2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Paul's Spinning (Slightly Slower) Carousel - 180 books in 2017
Book #133
The Last Wish (Witcher Saga #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski (translated by Danusia Stok)
Finished 25th August 2017
292p
Why I read it: I'd heard of the games, and when like the whole series showed up as a Daily Deal one day I decided I'd go for at least the first book.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, Poland, 1990s, August, new, adult, series, novel/short story anthology, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Languages (Polish)
Book #134
The Life of Josiah Henson: Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada by Josiah Henson
Finished 27th August 2017
86p
Why I read it: It was in a collection of slave narratives that was discounted to free once.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Autobiography, male, POC, USA/Canada, 19th century, August, new, adult, standalone, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #135
Thief of Time (Discworld #26, Death #5) by Terry Pratchett
Finished 27th August 2017
434p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, UK, 2000s, August, familiar, adult, series, novel, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #136
Punchline (BBV Time Travellers #10) by Robert Shearman
Finished 30th August 2017
31p
Why I read it: A blogger I like raved about it on his site and uploaded it to his YouTube channel.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi, male, white, UK, 2000s, August, familiar, adult, series, audio drama, medium, audio drama I saw online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #137
Ad Astra: The 50th Anniversary SFWA Cookbook edited by Cat Rambo and Fran Wilde
Finished 30th August 2017
208p
Why I read it: It was in the Humble Nebula Bundle, but I wasn't going to read it until I found out I needed a book about food for Popsugar.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Food, male/female, white/POC, USA (mostly), 2010s, August, new/familiar, adult, standalone, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Popsugar (book about food)
Book #138
The Women of Harry Potter by Sarah Gailey
Finished 31st August 2017
30p
Why I read it: Sarah Gailey is brilliant, it was nominated for a Hugo, and I wanted to read it before I went to LeakyCon.
Rating: 5/5
Categories: Fantasy/meta, female, white, USA, 2010s, August, familiar, adult, series, nonfiction, short, something I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
LeakyCon impressions will be coming soon I think... there'll more than likely be lots of text and very few pictures. :D
Thank you Susy, I did! Truth be told, I don't think I actually did that much at it, but I still had a very good time. :)
Book #139
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase (Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Series, #4) by Dirk Maggs after Douglas Adams
Finished 6th September 2017
83p
Why I read it: I'd never actually listened to it, and I thought this year was the perfect opportunity to get around to it all.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/humour/romance, male, white, UK, 2000s, September, familiar, adult, series, audio drama, short, audiobook I borrowed.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #140
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Finished 6th September 2017
632p
Why I read it: It won one of the Costa prizes, and it sounded interesting when I came across it at a used book sale.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Historical/speculative fiction, female, white, UK, 2010s, September, new, adult, standalone, novel, long, papery book I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Popsugar (takes place over a character's life span)
Book #141
The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #10) by Daniel Handler (writing as Lemony Snicket)
Finished 8th September 2017
360p
Why I read it: The Netflix series was coming soon, so I figured I'd pull these out again, especially as Mark Oshiro is planning on reading them someday (maybe) and I never actually finished the twelfth one.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/mystery/thriller, male, white, USA, 2000s, September, familiar, children, series, novel, medium, ebook I borrowed, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #143
Ark Angel (Alex Rider, #6) by Anthony Horowitz
Finished 10th September 2017
344p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller/sci-fi, male, white, UK, 2000s, September, familiar, children, series, novel, medium, papery book I own, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #144
A Wizard of Mars (Young Wizards, #9) by Diane Duane
Finished 11th September 2017
550p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/fantasy, female, white, USA/Ireland, 2010s, September, familiar, children, series, novel, long, audiobook I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Popsugar (genre you've never heard of)
Book #145
Hexagrammaton by Hanus Seiner (translated by Julie Nováková)
Finished 11th September 2017
39p
Why I read it: It was Tor's short story of the week months back, but I only got around to it now.
Rating: 5/5
Categories: Sci-fi, male, white, Czech Republic, 2010s, September, new, adult, standalone, novelette, short, something I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Languages (Czech)
Book #146
The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3) by Philip Pullman
Finished 13th September 2017
546p
Why I read it: Rounding out the trilogy (again) before La Belle Sauvage comes out (finally!).
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, UK, 2000s, September, familiar, children, series, novel, long, ebook I borrowed.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #147
The Black Archive #1: Rose by Jon Arnold
Finished 14th September 2017
111p
Why I read it: The review I read of the Dark Water/Death in Heaven book on Eruditorum Press had me intrigued.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Criticism, male, white, UK, 2010s, September, new, adults, series, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Book Riot (book from a micropress)
Book #148
The Black Archive #13: Human Nature / The Family of Blood by Naomi Jacobs and Philip Purser-Hallard
Finished 16th September 2017
180p
Why I read it: I used to be in some of the same Internet circles as Jacobs a few years back, so when I found out she'd written one of these I jumped on it as soon as I could.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Criticism, female/male, white, UK, 2010s, September, new, adults, series, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #142
The Tomato Thief (Jackalope Wives #2) by Ursula Vernon
Finished 8th September 2017
40p
Why I read it: It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette last year.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, USA, 2010s, September, new, adults, series, novelette, short, something I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #149
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Finished 22nd September 2017
560p
Why I read it: It was part of a collection of slave narratives I bought for free some time back.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Classics, female, white, USA, 19th century, September, new, adults, standalone, novel, long, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #150
When Stars Are Scattered by Spencer Ellworth
Finished 23rd September 2017
52p
Why I read it: It was Tor.com's story of the week a few months ago, but I only got around to it now.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/fantasy, male, white, USA, 2010s, September, familiar, adults, standalone, novelette, short, something I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #151
The New Testament by a group of 1st Century Palestinian men (view spoiler)
Finished 24th September 2017
512p
Why I read it: I finally decided I'd see what it was all about.
Rating: Abstaining
Categories: Religious text, POC, male, Palestine, 1st century, September, new, adults, standalone, other, long, papery book I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Dewey Decimal Challenge (200-299)
Book #152
Shadow and Bone (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Finished 26th September 2017
369p
Why I read it: I'd been hearing a ton of hype around Six of Crows at the time, and when I learned that this book had been handed out during World Book Night that year and that it was on sale as well for the Kindle at that time, I thought I'd pick it up and see what it was all about.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, USA/Israel, 2010s, September, new, young adult, series, novel, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Randomiser, Color Challenge (word describing colours in the title)
Book #153
Not On My Patch: A Young Wizards Halloween (Young Wizards #9.3) by Diane Duane
Finished 26th September 2017
45p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, USA/Ireland, 2010s, September, familiar, adult, series, novelette, short, audiobook I read online, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #154
Serial Season Two by Sarah Koenig
Finished 29th September 2017
284p
Why I read it: It's the difficult second season of Serial! I couldn't not check it out.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: True crime, female, white, USA, 2010s, September, familiar, adults, series, audio thing, medium, audiobook I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #155
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Finished 29th September 2017
237p
Why I read it: It's Jane Austen!
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Classics/romance/general, female, white, UK, 19th century, September, familiar, adults, standalone, novel, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Randomiser
Book #156
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Finished 1st October 2017
256p
Why I read it: It's Neil Gaiman doing Norse mythology, so I was bound to read it eventually, but I read it now because it's the group read for this month.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy/mythology, male, white, UK/USA, 2010s, October, familiar, adults, standalone, short stories, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #157
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself by Harriet Ann Jacobs
Finished 4th October 2017
141p
Why I read it: It was included in a collection of slave narratives I picked up for free.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, female, POC, USA, 19th century, October, new, adults, standalone, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #158
S-Town by Brian Reed
Finished 6th October 2017
195p
Why I read it: I liked Serial, and I'd been hearing really interesting things about this when it came out.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, male, white, USA, 2010s, October, new, adults, standalone, audio, short, something I listened to online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #159
Mostly Harmless (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #5) by Douglas Adams
Finished 6th October 2017
284p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 2/5
Categories: Sci-fi, male, white, UK/USA, 1990s, October, familiar, adults, series, novel, medium, ebook I own, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #160
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1) by Genevieve Cogman
Finished 11th October 2017
337p
Why I read it: It was in a Kindle sale, it sounded interesting, and N.K. Jemisin liked it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, UK, 2010s, October, new, adults, series, novel, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Top Ten Faves
Book #161
500 Words You Should Know by Caroline Taggart
Finished 12th October 2017
192p
Why I read it: Someone I used to work with gave it to me for Secret Santa last year.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Nonfiction, female, white, UK, 2010s, October, new, adults, standalone, nonfiction, short, papery book I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Dewey Decimal
Book #162
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Finished 13th October 2017
257p
Why I read it: I don't know?
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Historical/romance, female, white, USA, 2000s, October, new, adults, standalone, novel, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Top Ten Faves
Book #163
Snakehead (Alex Rider, #7) by Anthony Horowitz
Finished 15th October 2017
398p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller, male, white, UK, 2000s, October, familiar, children, series, novel, medium, papery book I own, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #164
The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events , #11) by Daniel Handler writing as Lemony Snicket
Finished 15th October 2017
352p
Why I read it: The Netflix series was coming soon, so I figured I'd pull these out again, especially as Mark Oshiro is planning on reading them someday (maybe) and I never actually finished the twelfth one.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller, male, white, USA, 2000s, October, familiar, children, series, novel, medium, ebook I borrowed, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #165
The Martian in the Wood by Stephen Baxter
Finished 15th October 2017
64p
Why I read it: It was the Tor story of the week months ago, but I only got around to it now.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/historical, male, white, UK, 2010s, October, new, adults, standalone, novelette, short, something I read online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #166
How Lovely Are Thy Branches: A Young Wizards Christmas by Diane Duane
Finished 18th October 2017
108p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi, female, white, USA/Ireland, 2010s, October, familiar, adults, series, novella, short, audiobook I heard online, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #167
Up from Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington
Finished 18th October 2017
133p
Why I read it: It was in a collection of slave narratives I picked up for free on Kindle one time.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, male, POC, USA, 1900s, October, new, adults, standalone, nonfiction, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #168
The Book of Dust Volume 1: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
Finished 24th October 2017
560p
Why I read it: It's the return of Philip Pullman to His Dark Materials, there was no way I wasn't going to read it as soon as I could.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy/thriller, male, white, UK, 2010s, October, familiar, children, series, novel, long, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #169
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Finished 26th October 2017
344p
Why I read it: I really liked the 90% of the film I saw in English class years ago, so when the audiobook showed up in an Amazon sale I had to have it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: General, male, white, UK, 1990s, October, new, adult, standalone, novel, medium, audiobook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #170
Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey
Finished 27th October 2017
576p
Why I read it: I picked up on a lot of people liking it (maybe it was on the Mark Reads recommendation list?), so when it showed up on a Kindle sale I thought "I'll take that!"
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/mystery/thriller, male, white, USA, 2010s, October, new, adult, series, novel, long, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Randomiser
Book #171
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
Finished 29th October 2017
228p
Why I read it: It was in the Humble Nebula Bundle.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi/general/memoir/advice, female, POC, USA, 1970s/1980s/1990s/2000s, October, familiar, adult, standalone, short stories, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Book Riot
Book #172
Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier (Twin Peaks: The Return, #2) by Mark Frost
Finished 4th November 2017
160p
Why I read it: Because for all its flaws and frustrations, Twin Peaks: The Return was hands down bar none the TV sensation of the year, maybe even the generation, and I'd already read The Secret History of Twin Peaks, so I was all down for following Mark Frost down his rabbit holes one last time.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy/general, male, white, USA, 2010s, November, familiar, adult, series, novel, short, ebook I borrowed.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #173
Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1) by Steven Erikson
Finished 10th November 2017
688p
Why I read it: I'd heard really good things about it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, Canada, 1990s, November, new, adult, series, novel, long, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Randomiser
Book #174
Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider, #8) by Anthony Horowitz
Finished 12th November 2017
416p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller, male, white, UK, 2000s, November, familiar, children, series, novel, medium, papery book I own, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #176
lif-e.af/ter by Mac Rogers
Finished 17th November 2017
155p
Why I read it: Steal the Stars and The Message were good shit, so I was definitely interested in seeing what this was.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Science fiction, male, white, USA, 2010s, November, familiar, adult, series, audio drama, short, audio drama I listened to online.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #177
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Quintessential Phase (Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Series, #5) by Dirk Maggs after Douglas Adams
Finished 21st November 2017
83p
Why I read it: I'd never actually listened to it, and I thought this year was the perfect opportunity to get around to it all.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Sci-fi/humour, male, white, UK, 2000s, November, familiar, adult, series, audio drama, short, audiobook I borrowed.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #178
Flight of the Conchords BBC Radio 2 by Flight of the Conchords and Friends
Finished 24th November 2017
93p
Why I read it: I watched What We Do in the Shadows one weekend, and had so much fun with it I figured it was finally time to check out New Zealand's third- or fourth-greatest novelty folk group.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Comedy, male, white, New Zealand/UK, 2000s, November, new, adult, series, audio drama, short, audio drama I borrowed.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #179
The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen
Finished 25th November 2017
434p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy/science, male, white, UK, 1990s, November, familiar/new, adult, series, novella/nonfiction, medium, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Ninefox Gambit (other topics)Lifeboats: A Tale of the Young Wizards (other topics)
Conservation of Shadows (other topics)
Engraved on the Eye (other topics)
Moonlight (other topics)
More...
Book #132
Hear the Wind Sing (The Rat Trilogy #1) by Haruki Murakami (translated by Alfred Birnbaum)
Finished 22nd August 2017
130p
Why I read it: It's Haruki Murakami, and it was free on Goodreads.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: General, male, POC, Japan/USA, 1970s, August, familiar, adult, series, novel, short, ebook I own.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Languages (Japanese)