2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I'm aiming for three books for each year of this millennium so far, ie 21 = 63. (No arguments about it technically being 22 years please!)

This post will be used to track my progress.

1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
2. Shoe Lust: Schuh-Lust Desire de Chaussures by Pepin van Roojen
3. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
4. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
5. The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman
6. The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
7. The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman
8. Vintage Shoes: Collecting and Wearing Twentieth-Century Designer Footwear by Caroline Cox
9. Shoe Innovations: A Visual Celebration of 60 Styles by Caroline Cox
10. The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
11. The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman
12. The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman
13. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
14. Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness
15. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
16. Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. by P.K. Hrezo
17. Induction Day by P.K. Hrezo
18. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
19. The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser
20. The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
21. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
22. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
23. A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey
24. The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place: The Art of Being Messy by Jennifer McCartney
25. How to Learn and Memorize French Vocabulary ... Using a Memory Palace Specifically Designed for the French Language by Anthony Metivier
26. The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey
27. Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
28. The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey
29. More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
30. Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié
31. All Birds Have Anxiety by Kathy Hoopmann
32. The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea by Melanie Cellier
33. A Goose Girl by K.M. Shea
34. An Unnatural Beanstalk by Brittany Fichter
35. A Bear's Bride by Shari L. Tapscott
36. A Beautiful Curse by Kenley Davidson
37. An Inconvenient Princess by Melanie Cellier
38. A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling
39. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
40. Woof: I Love Dogs by Elliott Erwitt
41. The Fairy Stepmother Inc. by Maggie Hoyt
42. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
43. Crochet for Beginners: The Complete Guide on the Basics of Crochet by Dorothy Wilks
44. The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
45. The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist's Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness that Stole His Son by Tracie White
46. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
47. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
48. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
49. Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
50. Dream On by Kerstin Gier
51. Just Dreaming by Kerstin Gier
52. The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser
53. The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
54. Beginner's Guide to Goldwork by Ruth Chamberlin
55. Beginner's Guide to Crewel Embroidery by Jane Rainbow
56. Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches by Reader's Digest Association
57. Monster Rally by Charles Addams
58. Drawn and Quartered by Charles Addams
59. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
60. The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan
61. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan
62. 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan
63. The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
64. The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan
65. Christmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan
66. Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan
67. Looking for Andrew McCarthy by Jenny Colgan
68. The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith
69. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
70. To the Land of Long Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith
71. How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith
72. The Betrothal Melee by Sarah Hegger
73. The Marriage Parley by Sarah Hegger
74. Conquering William by Sarah Hegger
75. Sweet Bea by Sarah Hegger
76. My Lady Faye by Sarah Hegger
77. Roger's Bride by Sarah Hegger
78. Releasing Henry by Sarah Hegger
79. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
80. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
81. The Language of Spells by Sarah Painter
82. The Secrets of Ghosts by Sarah Painter
83. The Garden of Magic by Sarah Painter



Let's Turn Pages: total 12,212
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 18, Finished 2, Total 27 / 30
Colour - 11 / 26
Popsugar - 10 / 30
A-Z Challenge - 21 / 18 COMPLETE!
Give us a Clue - 6 / 9 books, 0/3 deductions
Magical Mystery Tour - 3 / 12 book, 0 / 4 cases
Spell a Better World - Quaintrelle - 8 / 11
Q1 Change - 5 / 8
Clear the Shelves - 14 / 30
Global Voices - 1 / 6 books

January Marathon - 3,634 / 2,000 and 11 / 8 books complete
NYR (January only) - 4 / 7
Feb Snow Challenge - 2 / 3
April Yellow - 5 / 5 complete

Good luck Kylie!

1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab


Let’s turn pages - 442 pages Goal - 20,000
Colour - black - 1 / 16
Popsugar - #11 Forgetting. 1 / 30
A-Z Challenge - A is for Addie. 1/18
NYR (January only) - #5, Go Somewhere New - Paris & New York. 1 / 7
January Reading - 1 / 8 books, 442 / 2,000 pages
Give us a Clue - Conservatory (Addie has to save [SPOILER]) 1 / 9 books, 0/3 deductions
Magical Mystery Tour - Who #1. 1 / 12 books, 1 / 4 cases
Spell a Better World - Quaintrelle - I, 1 / 11
Q1 Change - #15 Life Transformation. 1 / 8
Clear the Shelves - 1 / 30

I hope you go beyond your 63 book resolution! Best of Luck!

2. Shoe Lust: Schuh-Lust Desire de Chaussures by Pepin van Roojen


Let's Turn Pages: 288 pg, total 730 pg
Colour: Yellow 2 / 26
Give Us a Clue - Colonel Mustard (Yellow) 2 / 9 books, 0 / 3 deductions
Listopia - 1 / 12
Popsugar #18 - Subject I'm passionate about. 2 / 30
Spell a Better World - L 2 / 11
Clear the Shelves - 2 / 30

3. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor


Let's Turn Pages: 235 pg, total 965 pg
A - Z Characters: B for Dr Edward Bairstow 2 / 18
Spell a Better World - E 3 / 11
Colour: Brown 3 / 26
Serial Reader: 1 / 31 (0 Started, 1 Continued, 0 Finished)
Magical Mystery Tour: Who #2 - historians. 2 / 12 books
New Year's Resolution (January) - #10. 2 / 7
Clear the Shelves - 3 / 30
January Marathon - 965 / 2,000
Popsugar - #5 Dark Academia. 3 / 30

4. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: 329 pg. YTD: 1,294
Colour: Green 4 / 26
Popsugar: #21, Cross-Genre. 4 / 30
Give us a Clue: Room - Hall 3 / 12
Spell a Better World - L 4 / 11
Serial Reader - 2 / 30 (1 started, 1 continued, 0 finished)
NYR - #9 3 / 7
January Marathon: 4 / 8 Total: 1,249 pg
A-Z Character - K for Kai. 3 / 18 booka

5. The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: 357 pg, YTD: 1,651
January Marathon: 5 / 8 Total: 1,651
Colour: Red 5 / 26
A-Z Character - I for Irene. 4 / 18 books
Serial Reader - 3 / 30 (1 started, 2 continued, 0 finished)
Clear the Shelves: 5 / 30

6. The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: pg, YTD: 2,009
January Marathon: 6 / 8 Total: 2,009
Colour: metallic 6 / 26
A-Z Character - V for Vamp. 5 / 18 books
Serial Reader - 4 / 30 (1 started, 3 continued, 0 finished)
Clear the Shelves: 6 / 30

7. The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: 376 pg, YTD: 2,385
January Marathon: 7 / 8 Total: 2,385 / 2,000 pages
Colour: dark blue. 7 / 26
A-Z Character P is for Peregrine. - 6 / 18 books
Serial Reader - 5 / 30 (1 started, 4 continued, 0 finished)
Clear the Shelves: 7 / 30
Popsugar: #36 Fewer than 1,000 reviews - has 970 at date of reading. 5 / 30
Give us a Clue: Mrs Peacock (blue cover). 4 / 9 books, 0 deductions
Magical Mystery Tour: Who #3, librarian 3 / 12

8. Vintage Shoes: Collecting and Wearing Twentieth-Century Designer Footwear by Caroline Cox


Let's Turn Pages: 224 pages YTD: 2,609
January Marathon: 2,609 in 8 books COMPLETE
Listopia: 2 / 12
January NYR: #1 4 / 7
A Better World: A skill to improve. 1 / 12
Clear the Shelves: 8 / 30
Give Us a Clue: Favourite Craft. 5/9

9. Shoe Innovations: A Visual Celebration of 60 Styles by Caroline Cox


Let's Turn Pages: 256 pg, YTD: 2,865
January Marathon: 9 / 8 books, total 2, 865
Listopia: 3 / 12
Clear the Shelves: 9 / 30
Colour: White 8 / 26
Give Us a Clue: Mrs White. 6 / 9

10. The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: 433 pg, YTD: 3,298
January Marathon: 10 / 8, total 3,298
Colour: light blue 9 / 26
Serial Reader: 6 / 30 (1 started, 5 continued, 0 finished)

11. The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman


Let's Turn Pages: 336 pages, YTD: 3,634
January Marathon: 11 / 8, total 3,634
Serial Reader: 7 / 30 (1 started, 6 continued, 0 finished)
A-Z: N is for Nemo. 7 / 18
Q1 Change: Tech innovation. 2 / 8

So pleased with my progress for January!

12. The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman


336 pages - total 3,970

Here are a few of the books I really want to read this year. I have a strong focus on time travel fantasy so far this year and a pile of books in that genre are still on my list.

How to Stop Time - Matt Haig
Helen Oyeyemi - Gingerbread
The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
Finish the Peculiar series by Ransom Riggs (3 books)
The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
The St Marys Series by Jodi Taylor (about 8 books)
Re-read the All Saints books and Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness now that A Discovery of Witches season 2 has been shown - have re-read two
A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik
Ruby Red - Kerstin Gier (then maybe Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green, etc)
All Creatures Great & Small - James Herriot
Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman (one to finish)
Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine
The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton (re-read)
Maybe re-read the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde
Oxford Time Travel series - Connie Willis
The Alchemyst - Michael Scott
How to Survive a Plague - David French
So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in "Pride and Prejudice" - Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie - Jennifer Ashley
The Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben
Mary, Everything - Cassandra Yorke
The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
The Dictionary of Lost Words - Pip Williams
The City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers (finish reading)
Butterman (Time) Travel Inc - P K Hrezo
The Last Family in England (The Labrador Pact) - Matt Haig
The Secret Lives of Color - Kassie St Cleair
The Apricot Colonel or Murder on the Apricot Coast by Marie Halligan
The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion (? also the Rosie Effect, The Rosie Result)
Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella
Desperate Fortune - Susanna Kearsley
Mysteries by E J Copperman eg The Question of the Felonious Friend
An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good - Helene Tursten
A Darker Shade of Magic - V E Schwab
Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik (Crucible of Gold, Throne of Jade etc)
The Woman who Wanted More - Vicky Zimmerman
The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert
The Wishing Thread - Lisa Van Allen
Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter - Theodora Goss
The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
A Quiet Life in the Country - T E Kinsey
Poetry by Emily Dickinson, Wordsworth, Banjo Paterson, Pam Ayers
Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
Many Lives, Many Masters -
His Convict Wife or Convict Heart - Lena Dowling
Mysteries by K J Emrick (set in Tasmania)
The Chocolate Promise - Josephine Moon
Spindrift - Tamara McKinley
The Little Paris Bookshop
Finish the >i>Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch
Finish the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey
The Rose Garden - Susanna Kearsley
Get up to date with the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series - Alexander McCall Smith
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

13. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness


561 pages - total 4,531
A-Z - D is for Diana 8 / 18
Serial Reader - Continued - 7 Total 8 books

14. Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness


448 pages - 4,979 pages
Spell a Better World - T 5 / 11
A - Z: M is for Matthew 9 / 18
Serial Reader - finished 1, total 9

15. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig


288 pages - 5,267

16. Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc. by P.K. Hrezo


308 pages - 5,575
A-Z -T is for Tristan 10/18
Changes Q1 Challenge - #17 change to the world 3 / 8
Serial Reader - started 2, continued 8, finished 1, total 11/30

17. Induction Day by P.K. Hrezo


186 pages - 5,761
Feb Snow Challenge - #3 1/3
Serial Reader - started 2, continued 9, finished 1, total 12/30

18. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith


384 pg - 6,145 pg total
A-Z L is for Leto 11/18
Spell a Better World - Q - 6 / 11
Q1 Change - #4 - Author's Initials - 4 / 8
Serial Reader - started - 3, continued 9, finished 1, total 13/30

Really enjoying my soujourne through time travels and now into books and libraries as well. What could be better>!

19. The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser


371 pages - 6,516 total
A-Z W is for Will - 12 / 18
Feb Snow Challenge #8 - 2/3 read
Q1 Changes - #10. 5/8 read
Popsugar #27 - 6 / 30
Global Voices #32 (translated) - 1 / 6

Only just discovered this book, but I'm so glad I did. Very enjoyable and one to devour!

next up - The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith

nope, decided to start on The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
Very enjoyable dark academia. Book 20 for 2021.

Let's Turn Pages - 464 pages, total 6,978
Spell a Better World - E 7 / 11
A - Z: U is for Uriah 13 / 18
Popsugar #28 Magical Realism - 7 / 30

Now I'm reading The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith and A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Possible books for the March "One Word Title" challenge:
Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell
Spindrift - Tamara McKinley
Helen Oyeyemi - Gingerbread
1Q84 - by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin (Translator), Philip Gabriel (Translator)'
Attachments or Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Chocolat - Joanne Harris

21. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik


Let's turn pages: 336 pg, 7,314 total
A Better World - Theme of Friendship - 2 / 12
Serial Reader - New series (4), Continue (9), Finish (1), Total 14 / 30
Listopia - Dark Academia 1, 4 / 12 complete

22. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines


Let's Turn Pages: 308 pg, total 7,622
Listopia - Dark Academia. 4 / 12
Serial Reader - New 5, Continued 9, Finished 1. Total 15 / 30

23. A Tangled Web by Mercedes Lackey


Let's Turn Pages - 91 pages, total 7,713
Serial Reader - Started 5, Continued 10, Finished 1 - total 16

24. The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place: The Art of Being Messy by Jennifer McCartney


Let's Turn Pages - 128 pg, 7,841
Popsugar #15, B&W cover 8 / 30

25. How to Learn and Memorize French Vocabulary ... Using a Memory Palace Specifically Designed for the French Language by Anthony Metivier


Let's turn pages: 102 pages, total 7,943

Had great hopes for this book, but the principle relies on having to go searching in a "palace" for words. I don't think it will be worthwhile for me.

26. The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey


Let's Turn Pages: 352 pg, total 8,295
Serial Reader: 500 Kingdoms. Started 5, Continued 11, Finished 1; total 17 / 30
Colour challenge: pink. Total 10 / 26
Popsugar #46 - Meant to read it last year. 9 / 30
A - Z Character - Rosamunde. 15/18
Clear the Shelves: 10 / 30

27. Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey


Let's Turn Pages: 329 pages, total 8,624
Serial Reader: 500 Kingdoms book 6. Started 5, Continued 12, Finished 1; total 18/30
Clear the Shelves: 11 / 30

28. The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey


Let's Turn Pages - 331 pg, total 8,955
Serial Reader: 500 Kingdoms book 4. Started 5, Continued 13, Finished 1. Total 19/30
Clear the Shelves: 12 / 30

Yellow books for April... some options. My goal is 5.
Keeping on with the fairy tale retelling theme
- Before Midnight - Cameron Dokey*
- Sunlight and Shadow - Cameron Dokey*
- Uprooted - Naomi Novik
- Violet Eyes - Debbie Viguie


Other fiction
- Yarn Harlot or Free-Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
- Codex Born - Jim C. Hines
- A Rogue of My Own - Johanna Lindsey
- A Faraway Smell of Lemon - Rachel Joyce
- The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abby Waxman
- A Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan Bradley*
- His Convict WIfe - Lena Dowling
- Attachments - Rainbow Rowell
- The Little Perfume Shop Off the Champs Elysees - Rebecca Raisin*
- The Alchemyst, The Necromancer - Michael Scott
- Lies Sleeping - Ben Aaronovitch*
- Living London - Krysten Vayden
- Lemon Meringue Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke*
- Nerdy Birdy Tweets
- Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T.S. Eliot
- Say Yes to the Scot - Anthology
- Searching for Captain Wentworth - Jane Odiwe
- Dear Committee Members, The Shakespeare Requirement - Julie Schumacher

Non-fiction
- How to speak any language fluently - Alex Rawlings
- Easy French Step by Step - Myrna Bell Rochester
- Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Alastair Jackson
- Fit Feet for Life - Marco Montanez
- Kick the Bucket and Swing the Cat - Alex Games
- Woof - Elliot Erwitt
- 60 Ways to Lower your Blood Sugar - Dennis Pollock
- The PDA Paradox - Harry Thompson
- Ifferisms - Mardy Grothe
- Midnight in Chernobyl - Adam Higginbotham
- More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
- The Ladybird Book of the Midlife Crisis - Jason Hazeley
- Life Reimagined - The Science, Art and Opportunity of Midlife - Barbara Hagerty
- The Art of Lying Down - Berd Brunner
- Making a Living Without A Job - Barbara Winter
- Don't Eat this if you're taking that - Madelyn Fernstrom
- Don't You Just Hate That - Scott Cohen
- Side Hustle - Chris Guillebeau

Those marked * are in series... maybe once I've achieved my goal of 5? Just so I don't get distracted.

Also currently reading, or wanting to read soon

Fantastique Maitre Renard - Roald Dahl. My first attempt at reading a book in French.
The Puzzle Solver - Tracie White
ADHD 2.0 - Edward Halliwell
The Happiness Curve - Jonathon Rauch

29. More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell


April - Colour Yellow 1 / 5
Let's Turn Pages - 122 pages, total 9,077
Clear the Shelves: 13 / 30

30. Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié


April - Colour Yellow 2 / 5
Let's Turn Pages - 195 pages, total 9,272

31. All Birds Have Anxiety by Kathy Hoopmann


Let's turn pages: 72 pages, total 9,344
Popsugar: #42 - shortest book on TBR list
Clear the Shelves - 14 / 30

32. The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea by Melanie Cellier


Let's Turn Pages: 334 pages, total 9,678
A-Z Character: H is for Harrison 16 / 18
Serial Reader: New 6, Continued 13, Finished 1, Total 20 / 30

33. A Goose Girl by K.M. Shea


Let's Turn Pages: 118 pages, total 9,796
A - Z Character: C is for Conrad. 17 / 18
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 13, Finished 1, Total 21 / 30
April - Yellow covers 3 / 5

34. An Unnatural Beanstalk by Brittany Fichter


Let's Turn Pages: 202 pg, total 9,998
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 14, Finished 1, Total 22 / 30

35. A Bear's Bride by Shari L. Tapscott


Let's Turn Pages: 128 pages, total 10,126
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 15, Finished 1, Total 23 / 30
A - Z Character: S is for Sophie. 18 / 18 COMPLETE!

36. A Beautiful Curse by Kenley Davidson


Let's Turn Pages: 198 pg, total 10.324
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 16, Finished 1, Total 24 / 30
A - Z Character - J is for Jack. 19 / 18 COMPLETE

37. An Inconvenient Princess by Melanie Cellier


Let's Turn Pages: 182 pages, total 10,506
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 16, Finished 2, Total 25 / 30

38. A Little Mermaid by Aya Ling


Let's Turn Pages: 190 pg, total 10,696
Colour: Purple 11 / 26
Serial Reader: New 7, Continued 17, Finished 2, Total 26 / 30

39. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell


Let's Turn Pages - 323 pg, 11,019 total
Clear the Shelves - 15 / 30
Spell a Better World - 8 / 11
April - Yellow - 4 / 5