The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

WEEKLY CHECK-IN
January 1, 2025 -- Week 1

Our 2025 challenge has begun! We're so thrilled to have you join us for another amazing challenge year and we can't wait to see what books you match to each of our fifty-two 2025 prompts!

Each week, we'll be posting a bookish discussion prompt here in the Goodreads group (and in our Facebook group) and today is the start of WEEK ONE 2025!

So, tell us, what book (and prompt) are you starting this new year with?

I had a few Christmas books still sitting on my desk, partly read, so I finished up A Christmas Vanishing last night for Prompt #9: Genre 4: Set in Winter - it was a mystery.



Next up is Twelve Dates of Christmas for prompt #1.

I started my year with The Hating Game!
Here’s my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In a few minutes, I’ll get back to finishing my first audiobook All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker - #19 Short chapters. (Taking a long pause at the moment before the last hour - it’s so good!!) Right after, I’ll continue my first ebook Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - #28 Crossover - until it’s time to cook dinner. While cooking and doing dishes after dinner, I’ll start my next audiobook Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen - #4 Starts with N.

#47 - "I think it was blue" Things You Save in a Fire

I started with the Prompt # 20 - A Fairy Tale Retelling, by finishing a book by T. Kingsfisher - Thornhedge

Starting, "Thursday Next"

My 1st book was #10 - Appalachian Siren ; Backwoods Splatterpunk by Leslie Kurt

I am starting in prompt order, though that probably won’t last long. I finished Prompt 1 yesterday with The Uncommon Reader, a quick humorous book. Great way to complete the prompt. Started Dragonfly In Amber for Prompt 2-A character with red hair. Brianna Randall “ had thick red hair” (page 5).

I am 'cheating' a bit 😊 and counting books finished in 2025 that had ~50% to go. So my first book was Exit Strategy by Martha Wells for Prompt #32 Includes a diary entry. Since they are called The Murderbot Diaries, I assume this counts :)

My first book of 2025 was The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones and I was able to use it for #36 - final sentence less than 6 words long. It could probably be used for other prompts - it is a standalone that is set between the last week or so of autumn and a fair amount of winter. It's a retelling of sorts of a few different Welsh myths (according to the acknowledgements) and is set in the same world of the author's other standalone novels I believe.

I always start with a few quick reads to get the ball rolling quite literally as it happens because I’m currently reading Quidditch Through the Ages for the magician prompt

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

First timer here for any bookclub. Started the Challenge off yesterday, I am looking forward to the year and seeing what others are reading. Have not picked the prompt for this title yet. It was a last minute choice but it got me going.

I started the year with Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which (I think) can be used for #43 (explores social class) or #2 (character with red hair).

This is my first challenge. I was lucky to have 2 full days free to read. Prompt 21 - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. Quick read, rated a 3; Prompt 50 - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Great read, slow start, rated a 5. I learned so much from this book. I could not out it down.

I am finishing 2 books I started in December

we kill killers
Thinner, Leaner and stronger

And started the hating game for prompt #1

Completions - Week 1

#47 - "I think it was blue"
Finished 1/2/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#35 - Written in Third Person
Finished 1/2/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm currently reading "Eleanor & Park"- audio, "The Pelican Brief- digital, and "The Hidden Kingdom"- physical. I'm waiting to decide which prompts to apply.

I finished Wrong Place Wrong Time. It can count for several prompts so I'll definitively place it later - It can count for over a million copies sold, small chapters, spoiler in the title, final line has less than 6 words. I've started Bryony and Roses by T Kingfisher which will count for a fairytale retelling.

I just finished Peril at End House for author won an Edgar award.

I am currently reading Seven Dials by Anne Perry and listening to Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune. I don’t yet know which prompts they will fill; I generally list all the possible prompts for each book as I finish it and then make final assignments in December.

I'm currently reading All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater for #36. Final sentence is less than 6 words long.

I flipped back and it ends with "We do."

I'm so excited to be here for the full year - last year I found this in August so it was a real challenge.

My first book of the year is the Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley that I'm going to use for prompt 19 - has short chapters.

My first book was The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada. Very strange and although a bit depressing I came out of it feeling lighter. I'm realizing theres something about Japanese authors style that really scratch an itch for me.

Premeditated Myrtle

I had my husband pick a number between 1 and 52 :) He pick 39....
So, I started the 2025 Reading Challenge with -

**Prompt #39: Has An Epigraph: Survive the Night by Riley Sager


**The epigraph is a famous quote from the movie All About Eve with Bette Davis that says "Fasten Your Seatbelts. It's Going to be a Bumpy Night."

I am planning to start:

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
I will be reading this for Prompt #47: "I Think It's Blue"

I am SO excited to be involved in this reading challenge again and look forward to see what everyone reads for each prompt. My goal this year is to make sure I am participating in the weekly check-ins :)

HAPPY READING!!

I’m reading:
Still Alice
Character name in title.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Public domain
The Whisper Sister
Social class
How to Read a Book
Not sure of prompt yet

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths.

This is a strong contender for Prompt #39: Has and Epigraph but I won't assign books to prompts until December.

I started the new year with Not-for-Parents Africa 1ed -anglais- by Clive Gifford, I got hooked on these books after reading two I had got on a sale (Rome & Paris) and the other two in Norwegian (London & New York) at the library. I am now buying my own copies, will be picking up Great Britain & London in English today.

At the moment I am switching between two library books,
En kort introduksjon til Snorre Sturlason : historiker og dikter by Sverre Bagge
&
25 konspirasjoner å snakke om i lunsjen by Bjørn-Henning Ødegaard & Fredrik Sjaastad Næss

I have also lined up 4 prompts for the first 2 weeks of January,

#18 - A character who can fly - Disney Villains The Essential Guide New Edition. Even though not a villain, Peter Pan is mentioned here and Iago the Parrot from Aladdin.

#22 - A found family - Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

#45 - Author Releases more than one book a year - Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Both Pinocchio and The three Musketeers are DK classics that I haven't read yet.

and #10 - Author's last name is also a first name - Jakten på Olav den hellige by Øystein Morten

I started A Gentleman In Moscow, so I'm starting 2025 by finishing that, hopefully by the end of the weekend. I was going to use it for Set In a City That Starts With M for 2024, but I'll use it for Set In a Country With an Active Volcano.

I also started David Copperfield on January 1 and am using it for Public Domain, and that will take me a few months to read. I'm using the Serial Reader app, and they send me a 10-15 minute portion a day. There are 152 issues, so I should finish it by June 1 if I keep up with it and don't read ahead.

I'm reading Maus to make sure I finish at least one book in this short first week and probably using it for the non-human antagonist prompt.

And I'm also reading Beartown for the Set In Winter (Sports Fiction genre) prompt.

I'm starting with #17 - a book told in verse. Audacity by Melanie Crowder tells the story of Clara Lemlich who led women in the labor rights movement following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

I'm also reading The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics for #26 - a book that has sold more than 1 million copies.

I’m starting with 47- “I think it was blue” with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Starting with an easy read- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune. Haven’t fully settled on the prompt yet but have several options

Started with #26 More than a million copies sold with The Archer. Now I'm working on #32 Includes a diary entry Journal of a Solitude - Did NOT expect to be handed a mirror to my inner soul. So it's been quite a ride. Next up is #28 A crossover The Big Four. I'm feeling good about this strong start!

I have start with The Library of borrowed hearts. I didn’t decided what prompt is going to fit in yet.

I'm starting off the challenge with prompt #51 (300-400 page book), and I'm going to be reading First Lie Wins.

Now reading Dark Places, I have to do it in doses because it’s got heavy subject matter and I’m a very empathetic person so stuff like that gets to me, but I’m enjoying the plot!

I'm reading A Prayer for Owen Meany on audiobook. I'm also reading Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) on Kindle.

These count for prompts with other challenges but none of the 52 Book Club prompts. (More correctly, I've already got all those prompts accounted for with other books.)

I started The Night Swim for the "I think it was Blue" prompt. I've never done this kind of challenge before and I'm very excited. I already added a lot of books to my tbr based on the comments in this thread alone.

I started with prompt 1 and read Love You a Latke in honor of Hannukah.

I started the year (actually started a day or two before) with Tears Of The Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (the second in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series) on audio and Camino Ghosts by John Grisham (a Christmas gift).

I just finished Evening Class by Maeve Binchy for prompt 33 - Stand alone novel. Started in December.

Hello, I'm starting with #33 Standalone novel with The Woman in the Window. I founded the challenge in Pinterest, so I'm very excited.

I'm reading Christmas stories as well.

I finished Small Things like These, by Claire Keegan for prompt #43 & Chicken Soup for the Soul, Christmas Magic (which I started end of December) for prompt #12.

I finished Midwinter Murders by Agatha Christie. Prompt possibilities: 3, 9,13,24,41,47,49

And Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly. Possible prompts: 13,18, 49

I finished And Then There Were None yesterday for prompt #16: Author has won an Edgar Award.

Next up is Other Minds and Other Stories, not sure for which prompt yet.

i read sometimes I lie by Alice Freeney. I'm not sure which prompt I'm using yet finished it yesterday

I've finished 3 books for the challenge so far:
The Shabti by Megaera C. Lorenz for prompt #13, title is 10 letters or less. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White for prompt #21, character's name in the title. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk for prompt #50, a book set in the 1940s. ⭐⭐⭐

And I'm currently reading 3 others:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for prompt #2, a character with red hair.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett for prompt #26, more than a million copies sold.
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson for prompt #39, has an epigraph.

I finished:

#12: has a moon on the cover with I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

#25: published in 2025 with an ARC of The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin