2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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February Group Read Nomination
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I would like to nominate The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which begins as Earth is about to be demolished.
I nominate Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies -"In its sweep, Guns, Germs and Steel encompasses the rise of agriculture, technology, writing, government, and religion, providing a unifying theory of human history as intriguing as the histories of dinosaurs and glaciers."
I nominate The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen. It's historical fiction about the 1918 flu epidemic and a small town in the Pacific northwest that decides to quarantine itself against all outsiders. It won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize in 2007.
I second Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Great book and the first one I thought of when I saw February's theme
I'm going a little unusual with my theme linking here! I'd like to nominate Uprooted by Naomi Novik. It's a book I've been meaning to get around to reading all year, and I think it'd be a great group read.The theme made me think of it partly because of the title (roots are buried in the earth!), and the story revolves around the Woods surrounding the protagonist's village.
Janine wrote: "I'm going a little unusual with my theme linking here! I'd like to nominate Uprooted by Naomi Novik. It's a book I've been meaning to get around to reading all year, a..."I can't second because I've already nominated, but this one of my fav read's from this year! Good choice, Janine!
I'd like to nominate The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Steven Baxter. It won a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award and the title fits the Earth theme.
Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.
Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.
*Sounds funny, high rating on Goodreads, and is about traveling the Earth.
I nominate The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It's the first book in the Broken Earth series, and Father Earth's actions set the stage, which means it fits the Earth theme. It's very highly rated on Goodreads, a great fantasy-sci-fi book.
I'm going to second Uprooted. I had almost forgotten it, but I have meant to read it for a long time. Some great selections here. Honestly I'm exited for many of them. Keep 'em coming! :)
I third The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I don't know if it helps the odds at all, but I've been meaning to get to this book for a long time now. :)
Hi Nerope! Thanks for your nomination. Can you tell us why it fits the theme of Earth? Any kind of connection will do, even if it's a stretch. :)
We Are the Ants. Shaun David Hutchinson "From the author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes a brand-new novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving."
From my to-read list. Sci-fi, YA, aliens, love, loss, coming-of-age, >4 rating, and saving the "earth".
I'd like to fourth The Fifth Season as it is a dystopian fantasy where the Earth is in a perpetual state of multiple apocalypses. Also, and I am not 100% sure about this, but I think Earth is personified to be the antagonist in this novel. Definitely a great novel for Earth theme
I also vote for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I always hear good things and have been wanting to read it for a long time!
I vote for the Fifth Season. I love Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but would like to try something I haven't read already :)
Ann wrote: "We Are the Ants. Shaun David Hutchinson "From the author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes a brand-new novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving...."
I already voted but this book is supposed to be really good!
Hi Leslie! Unfortunately, we read Chocolat as a group already, and previous group reads are not eligible to be group reads again.Feel free to suggest another book to be the group read for February, and you can always ask if some others want to read Chocolat with you as a buddy read.
I would like to suggest The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, which I have been wanting to read for a while now.
Ilona wrote: "I would like to suggest The Secret Wisdom of the Earth, which I have been wanting to read for a while now."Good book!
I nominate The Good Earth. This incredible book is a classic that not only discusses farming and what the Earth can mean to a family, but it also goes well with our yearly theme.
Caitlin wrote: "The Queen of Blood by
"Caitlin, could you please state a connection to the theme Earth? :) It could be any connection even if quite loose.
Waiting a little longer to close the thread since it's Christmas and some might not have been able to nominate :)
Cassandra wrote: "Hi Leslie! Unfortunately, we read Chocolat as a group already, and previous group reads are not eligible to be group reads again.Feel free to suggest another book to be the group rea..."
I'm suggesting Chocolat to Mary Pat on the buddy read page. It's a book I borrowed from the library about two years ago on several occasions, but I never got to it for some reason lol.
I know this is a group read page so I'm sorry for flooding this bit of information on this page, but you can find it here.
MSG 49
Thanks Taylor! It's always fair game to suggest buddy reads for past group reads, or for nominees that don't end up winning the group read poll. :)
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Books mentioned in this topic
Chocolat (other topics)The Queen of Blood (other topics)
The Good Earth (other topics)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (other topics)
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah Beth Durst (other topics)N.K. Jemisin (other topics)
Naomi Novik (other topics)
Naomi Novik (other topics)
Jules Verne (other topics)











I hope you are all enjoying winter and for those of you celebrating Christmas not to get too stressed out. And that all of you are enjoying some great books! The theme of the month of February is Earth!
Please remember to state a connection to the theme when you nominate. Thank you :)
Here are some short rules for nominating books:
~ Each person can nominate 1 book.
~ Book must be available both as a physical copy and as an ebook.
~ Authors: Please do not nominate your own book.
~ Please include the name of the book and the author or link to the book.
~ Please do not nominate books that are part of a series, unless it is the first book.
~ You can second someone else's nomination, but that will count as your nomination.
~ When nominating, please state a connection to the theme.
~ You cannot nominate a book which has previously been a group read. Past buddy reads are fine. (See Group Reads in the bookshelf)
This thread will be closed by December 25th, and we will choose ten books for the poll. If there are more than ten books nominated, we will choose the ten most nominated. If there is still a tie to get into the top ten, we'll go back to the Goodreads average rating to see which is highest.