2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Hi everyone!

It's time to nominate for May and the theme is Growth!

Please remember to state a connection to the theme when you nominate. Thank you :)

Here are some short rules for nominating books:

~ Each person can nominate 1 book.

~ Book must be available both as a physical copy and as an ebook.

~ Authors: Please do not nominate your own book.

~ Please include the name of the book and the author or link to the book.

~ Please do not nominate books that are part of a series, unless it is the first book.

~ You can second someone else's nomination, but that will count as your nomination.

~ When nominating, please state a connection to the theme.

~ You cannot nominate a book which has previously been a group read. Past buddy reads are fine. (See Group Reads in the bookshelf)


This thread will be closed by March 25th, and we will choose ten books for the poll. If there are more than ten books nominated, we will choose the ten most nominated. If there is still a tie to get into the top ten, we'll go back to the Goodreads average rating to see which is highest.

I would like to nominate Middlesex.
The description of the book matches the Growth Theme well.

Middlesex tells the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides, and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City and the race riots of 1967 before moving out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret, and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

I am going to nominate a non-fiction book to help with personal growth: Grit by Angela Duckworth

Goodreads blurb:
In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, students, and business people ;both seasoned and new that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called grit. Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments.

I nominate The Forgotten Garden because a garden is a wonderful place to grow.

Great suggestions!

I'm going to nominate The Clan of the Cave Bear because it is the story of a girl growing up and because I have grown with her, enjoying the story again and again while reading it from a different point of view.

I'm going to nominate The Coldest Winter Ever
I like this book because it takes a look at the main character growth thought hardship.

Dlyn wrote: "I thought of growth as growing up. I equate it to "coming of age" and what better coming of age story than The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton -- which is a sort of more rece..."

oooooooooo, that's a great one too!

I nominate Grit as well.

Wow, there are already such great nominations! I don't usually do re-reads but I read it so long ago that I'd like to revisit Middlesex, so I will second that.

I want to nominate Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.

I’ll third Middlesex

I nominate The Wonder because it's a story about a girl who grows apparently without eating food and the relationship that grows between the two women.

"An English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl."

I nominate Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?

Dlyn wrote: "I thought of growth as growing up. I equate it to "coming of age" and what better coming of age story than The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton -- which is a sort of more rece..."


I will second The Outsiders.

I second the Outsiders as well :) .

Happy that it has connection to this topic for May, voted for it in another group a month ago but it did not win, so maybe this time it will.

I nominate
"Willpower Doesn't Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success"
by Benjamin Hardy

Though self-help books are not my cup of tea, this one has been recommended to me by people whose opinion I highly value, and I really want to give it a chance.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

From the description:
"We rely on willpower to create change in our lives...but what if we're thinking about it all wrong? In Willpower Doesn't Work, Benjamin Hardy explains that willpower is nothing more than a dangerous fad-one that is bound to lead to failure. Instead of "white-knuckling" your way to change, you need to instead alter your surroundings to support your goals. This book shows you how. "

Think about it.

I nominate The Giver too

I nominate 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

I’ve heard amazing things of this book already and from watching his lectures, I know he is extremely intelligent in his field. I am constantly looking to grow as a person and I believe this book can help!

Dlyn wrote: "I thought of growth as growing up. I equate it to "coming of age" and what better coming of age story than The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton -- which is a sort of more rece..."

Oh I’ve been wanting to read The Outsiders! I’ll second this nomination.

ReGina wrote: "I want to nominate Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward."

I second Sing, Unburied, Sing. Looks like a good read... and also the cover is so pretty :*)

I nominate Wonder.
5th Grader Auggie Pullman is born with a facial deformity. Now, 27 surgeries later, his face is disfigured. He finally goes to school for the first time and is bullied and ridiculed. He has to put his childishness aside as he grow into a confident middle-schooler. Auggie grows in maturity and courage while struggling to make friends and prove that he is just like everyone else.
Here is the link to the May theme. Thanks =)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Kristin wrote: "Thing wrote: "I nominate Wonder. It is now a movie.
5th Grader Auggie Pullman is born with a facial deformity. Now, 27 surgeries later, his face is disfigured. He finally goes to s..."

I did. Thanks.

ReGina wrote: "I want to nominate Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward."

I second this nomination. Sounds like a great book.

Thing wrote: "I nominate Wonder.
5th Grader Auggie Pullman is born with a facial deformity. Now, 27 surgeries later, his face is disfigured. He finally goes to school for the first time and is b..."

I second Wonder!!

I nominate Grit as well.

I second Wonder

Dlyn wrote: "I thought of growth as growing up. I equate it to "coming of age" and what better coming of age story than The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton -- which is a sort of more rece..."

There's a lot of good nominations this month but I'm going to second The Outsiders. I've been wanting to read that one for a while.

Thank you all ^^

Closing thread tomorrow, last chance to nominate!

Closing nomination, keep your eyes up for the poll!

Poll is up! :) Go vote for our next group read here:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/5...