Action heroine annual reading challenge

[Georgann]

Thanks @E.G., for putting this together, and congrats on blasting through your last year's goals! I posted my 2023 goals. Going with 14 again.

[Werner]

E.G. wrote: "2023 Challenge Thread is Live!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Looks great, E.G., thanks! I signed up just now. For starters, I set myself a modest goal of five, but we'll see if I can increase it. :-)

[E.G.]

Georgann wrote: "Thanks @E.G., for putting this together, and congrats on blasting through your last year's goals! I posted my 2023 goals. Going with 14 again."

Awesome! Glad you're joining us, again!

[E.G.]

I still make a challenge bookshelf each year. Even though it doesn't tie directly to the challenge, it's a good way to keep track of books until I have a chance to update my tracking post.

[Georgann]

@E.G. such a nice picture!

[Werner]

I've increased my goal for the year to six books (having already reached five). I expect to reach that goal next month. :-)

[E.G.]

Werner wrote: "I've increased my goal for the year to six books (having already reached five). I expect to reach that goal next month. :-)"

😎

[Werner]

Yay! I got a chance to finish my sixth book early, so I've met my challenge goal. I don't expect to work in any more action heroine reads this year, but who knows? :-)

[Georgann]

Yay, Werner! WTG! I have 2 to go.

[Werner]

Thanks, Georgann! You'll meet your goal too.

[Tree]

I would like to find 4 new heroine with agency in the balance of the year.

[Georgann]

Good luck, Tree. Let us know what you find!

[Dave]

May I suggest Ro Delahanty - she is in the tradition of Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley, and Katniss Everdeen.

She is a deputy sheriff in a presumably quiet county in Iowa, but finds lots of ways to get herself into trouble.

There are five books in the series so far, "Ro's Handle" is book one and the place to start; "Hear Evil" (book two), "Losses" (book three), "Secrets Never End (book four), and "Sniper's Day" (book five). They are available in softcover and ebook on Amazon.

And yes, this is shameless self-promotion, as I am the author: Dave Lager.

I hope you enjoy getting acquainted with Ro.

[Werner]

Dave wrote: "And yes, this is shameless self-promotion, as I am the author: Dave Lager."

Ordinarily, we don't allow authors to self-promote outside of the folder designated for that purpose. But we'll allow it in this one instance, since Tree is looking for new-to-him heroines, and being the protagonist of a largely unadvertised small-press series, Ro very likely fits that bill.

Dave wrote: "...she is in the tradition of Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley, and Katniss Everdeen."

The similarity is that all four are combat-capable heroines; but a closer trio of comparisons might be her fellow fictional female cops Tracey Crosswhite (The Academy), Annie Broussard (A Thin Dark Line), and our own Justin Roberts' Sarah Dharmawan in The Policewoman. My three-star review of Dave's series opener, here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... , begins with a comparison/contrast of all four protagonists. (Note that three stars, on Goodreads' scale, is a positive rating that means I liked the book; it's equivalent to four on Amazon.) Tree, I don't see any of the above books on your bookshelf; so you might enjoy "meeting" any or all of these ladies in the rest of this year!

[Dave]

Werner - Thanks for the kind words, and for giving me a "pass" on my self-promotion here.

[Werner]

You're welcome, Dave. :-) Best wishes with your writing!

[Georgann]

#13 is Terminal Alliance. Solid space opera with a heroine who steps up!

[Georgann]

# 14 is Emerald Blaze and I've met my goal. I could easily up my goal to 15 b/c I HAVE to read the next one, since this one ended with the worst cliffhanger ever in the history of cliffhangers!

[E.G.]

Georgann wrote: "# 14 is Emerald Blaze and I've met my goal. I could easily up my goal to 15 b/c I HAVE to read the next one, since this one ended with the worst c..."

I blew out last year's challenge because I got caught up in an Ilona Andrews series.

[Georgann]

Yes, I need to finish the Innkeeper series and many have recommended I start Kate Daniels.

[Werner]

Georgann wrote: "Yes, I need to finish the Innkeeper series and many have recommended I start Kate Daniels."

I've only ever read the first of the Kate Daniels books, Magic Bites, but that one got four stars from me.

[E.G.]

Georgann wrote: "Yes, I need to finish the Innkeeper series and many have recommended I start Kate Daniels."

It was the Kate Daniels series that i read. I've read the first in The Innkeeper series, but never went back to it.

[E.G.]

Hi all,

2023 is almost over--don't forget to update your 2023 Action Heroine Reading Challenge tracking posts.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The 2024 Action Heroine Reading Challenge thread will go up by this weekend.

[Werner]

E.G. wrote: "The 2024 Action Heroine Reading Challenge thread will go up by this weekend."

Sounds great, E.G.! I'll definitely be signing up, and I'm already planning my action-heroine reading. :-)

[E.G.]

The 2024 Action Heroine Reading Challenge is up!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Werner]

Looking good, E. G.! Thanks for all the hard work you obviously put in with this.

[E.G.]

Werner wrote: "Looking good, E. G.! Thanks for all the hard work you obviously put in with this."

Thank you, I’m pretty happy with the 2024 graphic. It would have been perfect if I could have found one with an American western heroine.

[Mervi]

I was surprised I didn’t make my modest goal of seven books in 2023. I’ll start with some action heroine books this year.

[E.G.]

Mervi wrote: "I was surprised I didn’t make my modest goal of seven books in 2023. I’ll start with some action heroine books this year."

No worries. The key is to read what you enjoy!

[Werner]

I've made my goal, a few days ago (but just forgot to mention it here until now). But I should actually be able to add one more book to my total next month, since I have a review copy coming that will definitely fit the bill!

[E.G.]

Werner wrote: "I've made my goal, a few days ago (but just forgot to mention it here until now). But I should actually be able to add one more book to my total next month, since I have a review copy coming that w..."

Awesome! Congratulations!

[Werner]

Thanks, E. G.! I should start on that review copy late this week; but I'm also still really hoping to work in a read of The Tokaido Road: A Novel of Feudal Japan before the end of the year.

How are you coming? I noticed that you haven't updated your tracking post yet, but I'm guessing that you've read some books that will qualify.

[E.G.]

Werner wrote: "Thanks, E. G.! How are you coming? I noticed that you haven't updated your tracking post yet, but I'm guessing that you've read some books that will qualify."

I have 11 read on my tracking shelf, and at least one that needs to be added. I've been in my writing cave all summer, and will be there another couple of weeks. After that I'll catch up on my GR postings. ;)

[Werner]

Sounds good, E.G.! Best wishes with your writing.

[E.G.]

I've crawled out of my writing cave and updated my tracking post. I have made my 2024 goal with 20 Action Heroine Books read. :)

[Werner]

Yay! Kudos to you, E. G.

[Mervi]

I'm now up to 21 action heroine books! I've been reading J.S. Morin's Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire series and I'm now up to book 11. They're fantasy books set in space and a lot of fun. The first book is Wayward Saint: Mission 1. Esper is a formidable wizard and she has a dog like alien as a sidekick. The alien is quite young and Esper tried to shield him for the world. I have the whole series as a bundle from Audible, all 16 books plus some novellas and I intend to read them all.

I've also listend to Ernest Dempsey's War of Thieves Trilogy Box Set Edition thrille series. It stars Adriana Villa, a master thief who is an expert at hand-to-hand combat and with various weapons. The books are fast-paced and fun.

[E.G.]

Awesome, Mervi!

[Werner]

Congratulations on tripling your challenge goal, Mervi!

[Werner]

Well (while there's still potentially time to work in another book or two), we can definitely say that of the three of us who joined in this year's challenge, here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... , all of us at least made our goal and two of us exceeded it. I always enjoy this challenge, and believe it does encourage us to broaden and deepen our reading in the action-heroine theme.

Shall we plan on doing the same challenge again for 2025? E.G., would you be game to create a thread for it, and to add an illustration for it as you have for the last two? Since we have at least a couple of new members this year, I'm hoping that a 2025 challenge might attract more participation than this one did.

[P. Pherson]

Did not know there was a challenge, and I am usually poor at living up to reading challenges, but I am doing Pakksenarion ATM, and have read a few with actiony women in them. Maybe I should have played.

But you know...though this is our theme, I dont really celebrate every action heroine, for me, they also have to paired with a degree of authenticity, or some reason I can go with it. Girl with sword, meh... Girl with sword, and I believe it....Gold star.

I'll do it next year, but some of the books may not be ones that are easy to find.

[Werner]

P. Pherson wrote: "I'll do it next year, but some of the books may not be ones that are easy to find."

Great; I'd hoped you might join in! (You joined the group pretty late in the year to have made participating in the challenge worthwhile this year.) Including books that aren't easy to find is fine; one of the benefits of Goodreads is being introduced (or introducing others to) books that are off the beaten track and might have gone unnoticed.

[E.G.]

Werner wrote: "Well (while there's still potentially time to work in another book or two), we can definitely say that of the three of us who joined in this year's challenge, here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/..."

Once again, I found a couple of series with an action heroine and blew out my goal. I'll be happy to set up the 2025 Challenge. Look for it the week after Christmas.

[E.G.]

P. wrote: "Did not know there was a challenge, and I am usually poor at living up to reading challenges, but I am doing Pakksenarion ATM, and have read a few with actiony women in them. Maybe I should have pl..."

They don't all have to be 4 or 5 stars to meet the challenge. I inevitably read a few that are lackluster. They still count. :)

[Werner]

E. G. wrote: "Once again, I found a couple of series with an action heroine and blew out my goal. I'll be happy to set up the 2025 Challenge. Look for it the week after Christmas."

Thanks, E.G., sounds great! And hearty fist-bump on blowing out your goal. :-)

[P. Pherson]

Well...I finished Divided Allegiance today. I see where all my confusion came....cause I own the big fat all in one book, but I thought I got it as an audio book. So...I listened to the first one, and never completed it. I am catching up.

Book 2 is better than book one, but I think the story is lacking a real conflict. Its more just a slow burn of watching Pakks, who cant seem to understand that she can want something without an order, become a Paladin.

It wont count next year, I am afraid, but next year, the third one should. And...my book 2 should come out next year, so that is two for the list for all of you (though, I suppose I could count them too, if I read them. Book 2 gets all the editing soon, as I am coming to the end of Book 4 and will have some freedom them.

[Werner]

Sounds good, Patrick!

[E.G.]

The 2025 Annual Action Heroine Reading Challenge is up: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I've created an annual reading challenge folder with this discussion thread, the 2024 Challenge, and the current challenge. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

I'll close the 2024 Challenge to new comments January 2nd, but leave the thread in the folder for awhile as a reference.

[Werner]

That sounds good, E.G., and the new challenge folder and thread look great! Thank you for all you did.

I've got my 2025 tracking post up; for this new year, my goal is nine. That's the highest number, I think, that I've set since we started doing this; but I believe it will be do-able.

[Werner]

Well, we've now moved into November, with the year soon to be drawing to a close; and with 11 books featuring action heroines read this year, I've more than made my goal!