2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

EMBRACING THE BLUES
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025

This quarterly challenge invites you to explore stories that connect with the theme of sadness, while also celebrating resilience and hope. Choose books with blue covers, titles containing sadness-related words, or ones that evoke powerful emotions. You can even spell out sadness synonyms using book titles! Whether the stories make you cry or help you heal, let them remind you of the strength that emerges through struggle. “Through the pages, find your strength.”

To join, post a message telling the challenge leader how many books you plan to read. If you are new to our group and/or our group challenges, take a moment to check out the Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly Challenges - Start Here thread for more information on how our challenges are run.

Thank you Gail for offering to lead this challenge

Welcome to our Q1 Challenge – Embracing the Blues!

Updating your progress
When posting your progress, please include your original (sign-up) message number plus the current progress using the format below:

Update to msg #xx: books read/books pledged

If you decide to drop out of the challenge, please do not delete your original sign-up post. Simply post an update letting me know. If you wish to “eliminate” the original post, you can erase all the data and enter the term {redacted} or any equivalent word. Thanks!

Participants
Amy (# 39) - 15/20
Amy (Other Amy) (# 25) - 1/10
Ana (# 36) - 5/7
Anissa (# 99) - 0/10
Anna (# 16) - 0/5
Beth (# 13) - 30/30 - Completed!
Bex (# 37) - 9/10
Brianna (# 47) - 0/5
Brianna Raquel (# 19) - 15/15 - Completed!
Caraina  (# 4) - 20/20 - Completed!
Carmen (# 30) - 14/22
Carrie (# 12) - 21/12 - Completed!
Carrie (# 34) - 0/8
Catsalive (# 5) - 18/10 - Completed!
Ciara (# 21) - 0/25
Christina (# 31) - 0/3
Cindy III (# 61) - 0/10
Claire (# 141) - 12/12 - Completed!
Denise (# 7) - 10/10 - Completed!
Gail (# 3) - 18/18 - Completed!
Gretchen (# 108) - 0/10
Iton (# 15) - 9/9 - Completed!
Jade (# 18) - 0/6
Janet (# 147) - 3/3 - Completed!
Jayden (# 73) - 1/10
Jenn (# 48) - 35/50
Jenn H (# 24) - 15/17
Jennifer (# 40) - 0/8
Jess (# 41) - 0/0
Kalyn (# 26) - 3/3 - Completed!
Kristina (# 6) - 17/17 - Completed!
Laura (# 28) - 0/10
Laureen (# 33) - 4/3 - Completed!
Laurie (# 35) - 10/10 - Completed!
Lina (# 17) - 0/3
Lucy (# 56) - 0/15
Mary (# 170) - 3/10
Rachael (# 8) - 6/6 - Completed!
Sarah (# 53) - 0/20
SarahKat (# 42) - 13/9 - Completed!
Shari (# 32) - 15/15 - Completed!
Sheila (# 136) - 10/10 - Completed!
Sophia (# 27) - 6/8
Sunny (# 14) - 0/24
Susan (# 66) - 8/6 - Completed!
Tanu (# 29) - 12/12 - Completed!
TerryJane (# 9) - 21/21 - Completed!
Theresa (# 20) - 3/3 - Completed!
Theresa (# 22) - 0/0
Vish (# 102) - 4/10

-----------------------------------------

STATS
Participants: 50
Active:............. 33
Books Read: 386
Book Goal: 590

💫💫💫22 COMPLETED! 💫💫💫

----------------------------------------

Updated through message #197 on April 21, 2025.

☀ Completed 18 / 18 .......... completed 18 Feb

Words
☀ T. This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration
☀ H. His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope
☀ E. Everything Inside

☀ B. Banned Book Club
☀ L. The Last White Man
☀ U. The Unhoneymooners
☀ E. Everything Sad Is Untrue
☀ S. Shot With Crimson

☀ P. The Purple Violet of Oshaantu
☀ L. The Last Devil to Die
☀ A. Ali and Nino: A Love Story
☀ Y. Years and Years

'
☀ E. The Extinction of Irena Rey
☀ M. Margo's Got Money Troubles

Books with a blue cover:

☀ The World That We Knew
☀ Ban This Book
☀ Murder at an English Séance

Books related to the musical genre:
"The music often reflects themes of sorrow, heartache, and hardship, which is a central aspect of its lyrical content."
“Funny thing about the blues- you play 'em 'cause you got 'em. But when you play 'em, you lose 'em.” – George “Buddy” Guy, an iconic American blues guitarist and singer.

☀ James, sang slave songs for the minstrel shows.

EMBRACING THE BLUES
Duration: January 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025

Completed: 15/20

Books with Blue Covers
1. A Fall of Marigolds - Susan Meissner 1/6/25
2. The Book of Candlelight - Ellery Adams 3/5/25
3. Precarious Summer - Lyn Cote 2/24/25
4. The Last Love Note - Emma Grey 3/7/25
5. Book Lovers - Emily Henry 3/11/25

Spell-Out Sadness-Related Words: Melancholy
G: Good Dirt - Charmaine Wilkerson 2/20/25
R: Red's Alphas - M.H. Soars 2/5/25
I: Indigo - Beverly Jenkins 1/30/25
E: Enchanted Magic - T.M. Cromer 3/5/25
F: Finger Lickin' Fifteen - Janet Evanovich 3/4/25

Spell-Out Sadness-Related Words: Melancholy
M: Moonlit Magic - T.M. Cromer 1/20/25
E: Emma - Jane Austen 1/7/25
L: The Legend of Perley Gates - William W. Johnstone 1/6/25
A: All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy 1/5/25
N: Nico - Sarah Castille 3/18/25
C: Crow Mary - Kathleen Grissom 1/5/25
H: Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak 1/16/25
O: The Only Woman in the Room - Marie Benedict 1/10/25
L: Love Amid The Ashes - Mesu Andrews 2/5/25
Y: You Shouldn't Have Come Here - Jeneva Rose 3/8/25

I'll start with 10

EMBRACING THE BLUES
January 1 - March 31, 2025
18/10

Blue covers
by Danielle Hawkins 23/1 4★
by David Eddings 30/1 4★
by Ann Cleeves 16/2 4★
Titles with sadness-related word/s
Content - sadness to resilience, cry or heal
Miss Silver Intervenes by Patricia Wentworth 13/1 4★
A Girls' Guide to Winning the War by Annie Lyons 16/1 4★
Just the Two of Us by Jo Wilde 29/1 4★
The Bookseller's Gift by Felicity Hayes-McCoy 2/2 4★

Title spell:
L- The Little French Village of Book Lovers by Nina George 26/1 2★
O- One Day by David Nicholls 1/3 3★
W- When It All Went to Custard by Danielle Hawkins 5/2 5★

T- Two Weeks 'til Christmas by Laura Greaves 1/1 3★
I- Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts 6/1 2★
R- The Rynox Murder by Philip MacDonald 9/2 3★
E- Emergency Exit Only by Michelle Upton 5/1 3.5★
D- Dinner at Rose's by Danielle Hawkins 11/2 4★

S- Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb 11/1 3★
A- A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont 29/1 4★
D- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris 18/2 3.5★

EMBRACING THE BLUES
January 01, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 17/17

Sign me up for 17!

Blue Covers
✅ 1. The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
✅ 2. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
✅ 3. The Wicked King by Holly Black
✅ 4. Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play, Vol. 12: Girlfriend by Yuu Watase
✅ 5. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Characters Who Cry
✅ 1. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
✅ 2. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Sad Words
✅ A: All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today by Elizabeth Comen
✅ W: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
✅ F: Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play, Vol. 1: Priestess by Yuu Watase
✅ U: Uprooted by Naomi Novik
✅ L: The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews

✅ T: There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
✅ E: Enemy by Yuu Watase
✅ A: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
✅ R: Rival by Yuu Watase
✅ S: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Sign me up for 10 please

1. Blue Cover and MC experiences sadness and resilience:
by Jennifer S. Brown
2. Blue butterfly on the cover and important symbol in the book:
by Lisa Genova.
3. Three MCs feeling blue and lonely until they find one another
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
4. Blue cover:
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
5. Character is blue due to unrequited love:
The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
6. Character suffers from depression:
Milkman Anna Burns
7. Characters experiencing grief and sadness over as death:
In Five Years Rebecca Serle 16 Feb
8. Dorian feels melancholy after he discovers the secret of the picture after he sells his soul
The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde 21 Feb
9. Horse Geraldine Brooks 22 Feb
Jarrett is sad and angry at how the horse, Lexington, is treated
10. Bibliolepsy Gina Apostol 1 Mar MC is sad because her parents died

Please sign me up for 6 books. I'm going to spell out a sadness synonym using book titles: morose.

COMPLETED: 6/6

✔️ M - A Morbid Taste for Bones
✔️ O - Out of the Drowning Deep
✔️ R - The Red House Mystery
✔️ O - Once Upon A Time
✔️ S - Strange the Dreamer
✔️ E - Enchantée

[Order completed: M, S, E, R, O, O]

📘 EMBRACING THE BLUES - Quarterly Challenge
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 21/21 -- COMPLETE

Blue Covers



📘 The Vacation
📘 Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
📘 Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
📘 Heir
📘 Five Total Strangers
📘 Excellent Women
📘 Enduring Love
📘 The Vicar of Wakefield
📘 Americanah
📘 The Pull of the Stars
📘 There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension

Blue Words
📘 The Crying of Lot 49
📘 The Blue Hour

Blue Spelling
📘 G - A Girl is a Half-formed Thing
📘 R - The Dead Romantics
📘 I - I Am the Messenger
📘 E - Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret
📘 F - The Flamethrowers

📘 S - The Spellshop
📘 A - After the Quake
📘 D - Defending Jacob

EMBRACING THE BLUES
Duration: January 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025

Completed: 0/6

Books with Blue Covers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Books representing some of the sources of sadness, melancholy:
1. The Reformatory

Kristina wrote: "...lachrymose..."
Thank you! I learned a new word!

Sign me up for 12 books!

💙EMBRACING THE BLUES💙
Duration: January 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025

🎉Completed: 21/12 🎉

Four books with a blue cover or title:
10/4

✔️1. Part of Your World 1/3/25
✔️2. Shatter Me 1/1/25
✔️3. Little Fires Everywhere 1/11/25
✔️4. Archer's Voice 1/15/25
✔️5. Icebreaker 1/24/25
✔️6. The Secret, Book & Scone Society 1/26/25
✔️7. We Rip the World Apart 2/27/25
✔️8. One of Us Knows 2/28/25
✔️9. The Love Hypothesis 3/6/25
✔️10. It Happened One Summer 3/21/25





AND 8 more by reading a book that starts with each letter to spell out "The Blues.":
8/8

✔️ (T): This Is How You Lose the Time War 2/14/25
✔️(H): The House in the Cerulean Sea 1/10/25
✔️ (E): End of Watch 3/20/25
✔️ (B): The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 3/13/25
✔️(L): The Last Thing He Told Me 1/2/25
✔️ (U): The Unhoneymooners 3/29/25
✔️ (E): Eat, Pray, Love 3/31/25
✔️(S): The Spellshop 1/19/25



AND Books that me physically cry:
3/0

✔️Summer Island 1/28/25
✔️The Four Winds 2/8/25
✔️ Demon Copperhead 3/28/25

Embracing the Blues
Goal: 30 books
Result: 30/30 completed March 27

Spellouts of synonyms of sad/sadness

😔 Grief
(view spoiler)[G - Ghost Map, The: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
R - Rescuing Jeffrey by Richard Galli
I - I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
E - Empire of the Sun (Empire of the Sun, #1) by J.G. Ballard
F - Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi (hide spoiler)]

😔 Forlorn
(view spoiler)[F - Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team by Elise Hooper
O - On the Horns of Death (Ancient Crete Mystery, #2) by Eleanor Kuhns
R - Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
L - Lucifer Effect, The: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip G. Zimbardo
O - Ozma of Oz (Oz, #3) by L. Frank Baum
R - Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport, #1) by John Sandford
N - No Hiding in Boise by Kim Hooper (hide spoiler)]

😔 Anguish
(view spoiler)[A - All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta, #3) by Patricia Cornwell
N - Necklace, The: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis
G - Game Makers, The: The Story of Parker Brothers, from Tiddledy Winks to Trivial Pursuit by Philip E. Orbanes
U - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
I - I Am Not a Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1) by Dan Wells
S - Stolen Life, A by Jaycee Dugard
H - How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion by Derek Sivers (hide spoiler)]

😔 Blues
(view spoiler)[B - The Body Farm(Kay Scarpetta, #5) by Patricia Cornwell
L - Last Thing He Told Me, The by Laura Dave
U - Un-Life of William Moore, The by Dana Lockhart
E - Elephant in the Garden, An by Michael Morpurgo
S - Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe (hide spoiler)]

😔 Misery
(view spoiler)[M - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
I - Indian in the Cupboard, The (The Indian in the Cupboard, #1) by Lynne Reid Banks
S - Simone: A Novel by Eduardo Lalo
E - Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases by Maia Lee-Chin
R - Ribsy (Henry Huggins, #6) by Beverly Cleary
Y - Year of Living Biblically, The: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs (hide spoiler)]

Put me down for 24, please.
I'll add details when I figure them out.

I'd like to join - Spellouts of synonyms of sad/sadness

Completed - 1/9

S: Sharp Objects
O:
R:
R:
O:
W:

I will sign up for 5 - and I feel like I will rely heavily on blue covers!

Trying not to put too much pressure on myself for the new year, so will only be joining for 3 for now. Thanks!

🐋 Embracing the Blues - Quarterly Challenge 🐋
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025

🐋 Progress: 5/3 🐋 - COMPLETED

This quarterly challenge invites you to explore stories that connect with the theme of sadness, while also celebrating resilience and hope. Choose books with blue covers, titles containing sadness-related words, or ones that evoke powerful emotions. You can even spell out sadness synonyms using book titles! Whether the stories make you cry or help you heal, let them remind you of the strength that emerges through struggle. “Through the pages, find your strength.”

Tracking my books read for this challenge in my corner

🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋

Sign me up for 6 books please!


S: Servant of Earth
O: A Dawn of Onyx
R: Rain of Shadows and Endings
R: The Road of Bones
O: Crown of Blood and Ruin
W: Wolfsong

Embracing the Blues

10/10

D: Defensive Stance: Las Vegas Ramblers
I: Is She Really Going Out with Him?
S: Song of My Softening
P: The Partner Plot
A: Amari and the Night Brothers
I: I'll Be Gone for Christmas
R: Romantic Comedy
I: I Hope This Finds You Well
N: Navigating Grief and Loss: 25 Buddhist Practices to Keep Your Heart Open to Yourself and Others
G: Ghost Roast

5/5

G: Given a Chance
R: The Reappearance of Rachel Price
I: In the Wicked We Trust
E: Everything Is Just Beginning
F: First Lie Wins

Joining for 3 books. Progress: 3/3
(Goal changed to 3 books on March 27.)

Blue Covers:
✔If the Shoe Fits (Mar 13)
✔️Such a Fun Age (Feb 28)
✔️Weather Girl (Feb 12)

I am in for 25 books, exact configuration of how the books will meet the theme to be decided. I'll probably do a mix of blue covers, sad themes, & spelling, but I haven't planned it all out yet.

For the embracing the blues quarterly challenge I'm starting with:

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

Theresa wrote: "For the embracing the blues quarterly challenge I'm starting with:The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham"

Hi, Theresa! Do you have a quick estimate for your goal that I can put in the participants list? You can change that anytime you want. Thanks.

I'm going to start off with 17. I'm shooting for 10 blue covers and I'll aim to spell out SADNESS.

EMBRACING THE BLUES
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025

15/17

Blue/Title covers
1 Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie 1/7/25

2 Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn 1/7/25

3 The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose 1/21/25

4 Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory 2/11/25

5 Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood 3/3/25

6 The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo 3/9/25

7 Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower 3/30/25

8 by Barbara Ross 3/31/25
9
10

Title Spell Out
S - The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri 1/19/25
A - Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu 1/27/25
D - D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton 1/17/25
N - Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen 1/29/25
E - The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 2/21/25
S - Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander 3/5/25
S - The Summer Book by Tove Jansson 3/7/25

In for ten beautiful blue books.



1/10

Sign me up for 3 please!

Progress: 3/3 COMPLETED!!

✔️ 1. The Selection
✔️ 2. Lord of Shadows
✔️ 3. A Court of Frost and Starlight

I will go in for 8 on this one! Thank you :)

Progress: 6/8

1.
completed 1/1/25

2.
completed 1/4/25

5.
completed 2/18/25

D: 3. The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose - completed: 1/14/25
O: 6. On Mystic Lake
completed 2/27/25
W:
N: 4. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy - completed 1/26/25

EMBRACING THE BLUES
January 01, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 1/10

Sign me up for 10

1 - Molasses and Mr. Christmas by Lindsey Jesionowski 01/01

I'll take 4 for this challenge, please!

Members Corner Thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hola!
Count me in, please 😉

PROGRESS: 14/22

my tracking post

Hi, I'll do 3 in this challenge


1. Hello Beautiful
2. Hamnet
3. Only Love Can Hurt Like This

I'm going to try for 15 books.

EMBRACING THE BLUES
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025

Progress: 15 / 15 - COMPLETED 3-18-25

Now or Never - Blue title
Band of Sisters - Blue on cover
Meet Me at the Starlight - Blue cover
The Winter Garden - Blue cover
The Sound of Light - Blue on cover
Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea - Blue cover
Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Blue cover
Murder Tightly Knit - Blue title
Murder Freshly Baked - Blue cover
His Majesty's Hope - Blue cover
The Magnolia Sisters - Blue cover
A Perfect Square - Blue cover
Material Witness - Blue cover
Haunted - Emotional response
Falling to Pieces - Emotional response
Blue Ticket - I stopped reading at 52%, does it still count? - Blue in the title and blue cover

I haven't done quarterly before but would like to try. I'm going to start modestly: please sign me up for 3 books for first quarter. Thank you!

I'd like to join for 8 books.

Likely all blue covers... but I may do powerful emotions.

10/10 completed

Blue Covers:

💙 1.


💙 2.


💙 3.


💙 4.


💙 5.


💙 6.


💙 7.


💙 8.


💙 9.


💙 10.

Sign me up for 7 books, thanks!

Progress
5/7

S The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters
A Accelerate!: A History of the 1990s by James Brooke-Smith
D D. Dinis by José Augusto de Sotto Mayor Pizarro
N
E Essential Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 1
S Spider-Gwen, Vol. 0: Most Wanted?
S

Embracing the Blues

Sign me up for 10 please

9/10

1. M: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 04/01/25
2. E: Heartless by Elsie Silver 18/01/25
3. L: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz 01/02/25
4. A: The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz Read 07/01/25
5. N: Swim to Me by Elle Knox 10/02/25
6. C: Collide by Bal Khabra Read 02/01/25
7. H: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson Read 12/01/25
8. O: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros Read: 22/01/25
9. L:
10.Y: Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray 08/02/25

Updated message 8: 1/6

I will attempt 20!
20/20-- Challenge Complete

Books with Blue Covers
1. Hook, Line, and Sinker
2. Lone Wolf
3. The Water Dancer
4. Flea Market Magic
5. If You Only Knew
6. The Housemaid

Titles Containing Sadness-Related Words
1. All the Colors of the Dark (dark)
2. From Dead to Worse (dead)
3. Dead and Gone (gone)
4. Sad Sacked: A Memoir (sad)

Spell-Out Sadness-Related Words:
D: Dead Until Dark
I: The Great Indoors
S: Harlem Shuffle
C: Karma Is a Cat: The True Stories of Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button Swift
O: Year One
N: Apples Never Fall
T: The Third Gilmore Girl
E: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
N: Nettle & Bone
T: Small Things Like These

Put me down for 8 please.

Books with a blue cover
1.
2.

Spell out

S
O
M
B
E
R

my spot

13/9

Update to msg #26 please! Progress: 1/3

Update to message #15: 1/9

Update message 27 - 2/8

Update to msg #37: 2 books read

Signing up for 5, will probably focus on blue book covers!

Progress: 0/5

Blue Book Covers:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I would like to sign up for 50
I will be doing a combination of blue covers and sadness words
thanks 🙂

Update to message #12: 3/12

Updated message 39-- 1/20