2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Eli's 2019 Reading Challenge - 52 books!
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Good luck with your goal! (:
Jasmine (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ wrote: "Good luck with your goal! (:"Thank you!! :)
Oumaïma wrote: "Good luck !"Thank you!!! :)
First book completed! Book 1: The Radleys, Matt Haig
Rating: 4/5. I really loved this book, almost as much as Haig's 'The Humans'. An enjoyable, quirky read that had a refreshing spin on the usual cliche vampire story. I highly recommend!
Kristin wrote: "Congratulations on completing your first 2019 book! Sounds like it was a good one. Do you like to plan out your reading ahead of time or just pick what catches your interest at the time?"It really was! I have a few books that I definitely want to read at some point, but I don't have a set list or order; I just pick up whatever book interests me there and then!
Congrats on making headway with your challenge and best of luck with the rest of it! Seems like you're going to tackle 52 books, no problem.
Lena wrote: "Congrats on making headway with your challenge and best of luck with the rest of it! Seems like you're going to tackle 52 books, no problem."Thank you! Yeah, it's looking like I might overshoot and end up reading 2 books a week instead - I tend to read really fast and wanted to try and savour my books this time, but I'm not sure that's going to happen!
Eli wrote: "Lena wrote: "Congrats on making headway with your challenge and best of luck with the rest of it! Seems like you're going to tackle 52 books, no problem."Thank you! Yeah, it's looking like I migh..."
As long as you enjoy reading them, it may not make too much of a difference overall. Have fun either way!
Lena wrote: "Eli wrote: "Lena wrote: "Congrats on making headway with your challenge and best of luck with the rest of it! Seems like you're going to tackle 52 books, no problem."Thank you! Yeah, it's looking..."
Most definitely! Reading more books than planned can never be considered a bad thing :)
Finished book 2! Book 2: The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo
Rating: 5/5. As a huge poetry fan, there was never really any doubt that I'd like this book, but I was quite surprised by just how much I love it. It's my first time reading a story told only in the form of poetry, and I really loved the style, rhythm and flow of the narrative. If you like poetry, I highly recommend - and if you don't, maybe this book will change your mind!
Finished book 3!This one was a bit longer than the previous books I've read for this challenge, so it was nice to have something a bit "meatier" to dig my teeth into - hence why it took me more time to read!
Book 3: Next, Michael Crichton
Rating: 4/5. I'm a big Michael Crichton fan, and have yet to find a book of his I don't love, and this was no exception! I really loved how the story unfolded and, as the reader, you're able to see things slowly piece together and work out how each different aspect of the plot connects to the others. It did get quite choppy and fragmented towards the end, but overall I found this to be an enjoyable and introspective read. If you like stories that make you think about morals, ethics, and the relationship between humans and science/technology, I'd for sure recommend this book.
Well, if book 3 lasted me longer, book 4 was sadly the opposite!Book 4: Survivors, Terry Nation
Rating: 2.5-3/5. This book had all the makings of a story I should love, but sadly I just didn't get into it as much as I'd been expecting. The premise of Survivors is an exciting one, and I had high hopes for it. I love a good disaster/post-apocalyptic story, but for some reason I just found this book quite....tedious? For such an intriguing and high-stakes concept, I just found the actual execution of the plot to fall quite flat.
Still, not every book is going to be a winner for me, and I'm glad I finally got round to reading it - even if it wasn't all that I'd been expecting!
Book 5 completed! Book 5: Raven's Gate, Anthony Horowitz
Rating: 3.5/5. This isn't the first time I've read this book, or the series - far from it, in fact - but I was struggling for inspiration for what book to read next, so thought a childhood favourite would be a nice palate cleanser. Unfortunately, I have to admit this wasn't as good as I remember it - probably due to the age difference, as I first read the series as a 9 year old. Still, the overall plot was enjoyable and it was nice to slip back into a comfortable read that holds a lot of childhood nostalgia.
Looking forward to my next book!
Book 6 finished!Book 6: Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
Rating: 4/5. It's no surprise that I loved this - I'm a huge mythology fan, and as soon as I saw this book, I just knew I'd love it. Though my tastes for mythology do lean more towards Greek (I grew up with the Percy Jackson series!), I also have a love for Norse mythology, and Gaiman does an excellent job of making these classic tales not only entertaining, but also very accessible.
Book 7 completed! Book 7: This Is Going To Hurt, Adam Kay
Rating: 5/5. Wow. Just, wow. I'd been recommended this book by multiple people, seen it proudly displayed in just about every bookshop I frequented, and heard many a good review on TV. Whilst this did make me look forward to reading it, I did have to wonder if it would live up to the hype - the answer, I have discovered, is an unequivocal yes. This book is a hilarious, heartfelt and sometimes depressing deep dive into the NHS and its treatment of staff. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to be a junior doctor - and REALLY know, from the joys of delivering a healthy baby to the nitty gritty of a urology department, to the inhumanely long shifts - then this is the book for you. I don't think I could recommend it highly enough, especially in the anti-NHS climate we're living in right now.
I was sad to finish this book - hence why it took me a bit longer to read, as I just didn;t want it to end! - but I'm excited to move on to my next read, and can only hope it's as good as this one!
Book 8 finished!Book 8: All Out: The No-longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages, Saundra Mitchell
Review: 5/5. Whew, this was incredible. I wish this book had been around for much longer, because this would have been perfect for me as a child/young teen. This book is a wonderfully crafted compilation of short stories about queer teens and young adults, spanning multiple different countries, time eras and identities explored. It contains everything from a love story between a trans Robin Hood and one of his Merry Men, to an asexual roller-skating fanatic in the 70s, to teens coping with the death of Kurt Cobain, and everything in-between. Each story is beautifully and uniquely written, with well-developed and lovable characters. The stories within are nothing short of empowering, providing much needed representation of many oppressed and ignored identities. I love this book, and I'm sure anyone - regardless of their identity - would love it, too.
Book 9 done! Book 9: Mythos, Stephen Fry
Rating: 4/5. Seeing as I grew up reading the Percy Jackson books - which only increased my love of Greek mythology even more - it's no surprise that I LOVED Mythos. Fry does a brilliant job of retelling these classic myths and legends, complete with witty footnotes and a distinctive amusing tone. Similarly to Norse Myths by Gaiman, in this book we see Greek myths become accessible and easy to relate to. Classic Greek Gods become lovable - or sometimes, not so much - characters that we see develop over time, and you're really able to get a feel for the magnificent world that Fry paints for us.
I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading his sequels, 'Heroes', in the not-so-distant future.
Book 10 (has it really been 10 already?) completed! Book 10: Artemis, Andy Weir
Rating: 3.5/5. So, this book was good, but it wasn't great. I think the problem is that I came at this book as a huge fan of The Martian, also by Andy Weir, which is perhaps one of my favourite books in general. I just didn't fall in love with Artemis as much as I did with The Martian. This being said, Artemis is a good book - I enjoyed the snarky, sarcastic humour displayed by the main character, Jazz. It was similar to the personality of the main character in The Martian, too, although I must admit it did feel a bit more forced in this book. The main issue for me, I think, was that the climax of the plot seemed to just...drag? It was a great story with a good concept, and very well written, but it did feel like it was drawn out as much as possible just to fill the pages.
This being said, I did enjoy the book and am really glad I did, but it sadly didn't hold up to my love of The Martian. Still, not every book can be a winner!
Book 11 done!Book 11: Room, Emma Donoghue
Rating: 4/5. Wow, this was a book and a half. This is one of the rare instances where I've seen the film before reading the book, so I didn't know how it would compare to the film - luckily, it's been quite a while since I've seen the film, so although I knew the gist of the plot, I'd forgotten the specific details. Anyway, as good as the film is, it unsurprisingly doesn't compare to the book at all. I only read for three 30-minute intervals each day, but even so I devoured this book in just under two days - it was so gripping. I loved how the book was from the perspective of Jack, the young boy, as opposed to his mother or simply third-person. The style of writing was incredibly immersive, and allowed you to become very emotional invested in - and connected to - the characters and their well-being. I liked the lack of conventional chapters, and felt that the story flowed really well. It was an easy read on the whole, though of course because it was written from the view of a 5 year old it sometimes took a while to really get what was being referred to, but this just added to the immersive effect of the book.
Overall, I really liked this book, and I'm glad I finally got round to reading it.
Book 12 finished!Book 12: Candor, Pam Bachorz
Rating:2/5. I'm sad to say that this book just wasn't for me. It had all the makings of a book I should like, and I really do love the concept, but all in all it just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't like the writing style, and I'm afraid I found the characters rather annoying and very one-dimensional. In fact, I found myself reading the book just so I could finish it, not because I was enjoying it - I even came really close to calling it quits and stop reading all together. I powered through but I have to say, I was really dissapointed by this book.
Still, onwards and upwards, and here's hoping my next read is better!
Awesome job so far keep it up!
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Candor (other topics)Room (other topics)
Artemis (other topics)
Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (other topics)
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages (other topics)
More...
I might read more (let's face it, I probably will), or I might read less, but I'm going to give it a go and see where it takes me.