2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

After reading not much until March, and then working on my speed in April, I got seriously annoyed with the size of my TBR-shelf. And when I had randomly decided on 238 books I needed to read (213 in 2013, and 25 extra in case I want to add something), and discovered that there were exactly 238 days left in the year, I set this challenge for myself.
I'm not sure whether I'll make it, but I'll give it my best shot, and sharing it here helps to pressure me into fulfilling it :).

*********

May
June I
June II
July I
July II
August
September

Had to reschedule priorities due to NaNo and other things, but hey. 130 books isn't bad, and I finished my first novel, so there's that. New Year's resolution: Become more organized!

Before the Challenge:
Jan-April

1) ***** Pierre Grimbert - Das Schicksal von Ji: Die Götter 4 (Die Götter #4/4), Feb 05
2) ***** Janet Edwards - Earth Girl (Earth Girl, #1), Feb 27
3) **** Alice Steinbach - Without Reservations: The Travels Of An Independent Woman, March 01
4) *** Kate Kaynak - Minder (Ganzfield, #1), March 09
5) *** Aprilynne Pike - Wings (Wings, #1), April 01
6) ** Kiera Cass - The Selection (The Selection, #1), April 02
7) **** Kristen Simmons - Article 5 (Article 5, #1), April 02
8) **** Veronica Rossi - Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1), April 03
9) ***** Dan Wells - I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1), April 06, 5*-review here
10) **** Gail Carriger - Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1), April 18, 4*-review here
11) **** Torsten Fink - Die Erwählte (Die Tochter des Magiers, #3), April 21
12) **** Terry Pratchett - Mort, April 22
13) *** Linda Crew - Children of the River, April 24, 3*-review here
14) ***** Kim Echlin - The Disappeared, April 25, 5*-review here
15) **** Pascal Mercier - Nachtzug nach Lissabon (Night Train to Lisbon), April 26, 4*-review here
16) **** Kerstin Gier - Rubinrot (Ruby Red, #1), April 27, 4*-review here
17) *** Kerstin Gier - Saphirblau (Ruby Red, #2), April 27, 3*-review here
18) **** Kerstin Gier - Smaragdgrün (Ruby Red, #3), April 28, 4*-review here
19) *** Hape Kerkeling - Ich bin dann mal weg. Meine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg, April 28, 3*-review here

Books in the Challenge:
May

01: 05/07 **** Aimee Bender - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, 4/5
02: 05/08 **** Nicolas Barreau - Das Lächeln der Frauen (engl.: The Ingredients of Love), 4/5
03: 05/09 *** Victoria Schwab - The Archived (The Archived, #1), 3/5
04: 05/10 **** Laura Lam - Pantomime (Pantomime, #1), 4/5
05: 05/11 **** J.K. Rowling - The Casual Vacancy, 4/5
06: 05/12 ** Alice Hoffman - The Ice Queen, 2/5
07: 05/13 **** Adam Johnson - The Orphan Master's Son, 4/5
08: 05/14 ***** ♠ Madeleine Thien - Dogs at the Perimeter, 5/5
09: 05/15 **** Salma Abdelnour - Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut, 4/5
10: 05/16 **** Mary Robinette Kowal - Glamour in Glass (Glamourist Histories, #2), 4/5
11: 05/17 ** Aravind Adiga - The White Tiger, 2/5
12: 05/18 **** Dan Wells - Partials (Partials Sequence, #1), 4/5
13: 05/19 ***** ♠ William Trevor - Two Lives, 5/5
14: 05/20 **** Patrick Gale - Notes from an Exhibition, 4/5
15: 05/21 ** Bergsveinn Birgisson - Reply to a Letter from Helga, 2/5
16: 05/22 ***** ♠ Kevin Powers - The Yellow Birds, 5/5
17: 05/23 *** Helene Wecker - The Golem and the Jinni, 3/5
18: 05/24 ***** ♠ E.L. Greiff - Zu den Anfängen (Zwölf Wasser, #1), 5/5
19: 05/25 **** Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child, 4/5
20: 05/26 *** Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze, 3/5
21: 05/27 ***** ♠ Kristin Hannah - Magic Hour, 5/5
22: 05/28 ** Kjersti Skomsvold - Je Schneller Ich Gehe, Desto Kleiner Bin Ich: Roman (The faster I walk...), 2/5
23: 05/29 ***** ♠ Henry H. Neff - The Maelstrom, 5/5
24: 05/30 *** Linda Olsson - Die Dorfhexe (Astrid and Veronika), 3/5
25: 05/31 *** Zadie Smith - On Beauty, 3/5

Now that the moth is over, I've taken a look back here.

From now on I'm going to split the monthly posts in two, because maneuvering in the edit window with such a lot of books is weird :).

First half of June
*All reviews crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

26: 06/01 **** Italo Calvino - Wenn ein Reisender in einer Winternacht (If on a winter's night), 4/5
27: 06/02 ** Uzma Aslam Khan - Trespassing, 2/5
28: 06/03 ***** Robert D. Kaplan - Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, 4.5/5
29: 06/04 ***** Lois Lowry - Number the Stars, 5/5
30: 06/05 **** Sarah Ash - Lord of Snow and Shadows, 4/5
31: 06/06 **** Daniyal Mueenuddin - In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, 4/5
32: 06/07 **** Mark Helprin - Winter's Tale, 4/5
33: 06/08 ** Victoria Hislop - Das Herz der Tänzerin (The Return), 2/5
34: 06/09 ** Viola Roggenkamp - Familienleben (The Spectacle Salesman's Family), 2/5
35: 06/10 **** Kristin Hannah - The Things We Do for Love, 4/5
36: 06/11 *** Lee Carroll - The Shape Stealer (Black Swan Rising, #3), 3/5
37: 06/12 ***** ♠ Tim Mackintosh-Smith - Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah, 5/5
38: 06/13 *** Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending, 3/5
39: 06/14 **** Edmund de Waal - The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance, 4/5
40: 06/15 ***** ♠ Tan Twan Eng - The Garden of Evening Mists, 5/5

Second half of June
*All reviews crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

41: 06/16 *** Jane Nickerson - Strands of Bronze and Gold, 3/5
42: 06/17 *** Elizabeth Richards - Black City (Black City, #1), 3/5
43: 06/18 *** Giles Coren - How to Eat Out, 3/5
44: 06/19 **** Brandon Sanderson - The Rithmatist, 4/5
45: 06/20 ** Joanne Harris - Wie wilder Wein (Blackberry Wine), 2/5
46: 06/21 ***** ♠ Soman Chainani - The School for Good and Evil, 5/5
47: 06/22 **** Hugh Howey - Wool Omnibus, 4/5
48: 06/23 **** Ali Sethi - The Wish Maker, 4/5
49: 06/24 ** Nicole Krauss - The History of Love, 2/5
50: 06/25 ***** ♠ Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Gray, 5/5
51: 06/26 **** Kristin Hannah - Firefly Lane, 4/5
52: 06/27 **** Ruta Sepetys - Out of the Easy, 4/5
53: 06/28 **** Rita Golden Gelman - Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World, 4/5
54: 06/29 *** Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles, 3/5
55: 06/30 **** Nina Sankovitch - Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading, 4/5

I'm doing KELSI'S ROYALTY CHALLENGE for myself, so this is the post to keep up with it.
Starting Sep 19

1. Suleimon I of the Ottoman Empire r. 1494-1566 was known for conquering much of the Middle East and for reforming the criminal, tax and education systems. Read a book that is set in the Middle East or includes taxes, education, or criminal delinquency as a major topic.

2. James I of England. r. 1603-1625 was a lover of literature and the fine arts. Read a book you deem a great work of literature. (Up for interpretation and based solely on your opinion!)

3. John III of Poland-Lithuania r. 1674-1696 was brilliant both militarily and politically. Read a book where war or politics is central to the plot.

4. Henry VIII of England r. 1509-1547. There are a plethora of books on this monarch and his six wives. Read a book of fiction or non-fiction that is based on his or his wives’ life OR read a book set in England.

5. Louis XIV of France r. 1643-1715 Louis built the palace of Versailles and was all about dancing, parties, and showing his wealth off. He even invented ballet. Read a book that involves a party OR has a main character that is wealthy.

6. Catherine the Great of Russia 1762-1796 was Russia’s longest ruling female. Read a book with a strong, independent heroine.

7. Queen Victoria of England 1837-1901 was Britain’s longest ruling monarch, who expanded English territory to take up a quarter of the world during her reign. The Victorian Era takes its’ name after her. Read a book set in the Victorian Era (1840-1910).

8. Isabella and Ferdinand of Castile and Aragon r. 1474-1504. The Spanish Inquisition ladies and gentlemen! Read a book where religion is closely related to the plot or is the main theme of the book.

9. Napoleon Bonaparte of France r. 1804-1814/15 came to rule after the French Revolution and created a French empire. He was either killed by cancer or by stomach poisoning (arsenic). Read a book in which characters revolt OR a death takes place under dubious circumstances.

10. Julius Caesar of Rome r. 60-44 BCE was a Roman consul who contributed to the fall of the Roman Republic. Numerous biographies were written about him, most notably one by Suetonius. Read a biography on any figure you are interested in.

First half of July
*All reviews crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

56: 07/01 **** Glenda Larke - Heart of the Mirage, 4/5
57: 07/02 ***** ♠ Carlos Ruiz Zafón - Marina, 5/5
58: 07/03 **** Vaddey Ratner - In the Shadow of the Banyan, 4/5
59: 07/05 **** G. Willow Wilson - Alif the Unseen, 4/5
60: 07/06 **** Samantha Harvey - The Wilderness, 4/5
61: 07/06 **** Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet of Samarkand, 4/5
62: 07/07 *** Isabel Allende - Fortunas Tochter, 5/5
63: 07/08 ***** Kristin Hannah - Winter Garden, 5/5
64: 07/09 ***** Jamie Ford - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 5/5
65: 07/10 *** Aimee Agresti - Illuminate, 3/5
66: 07/11 **** Robert Fabbri - Tribune of Rome, 4/5
67: 07/12 **** Ian Mortimer - The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, 4/5
68: 07/14 *** Anna Jean Mayhew - The Dry Grass of August, 3/5
69: 07/15 **** Jenna Burtenshaw - Shadowcry, 4/5
70: 07/15 *** Ken Scholes - Lamentation, 3/5

Second half of July
*All reviews linked, and also crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

71: 07/16 **** Laura Restrepo - Land der Geister (Delirium), 4/5
72: 07/17 ***** ♠ Joydeep Roy-Bhattachraya - Storyteller of Marrakesh, 5/5
73: 07/18 ** M.T. Anderson - The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol I: The Pox Party, 2/5
74: 07/19 ***** ♠ Jonathan Buckley - Telescope, 5/5
75: 07/21 **** Lilach Mer - Der siebte Schwan, 4/5
76: 07/22 **** Kristin Hannah - Summer Island, 4/5
77: 07/28 *** Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca, 3/5
78: 07/31 ***** ♠ Ian McEwan - Atonement, 5/5

August
*All reviews linked, and also crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

79: 08/01 *** Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper, 3/5
80: 08/01 ***** ♠ Peter Carey - The Chemistry of Tears, 5/5
81: 08/02 **** Paul Collins - Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, 4/5
82: 08/02 **** Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, 4/5
83: 08/03 *** Susanna Kearsley - The Rose Garden, 3/5
84: 08/04 **** Stacey O'Brien - Wesley: The Story of a Remarkable Owl, 4/5
85: 08/05 **** Cornelia Funke - Tintenherz (Inkworld, #1), 4/5
86: 08/12 *** Stephen Clarke - A Year In The Merde, 3/5
87: 08/15 ***** ♠ Janet Edwards - Earth Girl, 5/5
88: 08/19 ***** Janet Edwards - Earth Star, 5/5
89: 08/21 **** Maria McCann - The Wilding, 4/5
90: 08/21 *** Michael David Lukas - The Oracle of Stamboul, 3/5
91: 08/22 **** Kristin Hannah - Home Again, 3/5
92: 08/22 **** Kashmira Sheth - Boys Without Names, 4/5
93: 08/27 ** Dervla Murphy - Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, 2/5
94: 08/29 **** Lawrence Norfolk - John Saturnall's Feast, 4/5
95: 08/31 ***** Somaly Mam - The Road of Lost Innocence, 5/5

September
*All reviews linked, and also crossposted to 238 books in 238 days

096: 09/03 ***** ♠ Christoph Marzi - Die wundersame Geschichte der Faye Archer, 5/5
097: 09/06 *** Lisa Mantchev - Eyes Like Stars, 3/5
098: 09/07 **** Amy S. Foster - When Autumn Leaves, 4/5
099: 09/11 **** Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, 4/5
100: 09/13 **** Once Upon A Time: Reawakened, 4/5

Have to remember to add the books I've reviewed since then. But am actually planning ahead towards a fresh start next year. A more organized one, hopefully :).