2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Well, I'll be 40 this year come December so it's only fitting my goal be 40 as well.
Here we go.....

Happy birthday in advance, and good luck with your reading challenges in 2023 :)

Lisa wrote: "Happy birthday in advance, and good luck with your reading challenges in 2023 :)"
Thank you Lisa! :)

Just 6 down in January.
Not counting 2 short stories towards my Goodreads challenge goal but counting them here for the overall.

Need to stop forgetting to take my Kindle to work with me!

January :

A Life in Parts I finished a celebrity memoir first last year so figured why not kick it off with another this year. Was not disappointed though I'm sure he could have written garbage and I would have still loved it.

Willodeen When I'm not in the mood to read, I pick up a middle grade. I loooooveee middle grade. I love me some whimsical, magical, children's fairy tale land anytime.

Galatea Short Story - Loved it. Makes me want to finally pick up Song of Achilles.

If We Were Villains I actually already forgot I read this. It was entertaining but didn't make me cry. I'm gonna need to cry to remember you.

Luffs Short Story/Novella - I'm so upset I paid for this because it was WAY TOO SHORT!! Give me more dammit! No stars! *whispers*5 stars*shhh*

The Shadow of the Wind Finally I finished! I don't know why it took me so long to get through this because I enjoyed what I was reading. Maybe because I always read this before bed/in bed, feeling warm, comfortable and it just lulled me to sleep lol. Whatever I liked it, I tabbed it up and I don't do that shit. I'm definitely going to pick up this author again.

February :

Beyond the Deepwoods Oooh banderbear. Why were there not more Banderbears!?

The Fifth Season Oooh I liked this. I liked this a lot. Even though 60% I didn't really understand until I was almost finished, lol. I can't wait to get into book 2.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane I needed this little magical break. Was not expecting to cry at the end.

The Song of Achilles Did not live up to the hype. And honestly, the love story was ruined for me because it was two men. *shrugs*

Electric Idol Yo the build up in the first half was gooood. It was just frustrating enough that the spicy hit juuust right. But then it just all fell apart. Spicy needs not met in the second half!
Will still continue the series haha.

The Hunger Games Read this for a GR group read. Don't think anyone else actually read it. I need to find a better group.
Glad I finally read it! Made even more enjoyable to listen to the score/ambience from the movie while reading.
Also I stayed up till 4am to finish this so I could count it towards Feb. It counts!!


6 for the month. I'll take it on a short month when I really didn't have time to read except while on work breaks. Love my Kindle more and more each day.

March:

Nettle & Bone I went in blind and I loved it! It was creepy, funny and I was excited to pick it up any chance I had. This is what I had expected The Graveyard Book to feel like but that one was meh for me. This, this was the winner.

Daisy Jones & The Six BORED. FUCKING BORED the entire time. This interview format did not work for me.
Loved the show though haha

A Little Life Fuck this book. I could not stop reading through the tears and the tears started early for me and well, never really stopped. I still think about these boys and I'm almost tempted to re-read this just to visit them again. A heartbreaking reminder that there are monsters among us. Ignorance sure is bliss isn't it?

What Moves the Dead Cranked through this one and yeah man, I really dig this author and can't wait to grab another from her catalog. So creepy, so good. And I love her connection with animals in each novel so far. She must have lots of pets lol.

Wicked Beauty Let's be real...I'm not reading this for the plot. The first major steam WAS A HOOOLLLY SHIT moment for sure and IT WAS GOOOD. I'm blushing just thinking about it.
And then it just kinda went, plop. Just give me more sex and less politics, come on.

At the Water's Edge I really liked Water For Elephants the more I sat on it but getting through the animal abuse is tough for me in particular. This novel, this gave me all the feels and enjoyment that I got from WFE but without harming an animal. For that, this I'll remember and think of fondly. If it were a film it would definitely be one that I've watched more times than I can count because it would just play in the background on the weekends.


6 for the month one of which was the most difficult novel I've ever read in my life. Yeah, I'll take that.
Onto the next!!

April:

Bunny What a trip. This was so strange and I loved it. I'm looking forward to reading it again to catch things I missed.

Piranesi Holy atmosphere! What a world this created in such a short time. I could not stop once I began reading. Piranesi is just...magic.

Watership Down I was so worried that I was going to hate this as an adult reader. I was not disappointed and got lost in this simple tale and I was sad when it was over. I'll visit them again soon.

The Book of Goose I read this because of the cover and was actually kind of excited after reading so many good reviews.
But alas, I could not stand a single moment of Anges or Fabeinne. Could not stand them, just wanted them to stop being so frustratingly stupid. Ugh. This one put me in a slump because I was disappointed lol.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane Now this is what I knew I was going to love from this author. I wasn't that impressed with The Graveyard Book but I had a feeling I just needed a little darker Gaimen to get on board.
Yup. This did it. Looking forward to expanding my collection!

May:

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau I really enjoyed this. Maybe because I liked that crazy ass Marlon Brando film??
Whatever this was fun.

The Never King Hoooollllyy Yes. Yes. Dirty Peter Pan stories are definitely my thing lol

The Dark One I could read these all day everyday.

The Marriage Portrait At first I didn't feel that connected to the story and I was getting a tad bored. But somewhere near the middle I got lost in this and I enjoyed it so so much. I still think about the afternoon reading this and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author this summer.

Their Vicious Darling Hehe - yeah - give me all the Lost Boys smut ya'll LOL whatever these are good!

The Obelisk Gate A little slower than the first but far easier to drop into. I had to go back and skim the first one's notes because a few things here and there in book 2 confused me. I plan on hitting the 3rd soon so I go in fresh! Love this series so far! So intense and beautiful at the same time.

Certain Dark Things This sounded cool at the time when I picked this up from the Library. But then I finished some really good books and this just paled in comparison. I was bored and I could not wait to get through it so I could move on. I didn't dislike it enough to stop completely but I definitely thought about it 20%, 50% and 70% through.

Remarkably Bright Creatures This was not what I was expecting but I still very much enjoyed it. I wanted more Marcellus though, like big time. Especially since the synopsis makes it sound like he's a more present in the story.

June:

Fourth Wing Ah, my first time catching the booktok wave as it came, lol
This was a totally fun time and completely predictable and reminded me of a dozen other stories. Original and fresh? No. Will I be buying the next installment anyway and still probably really like it? Yes.

The Fae Princes Oooh sweet jesus I want more of this dark Peter Pan world. Give me all of it. I'm forever a fan.

Voyager I don't think I've ever taken my time like this with any other book. A chapter or two every once in a while in between other reads.
Knowing the show so well, this feels like the commentary and notes you'd get when you watch the DVD bonus features. I bet if I read these without having seen the show first, I would be FLYING through them.
Does Gabaldon get a little long winded sometimes? Sure. But these are beautiful books and I love Jamie and Claire so so much. There is no other love that compares.

A House with Good Bones Another new release I actually got to read with other people, haha. I loved this. Quick and creepy, had I started this on my weekend I would have finished it in one sitting. This is the 4th book I've read of Kingfisher's and she has not let me down yet.
Hope that continues to be the trend!

The Stone Sky Dear god what do I even say?
This is by far one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and I don't even know how to feel about life now that I've finished this trilogy. I'm tempted to start at the beginning again and take the rest of the year to stroll my way through it again.. The incredible complexity just....takes my breath away.
Unmatched my friends.

Keep it up, Mo - you're doing great! So close to reaching your goal.
It's so interesting reading your thought in the books I've also read, and those that are still on my TBR.
I can't make up my mind on whether or not I want to read Fourth Wing. Might just wait until the hype dies a bit down.

What are you currently reading?
Have a great Sunday!

I hope your reading journey continues on the positive side of things. Here's to many more fantastic books to come.

Hi Lisa!
Thanks for the encouragement!
I had a couple slow reading months (work and life sure gets busy sometimes) but still hit my goal early!
I think it was fun to read Fourth Wing at the time because it felt like a giant buddy read, haha. But I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much had I just randomly picked it up.
If you do read it, I hope you enjoy!

July:

Travels with Charley: In Search of America Read for a quick quarter challenge. I was low key excited to read this because I have fond memories of East of Eden and this was going to be awesome because I love all things dog. Nope. Insincere, boring and downright disappointing.

The Great Gatsby I should have known from Travels above that this was going to be a rough reading month.
Another dud in my book. I've never been so bored through such a short book. I'm also pretty sure I didn't care about the movie either so not sure how that affected this reading experience.
But also every character here is awful and I really didn't like this, haha.

Weyward This started out sooo strong! I was actually really into this for the first half and was excited that a book with such a beautiful cover was actually good! Haha.
Boy was I wrong. The weird focus on men being the worst people ever and women only being real women if they have given birth was bizarre. I was so turned off.

The Summer Dragon Finally! At the end of the month, I finally read something I actually enjoyed, haha.
This was fun. I would definitely not call it an Adult Fantasy as the writing leaned more middle grade/young adult to me. The dragons here were loveable and had fun personalities.

August:

The God of Endings After a really bleh July books, I was feeling very slumpy and this book, while good, just couldn't pull me out of it. Dark, creepy at times and really moody. I really enjoyed this and I would think about re-reading this again in a few years around October. Loved the atmosphere!

The Guest List I knew there was a reason I hesitated on reading this popular thriller. Did not live up to the hype.
BORING.
Like really, really dull. I didn't care for any of the characters, when the "reveal/twist" nonsense actually made it to the page I was so ready for it to be finally over I didn't care one bit.
Glad I only paid a buck for this one because back to the thrift store it goes!
Knocked my ass back into slumpy mode -_-

AND THAT'S 40! :)

I did not expect to hit my goal so early in the year!

I've slowed down considerably (just this time of year for me) and I'm not sure if I should even up the goal?

September:

Kill the Farm Boy A first for me - I paired this with the audiobook and I had a blast! Reading during my down time and able to enjoy the many voices of the narrator while I couldn't sit still was perfect. This was funny and unexpectedly violent LOL

The Madman's Daughter I'm a total sucker for all things Island of Dr Moreau. Give me a story that takes place on that wacky ass island with Montgomery and I'm here for it. A couple moments in here that genuinely creeped me out! Especially when my moody spooky music starts to sync with my reading and the wind picks up at 2am through my wide open windows! LMAO!
Also I loooved the ending. So good.

The Light Pirate *deep sigh* This book.
Look this book is so beautifully written I was sucked right in within just a few pages. Everything and everyone in the story felt very real to me. I was enjoying every step of the way and then the last part - everything fell apart so fast and I was instantly knocked out of my trance. What was I reading? This isn't right? Wait, what?
Nothing made sense in the end and it completely ruined the book for me. I'll pretend the book ends at part 3 and never consider reading 4th section again.
I still want to read this authors other works though because she can't have ruined the ending on multiple works can she?

World Without End Ooh Kingbridge. How I love thee. Let me count the ways.
Ya'll I love these chonky monsters sitting on my shelf. I love the weight of them in my lap as I read and get lost in the past with them. Perfect as my in between read, I never feel lost or confused about where and what I am reading. Ken Follet is such an easy author to read while still being thrilling and engaging. Can't wait to crack into the next installment!

Remote Control I think I saw this on a "best of" list while I was searching for books similar to The Broken Earth trilogy. I'm not usually a short story reader but I found this for a few bucks at a second hand shop and after seeing it sit on the shelf for a few weeks, so it came home with me.
I really liked it! I need to see if this author has some novels available because I think I'd like to hang out in her worlds for a bit longer.

The Hollow Places I really enjoyed this from the minute I began reading. T. Kingfisher has some straight up - laugh out loud writing and it always puts me in a good mood. Even when I was reading along and kind of not paying attention, it was so easy to pop back in and know what's going on.
The last few pages of this story hit me so hard the other night. Maybe the stress of my job (CET at animal shelter), coupled with a particularly long week and the magic of this story just all mixed together and sent me over the edge. Haha. I cried SO HARD.
Not only have I loved how she wrote animals while their alive, but now in death, my heart felt it all.

October:

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill I was so glad to find this author. This was a beautiful story that had me CRYING. I immediately bought a stunning, glossy hardcover version for my own collection once I finished reading it.

The Phantom of the Opera My angel of music! This was a nostalgic read for me and I loved it. Also bought myself a gorgeous limited addition for my collection because somehow I didn't already own this and that was unacceptable!

Ninth House Boooorrring. Snooze-fest 2023. This book once again taught me to not listen to what social media deems worth reading. This was dull and mediocre at best.

Dracula Surprisingly, much more readable then I anticipated. I found myself distracted easily though because of the format. Buuut, once I settled in, and set the mood for myself, I found it to be immersive and a great moody read for the season.

The Night Circus Holy moly was this exactly what I was hoping for. I went in with high expectations because the word on the street was that this was very atmospheric and that was what my mood was craving. This delivered 110%.

November:

Her Dark Curiosity

The Silent Companions

The Killing Moon

Hooked

Tiger Lily

December:

Uprooted

The Woman in Me

Elantris

The Paris Hours