2025 Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ARCHIVE 2023
>
Love What You Read: Daily Tracking & Discussion

💗1. Anything on your TBR
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
💗3. Read a book about love
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
ACTIVITIES
1. Tell us about your favorite February/Valentine’s memory. Maybe it’s sentimental or maybe it’s comedic, either way, we love to hear our members’ stories!
2. Which book are you most excited about for this readathon?

Exit West
The Atomic City Girls
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
💗3. Read a book about love
Ugly Love
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
Friday: 5 hours reading
Saturday: 3 hours reading, 2-3 hours listening to an audiobook while driving
Sunday: 5 hours reading

[My timezone: GMT]
* Start of readathon: Page 0 of The Tempest
* 10 February: Pages read = 127 (T 127). Time spent reading= 1.5 hours. Books completed: The Tempest (reread a book you loved)
* 11 February: Pages read = 80 (L 80). Time spent reading= 1.25 hours
* 12 February: Pages read = 363 (L 363). Time spent reading= 3.75 hours. Books completed: Loveless (a book about love)
* Total pages read = 570 pages. Total time spent reading = 6.5 hours. Total books completed = 2.

Duration: February 10 to February 12, 2023
From my TBR list
1.) Finished: None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive
2.) Listened to: tinyurl.com/2s3zj5zc Life Flight
3.) Started: The Darkest Flower
Friday: 144 pages from None Of This...
Friday: 1 hr. 22 min. (1.37 hours )from Life Flight
Saturday: 40 pages from The Darkest Flower
Saturday: 3 hours 30 minutes from (3.5 hours)Life Flight
Sunday: 22 pages from The Darkest Flower
Sunday: 4 hours 50 minutes from (4.83 hours) Life Flight
Total pages: 206
Total audio: 9 hours 40 minutes (9.7 hours)

Edit: Also finish some.
Friday: 144 pages
Saturday: 156 pages
Sunday: 179 pages
----------------------------
Total: 479 pages
Finishing:
✔ Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty
✔ The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Total pages read: 630
Total books finished: 2
Friday: The Path of Daggers (17 pages)
Saturday: The Path of Daggers (180 pages) + Someone Else's Shoes (89 pages)
Sunday: Someone Else's Shoes (280 pages) + Babel (64 pages)
Reading Prompts
1. Anything on your TBR The Path of Daggers
2. Reread a book you LOVED
3. Read a book about love
4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.) Someone Else's Shoes

Definitely not going to get to all of these, just want to write out my options!
❤️1. Anything on your TBR
💗A Dance with Dragons
💗The Mark of the Golden Dragon
*Darkly Dreaming Dexter (started)
2. Reread a book you LOVED
❤️3. Read a book about love
💗Heartstopper vol. 2
💗Heartstopper vol. 3
💗Heartstopper vol. 4
❤️4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗Heartstopper vol. 1
❤️5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
💗The Maid
💗A Little Princess
Daily Tracking:
Friday the 10th: Pages- 781 // Audio Hours- 1.65 // Books- 4
Saturday the 11th: Pages- 641 // Audio Hours- 0.37 // Books- 2
Sunday the 12th: Pages- 26 // Audio Hours- 2.63 // Books- 1
TOTALS:
Books: 7 finished, 1 started
Audio Hours: 4.65
Pages: 1,448

Reread a book you LOVED
The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian
10th
Pages read: 45
11th
Pages read: 23
12th
Pages read:
💜

Reading Prompts
❣️ 1. Anything on your TBR - A Marvellous Light
2. Reread a book you LOVED
❣️ 3. Read a book about love: Georgie, All Along (100 pages left)
4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title -
❣️ 5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.) - The Frangipani Tree Mystery
Daily Tracking:
Friday 2/10:
--Pages read: 351 pgs
--Books Finished: Georgie, All Along
Saturday 2/11: 144 pgs
Sunday 2/12: 228 pgs
Total pages: 723 pgs
Thoughts on Books Read:
Georgie, All Along - I went into this book blind but I had it slotted into prompts for:
*Popsugar: Prompt #39 - a book you wish you could read again for the first time. I put this book in this prompt because I enjoyed it so much that I do want to go back a reread it again sometime!
*ATY Prompt #37: A book with the theme of returning home
I have to say that this book so far is one of my favorite reads of 2023...I recommend for all you Romance Readers out there 😉
The Frangipani Tree Mystery - This book is such a pleasant surprise to me and I am really enjoying the setting in 1936 Singapore and the mystery itself! I haven't guessed who-dun-it yet but have a slight feeling about one person! I am usually wrong, however, so will have to see what happens. This book would fit into the Magical Mystery Tour "Who: Domestic".
A Marvellous Light - I have had this book sitting on my shelf and it needed to get back to the library. I had forgotten the synopsis I had read on the book so this was a nice surprise for me...a great historical fantasy with a forbidden romance mixed in! I used it for Popsugar prompt #6 (a book with a forbidden romance...I had gotten the suggestion for this from the listopia for this prompt) and also ATY Prompt #22 (a book with a faceless person on the cover). I will be continuing the series at some point this year 😉

The Deep - Completed the last 100 pages
Love On The Brain - Read 60 pages
Cold People - Read 35 pages
The Color Purple - Read 50 Pages
Daisy Jones & The Six - Read 30 Pages
Total Pages Read -- 275

Duration: February 10 - February 12, 2023
Progress: 7 books | 2,172 pages
💗 💕 💞 💕 💗 💕 💞 💕 💗 💕 💞 💕 💗
💗 If You Leave Me - 312 pg. - Friday
💗 Flying Solo - 320 pg. - Friday
💗 The Story of Lucy Gault - 228 pg. - Saturday
💗 Like No Other - 384 pg. - Saturday
💗 The Gifts of Imperfection - 208 pg. - Sunday
💗 Wild Bird - 320 pg. - Sunday
💗 Cross Her Heart - 400 - Sunday
💗 💕 💞 💕 💗 💕 💞 💕 💗 💕 💞 💕 💗

This is my first Readathon, I’m attempting 3 prompts:
1. Anything on your TBR
3. Read a book about love
5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
Friday - Pages Read: 277 pages
Saturday - Pages Read: 224 pages
Sunday - Pages Read: 175 pages
Total= 976 pages, 2 competed books
Reads (that fit the prompts):
L'ora di tutti by Maria Corti
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes
Murder in Grub Street by Bruce Alexander
Poems of Christina Rossetti by Christina Rossetti
The Tree of Hands
Progress:
About love: Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths: 96 Pages (Friday) - completed
TBR: Murder in grub street: 67 pages (Friday) + 73 pages (Saturday) + 64 pages (Sunday)
TBR: L’ora di tutti: 104 pages (Friday) + 120 Pages (Saturday) Completed
Shade of Red: (pink) Poems: 10 pages (Friday) + 12 pages (Saturday) + 8 pages (Sunday)
Shade of red: (red) The Tree of hands: 19 pages (Saturday) + 103 pages (Sunday)

I will try for 2:
From my TBR:
I will read and finish (hopefully):
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
and I will start: The Lobotomist's Wife
Friday - Pages read: 100
Start page: 58 End page: 158
Book: Perks of Being a Wallflower
Saturday - Pages read:
Start page: 159 End page: 213
Book: Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sunday - Pages read:
Start page: 1 End page: 11
Book: The Lobotomist's Wife
Total Pages Read: 224
Total Books Read: 1 completed

Duration: February 10 to February 12, 2023
Prompts
💗1. Anything on your TBR
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
💗3. Read a book about love
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)

Duration: February 10 - February 12, 2023
BOOKS: 6/6
PAGES: 1,676
💗1. Anything on your TBR:
Pan de limón con semillas de amapola💜
The History of Violets💜
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED: Persuasion 💜
💗3. Read a book about love: The Soulmate Equation💜
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title The Trouble With Valentine's Day💜
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.): La amortajada💜







I will try to finish one on tbr, listen to a valentine book, read/listen to one with red on cover, and finish a cozy mystery for a genre that I am particularly loving recently.

My book balcony
💗1. Anything on your TBR
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
💗3. Read a book about love
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
(view spoiler)
Done["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

February memories: Pancake Day (aka Shrove Tuesday) often happens in February and personally I get more excited about that than Valentine's Day. I like to make faces out of fruit and cream on my pancakes. I'm from the UK, does anyone else celebrate Pancake Day?

To finish:


To start:


Updates!!
Started at 3:45pm EST Saturday
14% in to the audiobook: I'm Glad My Mom Died
8:45pm EST - 5 hours in and currently:
49% in to audiobook I'm Glad My Mom Died
pg 66 of 252 (26%) in book Memphis
Sunday, 1:00pm EST
FINISHED!:

77% on Kindle book The Last Goodbye
pg 66 of 252 (26%) in book Memphis
Sunday, 3:00pm EST
FINISHED!:

pg 66 of 252 in book Memphis

💗1. Anything on your TBR
START:
START AND FINISH: The Last Cuentista

FINISH: Broken Throne

💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
START:
START AND FINISH: The Hunger Games

FINISH: None
💗3. Read a book about love
START: It Ends with Us

START AND FINISH: None
FINISH: None
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
START: None
START AND FINISH: None
FINISH: None
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
START: One of Us Is Next

START AND FINISH: None
FINISH: None
subject to change

1. Tell us about your favorite February/Valentine’s memory.
When my now-husband and I celebrated our first Valentine's Day, he was in the US Navy, and was many, many miles away from me. ⚓ This was way back in the old days before most folks had cell phones, and long distance calls were expensive back then, so we mostly communicated through the postal service. 😲😊
I received roses at my office, and also got a large package in the mail. Inside I found a shelf-stable dinner, wine, a candle and matches, a teddy bear, and a night shirt with his ship on it, and a love letter. 🥰
That was as close as we could get to a romantic candlelight dinner together under the circumstances.
🌹🕯️🍝🍷🍰🧸👕💌💗
We've gone on to enjoy decades of Valentine's Days since then, and myriad dinners together, but not always by candlelight. 😉

I am going with prompt 5: Anything with a shade of pink/red in it. I'm working on reading Queen of Tomorrow
I'm super excited to read this book!
Friday: 1 hour read, 60 pages
Saturday: 1 hour read, 60 pages
Sunday: 2 hours read, 144 pages and finished the book!

Didn't know this about pancake day. I'm always willing to celebrate pancakes 😊 and will add it to my calendar this year!

1. Tell us about your favorite February/Valentine’s memory.
When my now-husband and I celebrated our first Valentine's..."
Loved hearing your story 😊

4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
The Ink Black Heart by J.K. Rowling
...and start:
5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)


Hi Rachael, I personally don’t celebrate Pancake Day although I’ve heard about it, your fruit and cream combo sounds really good.
In my tradition tuesday 21th it’s still a celebration but it’s called Martedi’ grasso (Fat Tuesday), similar idea, it’s the conclusion of Carnevale week before the start of Lent, and traditionally it’s a day of festivity with plenty of cooking and baking. As far as I’m aware, Mardi gras is a similar celebration in New Orleans.
Fave fun, whichever way you want to celebrate.
TerryJane, thank you for sharing your story, your husband sounds like a true romantic. Have you planned something special for this year valentine?
forgot to say, I've updated my post (message 14) with my friday reading summary.

I have not celebrated Pancake Day, but only because I never heard of it until now. When my daughters were younger, they used to order and decorate Funny Face Pancakes from the kids' menu at IHOP (International House of Pancakes). Once again, I'm reminded how great it is to be in community with members around the world. Thanks, Rachel!

Thanks, Overbooked! I don't know why, but I'm thinking pancakes sound pretty special. Maybe with a little red food coloring in the batter, and topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yum! 🍓

@TerryJane...such a romantic husband...I loved your story! 💗
@Overbooked...any celebration with cooking and baking is a special one! My sister loves Mardi Gras and has a King Cake every year to celebrate it! I am going to try to find one for this year!
Favorite Valentine's Traditions/Memories: I don't have a specific Valentine's Day story but my mom was such a holiday person and decorated the house for every holiday! I found myself carrying on the tradition for my family even decorating with different wreaths on the door for different seasons/holidays! Even though the kids are grown now, our daughter does the wreaths on her door so I guess the tradition lives on! 😊
Which book are you most excited for this readathon? I don't know that I had a book that I was most excited to read but I was pleasantly surprised by one! I have written reviews of the books on my message #11 but I have to say that the book I finished, Georgie, All Along, is one of my favorites of the year so far! If you like romances, this one is very well written and has a great group of supporting characters including a fabulous doggo named Hank!

On the first day of the readathon I reread my favorite Jane Austen's: Persuasion, and listened to Pan de limón con semillas de amapola a very heartwarming story about love between sisters, mothers and daughters, men and women, and friends with a little bit of kneading and baking 🥖
So far so good! 💜💗

Hi, Rachael I'm from Galicia in Northwest Spain and we call it Martes de Entroido, we celebrate eating "filloas" (Galician pancakes) and "orellas" (typical shrovetide dessert), but not only on Tuesday but the whole week 😋🥞
I'm in team Carnival too 😉
When I was a child I used to go to parties with my siblings and friends wearing masks and costumes. As an adult I have fond memories of my weekend in Venice during 2005 Carnevale. Unforgettable!

😍💗💗

TerryJane, sounds like something out of a movie... so romantic!
Rachael, Carmen, & Overbooked, all this talk of pancakes is making me hungry... I know they aren't technically pancakes but one of my favorite foods that I tried when I visited Spain nearly 10 yrs ago was gofres. I can't remember what it was about them but they were much better than American waffles. So yummy! 😋

..."
Same here Carmen, dressing up for Carnevale was a huge tradition when I was a child, we had children parades along our streets with music, dancers, flowers, streamers, and lollies scrambles! Competition for the best costumes too.
One year I wore a long shiny blue dress, wig with long tresses, a long pointy hat, a magic wand with a star on top and satin mask with plumes at the sides, gosh I loved that outfit, I was supposed to the Pinocchio's fairy! LOL
I really miss Venice, one of my favourite cities in the world, however not the crowds at Carnevale, my favourite season for visiting Venice is late autumn.💗
@ Alison, love the idea of wreaths, do you have one for each season (i'm thinking flowers for spring, leaves in fall, etc) or is it for special holidays (christmas, valentines, easter, etc) ?
Which book are you most excited for this readathon? I didn't planned reads for the readathon, but I have just finished a book that I ended up loving: Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths. It's non fiction. If you like the classics, Greek myths and feminist interpretations, I'd strongly recommend it.
@ bailey, isn't it wonderful the way our grandmothers show love? Precious memories indeed.
and yes, all this talk of food makes my tummy rumble 😋

Total Readathon pages 879 pages
February 10th:
💗1. Anything on your TBR - The Private Wife of Sherlock Holmes by Carole Nelson Douglas - A short story/novella, it took about 35 minutes to read. 51 pages
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED - A Marriage of Inconvenience by Janet Louise Roberts - My very favorite old-fashioned, corny romance novel from the 1970's, I re-read it about once every 5 years. It took about 3 hours & 15 minutes to read. 188 pages
Total daily time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Total daily pages: 239 pages
February 11th:
💗3. Read a book about love - Anthropology: 101 True Love Stories by Dan Rhodes - think of Rodney Dangerfield describing his love life, but not quite that funny, in very short stories. It took 55 minutes to read. 202 pages
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.) -

Total daily time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Total daily pages: 352 pages
February 12th:
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title - Black Is the Color of My True Love's Heart by Ellis Peters - I kept getting interrupted, but did read the 220 pages in 5 hours 10 minutes
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.) - Girl with Green Eyes, continued by Edna O'Brien - finished with the last 68 pages and 1 hour 25 minutes
Total daily time: 6 hours 35 minutes
Total daily pages: 288 pages
ACTIVITIES
1. Tell us about your favorite February/Valentine’s memory. Maybe it’s sentimental or maybe it’s comedic, either way, we love to hear our members’ stories!
My first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend -- I was in 8th grade. It was 1970. His mother drove us to some movie that I don't remember and then he gave me a box of chocolates in the shape of a heart that had "I think you're GROOVY" printed on it! That's the funniest box of chocolates I've ever seen!
2. Which book are you most excited about for this readathon?
I'm most excited about Anthropology: 101 True Love Stories. I enjoy reading short stories and rarely get a chance to read them for a challenge.

The Ink Black Heart by J.K. Rowling
Friday, Feb 10
Pages Read: 103
Time Spent Reading: 1H 35M
Speaking of Mardi Gras, I live in the New Orleans area and it is in full swing. I'm not into it as I was as a kid. My favorite memories as a child are getting dressed up and watching the parades in the back of my Dad's dump truck. Also when I was in middle and high school I marched in the parades with the band.
I'm only reading 2 books for this readathon, and the one I'm most excited about is The Ink Black Heart. It's part of a fantastic series.

First prompt- anything on tbr.
Completed No Parm No Foul. 200 pages.
Matty and Bill For Keeps. 90 pages.
Began “Veronica Speedwell, #1, A Curious Beginning.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.... Audio, 4 hours.

Friday, February 10th
Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Finished: Queen of Thieves
Pages: 63
Prompt: Any shade of red on the cover
Started: Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 acclaimed authors of color
Duration: 3 hours
Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Continued: The Light Pirate
Pages: 75
Prompt: Read a book about love
Continued: The Family Across the Street
Pages: 49

💗1. Anything on your TBR
💗2. Reread a book you LOVED
💗3. Read a book about love
💗4. Read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title
💗5. Read a book with a cover that is a shade of red (pink, maroon, etc.)
2/10: Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Book: Lady of Devices
Pages: 76
2/11: Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Book: Lady of Devices
Pages: 34
Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Book: Wolf Deceived
Pages: 82
2/12: Prompt: Anything on your TBR
Book: Wolf Deceived
Pages: 11
Total Pages: 203

The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian a book I loved and have read numerous times.
I read 45 pages in an hour last night.
I'm really enjoying all of the shared holiday stuff.

I've completed a book and started a new one: The Tree of Hands (red cover)


The Ink Black Heart by J.K. Rowling
Friday, Feb 10
Pages Read: 103
Time Spent Reading: 1H 35M
Saturday, Feb 11
Pages Read: 132
Time Spent Reading: 2H 10M
BOOK COMPLETE

This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Books mentioned in this topic
Wolf Deceived (other topics)The Book Of The Horsemen (other topics)
On the Run (other topics)
Pancake Panic (other topics)
Meditation is NOT a Dirty Word! (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Addison Moore (other topics)Anne Bogel (other topics)
Mandy H. Cook (other topics)
Lillian Duncan (other topics)
Susan Amanda Kelly (other topics)
More...
2023 Love What You Read(athon): Individual Readathon
Duration: February 10 to February 12, 2023
Welcome to the 2023 Love What You Read individual reading challenge! Within this thread, you can track your reading habits for the weekend and talk with other participants about books you’re reading and other readathon related topics. Feel free to reserve yourself a post in this thread and continue updating it whenever you add pages/hours/titles to your readathon log. There is no pressure to post in here but we’d love to get a good conversation going to keep up everyone’s reading momentum!