/18/25)

8. Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert (4/16/25)

9. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (4/19/25)

10. Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams (4/18/25)

11. Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson (4/25/25)

12. The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis (5/23/25)

13. Water Moon by Sammantha Sotto Yambao (6/7/25)

14. The Wedding People by Alison Espach (6/29/25)

15. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (7/2/25)

16. Wicked Pursuit by Katee Robert (7/10/25)

17. Divine Intervention by RM Virtues (7/10/25)

18. Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove (9/4/25)

19. The Antidote by Karen Russell (9/23/25)

20. Irresistible Devil by Jenny Norbak (9/26/25)

21. Lone Women by Victor LaValle (9/27/25)

22. Stolen Vows by Sav R Miller (10/2/25)

23. Shattered Innocence by Sara Cate (10/16/25)

24. Royal Heart by Nana Malone (10/22/25)

25. Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen (10/25/25)

26. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Mansicalco (10/28/25)

27. Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert (12/12/25)

28. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen (12/26/25)

Kid Read Alouds
29/50 Books 58%

1. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (1/13/25)

2. The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1/17/25)

3. The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat (2/5/25)

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (2/7/25)

5. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (2/20/25)

6. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhla Lai (2/20/25)

7. The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan (3/14/25)

8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (3/14/25)

9. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (4/2/25)

10. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (4/18/25)

11. Matilda by Roald Dahl (4/22/25)

12. Willodeen by Katherine Applegate (4/29/25)

13. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (5/2/25)

14. The Giver by Lois Lowry (5/20/25)

15. Odder by Katherine Applegate (5/19/25)

16. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (6/2/25)

17. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (8/15/25)

18. When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (8/19/25)

19. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (8/26/25)

20. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (9/10/25)

21. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (9/10/25)

22. The Story Collector by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb (9/30/25)

23. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (10/7/25)

24. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving (10/9/25)

25. The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien (10/31/25)

26. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (11/25/25)

27. Granted by John David Anderson (11/23/25)

28. Starry River of the Sky by Grace LIn (12/19/25)

29. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (12/19/25)

Finishing the Series
16/20 Series 80%

1. Cat and Mouse by HD Carlton ✓

   • Hunting Adeline (1/12/25)

2. Vicious Lost Boys by Nikki St. Crowe ✓

   • The Never King (1/17/25)

   • The Dark One (1/29/25)

   • Their Vicious Darling (2/1/25)

   • The Fae Princes (2/7/25)

3. Alice in Borderland by Haro Aso ✓

   • Volume 2 (1/24/25)

   • Volume 3 (1/24/25)

   • Volume 4 (2/8/25)

   • Volume 5 (2/22/25)

   • Volume 6 (2/22/25)

   • Volume 7 (2/23/25)

   • Volume 8 (2/25/25)

   • Volume 9 (2/26/25)

4. Glimmer Falls by Sarah Hawley ✓

   • A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing A Vampire (3/1/25)

5. Sex Criminals ✓

   • Volume 1 (3/27/25)

   • Volume 2 (3/27/25)

   • Volume 3 (3/27/25)

   • Volume 4 (3/29/25)

   • Volume 5 (4/23/25)

   • Volume 6 (4/23/25)

6. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure - Part 1 Phantom Blood ✓

   • Volume 1 (4/22/25)

   • Volume 2 (4/24/25)

   • Volume 3 (4/24/25)

7. Partials Sequence ✓

   • Partials (1/21/25)

   • Fragments (3/18/25)

   • Ruins (3/26/25)

8. Parasyte ✓

   • Volume 1 (3/25/25)

   • Volume 2 (4/2/25)

   • Volume 3 (4/2/25)

   • Volume 4 (4/3/25)

   • Volume 5 (4/11/25)

   • Volume 6 (4/11/25)

   • Volume 7 (4/12/25)

   • Volume 8 (4/12/25)

9. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure - Part 2 Battle Tendency ✓

   • Volume 1 (4/26/25)

   • Volume 2 (4/26/25)

   • Volume 3 (4/29/25)

   • Volume 4 (4/29/25)

10. Moonshine ✓

    • Volume 2 (3/19/25)

    • Volume 3 (3/19/25)

    • Volume 4 (3/20/25)

    • Volume 5 (3/20/25)

11. Jujutsu Kaisen ✓

    • Volume 0 (6/11/25)

    • Volume 1 (4/9/25)

    • Volume 2 (4/15/25)

    • Volume 3 (4/15/25)

    • Volume 4 (4/20/25)

    • Volume 5 (5/14/25)

    • Volume 6 (5/14/25)

    • Volume 7 (5/24/25)

    • Volume 8 (5/24/25)

    • Volume 9 (5/29/25)

    • Volume 10 (5/29/25)

    • Volume 11 (6/5/25)

    • Volume 12 (6/5/25)

    • Volume 13 (6/23/25)

    • Volume 14 (6/25/25)

    • Volume 15 (6/25/25)

    • Volume 16 (6/26/25)

    • Volume 17 (6/27/25)

    • Volume 18 (6/27/25)

    • Volume 19 (7/11/25)

    • Volume 20 (7/16/25)

    • Volume 21 (7/16/25)

    • Volume 22 (7/19/25)

    • Volume 23 (7/19/25)

    • Volume 24 (7/24/25)

    • Volume 25 (7/25/25)

    • Volume 26 (8/20/25)

    • Volume 27 (10/30/25)

12. Twisted Wonderland: Book of Heartslabyul ✓

    • Volume 1 (6/21/25)

    • Volume 2 (6/21/25)

    • Volume 3 (6/22/25)

    • Volume 4 (6/22/25)

13. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion

    • Volume 1 (7/3/25)

    • Volume 2 (7/5/25)

    • Volume 3 (7/5/25)

    • Volume 4 (7/6/25)

    • Volume 5 (7/7/25)

    • Volume 6 (7/8/25)

    • Volume 7 (7/9/25)

    • Volume 8 (7/9/25)

    • Volume 9

14. Black Rose Auction ✓

    • Wicked Pursuit (7/10/25)

    • Divine Intervention (7/10/25)

    • Stolen Vows (10/2/25)

    • Irresistible Devil (9/26/25)

    • Shattered Innocence (10/17/25)

    • Royal Heart (10/22/25)

15. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

    • Volume 1 (8/2/25)

    • Volume 2 (8/7/25)

    • Volume 3 (8/29/25)

    • Volume 4

    • Volume 5

    • Volume 6

    • Volume 7

    • Volume 8

16. Meant to Be ✓

    • Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto (9/3/25)

17. Rosen Blood ✓

    • Volume 1 (10/8/25)

    • Volume 2 (10/8/25)

    • Volume 3 (10/9/25)

    • Volume 4 (10/9/25)

    • Volume 5 (10/10/25)

18. The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World ✓

    • Volume 1 (10/14/25)

    • Volume 2 (10/14/25)

    • Volume 3 (10/15/25)

    • Volume 4 (10/15/25)

    • Volume 5 (10/16/25)

Nonfiction Reader
9/12 Books 75%

1. A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins (2/14/25)

2. The Secret Lives of Colors by Kassia St. Clair (3/14/25)

3. Kinky History by Esme Louise James (4/13/25)

4. Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (4/19/25)

5. The Darcy Myth by Rachel Feder (7/12/25)

6. Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz (9/25/25)

7. Tomes of Terror by Mark Leslie (10/23/25)

8. The Great Mortality by John Kelly (11/5/25)

9. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (11/18/25)

Quarter of a Century
13/25 Books 52%

1. 2000 -

2. 2001 -

3. 2002 -

4. 2003 - Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (1/11/25)

5. 2004 -

6. 2005 -

7. 2006 -

8. 2007 -

9. 2008 -

10. 2009 -

11. 2010 -

12. 2011 - The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (3/5/25)

13. 2012 -

14. 2013 - Partials by Dan Wells (1/21/25)

15. 2014 - Ruins by Dan Wells (3/26/25)

16. 2015 - Shiver by Junji Ito (5/2/25)

17. 2016 - Tomie by Junji Ito (5/3/25)

18. 2017 - The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan (2/25/26)

19. 2018 - The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates (10/18/25)

20. 2019 - A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker (1/25/25)

21. 2020 - A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green (7/4/25)

22. 2021 -

23. 2022 - The Demon’s Bargain by Katee Robert (3/28/29)

24. 2023 - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (3/15/25)

25. 2024 - Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (7/11/25)

Retreat Recommendations
3/12 Books 25%

1. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (2/13/25)

2. The Darcy Myth by Rachel Feder (7/12/25)

3. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (10/11/25)

4. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

5. Off with Her Head by Eleanor Herman

6. Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman

7. Empress for All Seasons by Emiko Jean

8. The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup

9. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story by James McBride

10. James by Percieval Everett

11. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

12. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

13. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

14. There There by Tommy Orange

15. The Governess by Anne Serre

16. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

17. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

18. Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger

19. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

20. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

21. The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Read Around the USA
13/50 Books 26%

1. Alabama

2. Alaska - The Gathering by CJ Tudor (1/16/25)

3. Arizona

4. Arkansas

5. California - Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (6/24/25)

6. Colordao

7. Connecticut

8. Delaware

9. Florida - Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson (4/25/25)

10. Georgia - Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (6/19/25)

11. Hawaii - Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams (4/18/25)

12. Idaho

13. Illinois

14. Indiana

15. Iowa

16. Kansas

17. Kentucky

18. Lousiana

19. Maine - In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant (9/9/25)

20. Maryland

21. Massachusetts - The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (8/23/25)

22. Michigan

23. Minnesota

24. Mississippi

25. Missouri

26. Montana - Lone Women by Victor LaValle (9/27/25)

27. Nebraska - Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver (2/18/25)

28. Nevada

29. New Hampshire

30. New Jersey

31. New Mexico

32. New York - All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (3/7/25)

33. North Carolina

34. North Dakota

35. Ohio

36. Oklahoma

37. Oregon

38. Pennsylvania

39. Rhode Island - The Wedding People by Alison Espach (6/29/25)

40. South Carolina

41. South Dakota

42. Tennessee

43. Texas - Shark Hear by Emily Habeck (2/15/25)

44. Utah

45. Vermont - The Lodge by Kayla Olson (12/13/25)

46. Virginia

47. Washington

48. West Virginia

49. Wisconsin

50. Wyoming

Romanceopoly
25/36 Books 66.7%

1. Crystal Lake (Fairy Tale Retelling) - Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova (1/15/25)

2. Alpine Cottage Inn (Snowbound) - Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins (1/10/25)

3. Pin & Peak Lanes (Friends to Lovers)

4. Mystic Pines (Magical Realism)

5. The Frosty Bistro (Mystery Set in Winter) - My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine (3/8/25)

6. New Year, New Love (Second Chance) - The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton (7/29/25)

7. Valentine’s Day Prelude (Grand Gestures) - Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (6/24/25)

8. Heroine’s Rising (Strong, Independent Female Character) - A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley (3/1/25)

9. Luck of the Irish (Irish Main Character or Setting) - Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks (12/20/25)

10. The Book Nook (Bookish Main Character) - The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (12/17/25)

11. Butterfly Garden (Morally Gray Character Getting a Happy Ending) - Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton (1/12/25)

12. Farmers’ Market (Food or Foodie Romance) - Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon (12/24/25)

13. Festival Barn (Musician or Rock Star) - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (3/15/25)

14. Blooming Acres Farm (Farmer or Cowboy)

15. Sunset Picnic (New-to-You) - Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti (6/28/25)

16. Parent Trap (Strong Parental Figure)

17. Lotus & Lei (Asian American Author) - Seoulmates by Susan Lee (7/18/25)

18. Spring Fling Pride (LGBTQ+ Characters or Author)

19. Beachside Cafe (Set by the Water or On Vacation) - Swept Away by Beth O’Leary (5/30/25)

20. The Lighthouse (Pirate Character) - A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle (1/29/25)

21. Breezy Pier (Strong Summer Vibes, Beach Read) - Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (6/19/25)

22. Starlight Cinema (Group read) - Is She Really Going Out with Him by Sophie Cousens (8/27/25)

23. Sunset Bay Marina (Been Sitting on Your TBR Pile)

24. Full Moon Adventure (Adventure Romance) - Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (1/18/25)

25. Wedding Season (Marriage of Convenience) - Enchantra by Kaylie Smith (6/6/25)

26. Latinx Summer Fiesta (Latinx Author) - Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura (2/5/25)

27. Fireworks Spectacular (Military Romance)

28. Gallery of Shadows (Gothic Setting)

29. The Highpoint (Workplace Romance) - Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto (9/3/25)

30. Willow Grove Park (Sweet Fall or Cozy Setting)

31. Starstruck Sweets (Celebrity Main Character) - The Roommate by Rosie Danan (1/26/25)

32. The Holiday Spectacle (Holiday Theme or Winter Magic) - The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (11/26/25)

33. Spooky Reads (Horror Romance) — Zomromcom by Olivia Dade (10/4/25)

34. Diwali Lights (Indian Author)

35. Native American Heritage Month (Indigenous Author)

36. Krampus Night (Monsters) - My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher (11/7/25)

COYER
11/20 Books 55%

1. Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins (1/10/25)

2. Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen (1/14/25)

3. A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker (1/25/25)

4. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (2/13/25)

5. The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (3/5/25)

6. The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair (3/14/25)

7. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green (7/4/25)

8. Is She Really Going Out with Him by Sophie Cousens (8/27/25)

9. We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor (10/1/25)

10. For We are Many by Dennis E. Taylor (11/25/25)

11. The Haunting of HG Wells by Robert Masello (12/3/25)

Cover Lover
35/50 Books 70%

1. Favorite color - Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura (2/5/25)

2. Headwear of some kind (hat, helmet, yarmulke, hijab, etc.) - The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis (5/23/25)

3. A mode of transportation - Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen (1/14/25)

4. Bookish elements - Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakas (3/12/25)

5. An author that has a common name spelled in an uncommon way (i.e. Stephenie Meyer, Kelley Armstrong, etc.) - The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry (4/4/25)

6. An illustrated scene - The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert (4/10/25)

7. A design that is in desperate need of a makeover - The Roommate by Rosie Danan (1/26/25)

8. A wintry scene - The Lodge by Kayla Olson (12/13/25)

9. A summery scene

10. Food

11. A skeleton, bones, or a skull and crossbones - The Dark One by Nikki St. Crowe (1/29/25)

12. Floral elements - The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold (1/30/25)

13. Sports equipment

14. A title and/or scene that makes you laugh - This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman (5/20/25)

15. Something you might see in a hospital - Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes (8/6/25)

16. Someone wearing period clothing - Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti (6/28/25)

17. A famous structure or landmark (man-made or natural) - All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall (3/7/25)

18. A frame-worthy design - Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (6/7/25)

19. At least one person of color (POC) - Seoulmates by Susan Lee (7/18/25)

20. Someone partly or fully submerged in water - Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (3/22/25)

21. A lighted window - Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (7/11/25)

22. A bird - Swept Away by Beth O’Leary (5/30/25)

23. A futuristic scene - Fragments by Dan Wells (3/18/25)

24. A weapon - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (3/21/25)

25. The name of and/or a depiction of a famous person - Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz (9/25/25)

26. A number in the title or design (numeral or spelled out)

27. A backpack or piece of luggage

28. The words "light" and/or "dark" in the title - Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson (9/8/25)

29. A foggy/stormy scene

30. A television or movie screen

31. No people - Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (1/18/25)

32. An object that is broken

33. A silhouette or shadow - Small Angels by Lauren Owen (1/22/25)

34. A piece of jewelry - The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan (2/25/25)

35. A sunrise or sunset - The Compound by Aisling Rawle (12/4/25)

36. A cityscape - Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (5/16/25)

37. An aquatic animal - Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire (2/12/25)

38. A light source tha can be held in the hand (flashlight, torch, lantern, etc.)

39. The name of one of the four seasons in the title, design, or author's name

40. Depiction of something that has been spilled (milk, paint, blood, etc.)

41. Eyewear of some kind (sunglasses, goggles, eyepatch, etc.) - My Vampire Plus-one by Jenna Levine (3/8/25)

42. A spooky scene - The Way Up is Death by Dan Hanks (2/21/25)

43. Something you might find in a child's bedroom (teddy bear, nightlight, crib, etc.)

44. A key and/or a keyhole - The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers by Jen Campbell (10/3/25)

45. A real, historical photograph - The Antidote by Karen Russell (9/23/25)

46. A proper noun in the title or design - Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett (4/5/25)

47. Something that is plaid

48. Outdated technology (typewriter, film camera, rotary telephone, etc.) - The Haunting of HG Wells by Robert Masello (12/3/25)

49. The name of a month in the title, design, or author's name

50. A flag, pennant, or banner

Fairytale Retelling
5/12 Books 41.7%

1. January (Snow White and Rose Red)

2. February (Sleeping Beauty)

3. March (Peter Pan) - The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe (1/17/25)

4. April (The Twelve Dancing Princesses)

5. May (Villain Retelling) - Heartless by HG Parry (11/8/25)

6. June (The Goose Girl)

7. July (Reader’s Choice) - How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann (5/27/25)

8. August (The Little Mermaid) - A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle (1/29/25)

9. September (Mythology Retelling) - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (3/14/25)

10. October (Alice in Wonderland)

11. November (The Snow Queen)

12. December (Fairytale featuring Santa)

I Read Horror
9/12 Books 75%

1. Vampires - The Gathering by CJ Tudor (1/16/25)

2. Witches

3. Folk Horror - The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (8/23/25)

4. BIPOC Author

5. Ghost Story - The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas (2/4/25)

6. Female Author - Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes (8/6/25)

7. Cosmic Horror - The Way Up is Death by Dan Hanks (2/21/25)

8. Frightening Cover - Shiver by Junji Ito (5/2/25)

9. Adapted as movie or tv

10. Katsu, Ketchum, King, or Koontz - Fiend by Alma Katsu (10/24/25)

11. Black, Gray, Orange, or Red Cover - The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud (9/28/25)

12. Cryptid - A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig (11/19/25)

Books to Movies
7/12 Books 58.3%

1. Horseman by Christina Henry (2/19/25)

2. Alice in Borderland (2/26/25)

3. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (3/14/25)

4. Parasyte (4/12/25)

5. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (4/24/25)

6. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

7. The Shining by Stephen King

8. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

9. Jujutsu Kaisen (8/20/25)

10. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (8/2/25)

2025 Reading Challenges

2025 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Kid Read Aloud

• Finishing the Series

• Nonfiction Reader

• Quarter of a Century

• Retreat Recommendations

• Read Around the USA

• Romanceopoly

• She Reads Romance

• COYER

• Fairytale Retelling

• Cover Lover

• Books to Movies

GoodReads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. .

UnRead Shelf (50) - My seventh(?) year participating in this particular challenge. Last year I did decently and want to keep up that momentum. You can find more information about this challenge at The Unread Shelf.

Kid Read Alouds (50) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We have some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

Finishing the Series (20) - I’m hoping to finish 20 series this year. I have a long, long list of series that I’ve already started and haven’t finished yet. I want to prioritize those in my reading this year.

Nonfiction Reader (12) - I definitely need to get more nonfiction back into my reading. I’m hoping to get to at least one nonfiction a month. More information at Book’d Out..

Quarter of a Century (25) - As we move into the second quarter of the century, I want to go back and read at least one book from each of the preceding years. I went through my Goodreads and highlighted some interesting books to put on the potential list.

Retreat Recommendations (12) - Over the past few years, I’ve received some great recommendations from a variety of friends. And yet, so many of those recommendations are still sitting unread. I need to prioritize those.

1. The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

2. Off with Her Head by Eleanor Herman

3. Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman

4. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang (I chose for February’s book club selection)

5. Empress for All Seasons by Emiko Jean

6. The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup

7. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story by James McBride

8. James by Percieval Everett

9. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

10. The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

11. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

12. There There by Tommy Orange

13. The Governess by Anne Serre

14. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

15. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

16. Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger

17. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

18. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

19. The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Read Around the USA (50) - Such a stretch goal, but I’m going to try and read one book from every state this year. More information at The Book Girl’s Guide..

Romanceopoly (37) - I somehow missed this one last year, but I’m back this year. I read a ton of romance and am excited to get back into this challenge. More information at Romanceopoly.

She Reads Romance (12) - Another romance reading challenge for this year. More information at She Reads Romance.

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader) (20) - Goodness knows that I have too many books on my Kindle app. It’s time to start attempting to reduce that number. More information at Because Reading.

Cover Lover (50) - I love the idea of a challenge focusing on cover designs. I definitely judge a book by its cover. More information at Bloggin’ ‘bout Books..

Fairytale Retelling (12) - I always love fairy tale retellings and this challenge is perfect for me. More information at Charity Rau.

Books to Movies (12) - I thought I would resurrect a favorite challenge for me. I love reading the books before seeing the movie version.

I Read Horror (12) - I happened upon this challenge and immediately had to add it to my round up of challenges. I can’t wait to dive into some great horror this year.

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I also decided to create my own spice meter for romance books. A 1-5 scale seemed too limiting for the types of books I read. So I expanded it to 8 levels with corresponding explanations. I will be rating all of my romance books on this new scale.

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My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2024 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

For 2024, I brought back reading challenges into my life. My overall challenges stat isn’t great, but look at that overall spots stat! I really managed to focus on a lot of my challenges and find books I was interested in that fit the spots.

Overall Stats

7/15 Challenges 46.7%

537/576 Spots 93.2%

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 256/200 Books 100%

Holiday Books
10/10 Books 100%

1. The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay (12/4/24)

2. All I Want is You by Falon Ballard (12/6/24)

3. The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver (12/7/24)

4. Jingle Ale the Way by Sarah Everly (12/12/24)

5. 26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy (12/14/24)

6. Under the Mistletoe Collection (12/17/24)

7. Kringle Down by Shane Lacy Hensley

8. Kringle Down II by Shane Lacy Hensley

9. The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

10. Snowed in with Benefits by Misha Horne

She Reads Romance
Goal 36/36 Books 100%

1. January: Dark Romance or 2023 Title You Didn’t Get to Read - Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (1/12/24)

2. February: Spicy Romance - Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert (2/23/24)

3. March: Contemporary Romance - The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score (3/8/24)

4. April: New Adult Romance - A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft (2/21/24)

5. May: Romantic Suspense - Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (6/20/24)

6. June: Choose a Book by Its Cover - Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke (5/30/24)

7. July: Audiobook - The Kraken’s Sacrifice by Katee Robert (5/9/24)

8. August: Romantic Comedy - Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (6/21/24)

9. September: Historical Romance - Reckless by Anne Stuart (3/26/24)

10. October: Paranormal Romance - The Succubus’s Prize by Katee Robert (9/4/24)

11. November: YA Romance - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (11/22/24)

12. December: Pick a Social Media Rec - That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (9/14/24)

13. Enemies to Lovers - So Not Meant to Be by Meghan Quinn (3/15/24)

14. Fake Dating - Funny Story by Emily Henry (5/14/24)

15. Second Chance Romance - The Book of Scandal by Julia London (7/4/24)

16. Oops Pregnancy - A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone (2/7/24)

17. Arranged Marriage - Bride by Ali Hazelwood (3/19/24)

18. Friends to Lovers - A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn (5/22/24)

19. Office Romance - Teach Me by Olivia Dade (1/19/24)

20. Mafia Romance - Dark Succession by Katee Robert (7/20/24)

21. Forbidden Romance - Untouchable by Talia Hibbert (2/8/24)

22. Werewolf or Witch Romance - Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert (2/16/24)

23. Small Town Romance - Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders (1/16/24)

24. Motorcycle Club Romance - Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss (12/24/24)

25. Only One Bed - The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton (9/28/24)

26. Reverse Grumpy Sunshine - A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert (1/18/24)

27. Guardian/Ward Romance - Desperate Measures by Katee Robert (11/9/24)

28. Cowboy Who Loves His Hat - The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver (12/7/24)

29. Faking It with the Boss - Illicit Temptations by Katee Robert (11/13/24)

30. Enemies or Lovers/Brother’s Best Friend - A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley (11/29/24)

31. Reality TV Show Romance - Mr. Fixer Upper by Lucy Score (1/26/24)

32. Romance Author Who Finds Love - By the Book by Jasmine Guillory (10/15/24)

33. Male Virgin Hero - Dark Restraint by Katee Robert (8/23/24)

34. Cute Nicknames - The Takeover by TL Swan (4/24/24)

35. Nerd with Glasses - Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura (1/20/24)

36. Heroes Who Cook - Savor It by Tarah DeWitt (12/21/24)

Fairytales
12/12 Books 100%

1. January: Bluebeard - Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson (1/20/24)

2. February: Red Riding Hood - Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (3/9/24)

3. March: Hansel & Gretel - A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (4/6/24)

4. April: Beauty & the Beast - By the Book by Jasmine Guillory (10/15/24)

5. May: Cinderella - Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke (5/30/24)

6. June: Aladdin - Desperate Measures by Katee Robert (11/9/24)

7. July: Rapunzel - Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren (11/6/24)

8. August: Reader’s Choice Cinderella: We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman (10/25/24)

9. September: Rumplestiltskin (replaced by Alice in Wonderland) - Alice in Borderland Volume 1 (11/8/24)

10. October: Peter Pan - Lost Boy by Christina Henry (9/26/24)

11. November: Snow White - Poison by Sarah Pinborough (6/7/24)

12. December: The Nutcracker - The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (12/5/24)

In Case You Missed It
12/12 Books 100%

1. Best Books from 2012 - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (1/27/24)

2. Best Books from 2013 - The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin (1/13/24)

3. Best Books from 2014 - Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (11/22/24)

4. Best Books from 2015 - Crimson Bound by Roamund Hodge (3/9/24)

5. Best Books from 2016 - Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (4/13/24)

6. Best Books from 2017 - The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (1/12/24)

7. Best Books from 2018 - Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (7/13/24)

8. Best Books from 2019 - The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders (5/17/24)

9. Best Books from 2020 - Dead Lake by Darcy Coates (9/27/24)

10. Best Books from 2021 - Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham (4/25/24)

11. Best Books from 2022 - That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming (9/14/24)

12. Best Books from 2023 - The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (7/3/24)

Library Love
60/60 Books 10%

1. Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (1/12/24)

2. Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca (1/13/24)

3. Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders (1/16/24)

4. A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert (1/18/24)

5. Teach Me by Olivia Dade (1/19/24)

6. Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson (1/20/24)

7. Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura (1/20/24)

8. Mr. Fixer Upper by Lucy Score (1/26/24)

9. Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas (2/3/24)

10. Untouchable by Talia Hibbert (2/8/24)

11. Dead Voices by Katherine Arden (2/10/24)

12. Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert (2/16/24)

13. Mislaid in Parts Half-Know by Seanan McGuire (2/20/24)

14. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft (2/21/24)

15. Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty (2/28/24)

16. Mimi’s Tales of Terror by Junji Ito (2/27/24)

17. Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (3/6/24)

18. The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score (3/8/24)

19. What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (3/13/24)

20. So Not Meant to Be by Meghan Quinn (3/15/24)

21. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (3/16/24)

22. The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg (3/22/24)

23. Ruthless by Anne Stuart (3/23/24)

24. Dark Waters by Katherine Arden (3/27/24)

25. A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll (3/29/24)

26. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (4/3/24)

27. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (4/5/24)

28. Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden (4/12/24)

29. The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (4/20/24)

30. Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham (4/25/24)

31. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (5/18/24)

32. A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn (5/22/24)

33. The Casanova by TL Swan (5/24/24)

34. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (5/29/24)

35. Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren (6/5/24)

36. Poison by Sarah Pinborough (6/7/24)

37. Ghost Station by SA Barnes (6/15/24)

38. Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (6/19/24)

39. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (6/25/24)

40. The Do-Over by TL Swan (6/28/24)

41. Cursed Cruise by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren (6/29/24)

42. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (7/5/24)

43. Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg (7/10/24)

44. Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (7/13/24)

45. Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (7/18/24)

46. The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert (7/27/24)

47. Temptation by RL Stine (8/15/24)

48. A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (8/17/24)

49. I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue (8/23/24)

50. The Idea of You by Robinne Lee (8/24/24)

51. The Deading by Nicholas Belardes (8/25/24)

52. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (8/30/24)

53. Key Lime Sky by Al Hess (9/11/24)

54. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (9/18/24)

55. Dead Lake by Darcy Coates (9/27/24)

56. Behind the Horror by Lee Mellor (10/4/24)

57. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (10/11/24)

58. The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling (10/24/24)

59. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming (10/25/24)

60. The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel (10/26/24)

Nonfiction Reader
12/12 Books 100%

1. Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine (1/22/24)

2. Mrs. Sherlock Holmes by Brad Ricca (1/13/24)

3. Sellout by Dan Ozzi (2/24/24)

4. Toil & Trouble by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson (3/30/24)

5. The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart (4/21/24)

6. Unmasking Autism by Devon Price (5/4/24)

7. Blood by Jen Gunter (6/11/24)

8. Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson (6/19/24)

9. Broad Strokes by Bridget Quinn (7/17/24)

10. Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart (7/24/24)

11. The Six by Loren Grush (8/3/24)

12. Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz (8/16/24)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf Project
Goal 45/50 Books 90%

1. Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine (1/11/24)

2. The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin (1/13/24)

3. The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (2/11/24)

4. Malamander by Thomas Taylor (2/13/24)

5. Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue (2/14/24)

6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (2/17/24)

7. Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert (2/23/24)

8. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (3/2/24)

9. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (3/14/24)

10. Reckless by Anne Stuart (3/26/24)

11. Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston (4/4/24)

12. To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt (4/11/24)

13. The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart (4/21/24)

14. To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt (4/26/24)

15. To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (5/3/24)

16. To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt (5/8/24)

17. The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders (5/17/24)

18. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (5/25/24)

19. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (6/6/24)

20. The Morningside by Téa Obreht (6/12/24)

21. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (6/14/24)

22. Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson (6/19/24)

23. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (6/21/24)

24. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (6/22/24)

25. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd (6/24/24)

26. The Book of Scandal by Julia London (7/4/24)

27. Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver (7/9/24)

28. The Gentleman ‘s Gambit by Evie Dunmore (7/19/24)

29. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Turner (7/23/24)

30. Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart (7/24/24)

31. Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz (8/16/24)

32. Dark Restraint by Katee Robert (8/23/24)

33. The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry (9/7/24)

34. Murder Road by Simone St. James (9/12/24)

35. Book of Night by Holly Black (9/21/24)

36. A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (9/24/24)

37. Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (9/26/24)

38. The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton (9/28/24)

39. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torsz (10/10/24)

40. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (10/16/24)

41. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (10/20/24)

42. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (10/30/24)

43. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn (11/16/24)

44. The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (12/5/24)

45. The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero (12/13/24)

Kid Read Alouds
Goal 48/50 Books 96%

1. A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd (1/6/24)

2. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1/5/24)

3. Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-El (1/19/24)

4. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg (1/19/24)

5. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (1/16/24)

6. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (2/1/24)

7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (2/9/24)

8. Tales from the Odyssey Part One by Mary Pope Osborne (2/6/24)

9. Guard Guards by Terry Pratchett (2/21/24)

10. Tales from the Odyssey Part Two by Mary Pope Osborne (2/16/24)

11. The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith (2/16/24)

12. The Witches by Roald Dahl (3/1/24)

13. The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf (3/2/24)

14. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3/13/24)

15. Sweep by Jonathan Auxier (3/18/24)

16. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (3/15/24)

17. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (3/22/24)

18. Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston (4/4/24)

19. Men at Arms by Terry Prachett (4/18/24)

20. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (4/4/24)

21. Charlotte’s Web by EB White (4/18/24)

22. Much Ado About Baseball by Rajani LaRocca (5/4/24)

23. Homer Price by Robert McCloskey (5/4/24)

24. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (5/16/24)

25. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly (5/17/24)

26. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (6/19/24)

27. Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate (7/26/24)

28. The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell (7/26/24)

29. Endling: The First by Katherine Applegate (8/1/24)

30. Gargantis by Thomas Taylor (8/14/24)

31. Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd (8/29/24)

32. Endling: The Only by Katherine Applegate (8/30/24)

33. The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World’s Worst Knight by Tim Collins (9/5/24)

34. Wretched Waterpark by Kierstin White (9/14/24)

35. Lucy and the Rocket Dog by Will Buckingham (9/17/24)

36. Mars One by Jonathan Maberry (9/20/24)

37. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (10/7/24)

38. The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie (10/8/24)

39. Mr. Lemoncello’s Special Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein (10/3/24)

40. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (10/17/24)

41. No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy (10/25/24)

42. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme (10/16/24)

43. The Goblin’s Puzzle by Andrew Clifton (11/20/24)

44. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (11/22/24)

45. The Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga (11/30/24)

46. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (12/11/24)

47. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (12/16/24)

48. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (12/19/24)

The 52 Book Club
Goal 45/52 Books 86.5%

1. Locked-room mystery - Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty (2/28/24)

2. Bibliosmia: A smelly book - The Casanova by TL Swan (5/24/24)

3. More than 40 chapters - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (1/9/24)

4. Lowercase letters on the spine - The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (7/3/24)

5. Magical Realism - The Magician by Rebecca Serle (1/17/24)

6. Women in STEM - The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (4/20/24)

7. At least four different POV - The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott (1/24/24)

8. Features the ocean - Malamander by Thomas Taylor (2/13/24)

9. A character-driven novel - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4/17/24)

10. Told in non-chronological order - The Book of M by Peng Shepherd (6/25/24)

11. Title starting with the letter “K” - The Kraken’s Sacrifice by Katee Robert (5/9/24)

12. Title starting with the letter “L” - A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (5/10/24)

13. An academic thriller - The Gentleman’s Gambit by Evie Dunmore (7/19/24)

14. A grieving character - The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (2/11/24)

15. Part of a duology - What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (5/15/24)

16. An omniscient narrator - The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert (7/27/24)

17. Nominated for The Booker Prize

18. An apostrophe in the title - The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman (2/15/24)

19. A buddy read - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (6/6/24)

20. A revenge story - Haunted Holiday by Kiersten White (2/9/24)

21. Written by a ghostwriter

22. A plot similar to another book - Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (6/25/24)

23. The other book with the similar plot

24. A cover without people on it - Mislaid in Parts Half-Know by Seanan McGuire (2/20/24)

25. An author “everyone” has read except you - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (5/18/24)

26. Hybrid genre - Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue (2/14/24)

27. By a neurodivergent author - What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (3/13/24)

28. A yellow spine - The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia (3/28/24)

29. Published in a Year of the Dragon - Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (5/29/24)

30. Picked without reading the blurb - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (4/3/24)

31. Includes a personal phobia - Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden (4/12/24)

32. Timeframe spans a week or less - Dead Voices by Katherine Arden (2/10/24)

33. An abrupt ending - The Last One by Will Dean (2/2/24)

34. Set in a landlocked country

35. Title matches lyrics from a song

36. Has futuristic technology - Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley (4/19/24)

37. Palindrome on the cover

38. Published by Hachette - To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt (5/8/24)

39. Non-fiction recommended by a friend - Blood by Jen Gunter (6/11/24)

40. Set during a holiday you don’t celebrate - That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming (10/9/24)

41. A sticker on the cover

42. Author debut in second half of 2024 - I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue (8/23/24)

43. About finding identity - A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (8/17/24)

44. Includes a wedding - Bride by Ali Hazelwood (3/19/24)

45. Chapter headings have dates - The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (3/2/24)

46. Featuring Indigenous culture - Never Whistle at Night (9/13/24)

47. Self-insert by an author — A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (4/6/24)

48. The word “secret” in the title - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (6/14/24)

49. Set in a city starting with the letter “M” - Funny Story by Emily Henry (5/14/24)

50. A musical instrument on the cover - Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver (7/9/24)

51. Related to the word “Wild” - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (11/20/24)

52. Published in 2024 - Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett (3/16/24)

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader)
Goal 16/20 Books 80%

1. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (1/12/24)

2. Signal Moon by Kate Quinn (1/17/24)

3. Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert (1/18/24)

4. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (2/4/24)

5. System Collapse by Martha Wells (2/6/24)

6. The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia (3/28/24)

7. A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (5/10/24)

8. Witch King by Martha Wells (7/6/24)

9. Dark Succession by Katee Robert (7/20/24)

10. Jingle Ale the Way by Sarah Everly (12/12/24)

11. 26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy (12/14/24)

12. Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss (12/24/24)

13. Kringle Down by Shane Lacy Hensley (12/28/24)

14. Kringle Down II by Shane Lacy Hensley (12/28/24)

15. Kringle Down Krampus by Shane Lacy Hensley (12/29/24)

16. Snowed in with Benefits by Misha Horne (12/30/24)

Decades
6/12 Books 50%

1. 1880s-1890s - Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig (3/20/24)

2. 1900s-1910s - The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (5/25/24)

3. 1920s - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (1/27/24)

4. 1930s - Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (6/22/24)

5. 1940s - Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (4/13/24)

6. 1950s - The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott (1/24/24)

7. 1960s

8. 1970s

9. 1980s

10. 1990s

11. 2000s-2010s

12. Span Multiple Decades -

Lifetime
8/12 Books 66.7%

1. Child Protagonist - Haunted Holiday by Kiersten White (2/9/24)

2. Teenage Characters - Timekeeper by Tara Sim (1/20/24)

3. Characters in Their 20s - The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (4/5/24)

4. Characters in Their 30s - The Takeover by TL Swan (4/24/24)

5. Characters in Their 40s -

6. Characters in Their 50s - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (4/17/24)

7. Characters in Their 60s - The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (8/30/24)

8. Characters in Their 70s

9. Characters in Their 80s

10. Characters in Their 90s and 100s

11. Intergenerational Novels - The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (9/18/24)

12. Spanning a Character’s Lifetime - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (3/6/24)

Clock Numbers
4/12 Books 33.3%

1. One - The Last One by Will Dean (2/2/24)

2. Two - Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig (3/20/24)

3. Three - Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley (4/19/24)

4. Four

5. Five

6. Six - The Six by Loren Grush (8/3/24)

7. Seven

8. Eight

9. Nine

10. Ten

11. Eleven

12. Twelve

Spooky Season A to Z
23/26 Books 88.5%

1. A - Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (10/20/24)

2. B - Book of Night by Holly Black (9/21/24)

3. C - The Clackity by Lora Senf (10/18/24)

4. D - A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley (11/29/24)

5. E - The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (10/30/24)

6. F - From Below by Darcy Coates (9/20/24)

7. G - Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates (10/12/24)

8. H - Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (10/30/24)

9. I - Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs (10/10/24)

10. J - The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen (12/5/24)

11. K - Key Lime Sky by Al Hess (9/11/24)

12. L - Lost Boy by Christina Henry (9/26/24)

13. M - Murder Road by Simone St. James (9/12/24)

14. N - Never Whistle at Night (9/13/24)

15. O - A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne (11/21/24)

16. P - Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (9/26/24)

17. Q - To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (11/12/24)

18. R - The Succubus’s Prize by Katee Robert (9/4/24)

19. S - The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf (11/2/24)

20. T -

21. U - Universal Monsters: Dracula (9/6/24)

22. V -

23. W - A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley (10/19/24)

24. X -

25. Y - The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (10/16/24)

26. Z - Year Zero Vol. 0 (10/20/24)

2024 Reading Challenges Update #3

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year.

• Goodreads 194/200 97%

• Unread Shelf 38/50 76%**

• Kid Read Alouds 36/50 72%**

• 52 Book Club 44/52 84%

• She Reads Romance 27/36 75%**

• COYER 9/20 45%*

• Decades 6/12 50%

• Lifetime 8/12 67%

• In Case You Missed It 11/12 92%**

• Nonfiction Reader 12/12 100%

• Library Love 55/60 92%

• Clock Numbers 4/12 33%*

• Fairytales 6/12 50%*

• Spooky Season 8/26 31%

Total Challenges 1/14 7.1%

Total Reading Slots 458/566 80.9%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: I reading focused on reading my own shelves and made some great progress there. For the last quarter, I want to try and finish that one and work on fairytale retellings, clock, and spooky season challenges.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2024 Reading Challenges Update #2

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year.

• Goodreads 137/200 69%

• Unread Shelf 25/50 50%

• Kid Read Alouds 26/50 52%

• 52 Book Club 37/52 71.2%**

• She Reads Romance 22/36 61.1%

• COYER 7/20 35%*

• Decades 6/12 50%

• Lifetime 6/12 50%

• In Case You Missed It 7/12 58%

• Nonfiction Reader 8/12 66.7%**

• Library Love 41/60 68%

• Clock Numbers 3/12 25%*

• Fairytales 5/12 41%*

Total Challenges 0/13 0%

Total Reading Slots 330/540 61.1%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Of course I need to focus on reading the books on my shelf and on my Kindle app. This is a perennial problem for me. I also want to get back to the Clock and Fairytale Challenges. I’m really trucking along with Nonfiction and Romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2024 Reading Challenges Update #1

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year.

• Goodreads 83/200 41.5%

• Unread Shelf 10/50 20%*

• Kid Read Alouds 17/50 34%

• 52 Book Club 17/52 32.7%

• She Reads Romance 15/36 41.7%**

• COYER 6/20 30%*

• Decades 3/12 25%

• Lifetime 3/12 25%

• In Case You Missed It 4/12 33.3%

• Nonfiction Reader 4/12 33.3%

• Library Love 25/60 41.7%**

• Clock Numbers 2/12 16.7%

• Fairytales 2/12 16.7%

Total Challenges 0/13 0%

Total Reading Slots 191/540 34.4%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Of course I need to focus on reading the books on my shelf and on my Kindle app. This is a perennial problem for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2024 Reading Challenges

Another year, another attempt at reading challenges. Once again, I’m going to try to complete a variety of challenges. At the same time, I really want to keep my mood reading to direct my reading. Let’s see if I can combine the two.

2024 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Kid Read Alouds

• 52 Book Club

• She Reads Romance

• COYER

• Decades

• Library Love

• Lifetime

• Nonfiction Reader

• In Case You Missed It

• Clock

• Fairytale

Goodreads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. Last year, I ended up going far past my goal and read 272 books. I don’t necessarily want to up my year goal, so I’m going to stick with 200.

UnRead Shelf (50) - My sixth year attempt to control my Unread Shelf. Let’s see if I can do a better job of it this year. I’m not going to make a Top 10 list, but I do want to read 50 books off my shelf. Currently, I have 324 books on that shelf.

Kid Read Alouds (20) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We have some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

52 Book Club (52) - I am often tempted by big diverse prompt challenges, but I lot I have issues with the prompts. This one seems to be more in line with how I read. And I like the one book a week idea. So I’m going to attempt this one! You can find more information at The 52 Book Club.

She Reads Romance (36) - My romance challenge from last year seems to have disappeared, so I had to chose a new one. This one has a good mix of genres and tropes to look for. You can find more information at She Reads Romance.

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader) (20) - Goodness knows that I have too many books on my Kindle app. It’s time to start attempting to reduce that number. More information at Because Reading.

Decades (12) - A new to me challenge from The Book Girls’ Guide. In this one, I’ll be hitting books set in different decades.

Lifetime (12) - A new to me challenge from The Book Girls’ Guide. In this one, I’ll be hitting books with characters of different ages.

In Case You Missed It (12) - A new to me challenge from The Book Girls’ Guide. In this one, I’ll be hitting books from a variety of previous published years.

Nonfiction Reader (12) - Last year, I realized that my nonfiction reading was practically nonexistent. I want to change that for 2024. So I’m joining the nonfiction book challenge hosted by Book’d Out.

Library Love (60) - Of course I’m going to sign up of a Library Book Challenge. I love using the library, so this one is going to be an easy challenge for me. This particular one is hosted by Books of My Heart.

Clock (12) - Read books with numbers 1-12 in the title. This sounded like a fun silly challenge. You can find more information at Jo Linsdell.

Fairytale Retelling (12) - I love a good fairytale retelling, so I had to join this one. You can find more information at Charity Rau.

---

I also decided to create my own spice meter for romance books. A 1-5 scale seemed too limiting for the types of books I read. So I expanded it to 8 levels with corresponding explanations. I will be rating all of my romance books on this new scale.

---

My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2023 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

For 2023, I brought back reading challenges into my life. Let’s see which ones I actually finished.

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 272/200 Books 100%

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader)
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

1. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (1/21/23)

2. The Vampire Villain by Melody Raven (4/6/23)

3. The Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith (5/24/23)

4. Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon (5/25/23)

5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (6/15/23)

6. The Bees by Laline Paull (7/22/23)

7. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (7/19/23)

8. Wasted Words by Staci Hart (7/27/23)

9. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (9/7/23)

10. Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost (9/1/23)

11. Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost (9/1/23)

12. Cinders by Michelle D. Argyle (9/13/23)

13. The Haunting of Winchester Mansion by Alexandria Clarke (9/27/23)

14. Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti (10/6/23)

15. Ark by Veronica Roth (11/24/23)

16. Summer Frost by Blake Crouch (11/24/23)

17. Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin (11/24/23)

18. You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles (11/25/23)

19. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay (11/25/23)

20. Randomize by Andy Weir (11/25/23)

Seasonal - Fall
Goal 25/25 Books 100%

1. 5 Books in a Series ✓

   • Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost (9/23/23)

   • Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost (10/5/23)

   • A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (10/4/23)

   • Preacher Vol. 1 (10/22/23)

   • Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark (11/2/23)

2. 5 Spooky Books ✓

   • Mister Magic by Kiersten White (9/24/23)

   • Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie (10/10/23)

   • This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham (10/7/23)

   • The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry (10/20/23)

   • The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher (10/13/23)

3. 5 Kindle/Ebooks ✓

   • The Haunting of Winchester Mansion by Alexandria Clarke (9/27/23)

   • Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti (10/6/23)

   • Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (10/14/23)

   • Ark by Veronica Roth (11/24/23)

   • Summer Frost by Blake Crouch (11/24/23)

4. 3 Kid Read Alouds ✓

   • Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk (10/4/23)

   • Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales by Kiersten White (10/11/23)

   • Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (10/21/23)

5. 3 Nonfiction ✓

   • The Kingdom of Prep by Maggie Bullock (9/22/23)

   • Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe (10/19/23)

   • Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya (11/15/23)

6. 2 Audiobooks ✓

   • Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw (10/21/23)

   • White Cat by Holly Black (10/26/23)

7. 2 Random Library Picks ✓

   • Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (9/28/23)

   • The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (9/29/23)

Seasonal - Summer
Goal 25/25 Books 100%

1. 3 Unread Shelf Books ✓

   • This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (7/14/23)

   • Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost (7/26/23)

   • Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala (9/21/23)

2. 3 Buddy Reads / Book Club Selections ✓

   • The Bees by Laline Paull (7/22/23)

   • Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman (7/15/23)

   • Anatomy by Dana Schwartz (7/25/23)

3. 3 MG/YA Books ✓

   • Don’t Turn Out the Lights (6/29/23)

   • Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (6/29/23)

   • Camp Red Moon by R.L. Stine (7/21/23)

4. 3 Kid Read Alouds ✓

   • Wildoak by CC Harrington (8/24/23)

   • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (9/13/23)

   • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien (8/18/23)

5. 3 Audiobooks ✓

   • The Curator by Owen King (6/27/23)

   • Starship Titanic by Douglas Adams and Terry Jones (6/28/23)

   • The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (6/29/23)

6. 3 Retreat Purchases or Recs ✓

   • Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A Snyder (7/19/23)

   • Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (7/22/23)

   • Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace (8/15/23)

7. 3 Nonfiction ✓

   • Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy (7/25/23)

   • Hey Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson (8/2/23)

   • The Things We Make by Bill Hammack (9/8/23)

8. 2 Books in a Series ✓

   • The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George (6/24/23)

   • Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (7/19/23)

9. 2 Random Library Choices ✓

   • Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse (7/3/23)

   • The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox (7/7/23)

Kid Read Alouds
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

1. Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans by Russell Ginns (1/11/23)

2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (1/20/23)

3. The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (1/19/23)

4. Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (2/9/23)

5. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (2/3/23)

6. The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh (1/23/23)

7. Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (2/16/23)

8. A True Home by Kallie George (2/23/23)

9. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (3/8/23)

10. Argos by Ralph Hardy (3/11/23)

11. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (3/22/23)

12. The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix (4/8/23)

13. Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca (4/14/23)

14. The Greatest Gift by Kallie George (4/11/23)

15. The Last Shadow Warrior by Sam Subity (5/14/23)

16. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (6/5/23)

17. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater (5/18/23)

18. The Deceivers by Margaret Peterson Haddix (6/4/23)

19. Wildoak by CC Harrington (8/24/23)

20. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien (8/18/23)

Seasonal - Winter
Goal 25/25 Books 100%

1. 5 Graphic Novels/Comic Trades

   • Ducks by Kate Beaton (1/11/23)

   • Lore, Olympus Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe (1/25/23)

   • The Me You Love in the Dark by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona (1/22/23)

   • Lady Mechanika Vol. 7 (1/27/23)

   • The Dollhouse Family (1/28/23)

2. 5 Scifi/Fantasy Books

   • Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert (1/11/23)

   • Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter (1/13/23)

   • The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth (1/18/23)

   • One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (1/20/23)

   • Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (2/4/23)

3. 3 Buddy Reads (CR and Nerdy Bookish Friends)

   • The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (1/21/23)

   • Babel by RF Kaung (2/22/23)

   • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (3/18/23)

4. 3 Nonfiction Books

   • Paradise Falls by Keith O’Brien (1/16/23)

   • A Literary Education by Emily Cook (1/24/23)

   • Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson (2/25/23)

5. 3 Romance

   • Misadventures of a Curvy Girl by Sierra Simone (1/12/23)

   • It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (1/26/23)

   • Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath (2/5/23)

6. 2 Classics

   • Timemaster by Robert L. Forward (2/24/23)

   • The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3/14/23)

7. 2 Middle Grade

   • Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack (1/25/23)

   • Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack (2/3/23)

8. 2 Historical Fiction

   • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (2/14/23)

   • The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron (3/18/23)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf
Goal 28/50 Books 56%

1. January: Comfort - Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (1/19/23)

2. February: Courage - Babel by R.F. Kuang (2/22/23)

3. March: Enough - The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3/14/23)

4. April: Delight - Crossings by Alex Landragin (4/29/23)

5. May: Curious - Cinders & Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann (5/12/23)

6. June: Explore - Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (6/17/23)

7. July: Joy - Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (7/8/23)

8. August: Immerse - The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker (8/18/23)

9. September: Remember - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala (9/21/23)

10. October: Influence - The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (10/18/23)

11. November: Nurture - Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters (11/21/23)

12. One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (1/20/23)

13. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (1/24/23)

14. At Grave’s End by Jeaniene Frost (1/27/23)

15. Lady Mechanika Vol. 7 (1/27/23)

16. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (3/23/23)

17. Weyward by Emilia Hart (3/28/23)

18. The Night Ship by Jess Kidd (4/8/23)

19. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost (4/21/23)

20. First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost (4/28/23)

21. Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young (7/5/23)

22. This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (7/14/23)

23. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (7/12/23)

24. Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A Snyder (7/19/23)

25. Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost (7/26/23)

26. Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert (9/19/23)

27. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (10/24/23)

28. Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (10/29/23)

Book of the Month Cleanout
Goal 11/12 Books 91.7%

1. Babel by R.F. Kuang (2/22/23)

2. Weyward by Emilia Hart (3/28/23)

3. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (6/17/23)

4. Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young (7/5/23)

5. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (7/8/23)

6. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (7/12/23)

7. The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker (8/18/23)

8. Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala (9/21/23)

9. The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (10/18/23)

10. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (10/24/23)

11. Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (10/29/23)

The 52 Book Club
Goal 46/52 Books 88.5%

1. A Book with a Subtitle - You Need to Lose Weight by Aubrey Gordon (3/26/23)

2. Featuring an Inheritance - Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath (2/11/23)

3. Title Starting with “G” - The Getaway by Lamar Giles (3/30/23)

4. Title Starting with “H” - Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (2/28/23)

5. Title Starting with “I” - Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (6/25/23)

6. Under 200 Pages - Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (2/4/23)

7. A City or Country Name in Title - The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews (5/5/23)

8. Dystopian Fiction - The Stranded by Sarah Daniels (3/4/23)

9. A Book with a Dedication - A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (5/4/23)

10. Takes Place During the Roaring Twenties - The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald (3/14/23)

11. A Book About Secrets - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (1/24/23)

12. High Fantasy - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (1/21/23)

13. Published Posthumously - Starship Titanic by Douglas Adams and Terry Jones (6/28/23)

14. A Survival Story - A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs (2/8/23)

15. Set in Australia - Acid for the Children by Flea (3/22/23)

16. Featuring One of the “Seven Deadly Sins” - Priest by Sierra Simone (1/31/23)

17. By a Caribbean Author

18. Set During a War Other Than WWI or WWII - Timeline by Michael Crichton (9/16/23)

19. Typographic Cover - VenCo by Cherie Dimaline (5/30/23)

20. A Book About Siblings - Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca (2/10/23)

21. A Second-Hand Book - Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters (11/21/23)

22. A Body-Positive Message - A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone (2/9/23)

23. An Alliterative Title - Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce (5/27/23)

24. Nordic Noir

25. A Fashionable Character - A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (5/26/23)

26. Has an Epilogue - The Deal by Elle Kennedy (1/13/23)

27. Newbery Medal Winner - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (9/13/23)

28. Includes a Funeral - Immortality by Dana Schwartz (7/28/23)

29. Sends You Down a Rabbit Hole - The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher (4/25/23)

30. An Author with a Same Name Town as You - The First Bright Thing by JR Dawson (8/23/23)

31. Set in a Workplace - Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy (2/23/23)

32. Published by Macmillan - The First Bright Thing by JR Dawson (8/23/23)

33. A Banned Book

34. Featuring Mythology - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (3/8/23)

35. A Book You Meant to Read Last Year - The Mistake by Elle Kennedy (2/25/23)

36. Chapters have Cliffhangers - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty (3/3/23)

37. Written in Present Tense - Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack (2/3/23)

38. An Enemies-to-Lovers Plot - Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (7/13/23)

39. The Final Book in a Series - The Dire King by William Ritter (1/28/23)

40. Written by a Comedian

41. A Character Who is a Refugee - Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang (8/16/23)

42. Time in the Title - The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth (1/18/23)

43. A Book “Everyone” has Read - The Mountain the Sea by Ray Nayler (3/11/23)

44. A Contemporary Setting - How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder (5/20/23)

45. First Word in the Book is “The” - The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill (4/26/23)

46. Script Font on the Spine - Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal (5/23/23)

47. Set in the City of Dublin

48. A Book by Octavia E. Butler

49. Books on the Cover - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (8/4/23)

50. Related to the Word “Murder” - Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth (7/29/23)

51. Doesn't Fit Any of the Other 51 Prompts - Ducks by Kate Beaton (1/11/23)

52. Published in 2023 - The Drift by CJ Tudor (3/25/23)

Romanceopoly
Goal 37/39 Books 94.9%

1. Sleuth Street (Mystery/Thriller where main character is a detective or PI) - My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey (3/15/23)

2. Library (Free Choice) - Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath (2/11/23)

3. Killer Crescent (Mystery/Thriller of choice) - Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (4/5/23)

4. The Bar (Main character works at or owns a bar) - Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis (2/15/23)

5. Winter (Winter holiday book) - A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone (2/9/23)

6. Flirts Corner (Contemporary author you haven’t tried before) - Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy (2/23/23)

7. BFF’s House (Friends to Lovers) - Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (2/28/23)

8. Amour Avenue (Contemporary romance with an Illustrated cover) - Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca (2/10/23)

9. Passion Place (Slow Burn or Instant Heat Contemporary Romance) - Priest by Sierra Simone (1/31/23)

10. Post Office (Set in a different country) - The Secret Society of Tea and Treason by India Holton (6/7/23)

11. Courtship Row (Read a historical romance with a clinch cover) - Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian (8/9/23)

12. Burger Joint (Read a book where one of the main characters is in the food industry, for example, a chef, food critic or a restaurant or food truck owner) - When in Rome by Sarah Adams (5/9/23)

13. The Cobbles (Historical romance with a rake) - Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath (2/5/23)

14. Past Eaves (Read the historical romance that catches your interest) - The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews (5/5/23)

15. Spring (Read a book that has an animal on the cover) - Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (4/15/23)

16. Fang Alley (Paranormal where one of the main characters is a vampire) - Court of the Vampire Queen (1/11/23)

17. Library (Free Choice) - The Score by Elle Kennedy (3/24/23)

18. Fated Folly (Read a paranormal romance with a bit of magic in it) - Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost (9/12/23)

19. The Vault (Paranormal with the main character on the cover) - Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (1/19/23)

20. Haunted House (Read a monster romance or something spooky) - The Dragon’s Bride by Katee Robert (11/3/23)

21. Ever Afters St. (Read a sapphic romance) -

22. Farmers Market (Where one of the main characters is a farmer or rancher or cowboy) - Misadventure of a Curvy Girl by Sierra Simone (1/12/23)

23. Rainbow Row (Read a romance featuring an LGBTQIA+ main character) - The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles (8/8/23)

24. Lovers Lane (Read a male/male romance) - The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (6/9/23)

25. Summer (Water on the Cover; Set at the Beach) - It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (1/26/23)

26. Action Avenue (Read a fantasy from your TBR) - The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell (4/8/23)

27. City Lane (Read a fantasy that doesn’t involve magic) - Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert (9/19/23)

28. The Gym (Read the longest book on your TBR) - Snowed in for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe (12/2/23)

29. Journeys End (Read a fantasy with a cover that takes your breath away) - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (8/4/23)

30. Emergency Services (Main Character is a part of emergency services {I’m counting Archer’s job}) - Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis (2/17/23)

31. Campus Corner (Set in college/university) - The Deal by Elle Kennedy (1/13/23)

32. Soldier Street (Read a book where one of the main characters are in the military) - Blue Sky Cowboy Christmas by Joanne Kennedy (12/21/23)

33. Library (Free Choice) - How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder (5/20/23)

34. Beau Boulevard (Read a young adult book of your choice) - The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell (10/26/23)

35. Autumn (Read a book that has either: A red or gold cover; or, Has trees and leaves on the cover; or, Has a cozy vibe) - Role Playing by Cathy Yardley (11/29/23)

36. The Office (Read a romance where the characters meet at work) - The Fine Print by Lauren Asher (5/17/23)

37. Star Harbour (Read a sci fi where one of the main characters is an alien) -

38. Coffee Shop (Read a book that has been recommended to you!) - A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (4/11/23)

39. Outer Space (Read a sci fi with the “mars needs women” trope) - Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon (5/25/23)

Finishing the Series
Goal 8/10 Books 80%

1. ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas ✓

   • A Court of Silver Flames (10/4/23)

2. Jackaby by William Ritter ✓

   • Ghostly Echoes (1/11/23)

   • The Dire King (1/28/23)

3. Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost ✓

   • Halfway to the Grave (1/19/23)

   • Happily Never After (8/12/23)

   • One Foot in the Grave (1/20/23)

   • At Grave’s End (1/27/23)

   • Destined for an Early Grave (4/21/23)

   • This Side of the Grave (7/14/23)

   • One Grave at a Time (8/29/23)

   • Up from the Grave (9/15/23)

4. Heartbreaker Bay by Jill Shalvis ✓

   • Sweet Little Lies (2/15/23)

   • Accidentally on Purpose (2/17/23)

   • Chasing Christmas Eve (2/18/23)

   • Holiday Wishes (2/21/23)

   • About that Kiss (3/9/23)

   • Hot Winter Nights (3/29/23)

   • Playing for Keeps (8/5/23)

   • Wrapped Up in You (8/11/23)

5. Night Huntress World ✓

   • First Drop of Crimson (4/28/23)

   • Eternal Kiss of Darkness (7/26/23)

6. Night Prince ✓

   • Once Burned (9/6/23)

   • Twice Tempted (9/12/23)

   • Bound by Flames (9/23/23)

   • Into the Fire (10/5/23)

7. The Austens

   • Wasted Words (7/27/23)

   • A Thousand Letters

   • Love, Hannah

   • Love Notes

   • Pride and Papercuts

8. The Doomsday Books

   • The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (8/8/23)

   • A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

9. Regency Imposters ✓

   • Unmasked by the Marquess (8/9/23)

   • A Duke in Disguise (8/24/23)

   • A Delicate Deception (11/18/23)

10. The Sinister Summer ✓

    • Vampiric Vacation (8/12/23)

    • Camp Creepy (8/25/23)

    • Menacing Manor (8/30/23)

Seasonal - Spring
Goal 23/25 Books 80%

1. 5 Scifi/Fantasy Books ✓

   • The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (3/23/23)

   • The Night Ship by Jess Kidd (4/8/23)

   • The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill (4/26/23)

   • Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth (5/10/23)

   • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (5/18/23)

2. 5 Romance ✓

   • The Score by Elle Kennedy (3/24/23)

   • Hot Winter Nights by Jill Shalvis (3/29/23)

   • Radiant Sin by Katee Robert (4/5/23)

   • The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell (4/8/23)

   • A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (4/11/23)

3. 5 Middle Grade Books

   • Cinders & Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann (5/12/23)

   • Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier (6/6/23)

   • Silver People by Margarita Engle (6/11/23)

   • TBD

   • TBD

4. 4 Kindle Books ✓

   • The Vampire Villain by Melody Raven (4/6/23)

   • Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez (4/15/23)

   • Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradel (5/23/23)

   • I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (5/17/23)

5. 3 Nonfiction Books ✓

   • Acid for the Children by Flea (3/22/23)

   • You Need to Lose Weight by Aubrey Gordon (3/26/23)

   • Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski (4/22/23)

6. 3 Buddy Reads / Book Club Selections ✓

   • The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (4/14/23)

   • The Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith (5/24/23)

   • The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (6/15/23)

2023 Reading Challenges Update #3

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year. I am leaving out the Build Your Library Challenge as it’s very strictly Arthur’s challenge and I’m not focused on actually completing it.

• Goodreads 176/200 88%

• Winter TBR 25/25 100%

• Spring TBR 20/25 80%

• Summer TBR 22/25 84%

• Fall TBR (not started yet)

• Unread Shelf 22/50 44%*

• Kid Read Alouds 20/20 100%

• BOTM Cleanout 7/12 58.3%

• 52 Book Club 43/52 80.8%**

• Romanceopoly 30/39 76.9%**

• COYER 8/20 40%*

• Finishing the Series 4/10 40%

Total Challenges 2/12 16.7%

Total Reading Slots 377/503 75%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Overall, I’m really doing a decent job at all my reading challenges. I do need to retool my focus to my own shelves. Looking forward to my last season of this year’s reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2023 Reading Challenges Update #2

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year. I am leaving out the Build Your Library Challenge as it’s very strictly Arthur’s challenge and I’m not focused on actually completing it.

• Goodreads 108/200 54%

• Winter TBR 25/25 100%

• Spring TBR 20/25 80%

• Summer TBR (not started yet)

• Fall TBR (not started yet)

• Unread Shelf 14/50 28% *

• Kid Read Alouds 16/20 80%

• BOTM Cleanout 2/12 16.7%

• 52 Book Club 34/52 65.4% **

• Romanceopoly 25/39 64.1% **

• COYER 4/20 20%

• Finishing the Series 1/10 10% *

Total Challenges 1/12 8.3%

Total Reading Slots 249/503 49.5%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: My two big personal category challenges (Romanceopoly and 52 Book Club) are actually going very well. I just really need to focus on reading more books from my own shelves. I would like to end the year with an Unread Shelf of less than 300. — I just reposted my comment from the previous update. They are exactly the same.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2023 Reading Challenges Update #1

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year. I am leaving out the Build Your Library Challenge as it’s very strictly Arthur’s challenge and I’m not focused on actually completing it.

• Goodreads 71/200 36%

• Winter TBR 25/25 100%

• Spring TBR 5/25 20% **

• Summer TBR (not started yet)

• Fall TBR (not started yet)

• Unread Shelf 9/50 18% *

• Kid Read Alouds 11/20 55%

• BOTM Cleanout 2/12 16.7%

• 52 Book Club 24/52 46.2% **

• Romanceopoly 16/39 41% **

• COYER 1/20 5% *

• Finishing the Series 1/10 10% *

Total Challenges 1/12 8.3%

Total Reading Slots 165/503 32.8%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: My two big personal category challenges (Romanceopoly and 52 Book Club) are actually going very well. I just really need to focus on reading more books from my own shelves. I would like to end the year with an Unread Shelf of less than 300.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2023 Reading Challenges

2023 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Seasonal TBRS: Winter TBR, Spring TBR, Summer TBR, Fall TBR

• Kid Read Alouds

• BOTM Cleanout

• 52 Book Club

• Romanceopoly

• COYER

• Finishing the Series

• Build Your Library (Arthur Focused)

GoodReads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. Last year, I blew past that number and ended with 244, my second highest number ever. But I don’t necessarily want to read more books, I just want to keep my momentum up. 200 seems like a good number.

UnRead Shelf (50) - My fifth year participating in this particular challenge. I haven’t really done well in years past, but I do want to keep this on my radar. You can find more information about this challenge at The Unread Shelf. For 2023, my Top 10 to Read:

1. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

2. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

3. Wake, Siren by Nina MacLaughlin

4. Lady Mechanika Vol. 7

5. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

6. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

7. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

8. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

9. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

10. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson

Seasonal TBRs (25 x4) - Instead of strict monthly goals, I’m going to focus on seasonal goals. Unlike last year, I won’t be filling my lists with 25 specific titles, but instead use a bit of a goal framework. For example, winter’s list can include 5 Kindle books, 5 fantasy/scifi pics, 5 romances, and 5 nonfiction. I can go anywhere in those categories. This helps me diversify my genres and styles.

Kid Read Alouds (20) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We have some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

BOTM Cleanout (12) - I have so many BOTM books just hanging out my floor. I was excited to order every single one of them, but then they just started gathering dust. This year I want to reduce my pile by at least 12 books.

52 Book Club (52) - I am often tempted by big diverse prompt challenges, but I lot I have issues with the prompts. This one seems to be more in line with how I read. And I like the one book a week idea. So I’m going to attempt this one! You can find more information at The 52 Book Club.

Romanceopoly (39) - This challenge is going to be a big of a stretch. As I rediscovered my love of romance books, I thought I would give it a try. I haven’t decided if I want to move space by space through the board or roll dice to determine. More information at Romanceopoly.

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reader) (20) - Goodness knows that I have too many books on my Kindle app. It’s time to start attempting to reduce that number. More information at Because Reading.

Finishing the Series (10) - I’m hoping to finish 10 series this year. I know of a few that have already been started, but I imagine that many many more will crop up as the year progresses. More information at Celebrity Readers.

1. ACOTAR - I need to just read A Court of Silver Flames

2. Jackaby - I need to read Ghostly Echoes and The Dire King.

Build Your Library (40) - BYL forms the basis for our homeschool curriculum and I just now learned that Emily makes a reading challenge every year. This challenge will be primarily for Arthur, but I imagine that I will be reading many of the books with him, so I added it to my page. Looking forward to a great year of reading with the kids. More information at Build Your Library.

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I also decided to create my own spice meter for romance books. A 1-5 scale seemed too limiting for the types of books I read. So I expanded it to 8 levels with corresponding explanations. This year, I will be rating all of my romance books on this new scale.

---

My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2022 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

For 2022, I ended up throwing out any outside reading challenges. I focused more on mood reading and attempting to just go where my reading thoughts take me. I ended up finishing a few of my own challenges and failing at a lot of the others. But that’s okay. I don’t mind that I failed all of these challenges.

2022 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• Winter RC

• Spring RC

• Summer RC

• Fall RC

• Perpetual RC

• UnRead Shelf Project

• UnRead Shelf RC

• Kid Read Alouds

And now let’s break down all the individual challenges, starting with those that I completed:

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 244/200 Books 100%

Kid Read Alouds
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

1. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (2/10/22)

2. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (3/13/22)

3. City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda (4/5/22)

4. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (4/17/22)

5. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming (4/24/22)

6. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (5/8/22)

7. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein (5/25/22)

8. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (6/9/22)

9. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (6/19/22)

10. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (7/12/22)

11. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (8/4/22)

12. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (8/19/22)

13. The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (8/25/22)

14. The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliam (8/20/22)

15. Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Saw There by Lewis Carroll (9/1/22)

16. Word of Mouse by James Patterson (9/7/22)

17. Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris (9/15/22)

18. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (9/22/22)

19. A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry (9/30/22)

20. Morning Girl by Michael Dorris (9/18/22)

Fall
Goal 25/25 Books 100%

1. 5 Horror

   • Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (10/11/22)

   • The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (10/19/22)

   • Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (10/25/22)

   • You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine (10/20/22)

   • The Wrong Girl by R.L. Stine (10/21/22)

2. 5 Fantasy/Scifi

   • Vicious by VE Schwab (9/27/22)

   • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (9/28/22)

   • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (10/14/22)

   • The Lost Vampire Prince by Melody Raven (11/4/22)

   • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (1/11/22)

3. 3 Kid Read Alouds

   • A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry (9/30/22)

   • The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (10/12/22)

   • Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone (10/14/22)

4. 3 Book Club / Buddy Reads

   • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - Nerdy Bookish Friends Read (9/23/22)

   • Her Majesty’s Secret Coven by Juno Dawson - Nerdy Bookish Friends Read (10/7/22)

   • Fairy Tale by Stephen King - Nerdy Bookish Friends Read (11/12/22)

5. 3 Romance

   • The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (9/25/22)

   • The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George (11/19/22)

   • The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly (11/25/22)

6. 2 Classics

   • I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (9/24/22)

   • The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren (11/18/22)

7. 2 Nonfiction

   • The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse (10/12/22)

   • The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill (10/8/22)

8. 2 Library Choices

   • My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris (10/22/22)

   • Beastly Bones by William Ritter (10/28/22)

Failed Challenges

Perpetual Reading Challenge
Goal 0/25 Books 0%

1. TBD

2. TBD

3. TBD

4. TBD

5. TBD

6. TBD

7. TBD

8. TBD

9. TBD

10. TBD

UnRead Shelf
Goal 23/50 Books 46%

1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (1/30/22)

2. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig (1/29/22)

3. House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (2/8/22)

4. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (3/26/22)

5. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (4/6/22)

6. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (5/27/22)

7. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (6/18/22)

8. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (6/28/22)

9. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (7/5/22)

10. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (9/21/22)

11. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (9/23/22)

12. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (9/24/22)

13. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (9/25/22)

14. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (9/28/22)

15. The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill (10/8/22)

16. The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse (10/12/22)

17. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James (10/19/22)

18. You May Now Kill the Bride by R.L. Stine (10/20/22)

19. The Wrong Girl by R.L. Stine (10/21/22)

20. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (10/25/22)

21. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (10/26/22)

22. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (10/29/22)

23. The Midwife’s Revolt by Jodi Daynard (11/26/22)

24. The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Unread Shelf Project Reading Challenge
Goal 14/24 Books 58.3%

1. January: The Book You’ve Been Putting Off Reading - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (1/30/22)

2. February: A Title You Couldn’t Resist - House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (2/8/22)

3. March: A Memoir or Biography - Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (9/28/22)

4. April: A Book by an Indie Published or Small Press - The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (5/27/22)

5. May: The Shortest Unread Book on Your Shelf - The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (6/28/22)

6. June: A Book About a Journey - Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (7/5/22)

7. July: Book Set in a Country or Culture Different Than Your Own - The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George (9/25/22)

8. August: A Book Chosen by Your Friends or Family - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (9/24/22)

9. September: A Book that Represents the Reader You Want to Be - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (9/23/22)

10. October: A Book that Makes You Nervous - The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

11. November: A Title That Starts with the First Letter of Your Name -

12. December: A Classic Book -

13. A Book in Translation -

14. A Book Bought for the Cover - A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (3/16/22)

15. A Science/Technology Nonfiction -

16. The Most Recently Acquired - The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (6/18/22)

17. A Book About/Of Poetry - The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill (10/8/22)

18. A Book About Nature -

19. A Book Made into a Movie or TV Series -

20. A Book About a Season or Phase of Life - The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (3/26/22)

21. A Book About Food or Cooking - Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (9/21/22)

22. A Book Set in Your Hometown or State -

23. A Book About Art or Artists -

24. A Modern Retelling of a Classic Book -

Seasonal - Winter
Goal 23/25 Books 92%

1. Five Kindle Books

   • Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler (1/25/22)

   • Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren (2/1/22)

   • Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren (2/16/22)

   • Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren (2/16/22)

   • Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gil (3/12/22)

2. Five Nonfiction

   • How Zoologists Organize Things by David Bainbridge (1/15/22)

   • Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedemanv (1/28/22)

   • How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith (2/11/22)

   • Fuzz by Mary Roach (2/25/22)

   • Everyone You Hate is Going to Die by Daniel Sloss (2/27/22)

3. Five Fantasy/Scifi

   • Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (1/21/22)

   • Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (2/12/22)

   • Just One Damned Thing After Another (2/23/22)

   • Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (2/26/22)

   • The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg (3/8/22)

4. Five Romance

   • Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez (1/14/22)

   • All the Feels by Olivia Dad (1/19/22)

   • Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler (2/9/22)

   • An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (2/15/22)

   • Electric Idol by Katee Robert (3/11/22)

5. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (3/16/22)

6. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig (1/29/22)

7. A Jane Austen Reread - Northanger Abbey (2/18/22)

8. House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

9. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth

Seasonal - Spring
Goal 19/25 Books 76%

1. Five Nonfiction

   • Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara (4/16/22)

   • Thick by Tressie McMilan Cottom (5/13/22)

   • TBD

   • TBD

   • TBD

2. Five Fantasy/SciFi

   • How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (3/23/22)

   • Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (4/6/22)

   • Dead Silence by SA Barnes (4/9/22)

   • The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart (4/22/22)

   • The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (4/29/22)

3. Three Romance

   • If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (4/2/22)

   • The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (5/14/22)

   • The No-Show by Beth O’Leary (5/20/22)

4. Finish (Three Books) Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren

   • Beautiful Secret (4/13/22)

   • Beautiful Boss (4/15/22)

   • Beautiful (4/26/22)

5. Three Middle Grade

   • The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman (3/25/22)

   • The Bookwanderers by Anna James (3/29/22)

   • The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell (4/5/22)

6. Two Buddy Read Books (CR Picks)

   • The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (5/24/22)

   • When Women were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

7. Two Random Library Picks

   • Anatomy by Dana Schwartz (5/4/22)

   • The Disasters by M.K. England (5/30/22)

8. A Jane Austen Reread

9. Seanan Maguire Selection

Seasonal - Summer
Goal 21/25 Books 80%

1. 5 Nonfiction Reads

   • A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll (6/23/22)

   • The Palace Papers by Tina Brown (8/26/22)

   • TBD

   • TBD

   • TBD

2. 5 Romances

   • Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert (7/15/22)

   • The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (7/21/22)

   • Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren (7/27/22)

   • Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren (8/16/22)

   • Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren (8/28/22)

3. 5 Science Fiction

   • Klara and the Sun by Kazoo Ishiguro (6/25/22)

   • Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (7/23/22)

   • Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (8/9/22)

   • The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (8/19/22)

   • TBD

4. 5 Fantasy

   • The Change by Kirsten Miller (6/29/22)

   • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (7/2/22)

   • The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller (7/6/22)

   • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (7/8/22)

   • Wonderland edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane (7/13/22)

5. 5 Young Adult and Middle Grade

   • The Minor Third by Neil Patrick Harris (7/16/22)

   • Lobizona by Romina Garber (7/22/22)

   • Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White (7/30/22)

   • Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor (8/6/22)

   • The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (8/1/22)

2022 Reading Challenges

I’m once again going to focus on challenges that appeal to my strange mood reading tendencies. My challenges are mostly homegrown (except for Unread Shelf Reading Challenge) and reflect my want to read off my own TBR (either digital or physical). I want to focus on the books that I will enjoy rather than what everyone else is talking about.

2022 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• Perpetual Books

• UnRead Shelf Project

• Seasonal TBRS: Winter TBR, Spring TBR, Summer TBR, Fall TBR

• UnRead Shelf Reading Challenge

• Kid Read Alouds

GoodReads Challenge (200) - I’m sticking with my usual 200 books for this overall goal. In 2021, I ended with 223 books which is slightly down from 2020’s 230. I still like the 200 number.

Perpetual Books (25) - I’ve done a bit of a culling when it comes to my perpetual lists page. I deleted some of the lists altogether and am focusing on the ones that appeal to be personally. We’ll see how this one goes…

UnRead Shelf (50) - My fourth year participating in this particular challenge. I did not do well at all last year. As always, I have high hopes for this!

Seasonal TBRs - Instead of strict monthly goals, I’m going to focus on seasonal goals. Unlike last year, I won’t be filling my lists with 25 specific titles, but instead use a bit of a goal framework. For example, winter’s list includes 5 Kindle books, 5 fantasy/scifi pics, 5 romances, and 5 nonfiction. I can go anywhere in those categories.

UnRead Shelf Project (24) - Another one that I didn’t quite finish last year. I’m really going to commit to doing the monthly challenge and the topical challenge.

1. January: The Book You’ve Been Putting Off Reading -

2. February: A Title You Couldn’t Resist -

3. March: A Memoir or Biography -

4. April: A Book by an Indie Published or Small Press -

5. May: The Shortest Unread Book on Your Shelf -

6. June: A Book About a Journey -

7. July: Book Set un a Country or Culture Different Than Your Own -

8. August: A Book Chosen by Your Friends or Family -

9. September: A Book that Represents the Reader You Want to Be -

10. October: A Book that Makes You Nervous -

11. November: A Title That Starts with the First Letter of Your Name -

12. December: A Classic Book -

13. A Book in Translation -

14. A Book Bought for the Cover -

15. A Science/Technology Nonfiction -

16. The Most Recently Acquired -

17. A Book About/Of Poetry -

18. A Book About Nature -

19. A Book Made into a Movie or TV Series -

20. A Book About a Season or Phase of Life -

21. A Book About Food or Cooking -

22. A Book Set in Your Hometown or State -

23. A Book About Art or Artists

24. A Modern Retelling of a Classic Book

Kid Read Alouds (20) - Continuing with this challenge again this year. We haven’t some great read aloud choices for the spring semester. And I’m sure that I’ll pick some great titles for the fall semester.

---

My rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2021 Reading Challenges Roundup: Completed and Failed

Once again we come to the end of another reading year and a whole bunch of reading challenges. To review, I said way back in January 2020:

“I’m going for mood reading in 2021. I went with challenges that don’t stifle my reading in any way. I want my reading challenges to feel exciting and motivating. “

And that did stay true throughout the year. I really leaned into the mood reading let the rigid idea of reading challenges fall a bit to the wayside. Here’s a quick overview of what happened with the challenges that I did set up:

2021 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge ✓

• Perpetual Books ✓

• UnRead Shelf

• MMD Summer Reading Guide ✓

• Winter TBR

• Spring TBR

• Summer TBR

• Fall TBR

• Currently Reading Podcast ✓

• UnRead Shelf Project

And now let’s break down all the individual challenges, starting with those that I completed:

Completed Challenges

Goodreads
Goal 223/200 Books 100%

Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading
Goal 20/20 Books 100%

1. I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman (3/10/21)

2. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (5/14/21)

5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

6. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

7. A Jane Austen Education by William Dereieswicz (6/16/21)

8. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (6/15/21)

9. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

10. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

11. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

12. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

13. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

14. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

15. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

16. Laundry Love by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

17. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

18. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

19. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (10/23/21)

20. Code Name Hèléne by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

Perpetual Books
Goal 30/30 Books 100%

1. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

2. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

3. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

4. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

5. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

6. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

7. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

8. Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/23/21)

9. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

10. To Sir Philip With Love by Julia Quinn (3/6/21)

11. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

12. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/20/21)

13. Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/23/21)

14. Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt (3/24/21)

15. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

16. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov (4/7/21)

17. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (4/16/21)

18. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn (4/17/21)

19. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov (6/5/21)

20. The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov (8/7/21)

21. Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov (8/14/21)

22. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/25/21)

23. Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov (8/31/21)

24. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/8/21)

25. Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov (9/15/21)

26. Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (9/22/21)

27. Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov (9/28/21)

28. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

29. Bird Box by Josh Malerman (10/15/21)

30. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov (10/16/21)

Kid Read-Alouds
Goal 15/15 Books 100%

1. The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (1/16/21)

2. Mathilda by Roald Dahl (1/26/21)

3. Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el (2/11/21)

4. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (2/18/21)

5. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3/5/21)

6. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (3/19/21)

7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (4/9/21)

8. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (4/23/21)

9. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (5/6/21)

10. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate (5/21/21)

11. Frog and Toad Collection by Arnold Lobel (5/28/21)

12. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster (6/15/21)

13. Scare Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Hiedicker (6/30/21)

14. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (7/20/21)

15. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (7/30/21)

Currently Reading Reading Challenge
Goal 12/12 Books 100%

1. Kept me turning the pages after midnight - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2/5/21)

2. Can't wait to give someone else - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (5/25/21)

3. Binged in a day - Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

4. Makes me feel cozy - Tales from the Hinterlands by Melissa Albert (4/20/21)

5. Read with a buddy - The Widow by Fiona Barton (2/10/21)

6. Takes me to another world - Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

7. Reflects the season I read it - A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (3/5/21)

8. Someone desperately wanted me to read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4/3/21)

9. So good I didn't want it to end - The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

10. Wanted to read so badly, but then it got lost in my TBR - The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (1/26/21)

11. I picked up randomly in the library or bookstore because it called to me - The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (5/22/21)

12. Everyone is loving on Bookstagram, podcasts, or Goodreads - Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (3/12/21)

Failed Challenges

UnRead Shelf
Goal 26/50 Books 50%

1. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

3. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

4. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

5. An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (1/27/21)

6. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (1/29/21)

7. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/12/21)

8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

9. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

10. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/26/21)

11. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

12. When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (3/16/21)

13. It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (3/30/21)

14. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

15. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

16. Lady Mechanika Vol. 5 (4/21/21)

17. Lady Mechanika Vol. 6 (4/23/21)

18. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

19. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

20. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

21. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

22. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

23. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

24. In a Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

25. Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

26. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

Fall Seasonal
Goal 8/25 Books 0%

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (10/8/21)

2. Girls Meets Duke series by Tessa Dare

   • The Wallflower Wager (10/2/21)

   • The Bride Bet

3. The Woods are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins (10/5/21)

4. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (10/9/21)

6. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

7. The Guide by Peter Heller (10/6/21)

8. Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

9. Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (12/21/21)

10. A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow (10/27/21)

11. The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

12. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kristin Bakis

13. Underground Airlines by Ben Winters

14. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

15. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

16. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

17. Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon (11/13/21)

18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

19. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

20. A Court of Throne sand Roses by Sarah J. Maas

21. The Witches by Stacy Schiff

22. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

23. The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

24. Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

25. Rereads

    • Sunshine by Robin McKinley

    • The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (10/24/21)

Unread Shelf Project Reading Challenge
Goal 11/24 Books 16.7%

1. January: High Expectations - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (1/13/21)

2. February: Got for free - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2/17/21)

3. March: Bought on a trip -

4. April: Bought from used bookstore - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (4/24/21)

5. May: Bought as a new release -

6. June: Bought in a spending spree - Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore (10/13/21)

7. July: Bought for the cover -

8. August: From an independent bookstore -

9. September: Want to learn from -

10. October: Secretly afraid of -

11. November: Published before 2000 -

12. December: Reminds you of childhood -

13. More than 500 pages -

14. Impulse buy -

15. On the shelf longer than a year - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (5/26/21)

16. Author you've never read before - The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (10/26/21)

17. Bought because of a recommendation -

18. Given to you that you didn't ask for -

19. Got for a special occasion - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (11/5/21)

20. Favorite genre - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (4/27/21)

21. Bought because of the hype - Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (11/27/21)

22. From a Little Free Library -

23. Most recently acquired - The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (2/27/21)

24. Backlist title by an author with a newer release available - Sanctum by Madeleine Roux (1/23/21)

Summer Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 40%

1. Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

2. Troy by Stephen Fry

3. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain (8/20/21)

4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers (9/11/21)

5. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (7/7/21)

6. For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten (6/29/21)

7. The Guide by Peter Heller

8. Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (8/21/21)

9. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

10. Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

11. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (7/28/21)

12. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (7/14/21)

13. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 (9/17/21)

14. Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw Series by Michelle Hodkin

    • The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

    • The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #1)

    • The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2)

15. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

16. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May (7/30/21)

17. Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

18. The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks (6/23/21)

19. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (6/30/21)

20. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

21. Black Cobra Quartet by Stephanie Laurens

    • The Untamed Bride

    • The Elusive Bride

    • The Brazen Bride

    • The Reckless Bride

22. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

    • The Thousandth Floor

    • The Dazzling Heights

23. Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel

24. Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

25. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (6/25/21)

Winter Seasonal
Goal 14/25 Books 56%

1. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (1/17/21)

2. Still Life by Louise Penny (own)

3. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (1/15/21)

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (1/24/21)

5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (own)

6. Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux

   • Sanctum (1/23/21)

   • Catacomb DNFed

   • Novellas DNFed

   • Escape from Asylum DNFed

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas (library on hold)

8. The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (1/23/21)

9. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (library on hold)

10. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (1/12/21)

11. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (1/14/21)

12. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (library on hold)

13. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow (2/5/21)

14. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (2/19/21)

15. Underland by Robert Macfarlane (2/3/21)

16. Wellington by Aaron Mahnke (1/16/21)

17. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (library on hold)

18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (own)

19. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (own)

20. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (library on hold)

21. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (library on hold)

22. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (own)

23. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (2/13/21)

24. Lock In by John Scalzi (1/30/21)

25. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (1/20/21)

Spring Seasonal
Goal 12/25 Books 32%

1. Foundation by Isaace Asimov

2. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis

3. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (4/28/21)

4. Lady Mechanika series

   • Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci (4/21/21)

   • Volume 6: Sangre (4/23/21)

5. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (6/4/21)

6. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

7. A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz (6/16/21)

8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

9. Experiemntal Film by Gemma Files

10. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

11. The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

12. Broken by Jenny Lawson (6/11/21)

13. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

14. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

15. Outlawed by Anna North (4/6/21)

16. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (4/13/21)

17. Still Life by Louise Penny (5/12/21)

18. Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

    • It’s In His Kiss (3/30/21)

    • On the Way to the Wedding (4/16/21)

    • Happily Ever After (4/17/21)

19. Swamplandia by Karen Russell

20. Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster (5/5/21)

21. The Toll by Neal Shusterman (5/8/21)

22. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

23. Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence (6/15/21)

24. Will Storr vs The Supernatural by Will Storr

25. The Nest by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney

2021 Reading Challenges Mid-Year Update

After the disaster that was 2020, I scaled way back with my reading commitments for 2021. My 2020 reading was decent (230 books!), but I felt like I was committing myself to reading a lot of things that I wasn’t super interested in. I decided to fall back on my mood reading process for 2021 and limit my reading challenges. I kept a few around, but only ones that fit in with what I wanted to do. Let’s see how I’m doing midway through the year.

• Goodreads 104/200 - I don’t count this in my update really, but here’s where I’m at overall.

• Perpetual Books 19/30 63.3%**

• UnRed Shelf Project 21/50 42%

• Modern Mrs. Darcy Past Summer Reading Guides 9/20 45%

• Winter Seasonal 14/25. 56%

• Spring Seasonal. 12/25 48%

• Summer Seasonal 2/25. 8%

• Fall Seasonal /25

• Currently Reading 12/12 100%

• UnRead Shelf 7/24. 29.2%*

• Kid’s Read Alouds 12/15. 80%**

Total Challenges  1/10 10%

Total Reading Slots 108/251. 43%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Letting my moods pick my next read has really been helped this year so far. My reading has hit a steady pace and I’m picking up so many books that I’m excited for. I think the backing off of challenges has really helped me be more content with my reading life.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2021 Reading Challenges

Last year I had my second to highest reading year ever and it was great, but I really really needed to change up my reading challenge strategy again.

I’m going for mood reading in 2021. I went with challenges that don’t stifle my reading in any way. I want my reading challenges to feel exciting and motivating.

2021 Reading Challenges

• Goodreads Challenge

• Perpetual Books

• UnRead Shelf

• MMD Summer Reading Guide

• Winter TBR

• Spring TBR

• Summer TBR

• Fall TBR

• Currently Reading Podcast

• UnRead Shelf Project

GoodReads Challenge (200) - Even though I blew past 200 this past year, I am not convinced that means I should up my challenge number. I still think 200 is a respectable number to shoot for.

Perpetual Books (30) - Really going to try and knock off some of these books from my big lists!

UnRead Shelf (50) - My third year participating in this particular challenge. I did not do well at all last year, I’m hoping that a library ban for the first few months will refocus my reading to the Unread shelves.

MMD Summer Reading Guide (20) - I always love to see what Anne Bogel’s highlights each summer. But I never actually read all the books in the year (or even want to read all the books in that year’s guide). So, I thought I would try to pick 20 books from across all the years of the guide to read this year.

Seasonal TBRs - Instead of strict monthly goals, I’m going to focus on 25 books that I am excited to read each season. These can be from my own shelves,

Winter TBR (25)

1. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (own)

2. Still Life by Louise Penny (own)

3. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (library)

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (library on hold)

5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (own)

6. Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux (own)

   • Sanctum

   • Catacomb

   • Novellas

   • Escape from Asylum

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas (library on hold)

8. The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen (library)

9. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (library on hold)

10. Exhalation by Ted Chiang (library ebook)

11. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (own)

12. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (library on hold)

13. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow (library on hold)

14. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (own)

15. Underland by Robert Macfarlane (library on hold)

16. Wellington by Aaron Mahnke (library due)

17. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (library on hold)

18. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (own)

19. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (own)

20. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (library on hold)

21. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (library on hold)

22. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (own)

23. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (library on hold)

24. Lock In by John Scalzi (own ebook)

25. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov (own ebook)

Spring TBR (25)

Summer TBR (25)

Fall TBR (25)

Currently Reading Podcast (12) - I love listening to the Currently Reading podcast and I even became a Patron this past year. I didn’t join the challenge last year, but I think this year’s focus on mood reading will play well with this challenge.

1. Kept me turning the pages after midnight -

2. Can't wait to give someone else -

3. Binged in a day -

4. Makes me feel cozy -

5. Read with a buddy -

6. Takes me to another world -

7. Reflects the season I read it -

8. Someone desperately wanted me to read -

9. So good I didn't want it to end -

10. Wanted to read so badly, but then it got lost in my TBR -

11. I picked up randomly in the library or bookstore because it called to me -

12. Everyone is loving on Bookstagram, podcasts, or Goodreads -

UnRead Shelf Project (24) - Another one that I didn’t quite finish last year. I’m really going to commit to doing the monthly challenge and the topical challenge.

1. January: High Expectations -

2. February: Got for free -

3. March: Bought on a trip -

4. April: Bought from used bookstore -

5. May: Bought as a new release -

6. June: Bough in a spending spree -

7. July: Bought for the cover -

8. August: From an independent bookstore -

9. September: Want to learn from -

10. October: Secretly afraid of -

11. November: Published before 2000 -

12. December: Reminds you of childhood -

13. More than 500 pages -

14. Impulse buy -

15. On the shelf longer than a year -

16. {Author you've never read before -

17. Bought because of a recommendation -

18. Given to you that you didn't ask for -

19. Got for a special occasion -

20. Favorite genre -

21. Bought because of the hype -

22. From a Little Free Library -

23. Most recently acquired -

24. Backlist title by an author with a newer release available -

Kid Read Alouds (15) - We are already doing some fun read-alouds for homeschool. I have a goal of 15 read-alouds for 2021. We have 7 picked out for the spring semester and will be adding to the list.

1. The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el

2. Mathilda by Roald Dahl

3. The Theives of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence

4. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

5. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

6. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

7. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

---

In having some big conversations with J, I’ve decided to slightly change my book rating system. Previously, my star ratings broke down as:

• 5 stars - loved it

• 4 stars - liked it

• 3 stars - not for me

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - didn’t finish

This has resulted in a lot of 4 and 3 stars, but it was throwing off my distribution a bit. I took a few days to think about how to change the system, and have come up with this new rating system:

• 5 stars - loved it, will tell everyone (or almost everyone) to read it

• 4 stars - liked it, would recommend to certain people

• 3 stars - okay book, but maybe not something i would recommend, maybe not a book for me, but I see merit

• 2 stars - disliked it

• 1 star - finished the book, but hated it! will rant to anyone about why I hated this one

2020 Reading Challenge Roundup - Failed

Perpetual Books
Goal 20/30 Books 66.7%

1. The Hunger by Alma Katsu (1/17/20)

2. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (1/18/20)

3. Kindred by Octavia Butler (3/6/20)

4. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (3/26/20)

5. How to Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran (3/27/20)

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (5/7/20)

7. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (5/8/20)

8. Asylum by Madeleine Roux (6/7/20)

9. The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs (7/10/20)

10. The Witches are Coming by Lindy West (7/29/20)

11. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (8/21/20)

12. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (8/22/20)

13. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov (8/30/20)

14. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt (8/2/20)

15. Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt (8/16/20)

16. Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt (8/29/20)

17. Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt (9/2/20)

18. Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt (9/30/20)

19. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (10/18/20)

20. The Troop by Nick Cutter (11/17/20)

UnRead Shelf
Goal 30/50 Books 60%

1. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (1/21/20)

2. Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte (1/29/20)

3. Lady Mechanika Vol. 4 (1/30/20)

4. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (2/7/20)

5. The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London (2/14/20)

6. The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London (2/28/20)

7. The Seduction of Lady X by Julia London (3/30/20)

8. Well Met by Jen DeLuca (3/28/20)

9. 1776 by David McCullough (4/14/20)

10. All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace (4/22/20)

11. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd (5/6/20)

12. The Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick (5/13/20)

13. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin (5/16/20)

14. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (5/17/20)

15. The Scandals of an Innocent by Nicola Cornick (5/27/20)

16. The Undoing of a Lady by Nicola Cornick (5/29/20)

17. Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick (6/5/20)

18. Asylum by Madeleine Roux (6/7/20)

19. The Library of Legends by Janie Chang (6/17/20)

20. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (6/18/20)

21. The Paris Hours by Alex George (6/26/20)

22. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (7/8/20)

23. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (7/17/20)

24. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (7/20/20)

25. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt (8/2/20)

26. The End of October by Lawrence Wright (8/14/20)

27. Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt (8/16/20)

28. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (8/19/20)

29. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (9/29/20)

30. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab (12/2/20)

Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading
Goal 13/20 Books 65%

1. Beach Read by Emily Henry (8/9/20)

2. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (10/21/20)

3. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (6/16/20)

4. Clad When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (7/12/20)

5. Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

6. The End of October by Lawrence Wright (8/14/20)

7. Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

8. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

9. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (10/23/20)

10. I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman

11. I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos (6/28/20)

12. The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (9/26/20)

13. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

14. Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

15. Lovely War by Julie Berry (10/16/20)

16. Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel

17. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (7/17/20)

18. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler (8/4/20)

19. Sea Wife by Amity Gaige

20. Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles

21. Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia

22. The Switch by Beth O’Leary

23. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

24. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

25. Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning

26. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (7/22/20)

27. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

28. Writers and Lovers by Lily KIng

Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Previous Years
Goal 3/20 Books 15%

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. Beartown by Fredrik Backman

3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

4. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

5. Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

6. The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

7. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

8. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman

9. The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

10. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

11. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

12. Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

13. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

14. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

15. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

16. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

17. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (6/22/20)

18. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

19. I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon

20. First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

21. The Giver by Lois Lowry

22. The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

23. Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

24. Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton

25. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

26. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

27. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

28. One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

29. Honeymoon in Paris by Jojo Moyes

30. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

31. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist

32. At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider

33. Still Life by Louise Penny

34. Cooked by Michael Pollan

35. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

36. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

37. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

38. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

39. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

40. The Gown by Jennifer Robson

41. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

42. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

43. Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein

44. Holes by Louis Sachar

45. Love Walked in by Marisa de los Santos

46. I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos

47. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

48. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

49. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

50. Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

51. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

52. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

53. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

54. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (10/28/20)

55. A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (7/21/20)

56. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Goodreads to Read Random
Goal 10/12 Books 83.3%

1. January - Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

2. February - The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London (2/28/20)

3. March - Archaeology from Space by Sarah Parcak (4/8/20)

4. April - Planetfall by Emma Newman (4/17/20)

5. May - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (5/8/20)

6. June - The Daughter of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe (6/30/20)

7. July - Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (7/28/20)

8. August - The Ship of Dreams by Catharine Russell (8/11/20)

9. September - Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt (9/2/20)

10. October - Dark Desires by Eve Silver (10/17/20)

11. November - Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (11/6/20)

12. December - Still Life by Louise Penny

May Theme
Goal 4/6 Books 66.7%

1. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (9/29/20)

2. Seven Endless Forests by April Genevieve Tucholke (8/12/20)

3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (5/15/20)

4. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Gracia Marquez

6. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (10/28/20)

August Theme
Goal 4/6 Books 66.7%

1. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov (8/22/20)

2. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (10/25/20)

3. Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams (8/7/20)

4. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux

5. The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender (10/24/20)

6. The Secrets of Drearcliff School by Kim Newman

September Theme
Goal 1/6 Books 16.7%

1. Beartown by Fredrik Backman

2. Her Body and Other Parties by Carman Maria Machado

3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

4. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (9/12/20)

5. With Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

6. TBD

November Theme
Goal 1/6 Books 16.7%

1. The Address Book by Deirdre Mask (11/13/20)

2. The Buried by Peter Hessler

3. The Eye of the Hurricane by Nathaniel Philbrick

4. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by

5. TBD

6. TBD

2020 Reading Challenge Roundup - Completed

TBR Jar Random
Goal 12/12 Books 100%

1. January - The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn (4/7/20)

2. February - The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (4/25/20)

3. March - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (3/23/20)

4. April - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (5/26/20)

5. May - A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (5/30/20)

6. June - Hollowland by Amanda Hocking (6/3/20)

7. July - Pines by Blake Crouch (7/26/20)

8. August - Delirium by Lauren Oliver (8/21/20)

9. September - The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller (10/22/20)

10. October - A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore (10/7/20)

11. November - There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (11/11/20)

12. December - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (12/28/20)

December Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale (12/8/20)

2. The Christmas Princess by Patricia McLinn (12/15/20)

3. Wrapped Up for Christmas by Katlyn Duncan (12/15/20)

4. Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (12/26/20)

5. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (12/22/20)

6. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (12/27/20)

October Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. The Only Good Indians by Stephan Graham Jones (10/3/20)

2. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (10/18/20)

3. Devolution by Max Brooks (10/14/20)

4. The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali (10/10/20)

5. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (11/6/20)

6. Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (11/25/20)

Picture Books
Goal: 100/100 Books 100%

1. Author A - The Coolsville Contraption Contest by Annie Auerbach (January)

2. Title A - Animals by Emily Bolam (January)

3. Author B - Poor Puppy and Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel (January)

4. Title B .- Big Dog and Little Dog Going for a Walk by Dav Pilkey (January)

5. Author C - The Moon is a Silver Pond by Sara Cassidy (February)

6. Title C - Cold Snap Eileen Spinelli (January)

7. Author D - First Day at Zoo School by Sarah Dillard (March)

8. Title D - Don’t Lick the Dog by Wendy Wahman (January)

9. Author E - Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (October)

10. Title E - Eight Days Gone by Linda McReynolds (January)

11. Author F - Pig and Cat are Pals by Douglas Florian (March)

12. Title F - Firebears, the Rescue Team by Rhonda Gowler Greene (February)

13. Author G - Oi Frog! by Kes Gray (February)

14. Title G - The Greedy Python by Eric Carle (January)

15. Author H - Danny and the Dinosaur in the Big City by Syd Hoff (January)

16. Title H - Have You Seen My Cat by Eric Carle (January)

17. Author I - Hooray for Fall by Kazuo Iwamura (October)

18. Title I - The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani (January)

19. Author J - Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith (October)

20. Title J - Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor (January)

21. Author K - M is for Music by Kathleen Krull (July)

22. Title K - The Knight Who Said “No!” by Lucy Rowland (February)

23. Author L - Pond by Jim LaMarche (July)

24. Title L - Little Miss Muffet by Iza Trapani (January)

25. Author M - Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy (January)

26. Title M - The Mysterious Giant of Barlette by Tomie DePaola (January)

27. Author N - 100 Bugs by Kate Narita (July)

28. Title N - The Nature Girls by Aki (July)

29. Author O - Chicken in the Kitchen by Nnedi Okorafor (October)

30. Title O - Our World is Relative by Julie Sooy (January)

31. Author P - The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey (January)

32. Title P - Pandora by Victoria Turnbull (January)

33. Author Q - Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum (November)

34. Title Q - The Quiet Crocodile Goes to the Beach by Natacha Adnriamirado (March)

35. Author R - Hamster’s Don’t Fight Fires! by Andrew Root (January)

36. Title R - Rooster is Off to See the World by Eric Carle (January)

37. Author S - Does Frankenstein Get Hungry? by John Solimine (January)

38. Title S - The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose (January)

39. Author T - Cat & Mouse by Britta Teckentrup (February)

40. Title T - The Tale of Tam Linn by Lari Don (January)

41. Author U - Storm by Sam Usher (November)

42. Title U - Uh-oh! by R. Schuyler Hooke (January)

43. Author V - The Pinata that the Farm Maiden Hung by Samantha Vamos (January)

44. Title V - The Very Ugly Bug by Liz Pichon (July)

45. Author W - The Roll-away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders (January)

46. Title W - What to Do if an Elephant Stands on Your Foot by Michelle Robinson (January)

47. Author Y - I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino (November)

48. Title Y - Yucky Worms by Vivian French (July)

49. Author Z - The Moon Keeper by Zosienka (November)

50. Title Z - Zin Zin Zin by Lloyd Moss (July)

51. Duck! by Megan McKinlay (January)

52. Duck’s Vacation by Gilad Soffer (January)

53. The Goodnight Train Rolls On! by June Sobel (January)

54. Henry in Love by Peter McCarty (January)

55. I Do Not Like Al’s Hat by Erin McGill (January)

56. Let’s Go, Bobby! by Ruth Wielockx (January)

57. Made by Maxine by Ruth Spiro (January)

58. Pheobe and Digger and Tricia Springstubb (January)

59. Shiver Me Letters by June Sobel (January)

60. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas 123 by Eric Carle (January)

61. Mimi and Bear in the Snow by Janee Trasler (February)

62. Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker (February)

63. The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angela Rozelaar (February)

64. Mother Goose of Pudding Lane by Christopher Raschka (February)

65. Pete with No Pants by Rowboat Watkins (February)

66. A Piece of Cake by LeUyen Pham (February)

67. The Science Fair at the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler (February)

68. Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten! by Lisa Robinson (March)

69. Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso (March)

70. Out! by Arree Chung (March

71. The Book About Nothing by Mike Bender (March)

72. The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds (March)

73. Pete with No Pants by Rowboat Watkins (March)

74. Mother Goose of Pudding Lane by Chris Raschka (March)

75. At the Supermarket by Anne Rockwell (March)

76. The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek by Brian P. Cleary (March)

77. Pine and Book Blast Off by Ross Burach (March)

78. Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla (March)

79. Old MacDonald Had a Dragon by Ken Baker (March)

80. Bear’s House of Books by Poppy Bishop (March)

81. Mind Your Monsters by Catherine Bailey (March)

82. How to Care for Your T-Rex by Ken Baker (March)

83. The Magic Word by Mac Barnett (March)

84. How to Find an Elephant by Kate Banks (March)

85. Ghastly Ghosts by Teresa Bateman (March)

86. Moon by Stacy McAnulty (June)

87. Sun by Stacy McAnulty (June)

88. A River by Marc Martin (July)

89. In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming (July)

90. Pond Circle by Betsy Franco (July)

91. In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (July)

92. Turtle Splash by Cathryn Falwell (July)

93. The Pond by Nicola Davies (July)

94. The Crayon Man by Natascha Biebow (July)

95. Math Fables by Greg Tang (July)

96. How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander (July)

97. Math Attack by Joan Horton (July)

98. Pigeon Math by Asia Citro (July)

99. This is a Book to Read with a Worm by Jodie Wheeler-Toppen (November)

100. Bear Out There by Jacob Grant (November)

July Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (10/23/20)

2. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (7/24/20)

3. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (7/28/20)

4. The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (10/27/20)

5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley (7/19/20)

6. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (7/29/20)

June Theme
Goal 6/6 Books. 100%

1. Lovely War by Julie Berry (10/16/20)

2. The Paris Hours by Alex George (6/26/20)

3. Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (7/7/20)

4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (7/20/20)

5. Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power (9/6/20)

6. A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer (6/23/20)

Ebooks
Goal 50/50 Books 100%

1. Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid (1/4/20)

2. The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey (1/29/20)

3. Wool by Hugh Howey (1/31/20)

4. The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara (2/5/20)

5. The Christmas Secret by Julia London (2/15/20)

6. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (3/19/20)

7. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (3/23/20)

8. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (3/31/20)

9. The Last Debutante by Julia London (4/10/20)

10. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (4/12/20)

11. The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis (4/15/20)

12. Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb (4/18/20)

13. Grave Minder by Melissa Marr (4/24/20)

14. Saltwater Kisses by Krista Lakes (4/26/20)

15. The Deep by Rivers Solomon (4/28/20)

16. After the Cure by Deirdre Gould (4/29/20)

17. Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen (5/3/20)

18. Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller (5/15/20)

19. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (5/7/20)

20. The Secrets of a Courtesan by Nicola Cornick (5/12/20)

21. Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (5/20/20)

22. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (5/26/20)

23. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (5/30/20)

24. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (5/28/20)

25. Hollowland by Amanda Hocking (6/3/20)

26. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (6/9/20)

27. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (6/14/20)

28. The City We Became by NK Jemisin (6/16/20)

29. The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley (6/20/20)

30. Hollowmen by Amanda Hocking (6/11/20)

31. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (6/24/20)

32. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (6/25/20)

33. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (6/27/20)

34. I’d Give Anything by Marisa de los Santos (6/28/20)

35. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (6/29/20)

36. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (7/2/20)

37. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (7/5/20)

38. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (7/12/20)

39. Network Effect by Martha Wells (7/15/20)

40. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (7/22/20)

41. Galatea by Madeline Miller (7/24/20)

42. The Witches are Coming by Lindy West (7/29/20)

43. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (7/24/20)

44. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler (8/4/20)

45. Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams (8/7/20)

46. Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau (8/15/20)

47. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov (8/30/20)

48. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (9/4/20)

49. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (9/9/20)

50. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (9/12/20)

Library
Goal 50/50 Books 100%

1. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (1/11/20)

2. The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan (1/5/20)

3. Daybreak by Brian Ralph (1/8/20)

4. Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren (1/15/20)

5. Billie Holiday by Carlos Sampayo and Jose Munoz (1/22/20)

6. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach (1/24/20)

7. Wolfpack by Abby Wambach (1/25/20)

8. The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (1/28/20)

9. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez (2/4/20)

10. Drive-Thru Dreams by Adam Chandler (2/12/20)

11. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (2/15/20)

12. Mississippi River Tragedies by Christine A. Klein and Sandra B. Zellmer (2/18/20)

13. I was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib (2/19/20)

14. The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (2/19/20)

15. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty (2/21/20)

16. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (2/22/20)

17. Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker (2/26/20)

18. Frida Kahlo by Maria Hesse (2/27/20)

19. The Night Country by Melissa Albert (3/4/20)

20. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (3/7/20)

21. The Secret, Book, and Scone Society by Ellery Adams (3/13/20)

22. Vox by Christina Dalcher (3/14/20)

23. Mythos by Stephen Fry (3/17/20)

24. After the Flood by Kassandra Montag (3/21/20)

25. Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen (3/22/20)

26. Fever by Lauren DeStefano (3/26/20)

27. The Story of the World in 100 Species by Christopher Lloyd (3/29/20)

28. The Vagina Bible by Jen Gunter (4/3/20)

29. Planetfall by Emma Newman (4/17/20)

30. The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn (4/7/20)

31. Redshirts by John Scalzi (4/4/20)

32. Archaeology from Space by Sarah Parcak (4/8/20)

33. The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (4/25/20)

34. The Deep by Alma Katsu (5/22/20)

35. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur by Steve Brusatte (6/10/20)

36. Sever by Lauren DeStefano (6/6/20)

37. Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen (6/12/20)

38. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Washington (6/13/20)

39. When Women Ruled by Kara Cooney (6/15/20)

40. Bibliophile by Jane Mount (6/21/20)

41. A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer (6/23/20)

42. Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane (6/22/20)

43. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Hoew (6/30/20)

44. Once & Future Vol. 1 (7/4/20)

45. Conjure Women by Afia Atakora (7/7/20)

46. Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold (7/14/20)

47. The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs (7/10/20)

48. On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen (7/18/20)

49. A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (7/21/20)

50. Pines by Blake Crouch (7/26/20)

January Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. Wool by Hugh Howey (1/31/20)

2. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (1/18/20)

3. Vox by Christina Dalcher (3/14/20)

4. Billie Holiday by Carlos Sampayo and Jose Munoz (1/22/20)

5. The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara (2/5/20)

6. I was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib (2/19/20)

February Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London (2/14/20)

2. The Revenge of Lord Eberlin by Julia London (2/28/20)

3. The Seduction of Lady X by Julia London (3/30/20)

4. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (2/15/20)

5. Kindred by Octavia Butler (3/6/20)

6. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (3/7/20)

March Theme
Goal 6/6 Books 100%

1. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (3/26/20)

2. How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (3/27/20)

3. The Vagina Bible by Jen Gunter (4/3/20)

4. The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams (3/14/20)

5. Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen (3/22/20)

6. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (3/31/20)

April Theme
Goal 6/6 Books. 100%

1. The Oracle Code (5/24/20)

2. Rat Queens Vol. 7 (4/5/20)

3. The Complete Phonogram (4/4/20)

4. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin (5/16/20)

5. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd (5/6/20)

6. All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace (4/22/20)