2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I've been doing a book a week for a few years, so thought I would aim for a little higher this year - 60 books. That's just five books a month!

Here is my read-in-2019 bookshelf

January 2019
1) The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs Interesting biographical novel about Alexander Hamilton and his marriage and career.

2) Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst Another classic by Furst, concerning Greece in the late 1930s. I love his descriptions of the era.

3) The Einstein Prophecy by Robert Masello Supernatural thriller about evil and World War 2. Not what I expected, but still enjoyable.

4) Sherlock Holmes and the King's Evil: And Other New Tales Featuring the World's Greatest Detective by Donald Serrell Thomas Listened to this on audio - I like that modern authors can do so much with Sherlock.

One more book to make 5 this month.

5) The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, and Other Remarkable People by Bethanne Patrick I love books about books. In this one many writers talk about the books that set them on the path of becoming a writer. Interesting.

6) Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis A multiple re-read for me. As Lewis says we need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed.

February 2019

7) Hannah Arendt: A Life in Dark Times by Anne C. Heller What a life this woman led! An original thinker, for sure. I need to read some of her books. This was a biography.

8) Best Little Stories from World War I: Nearly 100 True Stories by C. Brian Kelly Interesting stories from World War I. Easy book to pick up and read a bit. May try to read more of his anecdotal history books.

9) Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly Religion and happiness. Do what God wants you to do and you will be happy.

10) Think Like a Warrior: The Five Inner Beliefs That Make You Unstoppable by Darrin Donnelly Enjoyable short fable about a football coach and the lessons he learns from five mythical coaches from the spoJeff Shaararts world. The lessons can be applied to life as well.

11) All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque A classic that I read when I was young, but it was more meaningful this time. Excellent.

12) Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution by Jeff Shaara I read this book 10 or 12 years ago, it's a great novel looking at the causes and events in the early part of the war of independence. Great!

March 2019

13) No Graves As Yet by Anne Perry A murder mystery set with the backdrop of the summer of 1914 and the approach of WW1.

14) Wooden: A Coach's Life by Seth Davis The part of this book I loved the most was after Wooden's retirement when he became close with so many of his players from all eras of his career. Such an interesting man!

15) The War Planners by Andrew Watts Read this on the plane back from Europe. Interesting take on China and US relations.

16) Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp I like the idea of having a memorable main focus, but I think I've always done that. Some good ideas and good book recommendations.

17) Long Way Gone by Charles Martin Well written prodigal son story. Really enjoyed it.

April 2019

18) The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life by Tommy Newberry Follow Phillipians 4:8 and think on things that are pure, true, admirable and excellent.

19) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Excellent Russian Fairy Tale retelling. Must read the next two in the trilogy.

20) Hitler in Hell by Martin van Creveld Excellent historical novel told from the perspective of Hitler in hell. I learned alot.

21) The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden Had to wait for this one from the library. Enjoyed it as much as the first.

22) The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden Got this one from the library. Loved how the author mixes history and magic together for a good ending to the trilogy.

May 2019

23) The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything by Neil Pasricha I read a lot of books on happiness. This one had a few good tips, the author was very enthusiastic, but I missed any reference to faith and morality.

24) The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy by Tom Clancy A re-read for me. I read all of Clancy's stuff as it came out back in the 80s. The technical parts were slow, but I still love the suspense and Jack Ryan.

25) A Book of Walks by Bruce Bochy Short little book by a MLB manager and how he walks to keep himself healthy and calm. I loved the descriptions of all the walks in the different major league cities.

26) The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play by Neil A. Fiore I guess I am not really a procrastinator, because I already do most of what the author suggests. Nothing new here for me. Oh, well.

27) Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel Pretty enjoyable Christian read about starting, stopping, staying, going, serving, connecting and trusting.

Doing a fabulous job keep up the great reading Anne.

Blagica wrote: "Doing a fabulous job keep up the great reading Anne."
Thanks!

June 2019

28) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Another re-read, I love Katniss. But I forgot how depressing!

29) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

30) So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport Lots of good ideas for finding work you love, and it is based more on skill than on passion. Liked this book a lot.

31) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

32) Munich by Robert Harris An historical novel about the peace agreement made by Chamberlain and Hitler in 1938. It has made me think about Chamberlain and how he has been demonized. Possibly he has been judged too harshly.

33) The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson Enjoyable little book by an 80 something mother of five who is cleaning up all her stuff before she goes. Makes you think.

34) Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up by Patricia Ryan Madson Fun book about letting life unfold and focusing on the here and now.

You have read some very interesting books this year. Keep up the great reading!

July 2019

35) East of Eden by John Steinbeck This was a favorite in college. I had a harder time reading it now. I couldn't stand that the next generation makes the same mistakes as the past generation. It always happens. It's so frustrating, but true and that's what made it a hard novel for me this time.

36) Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade Narrative history about the first Barbary War under President Thomas Jefferson. I did not learn about this in school. I wonder why there are no movies or popular novels about this? Certainly exciting stuff.

37) Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science by Drew Dyck I have always been drawn to the idea that you can control your present self by thinking about your future self. This book had a little of that, but it was mostly about improving your self control through faith and habits. Not bad.

38) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling Yes, I read it again, mostly by listening to it while doing other things. Wonderful book.

Blagica wrote: "You have read some very interesting books this year. Keep up the great reading!"

Thanks! It's been fun.

August 2019
39) Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL by Michael Lombardi Learned a bunch in this book about elite NFL teams and coaches and how they work to win championships.

40) The Philosopher and the Wolf: Lessons from the Wild on Love, Death, and Happiness by Mark Rowlands For most of this book I had a pretty poor opinion of the author, although I liked the way he thought. Different world view than mine, but that's ok. I just thought he was a miserable alcoholic person who hated people and loved animals more. But towards the end he has what I have to call a conversion experience and my opinion changed. He became a better person because of the wolf.

41) Northanger Abbey: An Audible Original Drama by Jane Austen Excellent recording of a Jane Austin classic complete with a happy ending.

42) Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday I like Holiday's books. I think my favorite is the one about Gawker and Thiel. The first one I read got me turned onto Stoicism which has helped me so much. This one seemed more like something that Holiday was writing to help himself control his ego. Still good.

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” I hope the last month has found you some best books.

September 2019

43) Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport We are getting bad at focusing and learning and doing things in depth. This book explains why we need to change and how to be someone who goes into depth on things rather than touch the surface.

44) Conclave by Robert Harris Liked most of the book, but hated the ending. Just not probable in any way.

45. The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips Interesting historical novel about Venice in the early 1500s, interchanged with a story about a modern PhD student doing her dissertation. Reading books about Italy because I am travelling there next month.

October 2019

46) The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection by Michael Ruhlman Ruhlman writes about several chefs and what it means to strive for perfection.

47) Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan Narrative based on fact about a young man who spied for the Italian partisans in Italy. Good story.

48) Murder in Venice by Maria Luisa Minarelli Continuing on my Italy reading theme while in Italy. Vacation was too busy to read much! But I enjoyed this historical mystery that had lots of information about Venice.

49) Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency by Andrew C. McCarthy He couldn't believe that the intelligence agencies could abuse their power to plot against an opposition candidate, but they did. Very interesting. Very scary.

Every time I stop by here I add more books to my reading list you are doing awesome!

Blagica wrote: "Every time I stop by here I add more books to my reading list you are doing awesome!"

Thank you! Doing this challenge each year keeps me motivated!

cool

November 2019

50) Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

51) Thomas Jefferson's Creme Brulee: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America by Thomas J. Craughwell

52) Slouching Towards Gomorrah by Robert Bork

53) The Plot Against the President: Revelations on the Deep State from the House Intelligence Committee by Lee Smith

54) The Goat by Roger L. Simon

55) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Accidentally deleted this post and didn't feel like rewriting my thoughts about each book...

December 2019

56) Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World by Robert A. Lawson Ok book, not enough about the beer. Still informative.

57) Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Frustrating book that I just didn't get. These people were evil. Crazy. How did this get to be a classic?

58) The Reckoning by John Grisham Interesting and well written book about a southern family in the 30s and 40s. Learned a lot about WW2 in the Phillipines.

59) Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay Gripping novel about the French round up of the Jews in 1942. And how it impacts a family in the early 2000s. Excellent. Tear jerker.

60) Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin Good book to read while in bed nursing a bad cold.