Carol’s Comments (group member since Feb 27, 2013)

Carol’s comments from the Challenge: 50 Books group.

July 9
1323 pp 57.85 hrs

Book 550 pp
*** The Coast-to-Coast Murders by James Patterson 550 pp lfl

ebook 773 pp (2)
**** The Promise of Tomorrow by Mary Ellen Taylor 341pp prime
**** The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods 432 pp

Audio 77.85 hrs (6)
***** The King's Deception by Steve Berry 13 hrs fav series
***** The Last Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal 9.5 hrs fav series
**** Imprudence by Gail Carriger 12 hrs
*** Dangerous Minds by Janet Evanovich 6.75 hrs
**** The Secrets of Lovelace Academy by Marie Benedict 6 hrs
*** Hemlock by Susan Wittig Albert 10.6 hrs

Q2 summary
19 books
ebooks 7 ; 2086 pp 160 pp/wk
audio 12 : 138.75 hrs 10.67 hrs/wk

1H 2025 stats
32 books 61% of YE goal
Ebooks: 14: 4416pp 169.8 pp/wk
Audio: 19: 212 hrs 8.15 hrs/wk

Jun 6 books
696 pp 35.4 hrs

Ebook (prime)
**** The Rule of Threes by Jeffery Deaver 260 pp
**** Downstate by Jeffery Deaver 126pp
*** The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 310 pp

Audio ( lib)
**** The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 10.4 hrs
***** The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman 11.5 hrs
**** Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger 13.5 hrs

May 6 bks
672 pp 49.5 hrs

Ebooks
**** The Last Phone Booth in Manhattanby Beth Merlin 280pp Prime FR
**** The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson 392 pp Prime Loan

Audio
**** A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas 13 hrs
***** The Man Who Died Twiceby Richard Osman 11.8 hrs
**** Mercy Atlee Pine #4 by David Baldacci 13 hrs
**** A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock 11.7 hrs

April 7 books
718 pp 53.85 hrs

ebook
**** The Closers by Michael Connelly 416 pp moms kindle
*** These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean 302 pp

Audio
***** A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny 13 hrs
***** Outraged by Brian Copeland 7.25 hrs
**** A Plain Vanilla Murderby Susan Wittig Albert 10 hrs
***** A Minute to Midnight Atlee Pine #2 by David Baldacci 12.1 hrs
***** Daylight Atlee Pine #3 by David Baldacci 11.5 hrs

Mar 4 books
674 pp 24.48 hrs

ebook
**** The Blackbird of Kirthgarran by Susan Brown 642 pp moms kindle
***** You Are Special - You Are Loved by Melanie Lynn Fowler 32 pp

Audio (lib)
**** A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn 11.68 hrs
**** The Collectors by David Baldacci 12.7 hrs

Q1 Summary
13 books
2330 pp ebook 179 pp/week
73.25 hrs 5.65 hrs/wk

February 5 books
1051 pp 28.15 hrs

Ebook
*** Fires of Alexandria by Thomas K. Carpenter 327 pp Free d/l
* What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall 411 pp Prm First read
*** Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James 313 pp lib

Audio (lib)
*** +.35* By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult 18.4hrs
**** The Seven Year Slipby Ashley Poston 9.75 hrs

Jan 4 books
605 pp 20.6 hrs

Ebook
*** The Bordeaux Book Club by Gillian Harvey 298 pp Prime
*** The Garden on Sunset by Martin Turnbull 307 pp Free D/L


Audio (lib)
**** The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young 10 hrs
**** The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer 10.6 hrs

I really cant believe its 2025!
As always I start with a 52 book goal . Normally I well surpass it except last year I didn't hit 52 til Nov....but I somewhat blame that on the Challenge I did. I read about the same number of pages but my audio hours were down - I just didn't spend as much time in the car or doing activities that I listened to the audio books.

I'm gonna catch up on a few series that I have fallen behind on and get through some of the backlog on my kindle (40 ish) /my moms kindle ( 170) that I inherited.

Q4 summary
16 books
9 ebooks 3105pp
7 audio 81.9 hrs

2024 stats

Total Read 58 books w 2 dnf and 2 in progress

9696 pages 27 ebooks 2 paper 186 pp/week
360 hours 29 audio 6.74 hrs/week

41 from the library ( all audio, 9 ebook 1 hardback)
10 ebooks were on my kindle
8 ebooks were on my inherited Kindle

42 were part of the BookGirls ICYMI challenge ( ea month rep the best books of the previous 12 years) which while interesting I definitely found slowed me down. This was the lowest annual book count since I started counting 13 years ago)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Dec 4 books
1043 pp
12.5 hrs

ICYMI Challenge 2023https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
previously read 2
ebook
The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis ebook onkindle 430 pp Prime FR
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett ebook lib 312 pp
audio
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry audio lib 12.5 hrs

Also publish in 2023 but not on Best list
Night Owl by Andrew Mayne ebook on kindle Prime FR 301 pp

Nov 6 books
36.10 hrs
1070 pp

ICYMI Challenge 2022 https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
previously read 2
audio
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis 11 hrs
Remarkably Bright CreaturesRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 11.25 hrs
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 13.85hrs

outside challenge but from 2022
She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino 389pp Prime FR
Impossible to Forget by Imogen Clark 378 pp Prime FR
The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev 303 pp Prime FR

at least I finally hit 52 ! at least a month behind past years

Oct 6 books
33.3 hrs
992 pp

left over from last month (2020)
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 12.25 hrs audio lib
ICYMI Challenge 2021 https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
previously read 2
Audio
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner 10.5 hrs
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner 10.3 hrs*
ebook
The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson 362 pp lib
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry 277pp *

*actually finished beginning of Nov

outside challenge
The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen 353 pp

Q3 Summary
15 Books ( + 1 DNF)
7 ebooks 2347
1 paper 501pp ( 219 pp/wk)
7 Audio 96.45 hrs ( 7.4 hrs/wk)

7 of which are from the ICYMI challenge -- I'm finding they are slowing me down

YTD 42 +2 DNF
17 +1ss ebook + 1 dnf 5689
22 audio +1 dnf 275 hrs
2 paper 797 pp

at this rate I will barely make my 52...

Sept 5 books +1 dnf
1012 pp
33 hrs

ICYMI Challenge 2020 https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
previously read 2
The Book of Lost Namesby Kristin Harmel 380pp
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi 338 pp

DNF The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré 5 out of 12 hrs

outside challenge
audio
Sins of the Fathers Noa C. Walkerby J.A. Jance 13 hrs
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny 15 hrs
ebook
You, Me, and the Colors of Life by Noa C. Walker 294pp

August
7 books
3 ebook 935 pp
4 audio 47.95 hrs

ICYMI Challenge 2019 https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
previously read 6
The Book Woman of Troublesome CreekbyKim Michele Richardson ebook 290 pp lib
Know My Name by Chanel Miller audio 15.5 hrs lib
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center ebook 325 pp lib

Outside Challenge
Lost in a Good BookJasper Fforde 13 hrs audio lib
Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs 11.25 hrs audio lib
A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari 8.2 hrs audio lib
The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot 320 pp ebook prime

July 3 books
1 Audio 15.5 hrs
1 ebook/Hardback 901pp


ICYMI 2018
Interestingly I had not read any of them previously and there really wasnt as much to choose from

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman 400 pp ebook lib
Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen 15.5 hrs audio lib

Outside challenge
The Atlantis Plague by A.G. Riddle 501 pp paperbook

Q2 summary
12 books +1ss
3 +1ss ebook 1176pp
8 audio 88.45 hrs
1 paper 296pp

1H2024
27 bk
10 +1ss ebook + 1 dnf 3343 pp
15 audio 178.65 hrs
1 paper 296 pp

The ICYMI challenge is definitely slowing me down but it has definitely guided me through some of my backlog on my tbr pile as well as introduced me to a few authors. I'm barely on track from my 52 book goal for the year.

June 3 bks+ 1ss

2 audio 24 hrs
1 ebook + 1ss 378 pp

ICYMI 2017
had previously read 4
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid audio 12 hrs
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas audio 12 hrs
Before We Were YoursLisa Wingate ebook moms kindle 345 pp

outside challenge:
Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood 34 pp

May 5 books

4 Audio 43.6 hrs
1 ebook 502 pp

ICYMI Challenge books published in 2016 https://bookgirlsguide.com/best-books...
had previously read 4
Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson 8.6 hrs
The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore 13hrs
The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay by Kelly Harms 10 hrs
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 502 pp

outside challenge
Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens by Andrea Penrose 12 hrs