2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2021
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Lara Loves a Challenge - 2021 ed
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Monthly Totals To help track my progress
Jan: 68 books
49 booksFeb: 42 books
12 graphic novels
7 picture books
27 booksMar: 44 books
1 graphic novels
14 picture books
34 booksApr: 54 books
2 graphic novels
8 picture books
41 booksMay: 38 books
6 graphic novels
7 picture books
32 booksJun: 30 books
1 graphic novels
5 picture books
14 booksJul: 66 books
5 graphic novels
11 picture books
37 booksAug: 35 books
21 graphic novels
8 picture books
27 booksSep: 35 books
8 graphic novels
0 picture books
16 booksOct: 22 books
11 graphic novels
8 picture books
11 booksNov: 75 books
7 graphic novels
4 picture books
30 booksDec:
11 graphic novels
34 picture books
books
graphic novel
picture books
Total Books: 318
Total Graphic Novels: 85
Total Picture Books: 106
Grand Total : 509
A-Z Challenge Read a book beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Will try to count as few picture books as possible - read way too many of those for this to be a challenge otherwise!
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Historical Romance Series ChallengeGoal: Addictive
Another personal challenge through another group. Complete the sets! I'm not holding myself to just 2021 for this one. It's an ongoing one for me year to year, as I aim to finish up a few series (and probably reread a number of books in the process!)
Series: Bedwyn Saga - Mary Balogh (9 books, including side works)
Have read 2/9
0.5 One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequel 1)
(Bedwyn Prequel 2) - read Oct 20171 Slightly Married
- read Apr 20173 Slightly Scandalous
4 Slightly Tempted
5 Slightly Sinful
6 Slightly Dangerous
6.5 Once Upon A Dream
Series: Mistress Series - Mary Balogh (4 books, including side work)
1 More Than a Mistress
2 No Man's Mistress
2.5 Now a Bride
3 The Secret Mistress
Series: Huxtable Quintet - Mary Balogh (5 books)
1 First Comes Marriage
2 Then Comes Seduction
3 At Last Comes Love
4 Seducing an Angel
5 A Secret Affair
Series: Emersons - Maureen Driscoll (6 books)
Reread the Kellington series from Maureen Driscoll last year too, so now on to the Emersons!
1 Always Come Home
2 Always True to Her
3 Always Have Hope
4 Always Believe in Love
5 Always Forever
6 Never and Always
Series: Secret Lives - Colleen Connally (3 books)
- read Mar 20182 Broken Legacy
3 Seductive Lies
Series: The Dukes of War - Erica Ridley (8 novellas)
- reread Jul 2018
- reread Jul 2018
- read Jul 2018
- reread Sep 20185 The Brigadier's Runaway Bride
6 The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway
7 The Duke's Accidental Wife
8 All I Want
Series: Cynfell Brothers - Samantha Holt (7 novellas)
- read Oct 2018
- read Nov 20183 Sinful Liaisons
4 Sinful Cravings
5 Sinful Possession
6 Sinful Temptations
7 Sinful Secrets
Series: Waltz with a Rogue / The Honorable Rogues - Collette Cameron (6 novellas)
- read May 20212 A Bride for a Rogue: A Historical Regency Romance
3 A Rogue's Scandalous Wish
4 To Capture a Rogue's Heart
5 The Rogue and the Wallflower
6 A Rose for a Rogue
More series to be added as I think of them, but these should get me started!
Finish the Series ChallengeLike the challenge above, this one's about completing the sets! It's a personal challenge, to help me focus my way through all of those many, many series I'm dabbling in. Some of these have been started in previous years, and I want to reach the ending. Here goes!
Dragon Kin - G.A. Aiken
Last Dragon Standing
The Dragon Who Loved Me
How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Light My Fire
Feel the Burn
Bring the Heat
Parasol Protctorate, et al - Gail Carriger
Heartless
Timeless
Etiquette & Espionage
Curtsies & Conspiracies
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Manners & Mutiny
Prudence
Imprudence
Competence
Reticence
Daevabad Trilogy - SA Chakraborty
The City of Brass
The Kingdom of Copper
The Empire of Gold
Protection Inc - Zoe Chant
Colewood MT - Kim Fox
The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Shadow Walkers - Cynthia Luhrs
Court of Thorns & Roses - Sarah J Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Wings and Ruin
A Court of Frost and Starlight
A Court of Silver Flames
Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Fairest
Winter
Stars Above
Wires and Nerve
Wires and Nerve, Volume 2: Gone Rogue
Librarian's Vampire Assistant - Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
The Librarian's Vampire Assistant 2
The Librarian's Vampire Assistant, Book 3
The Librarian's Vampire Assistant, Book 4
The Librarian's Vampire Assistant, Book 5
The DeLuca Family - Amy Reece
Jackaby - William Ritter
The Dire King
The Map
Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir
An Ember in the Ashes
A Torch Against the Night
A Reaper at the Gates
A Sky Beyond the Storm
A Thief Among the Trees
Quasar Lineage - Pearl Tate
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia C. Wrede
Searching for Dragons
Calling on Dragons
Talking to Dragons
One of my favorite challenges over the last few years - reading based on cover colors. This appeals to my quirky sense of humor - what librarian hasn't had the "I can't remember the title but the cover was blue" sort of question?1. White (or ivory, cream, bone, etc...)
2. Pink (rose, magenta, salmon, etc...)
3. Red (maroon, brick, scarlet, etc...)
4. Orange (apricot, ginger, carrot, etc...)
5. Yellow (blond, chartreuse, canary, etc...)
6. Green (sage, lime, jade, etc...)
7. Light Blue (teal, sky, cerulean, etc...)
8. Dark Blue (indigo, denim, navy, etc...)
9. Purple (lavender, plum, orchid, etc...)
10. Brown (tan, mahogany, coffee, etc...)
11. Black (grey, slate, coal, etc...)
12. A Metallic color (gold, silver, bronze, etc...)
13. A book with at least 5 colors on the cover
14. A book with a color in the title
15. A book with a word describing colors in the title
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2021A challenge I've included to help break me out of my usual ruts. Some of these are actually pretty challenging!
For more information: Book Riot
Read a book you’ve been intimidated to read
Read a nonfiction book about anti-racism
Read a non-European novel in translation
Read an LGBTQ+ history book
Read a genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author
Read a fanfic
Read a fat-positive romance
Read a romance by a trans or nonbinary author
Read a middle grade mystery
Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color
Read a food memoir by an author of color
Read a work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color
Read a book with a cover you don’t like
Read a realistic YA book not set in the U.S., UK, or Canada
Read a memoir by a Latinx author
Read an own voices book about disability
Read an own voices YA book with a Black main character that isn’t about Black pain
Read a book by/about a non-Western world leader
Read a historical fiction with a POC or LGBTQ+ protagonist
Read a book of nature poems
Read a children’s book that centers a disabled character but not their disability
Read a book set in the Midwest
Read a book that demystifies a common mental illness
Read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn’t die
Found this one last year and loved it. Worth a repeat!MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
GoodReads 2020 Challenge Group
1. Janus - Roman god of beginnings and transitions.
Read a book set in Italy, or a book with a character that starts out on a fresh beginning.
2. Fenghuang - Chinese bird, also known as the Chinese Phoenix, is a mythical bird that signifies high virtue and grace.
Read a book set in China, or a book featuring a character full of grace and virtue.
3. Brownie- Scottish mythical creature that inhabits houses and aids in tasks.
Read a book set in Scotland, or a book featuring a character that does work that is unseen.
4. Enenra - Japanese smoke creature. It inhabits bonfires and legend says can only be seen by the pure of heart.
Read a book set in Japan, or a book with a pure-hearted character.
5. Cyclops - Greek mythical one-eyed giants.
Read a book based on a Greek tragedy or a book featuring a short-sighted character.
6. Lang suir - Malaysian ghost of a woman who died in childbirth.
Read a book from Southeast Asia, or a book featuring a character who dies from a broken heart.
7. Finnish water spirit who will capture unmindful children.
Read a book set in the Nordic countries, or a book about a captured child.
8. Hippogriff - European medieval beast that is half eagle and half horse, known for being extremely fast and able to fly long distances.
Read a book about medieval Europe, or a book featuring a character who flies.
9. Wandjina - Australian aboriginal wind and cloud spirits.
Read a book set in Oceania, or a book featuring an important weather event.
10. Jumbee - Caribbean malevolent entities.
Read a book set in the Caribbean, or a book featuring a malevolent character
11. Deer Woman - a half-deer half-woman creature in Native American lore.
Read a book that features a Native American protagonist or a forest setting.
12. Anansi - trickster spider.
Read a book set in Africa or one in which one or more insects play a conspicuous (but not necessarily major) role.
13. Encantado - shapeshifting dolphin in Brazilian myth.
Read a book set in South America or about any type of metamorphosis.
14. Leprechaun
Read a book with a green cover, a book set in Ireland, or about a character who experiences very good luck.
15. Merfolk
Read a book that features a mermaid or takes place at sea.
16. Nightmare
Read a book in which dreaming or dreams play a central role, or a book which features horses.
17. Phoenix
Read a book about rebirth, or a book that features fire (because a phoenix rises from the flames).
18. Nine-tailed fox - a magical fox with nine tails that appears in East Asian legend.
Read a book about foxes or read a manga (because the epononymous Naruto manga stars a ninja who transforms into a nine-tailed fox).
19. Baba Yaga - a supernatural being in Russian fairy tales who appears as a fearsome old woman.
Read a book set in Russia or a book featuring a witch.
20. Shahbaz - a fabled bird in ancient Persian mythology.
Read a book set in Western Asia or that takes place in a desert region.
Some of my favorite ideas from past challenges (PopSugar, BookRiot, Modern Mrs. Darcy, etc)A book published before you were born.
A book published the decade you were born
A book published prior to January 1, 2020, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads
An epistolary novel or collection of letters
A children’s or middle grade book (not YA) that has won a diversity award since 2009
A book by a woman and/or AOC that won a literary award in the last 5 years
A book by an AOC set in or about space
An historical romance by an AOC
A book in translation
A translated book written by and/or translated by a woman
A book in which an animal or inanimate object is a point-of-view character
A book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse
A book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
A cozy mystery
A mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman
A book of mythology or folklore
A novel by a trans or nonbinary author
A book of true crime
note to self: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, In Cold Blood
A book of nonviolent true crime
note to self: Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
A book written in prison
A graphic memoir.
A comic by an LGBTQIA creator
A comic written or drawn by a person of color
A book you've been meaning to read.
A classic you didn’t read in school
An assigned book you hated (or never finished)
A book about a topic that fascinates you.
A book you chose for the cover.
A book with a cover you hate
A book published posthumously
A classic of genre fiction (i.e. mystery, sci fi/fantasy, romance)
A book of colonial or postcolonial literature
A book of social science
The first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade series
A sci fi novel with a female protagonist by a female author
A book of genre fiction in translation
A book with a female protagonist over the age of 60
A YA nonfiction book
A retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color
note to self: Mycroft Holmes
A book about a natural disaster
A historical fiction novel not set in WWII
The LAST book in a series
A debut novel
A debut novel by a queer author
A memoir by someone from a religious tradition (or lack of religious tradition) that is not your own
A book about climate change
A doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman
A sci-fi/fantasy novella (under 120 pages)
A picture book with a human main character from a marginalized community
A book by or about a refugee
A middle grade book that doesn’t take place in the U.S. or the UK
A book recommended by a source you trust
A book by a local author
A book outside your (genre) comfort zone
A book nominated for an award in 2020
Three Books by the Same Author A - MGA Aiken
Kate Ballenger
Elva Birch
Keira Blackwood
Dez Burke
Collette Cameron
Julie Capulet
Lindsey Craig
S Doyle
Lola Gabriel
Geri Glenn
Tamara Grantham
Hope Hart
Ben Hatke
Sara L Hudson
Willow James
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Jon Klassen
Shelly Laurenston
Stacey Lynn
Ilsa Madden-Mills
Annette Marie
Kele Moon
Three Books by the Same Author N-ZSara Ney
Annie Nicholas
Moxie North
Rochelle Paige
Ginger Ring
May Sage
Sapkowski
Esther E Schmidt
Jessie Sima
Lemony Snicket
Nicole Snow
Charissa Statsny
Harley Stone
Rex Stout
R.H. Tucker
Vanessa Vale
Ed Vere
Anastasia Wilde
A variation on the Round The World reading challenge from the EVERYONE Has Read This But Me group. I'm not as picky about the order that "travel" is happening; I'm just looking to see if I can read in more state and more countries than I might normally do without consciously making the effort. Not going to list every book per country/state, either - just the first one that checks it off. Here we go!US
https://douwe.com/projects/visited?re...
visited 32 states (64%)
AK - The Dragon Prince of Alaska
AZ - The Billionaire's High School Reunion
CA - King of Nothing
CO - Hard Landing
FL - Dead Eye
GA - Kiss Kiss Fang Fang
ID - White Wolf Mate
IL - Vampires Drink Tomato Juice
IN - Broken Hollywood
IA - The Studying Hours
KY - Defying the Odds
LA - Wild Lilies
MD - A Numbers Game
MA - Hard on the Heart
MI - Snow Plowed
MN - My Cover Model
MS - Make You Feel My Love
MT - No Perfect Hero
NV - Ruthless
NH - Better With You
NM - Watch Over
NY - Fer-de-Lance
NC - The Sweater Next Door
OH - Where You Can Find Me
OR - Sleigh Bells Ring in Romance
PA - The Perfect First
SC - Catching Him
TN - Making Her Mine
TX - Enemies
WA - Bearly Cooking
WV - Fear Inc Volume 1
WI - Madison's Mobster
THE WORLD
https://douwe.com/projects/visited?re...
visited 9 countries (4%)
Australia - Playing by Her Rules
Brazil - The Old Man and the Penguin
Canada - White Bonds
England - Always the Wallflower
Germany - Lotte's Magical Paper Puppets
Japan - Ushio to Tora series うしおととら 第1巻 ワイド版
New Zealand - Rock Hard
Russia - Vasilisa the Beautiful: A Russian Folktale
US - Growling For My Mate
ONE WORD CHALLENGEThis was one of the March Challenges for the 2021 GoodReads Challenge Group, highlighting books with one-word titles. No, I'm not counting "The" or any other article - truly just one word! Harder than you think!
Act
Axel
Balor
Bossy
Branded
Camp
Carl
Cash
Chase
Claimed
Click
Cole
Corban
Cyrus
Delicate
Dixon
Dreamthief
Dude!
Duncan
Enemies
Estranged
Fer-de-Lance
Grinder
Gunner
Hardball
Holiday!
Irwin
Jace
Jane
Jeremy
Liberated
Link
Maniac
#Nerd
Nickel
Obsessed
Oona
Pierced
Pipe
Pooh
Richard
Rough
Ruthless
Ryker
Sheepish
Snapdragon
Snowballs
Stephan
Sulwe
Taken
Tease
Vampenguin
Vex
Wannabees
Wicked
Wrax
JANUARY SUMMARYBooks: 49
Graphic Novels: 12
Picture Books: 7
Total Titles: 68
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
None really this month
FEBRUARY SUMMARYBooks: 27
Graphic Novels: 1
Picture Books: 14
Total Titles: 42
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
Catch Up Book Club
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
GoodReads Challenge Group
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(yes, it counted for multiple groups)
MARCH SUMMARYBooks: 34
Graphic Novels: 2
Picture Books: 8
Total Titles: 44
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
none finished this month, but a few almost - expect April to have quite a list!
APRIL SUMMARYBooks: 41
Graphic Novels: 6
Picture Books: 7
Total Titles: 54
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
none finished this month, but a few almost - I really need to get my book focus back and finish some of these!
MAY SUMMARYBooks: 32
Graphic Novels: 1
Picture Books: 5
Total Titles: 38
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
GoodReads Book of the Month Challenge
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
JUNE SUMMARYBooks: 14
Graphic Novels: 5
Picture Books: 11
Total Titles: 30
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
none finished this month, but trying to get there...
JULY SUMMARYBooks: 37
Graphic Novels: 21
Picture Books: 8
Total Titles: 66
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
keep getting distracted by off-list books!
AUGUST SUMMARYBooks: 27
Graphic Novels: 8
Picture Books: 0
Total Titles: 35
BOOK CLUB/BOTM READS
Addicted to YA
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Love Is Blind (other topics)We Are Water Protectors (other topics)
Cash (other topics)
Axel (other topics)
Grinder (other topics)
More...
I'm a public services librarian, so I read. A lot. Each of the last two years, I broke 800 titles.
Most of my reading is picture books and mid-grade, because of work, but I always have a Kindle book on the go, an audiobook or two for my commute and for working out, and a physical book or two to top it off. It adds up.
For 2021, I'm starting out aiming to break at least 520 - 10 books per week. I'll adjust my goal again as needed (same as the last few years). My bigger goals, more than just the numbers, are to read new books (breaking out of my usual ruts), and write more reviews (I'm hoping to break 2000 total - maybe 2021?). I always look forward to the monthly challenges, etc. here to help with that.
Some of these challenges here are from other GR groups I'm in, but I like the centralized Challenge Hub I've got going here.