2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2015
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Kadijah's 2015 Reading Challenge - 50 Books, wait no, now 65!
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So I finished Wide Sargasso Sea on January 10.If you are a Jane Eyre fan, and are interested in retellings, this is a good one because the book is a classic in its own right.
I finished The Hobbit January 11. I can keep up with multiple books at a time if I approach them differently. Wide Sargasso Sea was a paperback, and The Hobbit was on audible.
Good luck with your reading challenge! You're off to a great start, with several books in one week. What did you think of The Hobbit on audiobook? I don't listen to audiobooks, but that seems like one that would be really good to listen to.
I really liked it. The guy did all the voices and even sang the songs. Plus, he was British. Audio books with British readers are the best, but that could be because I'm a sucker for the accent. I decided to listen to The Book of Strange New Things for that reason
Last night I finished Jane Eyre's Husband - The Life of Edward Rochester. It was a monster read, but well worth the 12 days I spent reading it.
That's so cool! I love British accents as well.
Yesterday I finished UnEnchanted in the morning, and was very pleased with the story. I started The Complete Maus last night as part of my bedtime routine. It was so captivating, I read the whole book last night!
It took me a little longer than I thought it would (mostly because the middle was kinda boring), but I finished The Lost Symbol today.
American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System is a very factual book about the failures of the mental health system. A must read for those who are having trouble finding care.
Woo hoo! Finished #10, Orange Is the New Black, and I'm feeling like im going to blow my goal away! Maybe because the main character in this book was a big reader.
Finished #'s 11 and 12 the last couple of days. I could have lived without reading The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, but I really enjoyed listening to Mary Poppins.
It's been awhile since I posted. It's been a busy month, and Fall of Giants was a monster read. I'm glad I came into March ahead. The other book I recently finished, The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us was a book worth reading for sure.
The Silver Linings Playbook far exceeded my expectations! I loved that it was so different from the movie, which was surprising because usually that irritates me when they change the story.
I've been busy the last few days. I finished The Good Earth, which was fantastic. I read Sarah, Plain and Tall because my daughter is going to write a book report on it, and I finished The Ideal Muslimah: The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah, a book I spent months reading because each lesson needed reflected on.
Would you say that The Ideal Muslimah: The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah would be a good book for a non-Muslim to understand the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah as they pertain to women, or would you recommend it only for practicing Muslimahs?
Kadijah Michelle wrote: "The other book I recently finished, The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us was a book worth reading for sure."Have you read The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson? Another interesting book on the topic of sociopaths.
Cassandra wrote: "Would you say that The Ideal Muslimah: The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah would be a good book for a non-Muslim to understand the tea..."I would recommend it only to practicing Muslims. There is a lot of terms and ideas that would only make sense to someone that has read other books of fiqh (if you don't know what fiqh means, this isn't the book for you).
I am happy to recommend some books for non-Muslims that would be much easier to understand.
1. What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam
2. No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam
3. In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom
These three books are all wonderful, and give great explanations of what the Qur'an and Sunnah say about women.
Shannon Noel wrote: "Kadijah Michelle wrote: "The other book I recently finished, The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us was a book worth reading for sure."Have you read [book:The Psychopath Test..."
It is on my TBR list. I plan on listening to it on Audible. Have you heard Jon Rosen's voice? It goes perfectly with the subject.
Finished The Color Purple and Pride and Prejudice. All I can say is wow. I'm only 22 books into my reading challenge for the year, and I have to say this is my best year ever for reading. I have read the most amazing books.
Thank you for the recommendations, Kadijah! I've always had a great respect for Islam but only a very basic knowledge of its teachings. I look forward to working toward a deeper understanding.
Just finished Yes Please, and it was amazing. It was a Goodreads/Audible recommendation, and let me tell you. They got it just right with this one. (please see my full review for all my gushing)
Half way through my goal!!!!!!!!! Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking got me there. I was a good book, a solid 4 stars.
I have a deep belief in my faith, so I am slowly digesting books about Islam. Patience and Gratitude: An abridged translation of ʿUddat as-Sabirin wa dhakhirat ash-shakirin was only 83 pages, but I read each section and reflected. As for Till We Have Faces, it was wonderful.
So I increase my goal, and then I hit a rut. Figures right. I think it's just that things are wrapping up at school, and I've been busy with that. Still, I finished Between Sisters, Svp! and The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry. The former needs a lot of work before I can recommend it to others, like a professional editor. The latter was pretty good.
Don't give up! We all hit ruts sometimes. :) Once school fades away, you'll be reading extensively again in no time.
I second what Jackie said. It's completely normal to get wrapped up in end-of-year stuff, but I bet you'll be back to reading plenty once it's over. Don't stress about your reading challenge on top of everything else!
Kadijah Michelle wrote: "Listened to The Marriage Bargain. It was just the kind of smutty romance I love."Perfect! Just find your book-zen spot and reset. That's the right idea... and that means I need to follow your lead. Fantasy-based YA, here I come. :)
Jackie B. wrote: "Kadijah Michelle wrote: "Listened to The Marriage Bargain. It was just the kind of smutty romance I love."Perfect! Just find your book-zen spot and reset. That's the right idea....."
Then I read The Haunting of a Duke which I thought was just going to be more smut (just look at the cover), and found myself pleasantly surprised to be reading something with depth. Reading grove is back on!
I read Esio Trot because my daughter told me it was one of her favorites (my 8 year old reads more than I do, and is very advanced, so I like to check in to make sure she's not reading the same smut as her mother). I was very disappointed, and now I have to have a conversation about how immoral this book is. Why Roald Dahl, why?
So, my summer reading has revolved around my 8 year old, and teaching her how to write. Therefore, my only two books in the last month have been hers: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights. Both classics for children and adults. I am happy to say I have started reading on my own again thanks to my buddy read.Oh, and now I'm more than half way through my new goal.
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself was an interesting listen. I'm back on track to finish up 2015 strong.
Just finished my first Stephen King novel, Firestarter. I thought it was good and liked how the story is still relevant even though the book is 35 years old.
Sakoon was a book recommended to me on Amazon, and I choose to read it because I liked the title. I'm happy that I did because while the beginning is a bit slow, this book is really good, and the second half is amazing.
I finished reading The War of the Worlds. It was ok. The author mentioned too many London neighborhoods and small towns that it was hard to keep up.
Nurturing Eeman in Children was just what I what expecting. A nice introduction on how to help my children love the faith.
I finished The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared while at the beach, and it was so enjoyable. Then I read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret because it was short, and the Popsugar challenge asked me to read a book from my childhood. Finally, I read Freedom Fighter : A Novelette because it was downloaded on my Kindle, and I kept reading good reviews about it. This story (which I'm counting as a half book) was much better than her Between Sisters, Svp!.
So I'm ashamed to admit it, but I just finished Grey. For anyone who has read the series, and has any literary sense, knows that this is was solely a guilty pleasure on my part.
After reading [book:Casino Royale|3758, I now know I could go the rest of my life without ever touching another Bond book.
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Casino Royale (other topics)Grey (other topics)
Grey (other topics)
The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (other topics)
Freedom Fighter (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen King (other topics)Roald Dahl (other topics)
#1. Wide Sargasso Sea
#2. The Hobbit
#3. Jane Eyre's Husband - The Life of Edward Rochester
#4. Hooked on Murder
#5. UnEnchanted
#6. The Complete Maus
#7. The Lost Symbol
#8. American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System
#9. Fahrenheit 451
#10. Orange Is the New Black
#11. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
#12. Mary Poppins
#13. The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us
#14. Fall of Giants
#15. The Silver Linings Playbook
#16. The Girl on the Train
#17. To Kill a Mockingbird
#18. The Good Earth
#19. Sarah, Plain and Tall
#20. The Ideal Muslimah: The True Islamic Personality of the Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah
#21. The Color Purple
#22. Pride and Prejudice
#23. Yes Please
#24. The Bell Jar
#25. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
#26. Patience and Gratitude: An abridged translation of ʿUddat as-Sabirin wa dhakhirat ash-shakirin
#27. Till We Have Faces
#28. Between Sisters, Svp!
#29. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
#30. The Marriage Bargain
#31. The Haunting of a Duke
#32. Esio Trot
#33. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
#34. Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights
#35. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself
#36. Firestarter
#37. Sakoon
#38. The War of the Worlds
#39. Nurturing Eeman in Children
#40. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
#41. The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
#42. Grey
#43. Casino Royale
#.5 Freedom Fighter : A Novelette