2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I did 60 books in 2020 and it was ok because of being home so much. But I think a book a week (52) is best for me and my life, so I'm going back to it.

Good luck, Anne!

I hope you go beyond your 52 book resolution! Best of Luck!

1) 1/4/2021 The Stand by Stephen King A re-read for me. I read a couple of times after it first came out years ago. I needed a book that kept my brain focused, and this one came through. Really a book about good and evil.

2) 1/11/2021 No Greater Love: Experiencing the Heart of Jesus through the Gospel of John by A.W. Tozer I needed to read a book that reminded me about what is really important in the world.

3) 1/11/2021 Unreported Truths About Covid-19 and Lockdowns: Combined Parts 1-3: Death Counts, Lockdowns, and Masks by Alex Berenson I have an adult son with the virus, just wanted to learn more. Plus I don't trust the news media, so thought it best to read a book.

4) 1/27/2021 The Most Reluctant Convert: C. S. Lewis's Journey to Faith by David C. Downing Excellent biography of CS Lewis. Loved the bit about the self-forgetfulness.

5) 2/1/2021 A Pillar of Iron by Taylor Caldwell I am happy to find a new historical fiction author that I enjoy - new to me anyway. This book and the other book I am reading - Witness - are both about the end of Republics. History repeats itself as we are close to the end of our Republic as well. So sad.

6) 2/1/2021 The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom by Corrie ten Boom Inspirational story of living for God and others no matter the risk to yourself. Lesson: Always be grateful.

7) 2/14/2021 The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict Historical novel about Hedy Lamarr and her connection to World War II. She was a Jew from Vienna who escaped before the war, and she was also brilliant. She helped to invent the technology that we use in our cell phones. She tried to get the Navy to use her idea to steer torpedos, but they weren't ready to get any ideas from women. She did sell alot of war bonds, though. Lesson: Use your brain, it's more important than looks.

8) 2/21/2021 Witness by Whittaker Chambers Well, guess what, this stuff has been going on a long time. The elites vs the people. Someone needs to make a movie out of this. Lesson: The elites who love power were winning in the 50s and they are winning now.

9) 2/27/2021 A Blaze of Glory by Jeff Shaara I haven't read much about the western theater of the Civil War so this was new to me. Really horrible battle. The first with huge losses in the war, but before the media photographed the results. Still I wonder about the title. What was glorious about it? Where did that come from? Not sure. Lesson: War is terrible.

10) 3/4/2021 The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck Another book about Virginia Hall a fellow Marylander. And written by the mom of some of my algebra students. Enjoyed it. Virginia was truly amazing. Lesson: Spiritual experiences guide our lives.

11) 3/5/2021 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens I can see why this was so popular, read it in just a few hours. Loved the imagery of the marsh, of the low country food, of the types of people. The story was a bit unbelievable, but I enjoyed it anyway. Lesson: Mothers need to take care of their six year old daughters.

12) 3/11/2021 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman A book about idiot people just trying to do their best. Hilarious in parts, sad in parts. Enjoyed it. Lesson: The good things you do make a difference in the world.

13) 3/21/2021 Dictator by Robert Harris Third part of Harris' Cicero trilogy. Very different story than Taylor Caldwell's version. Still, I enjoyed it. Lesson: Don't trust young powerful people who flatter you.

14) 3/23/2021 Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Interesting stories and thoughts from an actor who is a bit unconventional. Lesson: Take risks and just keep living.

15) 3/31/2021 The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us about America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny by Neil Howe Book about the cycles of history and how every 100 years or so we go through a serious 4th turning where everything crashes and burns. And guess what, we are just about there right now. Lesson: Keep family and friends close, because you can't trust any of the institutions that are broken. And they all are.

16) 4/2/2021 book:Circe|35959740] by Madeline Miller Good noel about the witch Circe and the nasty community of Greek Gods. Lesson - I have to think about this a little, but I think it is that you need to be true to yourself and hone your skills.

17) 4/5/2021 One by One by Ruth Ware Another book recommended by Sibyl and I got it from the library. It was a thriller and easy to read and kept me interested. The ending definitely was not expected. Lesson: Some people use nasty methods to make money and make people do what they want.

18) 4/8/2021 Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill Wow. What really happened behind the Manson family and the murders in Hollywood in the 60s? The standard narrative is not true, this author proves that. But he can't prove what really happened. Incredible.

19) 4/11/2021 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Prequel to the Hunger Games books. Problem is I don't really care about Snow. It was still interesting. Lesson: Don't trust anyone.

20) 4/15/2021 The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo Enjoyable story from Malaya where a poor family would increase their status if the daughter married a ghost. The ghosts and the scenes in the afterlife were very imaginative. Liked it. Lesson: Do the brave thing.

20 books is great progress! is there a book you would read again or recommend to anyone?

22) 4/22/2021 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson A re-read for me. Still five stars. Love the concept of living and learning lessons and not repeating the same mistakes. Plus there is a lot of history.

Blagica wrote: "20 books is great progress! is there a book you would read again or recommend to anyone?"
Definitely Circe, Anxious People and Where the Crawdad Sings.
Plus a couple of the books are re-reads of favorites: The Stand and Life after Life.

23) 4/30/2021 The Institute by Stephen King Kids with telepathic and telekinetic abilities are used and abused by the government, But they picked the wrong kid, one with a genius level IQ who fights back. Lesson - Shadow governments are bad.

24) 5/2/2021 Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson Wise advice for living while suffering. Lesson - Life is full of suffering, but we must still try our best to make things better.

Forgot to enter this one:
21) 4/19/2021 Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers: The Texas Victory That Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade Read this before our anniversary weekend in San Antonio. Focused more on the lead up and the aftermath of the Alama battle. Lesson: Pride goes before a fall - thinking of Santa Anna.

25) 5/3/2021 The Second Sleep by Robert Harris Very imaginative post-apocalyptic novel with some twists and turns. Lesson: Be prepared and learn more hard life skills.

26) 5/6/2021 Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher How to make it through this anti-Christian period by refusing to buy into the lies. Loved it. Lesson - Our kingdom is not of this world.

27) 5/12/2021 The Distant Hours by Kate Morton First time I've read this author. Pretty good historical/modern mystery about family and secrets and madness. Lesson - Don't grow old with your sisters in a old castle.

28) 5/16/2021 The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott Cold war novel told from many different points of view. Tells the CIA's role in publishing Dr. Zhivago. I think it could have been better. Part of it is a very unrealistic love story. 3 stars. Lesson- A great novel is a very powerful cultural tool.

29) 5/30/2021 The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan I haven't read an Amy Tan book in a while and I used to love them. I enjoyed this one, although the misery that befelled the main character was over the top. Everything works out, though. Lesson: We need family and mothers especially. Life can be tough without them.

30) 6/2/2021 The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah Horrible. The communists were the saviors. Ugghh. And this is the bestselling book in the country. Lesson (which I think is really biased): All capitalists are mean and evil. All communists are kind and good.

31) 6/8/2021 A Table in the Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God's Presence Amidst the Chaos of the War in Iraq by Carey H. Cash Inspiring tales from a chaplain embedded with Marines at the beginning of the Iraq war. Lesson: Have faith. Things will work out if you believe.

32) 6/14/2021 The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy Small things will result in big results. Bad or good. I've read similar books before. I wish it talked more about life not just business. Lesson: Think about the future when making decisions.

33) 6/10/2021 The Marching Season by Daniel Silva Enjoyable CIA/Spy/Assassin novel. I need to read more of Daniel Silva. This book was written in the 90s and it has powerful elites attempting to keep the world violent and fighting and divided. How perfect. Lesson: Don't trust powerful people.

34) 6/22/2021 If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais Men are terrible and priests are always evil rapists. Always. Parts of this book were good but the wokeness drove me crazy. Lesson: Helping the vulnerable is a way to happiness and fulfillment.

35) 6/25/2021 Rule of Law by Randy Singer Legal thriller that doesn't tie up all neatly like some of the others I've read. Enjoyed it. Will read more of this author. Lesson: Do what is right but think through things carefully.

36) 6/28/2021 Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers So good. Will need to read again. Lesson: no matter how badly you have sinned, there is redemption- if you have faith.

37) 6/30/2021 The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration by Paul Kengor Oh my. Critical theory is straight out of the communist playbook. Only the victims change with what they think will work with the changing culture. Lesson: Look to Christ and seek principles that aren't constantly changing. Karl Marx's legacy is one of death and destruction.

38) 7/8/2021 The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff A WWII story about Jews hiding in the sewers in Krakow. Lesson: Just keep living.

39) 7/12/2021 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Beautifully written retelling of the Achilles/Troy myth told from the point of view of Patroclus. Lesson: Men need to control their pride and arrogance. How many people die because of it?

40) 7/26/2021 The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism by Paul Kengor Should be required reading in high schools. Lesson: Everyone needs to know that more than 100 million people were killed by this ideology in the 20th century.

41) 7/28/2021 Tidelands by Philippa Gregory Interesting book about the 1600s in the tidelands of Southern England with all kinds of horrible situations for the women of the times. Some of it just made me cringe. Evil people are always present, it's just part of human nature. Lesson: It's important to keep your good name, but it just might not be possible.

42) 7/31/2021 Seven Miracles That Saved America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope by Chris Stewart Actually read this earlier this month but forgot to enter it here. Good book about some things that could have gone a different way and changed this country unbelievably. Lesson: God's blessing has been on us in our history.

43) 7/31/2021 Blood: Stories of Life and Death from the Civil War by various authors. First person writings from the era of the civil war - listened to the audio book. I especially liked the writings from Walt Whitman who volunteered with the wounded in Washington DC. He was a saint. Lesson: All nations are forged in war and blood.

44) 8/3/2021 The Eagle's Claw: A Novel of the Battle of Midway by Jeff Shaara Pretty standard Shaara war novel. Wasn't as thorough as some. Lesson: The guys who work in the dungeon are pretty important.

45) 8/6/2021 The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva The first novel in the Michael Osbourne series, I read the second a couple month ago. Very fast moving and it drew me in, just like the first one. It was good to get the back story. I have to try some of his art dealer novels next. The lesson in this book is no one succeeds every time, even if they are very good. Also, I can't believe I've already read 45 books and it's only August.