JennH’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2023)

JennH’s comments from the 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge group.

Update to message #12

6/5

Challenge completed.

Good morning, Team Prose Pros! Wow, we've gotten the readathon off to a great start! I've finished my first book, The Emperor's Soul. I'll admit to being strategic with my reading and have chosen a couple of novellas to start off with. I'm off to start A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and continuing with One Crazy Summer.

Happy reading everyone!

Oh, I was so thrown off. I skimmed the readathon posts, looking for our team post and couldn't find it. Skimmed again and immediately thought Team 3 was deleted. lol This is what I get for checking in before caffeine.

@Denise - Thanks for the recommendation. Adding to my TBR. I did see We Need New Names on the lists I was looking at but I stopped adding books once I found a few. Also, I see you've added Lincoln in the Bardo to the spreadsheet. Are you reading or listening to it? The audiobook is AMAZING. It is slightly confusing due to the format (I'll admit I did get the book to go along with at first until I got used to it), but the 166 narrators were awesome. I'm pretty sure it won an Audie Award.

Betty wrote: "JennH wrote: "Betty wrote: "The spreadsheet is being filled in nicely - looking forward to getting started! The prompts we don't have anything for are some doubles:

-Any African literary award
-An..."

Sure!

-Any African literary award
And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile
Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

-Any South American literary award
Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

-Any North American literary award besides the U.S.
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Still Life by Louise Penny

Betty wrote: "The spreadsheet is being filled in nicely - looking forward to getting started! The prompts we don't have anything for are some doubles:

-Any African literary award
-Any South American literary aw..."

After much research, I did find books for those prompts (and luckily, found them in my library system!) Just don't know if I'll get a chance to get to them.

Betty wrote: "Beth wrote: "Do we want to get settled on a team name?"

I say we go with “Prose Pros”

Any objections?"

No objections!

Beth wrote: "I was poking around on GR and found this page of links to various Listopias for literary awards. Hope it helps!

https://www.goodreads.com/award"

Thanks!

Beth - Thanks for sharing. I've read the first two and her third in the trilogy has won an award as well.

I had searched the specifically named awards first bc they were easier. I did skip the mystery awards bc they were covered. But I can easily read for that bc that is my genre of choice. What I don't read is horror bc I'm a scaredy cat.

I didn't get around to looking into the Doubles awards yet bc they were too open/general. And the weather is doing a number on my sinuses, so I had to stop searching. I do feel like I'm armed with a number of possible books to read. I've only put on the spreadsheet those that I feel most confident that I'll get to first. I will look into the Doubles awards today.

Hi! I'm Jenn. I'm from the northeast, US. This is my second readathon with the group. I had a blast last time. I love readathons, they are so much fun. However, I have to admit this one, the theme, intimidates me. While I've read some, I don't tend to read literary award books. So I will try my best. Good thing we have a week to plan. I will have to do a bit of research.

Of the suggested team names, Lit Legends League and Readers of Distinction caught my attention first. I do think, when I finally said it aloud, Prose Pros, was quite cute.

1. How many books do you think you'll be able to read over the 10-day event?
7-10

2. Can you commit to checking in with your team approximately every 2-3 days throughout the 10 days of the readathon?
Yes

3. Are you willing to assume the role of leader or co-leader for your team? (See below for what these roles entail.)*
Co-leader, if needed.

4. Have you participated in a team readathon before?
Yes

5. Are you able to accept messages on Goodreads?
Yes

Update to message #33

Please change my goal to 70 - I miscalculated my original total.

12/70

Update to message #34

6/6

Challenge completed.

I'd like to sign up for 5 books.

TIME WARP
Duration: February 1 - February 28, 2025

6/5

1. Read a book that involves aging, madness, or control.

2. Read a book with a black cover, dark subject matter, or involving addiction.

3. Read a book featuring sports or dance, or with a body part on its cover.
The Lost Art of Doing Nothing: How the Dutch Unwind with Niksen by Maartje Willems 2/11/25

4. Read a romance or erotica book, or a book that changes your perspective.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory 2/4/25

5. Read a fantasy, a book featuring a dream, or with a visually impaired author or character.
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 2/21/25

6. Read a science fiction or spy book, or one with an introverted main character.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers 2/21/25

7. Read a time travel book, one with an unpredictable character, or including an abduction.

8. Read a horror book, or one that includes animals, a villain, or the devil.
Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean 2/8/25

9. Read a book that contains the letters T-I-M-E-W-A-R-P in the title and/or author's name.
Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory 2/11/25

Update to message #34

4/6

Update to message #28

4/10

Update to message # 17

41/50

Who 7/7, What 7/7, When 7/7, Where 6/7, How 7/7, Why 7/7, Bonus 0/8

Update to message #22

32/32

Challenge completed.

Update to message #20

25/25

Challenge completed.

I'll sign up for 10.

SAD SONGS
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2025

11/10

1. “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?” — Derek & the Dominos
Read a book with "love" in the title, or a game piece on the cover (domino, playing card, etc.).
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood 1/18/25

2. “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” — Billy Ocean
Read a book with "cry" in the title, or with an ocean scene on the cover.
Partners in Lime by Bree Baker 1/14/25


3. “Sad Lookin’ Moon” — Alabama
Read a book set in the south, or with a moon on the cover.

4. “The Sad Café” — The Eagles
Read a book with a restaurant setting, or with a bird on the cover.
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose 1/21/25

5. “Too Young for Sad Memories” — Alvin Stardust (Shane Fenton)
Read a young adult novel, or a book with a night sky on the cover.

6. “So Why So Sad” — Manic Street Preachers
Read a book with a map in it, or with a religious leader (Rabbi, Swami, Priest, etc.).

7. “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” — Bob Dylan
Read a book with a lady's eyes on the cover, or involving a festival.
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 2/21/25

8. “Sad Girlz Luv Money” — Amaarae and Moliy
Read a book with currency on the cover, or with a made-up word or spelling in the title.

9. “No More Sad Songs” — Little Mix featuring Machine Gun Kelly
Read a book with mixed genres, or with a firearm on the cover.

10. “Sad Caper” — Hootie and the Blowfish
Read a book involving a heist or caper, or a book with sea life on the cover,
The Locked Room by Maj Sjöwall 1/12/25

11. “Sad Beautiful Tragic” — Taylor Swift
Read a book with something beautiful on the cover, or with "swift" or a synonym in the title (quick, fast, etc.).

12. “Sad” — Pearl Jam
Read a book with jewelry on the cover, or involving any sweet food (jam, pie, honey, etc.).
Wedding Cake Killer by Livia J. Washburn 1/7/25

13. “Mr. Dieingly Sad” — The Critters
Read a book that includes a death, or a book with animals on the cover.
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie 1/7/25

14. “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)” — The Everly Brothers
Read a book with "good" or "bad" in the title, or a book that includes siblings.
D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton 1/17/25

15. “Sad Day” — The Rolling Stones
Read a book with a daytime scene on the cover, or with a verb in the title.
Pleading the Fish by Bree Baker 1/24/25

16. “Sad Memory” — Buffalo Springfield
Read a historical book (fiction or nonfiction), or a book with a mammal on the cover.

17. “Sad Sun” — Deer Tick
Read a book with "sun" in the title, or with an arachnid on the cover.

18. “Sad Mood” — Sam Cooke
Read a book with a mood in the title, or a book about a royal figure.
Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean 2/8/25

19. “Don’t Be Sad” — Scotty Sire
Read a book with a negative in the title (no, can't, etc.), or a book that explores fatherhood.
Bud, Not Buddy: by Christopher Paul Curtis 2/22/25

20. “Why Do I Feel So Sad” — Alicia Keys
Read a book with a question word in the title (who, where, etc.), or with a musical instrument on the cover.

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