Agnieszka’s Comments (group member since Dec 27, 2015)

Agnieszka’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

Update to msg #30: 5/10

I'm in. I'll try all eight - worst case I won't manage it.

Friends are Forever
Duration: August 2020
Completed: 6/8

✓ 1. A Loyal Best Friend: Someone who always has your back, no matter what. Read a book about someone who is loyal. Soldiers of Fortune by Jana Deleon 5* 8/4 - Fortune, Ida Belle & Gertie go together through plenty of mischief (much of it created in some way by Gertie)
✓ 2. A Fearless Adventurer: This friend likes to pull us out of our comfort zone and help us take risks. Read a book about someone taking a risk. Gator Bait by Jana Deleon 5* 8/3 - this book is all about taking risks
✓ 3. A Brutally Honest Confidant: Someone who will tell you how it is, regardless of your feelings about the topic. Read a book where honesty may or may not be the best policy. Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/13 - female MC is on the run from a group of very powerful men and struggles with the issue if she should reveal the real reason for her relocation
4. A Wise Mentor: Someone who can help steer you in the right direction and offer great advice. Read a self-help book.
✓ 5. A Friend From A Different Culture: Someone with different beliefs or background to you. Read a book that focuses on a different culture to your own. Risky Shot by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/14 - male MC is a sheikh from a small Middle Eastern country living in the US but dealing with cultural issue because he's third in line for the throne
✓ 6. A Polar Opposite: Someone that has people saying 'how do they get along so well'. Read a book involving an unlikely friendship. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb 5* 8/6 - that's the perfect definiton of Eve Dallas & Mavis Freestone (a homicide detective & former con - Eve even arrested Mavis once)
7. A Friendly Neighbour: Sometimes, those who we see every day can become our closest friends. Read a book borrowed from or recommended by someone who is close to you.
✓ 8. A Work Pal: Like above, if we see them every day, we are likely to befriend them. Read a book involving a work relationship of any kind. Hurricane Force by Jana Deleon 5* 8/5 - Carter & deputy Breaux work together in the Sheriff's department and Fortune & Harris - her CIA partner

I'll start with 10 but hope to double it.

I'm With The Band
Duration: August 2020
Level: Orchestra (10+ books)
Completed: 21/10+

✓ 1. Read a book with a musical instrument in the title/cover/plot
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb 5* 8/6 - Mavis (MC's best friend) is a singer in a club and is accompanied by futuristic instruments
✓✓ 2. Read a book inspired by your favorite song/lyrics
Later Gator by Jana Deleon 3* 8/10 - ok not my favorite (there's not such a think - there are way too many great songs) but I have to think about the line 'see you later alligator' each time when I see this title
Secret Santa by Kathleen Brooks 6* 8/23 - I absolutely love Christmas songs (and usually listen to them in November and December)
✓✓ 3. Read a book with a title and cover you find harmonious
Soldiers of Fortune by Jana Deleon 5* 8/4
Bait by Lisa Phillips 4* 8/31
✓ 4. Read a book with the words rhythm or beat (or any other related word - drum) in the title
Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/16 - heat & beat
✓✓ 5. Read a book which involves music or written by a musician
Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/13 - there's a ball with a live orchestra
Connections in Death by J.D. Robb 5* 8/28 - starts with a party including an impromptu jam session
✓✓ 6. It takes two to tango: Read a book about a couple
Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb 5* 8/22
Teddy oder wie ich lernte, die Menschen zu verstehen: Aus dem Leben eines Polizeihundes by Cid Jonas Gutenrath 3* 8/30 lit. transl: Teddy Or How I Learned To Understand Humans: From The Life of A Canine/K9 Officer - this books is a police dog (the MC) and his human's experiences in Berlin
✓✓✓ 7. Jazz up!: Read a book that makes you cheerful
Gator Bait by Jana Deleon 5* 8/3 - this series is my go to laugh fix and I love this cover so much - it's so bright and cheerful and the baby-alligators are so cute (too bad they won't stay it very long) - this is the fourth or fifth time I read this book
Bluegrass Undercover by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/17 - one of my favorite series and the author has a witty style - plus Annie the female MC in this book is just my favorite and almost always makes me laugh with her antics
Rising Storm by Kathleen Brooks 4* 8/19 - see above
✓✓✓ 8. Waltzing Matilda: Read a book with a travelling character
Risky Shot by Kathleen Brooks 5* 8/14 - Dani travels from NYC to Keeneston, Kentucky (fictional town near Lexington) by car
Deep Blue by Adriana Anders book 2 in Turn the Tide 5* 8/17 - female MC travels from San Diego deep into international waters for her ecological non-profit organisation
Acquiring Trouble by Kathleen Brooks 4* 8/24 - female MC
✓✓ 9. Samba pa ti!: Read book set in an exotic place or involving dancing/disguising
Fortune Hunter by Jana Deleon 4* 8/8 - set in Sinful, Louisiana which is very exotic for me and the disguises are a hooker, a nun and a trucker (and they go to a hotel for some B&E *grins*)
You Don't Have to Be a Star by Susan May Warren book 1 in You Don't Have to Be a Star / Once Upon a Cowboy 3* 8/11 - the MCs dance under the stars
✓✓✓ 10. We will rock you!: Read a book about something that excites you or causes you a strong feeling.
Hurricane Force by Jana Deleon 5* 8/5 - the way Celia (the archenemy of the MC) acts drives me nuts
Any Means Necessary by Katie Ruggle book 1 in Turn the Tide 4* 8/16 - a con artist playing the emotions of a well-meaning older lady
Blame It On Texas by Christie Craig 4* 8/26 major spoiler (view spoiler)[female MC was kidnapped as toddler and the people who saved her life, kept her after her parents were killed in a plane accident and realising her remining family doesn't care for her a bit; male MC's twin sister was living in an abusive marriage (hide spoiler)]

Update to msg #30: 9/10+
*

Sorry! I'm still not good at timely updating

update to message 51 - 3/20 books read

1. Sein wahres Gesicht=Tripwire by Lee Child 4* 3/23 (513)
2. The Kate Shugak Investigations: Books 1-9 by Dana Stabenow 5* 4/28 (2,101)
3. The Fix by David Baldacci 4* 5/3 (524)

I'll start with 3 but will most likely find books for more. I'll let you know if I'll change my goal.

SPRINGING INTO GREEN
Duration: 4/1/20 - 4/30/20
Completed: 6/3+

1. Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle. Read a book by an Irish author or that has the name of a gemstone in its title. => The Storyteller of Inis Mór, Emerald Labyrinth: A Scientist's Adventures in the Jungles of the Congo
2. Many nations use the color green in their flags. Read a book set in a country with green on its flag. (view spoiler)[Italy, Afghanistan, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe (hide spoiler)] => Emerald Labyrinth: A Scientist's Adventures in the Jungles of the Congo
✓ 3. Getting the “green light” indicates permission to proceed in safety. Read a book with the words “light” or “go” in the title or a book in which a character’s safety is threatened. Something About You by Julie James 4* 4/3
✓ 4. Greenland is one of earth’s largest islands. Read a book set on an island, that has the word “land” in the title, or is set in a cold climate. Breakup by Dana Stabenow 5* 4/7 - Alaska in the spring (where temperatures reaching fourties are a heat wave *grins*)
✓ 5. Greenpeace is an organization dedicated to protecting the environment. Read a book about environmentalism, nature, or that involves the ocean in some way. Saving Shadows by Kathleen Brooks 5* 4/4 - After a hit to Ellery's head the perp thrown her into the ocean in the hope she'll drown
📌 6. An evergreen is a symbol of strength and survival. Read a book with a strong protagonist or a book about overcoming adversity. Killing Grounds book 8 in The Kate Shugak Investigations: Books 1-9 by Dana Stabenow ?* 4/15?
7. Green can denote youth or inexperience. Read a YA or middle grade book or a book that features a young or naive person as a major character.
✓ 8. “G” is for green. Read a book by an author whose first or last name starts with the letter “G.” An Easter Ball at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Katherine Green 3* 4/1
✓9. Green is a secondary color made up of blue and yellow. Read a book with blue, yellow, or green on the cover, or that has the words “blue,” “yellow,” or “green” in the title. Christ Arose: A Tomb's Tale by Faith Blum 4* 4/13
✓ 10. Animals typically use the color green as camouflage. Read a book with an unreliable narrator, that has a character who is hiding something, or that has a character who is or has been in the military. In seinen Händen=Caught by Harlan Coben 8* 4/14 - unreliable narrator

Looks like my green cover books I didn't read in March get another chance. Please set me up for 10+.

Read:
1. 3* 4/1 \ 2. 4* 4/3 \ 3. 3* 4/5 \ 4. 4* 4/13 \ 5.

Want read:


We'll see:

update to message #162 (now #161)
78/100 books read (3 audio / 4 paper / 71 ebooks)

e69. Dark in Death by J.D. Robb 5* 3/12
e70. Never So Bewitched By Any Woman: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Isabelle Mayfair 4* 3/13
e71.+ Muffin Top & A Muffin Top Christmas by Tabatha Kiss 5* (both) 3/15
e72. Harris by Jasinda Wilder 3* 3/15
e73. The Silver Shawl by Elisabeth Grace Foley 3* 3/15
p74.* Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich 2* 3/18
e75. Jack Reachers Gesetz: Lektionen fürs Überleben=Reacher's Rules: Life Lessons From Jack Reacher by Lee Child 3* 3/19
p76.* Die Trying by Lee Child 4*? 3/20?
e77.+ Signed, Sealed, & Delighted by Crystal L. Barnes 3* 3/20
e78.* Sein wahres Gesicht=Tripwire by Lee Child 4* 3/23
79.

a = audiobook
e = ebook
p = paper book
* borrowed previous to 1/1/20 or later borrowed but shelved previous to 1/1/20
+ 'new' books (5+ rule)

Megan wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Here comes another batch. Should we adjust the message # or continue with the original one?

update to message #162 (now #161)
68/100 books read (2 audio / 3 paper / 63 ebooks)

e..."

OK

Lynn wrote: "Update to Message #33:

8/8 as of March 8! Late, but done! :)"

Congratulations and thank you for the feedback.

Here comes another batch. Should we adjust the message # or continue with the original one?

update to message #162 (now #161)
68/100 books read (2 audio / 3 paper / 63 ebooks)

e52. Dying to be Cool by Nancy McGovern 4* 2/21
a53.+ Endlich ohne Zucker! Der einfache Weg=Good Sugar Bad Sugar: Eat Yourself Free from Sugar and Carb Addiction by Allen Carr & John Dicey 2* 2/23
e54. Flea Market Fatal by Brianna Bates 3* 2/23
e55. Erased by K. Webster & Elle Christensen 5* 2/24
e56. When I Fall in Love by Kristin Miller 3* 2/25
e57. Death at the Trade Show by Nikki Haverstock 3* 2/25
e58. The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb by Agatha Christie 3* 2/26
e59.+ Kissed by Magic by Erica Ridley 3* 2/26
e60. When Darkness Falls by Jennifer Youngblood & Sandra Poole 3* 2/28
p61. Jeśli=If by Amy Carmichael 6* 2/28
e62. The Fall Up by Aly Martinez 5* 2/28
p63. Die glücklichsten Menschen auf Erden: Die faszinierende Geschichte eines Mannes, der von sich sagt, er sei berufen zum "Helfer"=The Happiest People On Earth: Discover Purpose For Living And The One True Path To Fufilment by Demos Shakarian, John Sherrill & Elizabeth Sherrill 5* 2/29
e64. Revenge by Patricia Bradley book 3 in Kill Zone 4* 3/1
e65.+ Auto by David Wailing 6* 3/2
e66. Lord, Teach Us To Pray by Andrew Murray 4* 3/4
e67. Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb 4* 3/6
e68. Forevermore by Cathy Marie Hake 4* 3/9

a = audiobook
e = ebook
p = paper book
+ 'new' books (5+ rule)

Amber (msg #37), Aubrey (msg #35), Bobbi (msg #22), Cassie (msg #76), Dani (msg #148), Emma (msg #45), Fran (msg #31), fran (msg #59), Joey (msg #139), Kelly (msg #6), Kitty (msg #80), Kyra (msg #40), Lucie Renee (msg #41), Marythios (AkaSusanne ) (msg #27), Rachel (msg #110), Tammie (msg #57) are you still updating, gave up on the challenge or just forgot about it?

I'll check this thread for another couple of days. Afterwards if you want me to update it please PM me.

Lisa wrote: "I totally failed both challenges for the month of February. Oh well... :)"

Happens. Let's hope the next one will work out better for you. Still thank you for your feedback.

Kristina wrote: "Kristina wrote: "I’m in for 3 books."

Update msg #8: 1/3 (FINAL)

5) Physical Touch: Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves Finished 2/29/2020

Unfortunately I didn’t get as much reading done in February as I had planned."

At least you were able to read anything at all - and nobody can take that from you!
Thank you for the feedback.

Lisa wrote: "Nice setup Agnieszka! Best of luck with your challenge in 2020"

Thank you!

Congratulations Ruth, Megan BG, TerryJane & Nicole!

Congratulations Rachel & Sherri!

Sarah wrote: "Message 93 Updated

2/2-COMPLETED"

Congratulations!

Snezana wrote: "Update to message #48
Completed

5/5

1. Gifts - Read a book about a holiday where gifts are exchanged, read a book set in the "present", or read a book you received as a gift. [book:Kulti|2404459..."

Congratulations!

Joanna wrote: "Update Message 9:
All done."

Congratulations!

Kiyan wrote: "what is this about"

This is or rather was a monthly challenge bases on the concept of the five language of love described in the book with the same title The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman. You can find the details to the five tasks in message #1.