2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

looking to hit the popsugar big 50 by the end of the year 😀
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!! WOO HOO!

1. A book given as a gift - Nod by Adrian Barnes **
2. A book inspired by a previous popsugar prompt - Cabal by Clive Barker***
3. A book with a time of day in the title - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt ***
4. A book from a celebrity book club - Room by Emma Donoghue***
5. A novel based on a real person- Jack the Ripper: Case Closed by Giles Brandreth***
6. A book with alliteration in the title -East of Eden by John Steinbeck***
7. An allegory - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ****
8. A book about or involving a sport - Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp***
9. Book with a song lyric in the title - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami***
10. A book with an animal in the title -Lion: A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley***
11. A book that involves a bookstore or library -The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón** 1/2
12. A book about a villan or antihero - American Gods by Neil Gaiman***
13. A book by a local author - The Humans by Matt Haig****
14. True crime - The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale***
15. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to - How Not To Be a Boy by Robert Webb****
16. A book with an ugly cover - The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster***
17. A book being read by someone in a public place - The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell**
18. A book made into a movie you've already seen - The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan****
19. a book with characters that are twins The Twins by Saskia Sarginson***
20. A book about time travel 11.22.63 by Stephen King****
21. A past Goodreads Choice Award Winner - The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith ***
22. A book by an author of a different ethnicity to you - The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi****
23. A book by two authors - Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchettand Neil Gaiman ****
24. The next book in a series you've already started - The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel ***
25. A book about a problem facing society today - The World Without Us by Alan Weisman ****
26. A book about death of grief - The House at the Edge of the World by Julia Rochester **1/2
27. A book set on a different planet - Thud! by Terry Pratchett **1/2
28. A book recommended by someone else taking the reading challenge - The Dead Zone by Stephen King ****
29. a book set in a country that fascinates you - Origin by Dan Brown ***
30. A book mentioned in another book - The Chrysalids by John Wyndham ****
31. A childhood classic you've never read - Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ***
32. A book about feminism - The World According To Garp by John Irving ****
33. A book with your favorite colour in the title - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr ***
34. a book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë ***
35. A book about mental health - The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath**
36. Nordic noir - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ****
37. A book set about or on Halloween - M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman ***
38. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title - Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty ***
39. A book set in the decade you were born - 1984 by George Orwell ****
40. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel ***
41. A microhistory - Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson **
42. An author with the same first or last name as you - I Am Death by Chris Carter **
43. A book tied to your ancestry - Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived by Joshua Levine *****
44. A book with a weather element in the title - The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen ***
45. A book published in 2018 - Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman ****
46. A cyberpunk book - Chaos Halo 1.0: Alpha Beta Gamma Kill by Mark Cassell ***
47. A book turned into a play - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 by J K Rowling
48. A book about a heist - The Heist and Other Short Stories by Samantha Wilson **
49. A book set at sea - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis***
50. A bestselling book from the year you graduated high school - The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett ***

All books are given a star rating between 1 and 5 (5 being the best of the best 😁

***** Brilliant, loved it
**** Really liked it, would read it again
*** Thought it was ok
** Didn't really enjoy it
* Hated it

Looking forward to seeing how other people are getting on and what books you are enjoying! Please comment below 💙

Wishing you the best of luck with your goal Helen & happy reading!

Wishing you the best of luck with your goal Helen, I hope you enjoy everything you read this year!

Hi guys. I'm currently reading East of Eden which is brilliant. What are you reading at the moment?

Helen wrote: "Hi guys! I'm currently reading East of Eden which is brilliant. What are you reading at the moment?"

Haven’t read that one yet. What makes it so brilliant Helen?

I’m reading Sense and Sensibility, and for work re-reading a book about EMDR.

It's brilliantly written, with beautiful language, really interesting and engaging characters. I'm about half way through so will update when I finish!! I've never actually read S&S - maybe I need to squeeze it into my challenge! What's EMDR?

Helen wrote: "It's brilliantly written, with beautiful language, really interesting and engaging characters. I'm about half way through so will update when I finish!! ..."

Please do! It’s on my (long term) TBR list...

What's EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a treatment for PTSD/trauma.

Susy wrote: "Helen wrote: "It's brilliantly written, with beautiful language, really interesting and engaging characters. I'm about half way through so will update when I finish!! ..."

Please do! It’s on my (l..."
at the moment The Cruel Prince

Blagica wrote: "Susy wrote: "Helen wrote: "It's brilliantly written, with beautiful language, really interesting and engaging characters. I'm about half way through so will update when I finish!! ..."

Please do! ..."

Is the cruel prince good? What is it about?

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself

To give you an idea on what it is about.

Blagica. I'm not normally one for these kinds of fantasy books but it sounds good. I love classic fantasy like LOTR and old nordic stories about faeries and this sounds like a mix 😊

Just finished #5 which was Jack the Ripper: Case Closed by Gyles Brandreth. I quite liked this book.. it is a fictionalised tale about Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle joining forces to try and identify the infamous Jack the Ripper. It's a clever mix of fact and fiction and definitely gets you thinking. I'm not sure how much of the conclusion is based on fact but it's an interesting hypothesis. I've given it 3 stars because it is a good read but I wouldn't read it again as I don't think I would get anything new out of it.

It's a good read if you like a whodunnit or you have a curiosity about the Ripper.

5 books down you are doing amazing!

Blagica wrote: "5 books down you are doing amazing!"

Ive got two on the go at the moment so it'll be 7 soon! How are you getting on?

Just finished reading book #6- East of Eden John Steinbeck. Thought it was well written and thoughtful. Based around the history of Steinbeck's own family, the story follows two families,the Trasks and the Hamilton's and their battles with love, loss. Set across the beautiful Californian countryside during a period of great change, the story deals with that oldest of human conflicts - the battle between good and evil and the redemption of the soul. I enjoyed this book and would like to read more Steinbeck in the future

time to read a 'book with a song lyric in the title' and i have chosen Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I've read Kafka on the Shore by Murakami and loved it so my expectations are a little high on this one! i actually started it last week and am inching my way through it. Have to say that so far, its not grabbing me the way that Kafka did. Its still good, and i love HM's style but this is a very different read to Kafka.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes :)

p.s. i've had Norwegian Wood as an ear worm for days! good job its a great song :)

I didn't even know that was a song awesome job!

Blagica wrote: "I didn't even know that was a song awesome job!"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SiJiuhn...

I should have known Beatles makes such sense now!

Blagica wrote: "I should have known Beatles makes such sense now!"

Luckily there are some really good lists on goodreads otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue which book to read for this topic!

I have to admit it's not the best murakami book I've read. Finding it a bit slow going to be honest. It's beautiful but not much happens!

Are you still reading the cruel prince? How is/was it?

I finished it and loved it and that says lots I am not a Fantasy girl.

Blagica wrote: "I finished it and loved it and that says lots I am not a Fantasy girl."

Fantasy is such a broad genre I think you can always find something that you'll enjoy. What books do you enjoy reading most?

Just finished reading book #9 Norwegian Wood. Have to say I'm underwhelmed by it. As always Murakami's writing is beautiful but the story itself left me a bit bored. The sex scenes felt weirdly asexual and I didn't feel that the main character had enough depth.

I've given it a 3* because even though the story wasn't great, it was still quite engaging and I love Murakami's style.

On to book #10 which is The Eye of the Storm looking at reviews I think I'll either love or hate this book.. let's hope it's the former! I'll keep you posted 😊

Helen wrote: "On to book #10 which is The Eye of the Storm looking at reviews I think I'll either love or hate this book.. let's hope it's the former! I'll keep you posted 😊"

Will keep my fingers crossed for you to love it!

Helen wrote: "Blagica wrote: "I finished it and loved it and that says lots I am not a Fantasy girl."

Fantasy is such a broad genre I think you can always find something that you'll enjoy. What books do you enj..."

Thrillers and True Crime usually but lately it's been Paranormal romance. You are doing great two months down ten to go I can't wait to see what next month looks like for you.

Blagica wrote: "Helen wrote: "Blagica wrote: "I finished it and loved it and that says lots I am not a Fantasy girl."

Fantasy is such a broad genre I think you can always find something that you'll enjoy. What bo..."

If you like true crime I'd definitely recommend The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House it's brilliant. Reads like a novel but based on a real unsolved murder. I love it!

Awesome thank you!

Susy wrote: "Helen wrote: "On to book #10 which is The Eye of the Storm looking at reviews I think I'll either love or hate this book.. let's hope it's the former! I'll keep you posted 😊"

Will k..."

Really struggling to focus on this book.. it's very complex! Think I'll take a pause on this one and try again later this year. I've just read Lion: A Long Way Home which was quite good. It didn't go into the emotional depth I would of expected but it's an interesting story.

Helen wrote: "Really struggling to focus on this book....."

:(

Just finished reading The Prisoner of Heaven. I've read all three books in this series and am finding myself more disappointed with each one ☹️ I loved The Shadow of the Wind, and would put it in my list of favourite books. I thought The Angel's Game wasn't as good but I still quite liked it but really didn't enjoy The Prisoner of Heaven. I found the story disjointed and confused. It just didn't grab me and I think the plot was poorly thought out. Very disappointed.

Am now reading American Gods as number 12 - I'm hoping that it doesn't disappoint as my last couple of books haven't been great!!

Finished reading American Gods. Thought that it was good. I'm a big fan ofNeil Gaiman and have loved his books in the past so I wanted to read this as it's been on my shelf for years!

Neil Gaiman is very good at weaving together mythology with reality which he does well here. This is a story that deals with contrasts - light/dark, good/evil, life/death, fantasy/reality. The characters are well developed but it does sometimes feel like there are too many!

Overall I liked this book and might read it again.

Just finished reading The Humans by Matt Haig. I chose this as my book by a local author (Haig is from Sheffield).

I loved this book. It reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in its style.

It is a funny, insightful and engaging story which deals with the concept of what it means to be human.

I would definitely read this again and would recommend it.

A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Looks like you have had some awesome dreams this year. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads.

“Reading brings us unknown friends” While the warm weather is coming I hope you make some new friends in May!

“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!

Hi everyone! hope everyone is enjoying the reading challenge as much as i am! well here we are in June and i'm on #24 so pretty much on target.

Apologies for not posting any reviews for a while but here is a summary of what i've read since #13 The Humans

#14 - The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer - brilliant book. I've read a couple of Kate Summerscales books before and i love how she builds a story around a true event. This isn't quite as good as The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective but definitely worth a read.

#15 - How Not To Be a Boy really liked this book. Funny and sad

#16 - The Phantom Tollbooth absolutely loved this book when i was growing up. Its truly bonkers and makes no sense whatsoever but its fun and surreal and i still love it! imagine Alice in Wonderland only much weirder

#17 - The Bone Clocks i really didn't enjoy reading this. felt it was disjointed and in places not very well written. It is split into separate stories that are meant to join together but i just didn't like it. I though the first 'story' was good but it went downhill for me after that. Wouldn't read it again

#18 - The 39 Steps thought this was a really good book. Really faced paced and exciting. A great little thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat

#19 - The Twins a surprisingly good book. Looks like it could be a bit rubbish but was pretty good. Well written and quite engaging. I would say a good holiday read.

#20 - 11.22.63 i liked this book. You can't really go wrong with a Stephen King and this is a good book. No horror but still well written thriller. I loved the fact that he overlaps part of this story with IT - very clever. Overall i thought that it probably wasn't one of his best, but still a good read.

#21 - The Talented Mr. Ripley i'm split on my opinion of this book. I really didnt like the first half. Thought it was badly written to the point where i wanted to chuck in the towel but somewhere along the line it picks up and actually becomes quite good. The character of Ripley is really unlikable which makes it hard to engage or sympathise with him. I probably wouldn't read this again but i thought it was good.

#22 - The Complete Persepolis thought this was really good. Interesting, moving and clever. Very engaging - read it almost in one sitting. Loved the graphics and really liked the characters.

#23 - Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch i loved this book. I love TP and NG so really pleased that it was a good book. Loved the little footnotes and the characters were so TP! brilliant

so.. thats me caught up! whistle stop tour through my last few reads!

let me know how you are all getting on and what books have caught your eye!

Just finished reading The Valley of Horses which is number 24 of 50 of my 2018 reading challenge. I've given this 3 stars but it was probably a 2 star for the first half and a 3 for the second half. I liked Aylas story but found most of the Jondolar story boring. I liked the last bit where they meet and would be interested in reading the next one in the series.

Almost half way there you are doing amazing keep it up!