2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I don't have a set genre for these twenty books, some of which were gifts from family members. I just plan on getting through as many books I haven't read on my shelf as I can this year. Since I am a full-time student and I work in the summer, twenty seems like a reasonable goal.
I am late to the party, so I will go ahead and update the six books I have read this year first, then add my next one when I am finished. Currently reading Fred Gipson's Old Yeller.

#1:
Walking With Purpose by Lisa Brennikmeyer
Rating: 3.0
Started: 1/2/2025
Ended: 1/5/2025
It is a self-help book with a heavy emphasis on Christian values. My mother sent it to me in October of 2024, and I didn't read it until January of this year. Mainly because I am not a huge self-help book fan.

#2:
A Childhood and Youth Destroyed: My Life and Survival in Berlin
by Regina Steiniz and Regina Scheer (published by Leonore Martin and Uwe Neumarker).
Rating: 4.0
Started: 1/7/2025
Ended: 1/10/2025
An autobiography written by Regina. twin sister of Ruth. It goes over their time in Nazi Germany. They were raised in a Jewish Children's home after their parents left them. Pretty sad book, but very good.

#3:
The Twins of Auschwitz by Eva Mozes Kor
Rating: 4.0
Started: 1/12/2025
Ended: 1/16/2025
Another autobiography of sorts. It is about two real twin sisters who were expirmented on in the Nazi concentration camps. If you want to finish the book hating a single man (Dr. Josef Mengele) more than anything, you may want to read it.

#4:
Driving Back the Nazis: The Allied Liberation of Western Europe, Autumn 1944 by Martin King.
Rating: 4.0
Started: 1/17/2025
Ended: 1/25/2025
As you can probably see by now, I am a fan of war fiction and non-fiction. This is pure history, which took me longer than other books to get through because there are SO MANY names. But overall, still interesting. It mainly goes over the civilians' point of view and how the war impacted them, less so on the actual military strategy.

#5:
Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout
Rating: 4.0
Started: 1/29/2025
Ended: 2/4/2025
I liked it, and it was a simpler read compared to the books I have read previously this year. It follows a male veterinarian by the name of Dr. Mills as he tries to save his Dad's vet practice from falling into the ground while simultaneously trying to score another date with his crush Amy. It was a fun read and the perfect book to try when everything else I was reading at the time was textbooks.

#6:
Nurses of Passchendaele by Christine E. Hallett
Rating: 4.5
Started: 2/7/2025
Ended: 5/29/2025
This one took me a while. Once February hit, I was drowning in school work and needed to pass two really hard finals. But thankfully, I was able to finish it quickly when school got out for the summer. This book shows the perspective of several nurses during the Ypres Campaigns of WWI. This was also a fun read and a great learning experience on how women helped aid in WWI. Highest rating so far.

#7:
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Rating: 5:0
Started: 6/1/2025
Ended: 6/3/2025
A classic that will one hundred percent hurt. I loved it, and the ending will never leave my brain. It is very easy to get into, and the story is short.
I am going to try to see the movie when I can.

Hi Jeanice! 20 is definitely a reasonable goal. And you've made good progress on it! I'll be cheering you on. I hope that you've been enjoying your 2025 reads so far. Happy reading!

#8
A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich
Rating: 4.0
Started: 6/6/2025
Ended: 6/29/2025
This is a great book for those seeking a concise overview of historical events. However, it is definitely a book you may want to take your time on if you want to soak up the information.

#9
Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl
Rating: 4.0
Started: 7/1/2025
Ended: 7/2/2025
This is technically my father's book, but it was lying around, and it was under 100 pages. It is very philosophical, and the guy who wrote it survived a concentration camp.
Took me forever to update it to my challenge, but I am already halfway through my next book.

#10
Halfway there WOOO!

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 3.8
Started: 7/5/2025
Ended: 7/30/2025

My grandmother gave me three of her books to test out, and this was the first. I had fun reading it; however, there were some historical inaccuracies that I wish were addressed, and the main character has far too many "I'm not like other girls" moments that it kind of got tiring by the end of the book. It is completely fine not to be like others, but to have the character repeatedly point it out isn't the best thing in the world.
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Already on the next book!

Hope you're getting closer to your goal and enjoying fantastic books along the way, Jeanice!

#11
I have read 5 books since I last updated this, most were spooky for the sake of the fall season.

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Rating: 4.3
Started: 9/15/2025
Ended: 9/17/2025

This was not the book I started after #10, as I took a break about halfway through due to school. I then completely forgot what happened in it, so I went back later. But first, I read Carmilla. This was a spontaneous choice. I heard about it, and as a woman who has a girlfriend, I figured it was a necessary read. While I knew going into this, the book was originally propaganda against homosexuality, I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. While it is a tragic ending (once again, it is set in the 1800s, and it was written to show that nothing good could come from a wlw relationship), the story itself is still enjoyable. And I like the style of it. The way you are just actually reading a journal written by someone. So, despite the negative connotations associated with it. It was a good story and somehow, despite being against wlw, he managed to write the relationship between Laura and Carmilla well.

#12
Ok, so this is the book I was supposed to finish after #10.

The Summer House by James Patterson
Rating: 3.8
Started: 8/5/2025
Ended: 9/26/2025

Another 3.8 for me. The idea was intriguing, and the setup was great. The twist was one I didn't see coming, and for about half the book, I had a bad taste in my mouth because of the pure rage I felt toward certain characters. Not because they were abhorrently written, but because I thought they were monsters. Now, the reason this book isn't a solid 4-star book for me was because of the blatant oogling from some of the male characters from their point of view. Nothing makes me roll my eyes more than a male coworker talking about a female coworker's body unnecessarily, especially in a tense environment. So, for that, this book lost some points for me. There was also the very unrealistic part of stowing away on a military ship through bribery, but that bugged me less than the hoping to snuggle up to my female coworker in the middle of a murder investigation.

# 13

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Rating: 4.5
Started: 9/27/2025
Ended: 10/1/2025

The classic vampire novel (even though Carmilla came first). This book was awesome to read. Once again, the idea of linking the story through journals was great, but Stoker went a step further by adding newspapers and letters. While it isn't horror in the sense that you can't fall asleep at night, it did kickstart some crazy Halloween culture surrounding vampires. I mean, the number of times Count Dracula or even just The Count is mentioned in the modern day is insane. The only reason this one is rated slightly higher than Carmilla is because of the happy ending (why can't the girls get one too.....).

#14

The start of my trilogy read, The Burning Kingdoms, by Tasha Suri.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Book #1)
Rating: 5
Started: 10/3/2025
Ended: 10/6/2025

A very strong start to the trilogy. I have had this book on my shelf since 2022 (Yes, I know, long time). However, I never got around to reading it. Then wehn I heard I was missing the other two books, I quickly got them in 2024. Unfortunately, that same year, I moved to start college, and I could only take two books with me at the time. So, I had to wait to start reading them once again.
I am very glad I am reading them now because when I say this first book had my heart, I mean it. It is so good and once again it is very sapphic. The pure longing and pining in this book will kill you. However, the romance is very much a subplot. This is not a romantasy story. It isn't high fantasy either. The world is easy to understand for beginners, but the political intrigue is so good. Which is the main focus, the politics of the world and the struggle between multiple, city-states and their crazy emperor.
You just get a small romance plot as a treat for every other bad situation in the book.

# 15
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri (Book #2)
Rating: 5
Started: 10/7/2025
Ended: 10/9/2025

This book will make you STRESS. Almost every possible thing you thought could go wrong happened. I mean, in this one, the characters are like in the middle of a war against the crazy emperor from the first book, and trying to put his( crazy emperor) sister (one of the main girls from the previous book) on the throne instead, but still. A lot of politics again (makes sense). The romance is still strong in this one. A little sprinkle of spice in one chapter that makes you happy for the girls, only for the end of the book to rip you to shreds (no, the girls do not die, so no worries about the "bury your gays trope"). I had to take a walk between chapters sometimes because it was so intense. And the amount of dread I felt throughout reading it was crazy. A great sequel to the first book.
I am currently reading a palete cleanser book before I get into the last book of the trilogy.

JennH wrote: "Hope you're getting closer to your goal and enjoying fantastic books along the way, Jeanice!"

I am slowly getting there. School makes it a bit slower (I have mainly science-based courses). I am definitely enjoying seeing my physical TBR go down.

#16

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Rating: 3
Started: 10/10/2025
Ended: 10/15/2025

This was my palate cleanser read before I hopped into the final book of my trilogy. It was short, but I had a busy week. It was not a bad story. I just expected more action/mystery when I went into it.

I love that Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: Annotated is on your list. I was recommended it by a huge fan of the book and character.

I hope books can give you a bit of a brain break from your science based courses, when you get a chance to read.

#17
The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri (final book in the trilogy)
Rating: 5 stars
Started 10/20/2025
Ended: 11/10/2025
My heart is heavy. Literally sat in silence for an hour after I closed the final page. I loved this book. That is all I can say because I still have no words. I was worried about the ending, but everything actually tied up nicely. Despite the happy ending, it still broke my heart because these poor characters still lost so much. Such a good book trilogy.