2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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A Better World - 2021
5/12Read a book about a unique parent-child relationship. Home Before Dark
I would say, based on the ending, that this is a unique parent-child relationship. Very few relationships contain a secret like that.
message 23
6/12message 23
Read a book in which a community works together to improve its quality of life. When Silence Sings
Updated msg #59:Update goal from 20 to 36.
15/36
7/12message 23
Read a book with a house on its cover.
Update msg #388/30
I've read
Book about something you would like to learn more about - Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures - an absolutely fascinating book about fungi and the interaction of all life. Fungi are such a thrilling subject. I learned a lot new things.
Book about marriage - Their Eyes Were Watching God - a black woman in the 30ies tries to find her own independence over three marriages. Very good!
Book about sustainability - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants - the perfect mix of science and poetry. Leaves me with the distinct feelilng that we could save the planet if everybody would just follow the author's wisdom. Deeply touching and higly recommended.
Book set in another country than my home country - Black Beach - set in the West Indies. A YA book about growing up on an island where the population is utterly dependent on the changes climate polution brings.
I'm usually no fan of YA books, but this one was a good one.
Update to message 40:Read a book for a Buddy Read, TBR Twin, or Group Read activity. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Progress: 1/13
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for relaxing book - I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel. This was one of my favorite gifts from the holidays. Not only did my mom bravely buy me a book (with how fast i read, most people don’t take the chance understandably), she got a signed copy from my favorite podcast host. Reading this book was a joy! Written by a reader for readers, I enjoyed taking the essays one at a time. I laughed, cried, and most importantly, wanted to read more! Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
15/30
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for recommended by friend - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. This was not the best timing for me to read this book. I didn’t have the patience for slow plot and beautiful prose. But this book slowly grew on me. I began to love the characters and delight in this captured world the author created in within the chaos of history. And I ended up loving this book entirely! “By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” “[T]he tenure of friendships have never been governed by the passage of time.” Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
16/30
Update to #16. 8/36 read.
Updated message 89 Added 3 books
Progress 8/36
Updated message 24-- 4/36A book where the female character does not enter into a romantic relationship-- Dying to Retire
Update to message #55--10/36. Also my Goodreads name is now Jennifer MA Better You
1 A Heart Revealed
4 Miss Wilton's Waltz
A Better Home
1Clockwork Angel
5 The Ordinary Princess
6 The Lost Lieutenant
7 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A Better Community
4 Coraline
A Better World
5 Pride and Pyramids
8 The Vicar's Daughter
9 Anna Karenina
Update msg 934/30
A Better You
✔Read a book with a character who shares a trait with you that you once (or still do) considered a flaw, or a book that discusses body positivity.
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory 1/18/21
A Better Community
✔Read a book for a ... Group Read activity.
Murder on a Silver Platter by Shawn Reilly Simmons 1/10/21
A Better World
✔Read a book about sustainability or characters that strive to preserve nature.
The Saddlemaker's Wife by Earlene Fowler 1/02/21
✔Read a book about freedom in any sense of the word.
The Diva Sweetens the Pie by Krista Davis 1/31/21
Welcome to Nell and Catka! You are all doing great updated to 126!
update msg 94: 7/25Read a family saga spanning at least three generations. - Osmý život (The Eighth Life) by Nino Haratischwili
update msg 948/25
Read a book with a character who shares a trait with you that you once (or still do) considered a flaw, or a book that discusses body positivity. Just Like You by Nick Hornby
Updated message 89 Read 1 more book
Progress 9/36
Update to Msg 6: I've read 5/36 books for this challenge to date.
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for book featuring siblings - The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin. I really enjoyed this book! The fast pace captured my imagination and kept me turning pages. The descriptions of the characters were heart-breaking and courageous too. I appreciated that the story wasn’t entirely white-washed. Don’t miss the authors note at the end! My one issue was that there was a little tint of moral conservatism in the portrayal. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
17/30
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for group read - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This is a beautifully written book. The setting comes to life. The characters are well-crafted and perfect in their imperfections. “We are allowed to do that, are we not Mabel? To invent our own endings and choose joy over sorrow?” I just felt a bit disconnected towards the end. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
18/30
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for teamwork - Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Wow, that was a heart-warming, conscious-raising delight of a book! Her first book in this series was entertaining, but this one was really good! Confronting issues of toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, and the patriarchy all the while having moments of love and humor is not an easy task, but this book accomplishes all of that. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
19/30
Updated message 40:Read a book with “World” or “Earth” in the title. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Progress: 2/13
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for current global issue - Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. This one lived up to all the hype and then some. I really hope america is closer now to being like this book. The characters were fantastic, I loved all the relationships, and every interaction. Definitely worth reading! 5 stars
20/30
update msg 94: 10/25
Read a book about freedom in any sense of the word. - Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Updated msg 11Just completed prompt for different culture/religion - The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. I love learning about new things, cultures, customs! And this book is a pure treat! The characters were well-developed. I appreciate that the author explained the culture, and I’m sure many Americans found it very accessible. But it was almost too easy. That didn’t hurt my enjoyment of the story - I didn’t want it to end. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
21/30
Kim wrote: "A Better World ChallengeDuration: 01/01/21-12/31/21
Progress: 25/25
A Better You
1. Read a book with a character who shares a trait with you that you once (or still do) considered a flaw
[book:It..."
Congrats
updated to 150! You are all doing great.
Updating message #9 2/20
Read a book on a topic that is new to you. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster DONE
11/12message 23
Read a book featuring a protagonist who's compassionate. Virgin River
Read a book involving efforts toward peaceful reconciliation. The Survivors
update to mgs. #48: progress so far: 22/36
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2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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4/36
Set in another country than your own home-
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia