2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Megan's 120 reads in 2022
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One hundredth book in 2022 - The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope. I really enjoyed the setting, history, and magical realism presented in this book! I did not know about the 1919 riots in DC, and I love learning about new events to explore further. I liked the world created and the incorporation of historical figures. I love that the MC is loosely based on a real person! My only critique is that at times the MC’a reactions seemed out of character with the way she presented. Overall, really interesting! I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Worth reading! 4 starsChallenges: Diversity, Haunted
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice
One hundred first book in 2022 - Seduce Me, If You Dare by Alyssa Clarke. Light and fun, good brain candy book. I didn’t get as connected to the characters as in the previous books in the collection, but it’s definitely got some spicy scenes. Worth reading! 3.5 starsPersonal challenges: Personal serial, Ripped Bodice summer bingo
One hundred second book in 2022 - The Proud Breed by Celeste De Blasis. I finally finished this book! I feel like I watched ten seasons of a soap opera or read two outlanders, all contained within this one very thick mass market paperback. That being said, I enjoyed the book overall. Surprised at how progressive some of the ideas were for a romance written in the 70s. Still dated in use of terms and some concepts, but overall much better than I expected! I really enjoyed the history of California included! “Voices of moderation were so often drowned by those more strident.” The characters were complex and interesting. “She felt as if she were poised and waiting for the next blow, unable to deal fully with what had already happened let it make her less capable to face new threats.” “I get too far away from books and strange symptoms appear.” It definitely either should have been edited or separated into two volumes. 3.5 stars
One hundred third book in 2022 - Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor. The plot twists and dances with surprise in this book! I love the author’s writing. She has compassion for her characters while also realizing they need flaws. I really like how she’s bringing Sunny’s brothers into the story as well. Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Haunted, Trust
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred fourth book in 2022 - Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor. This author thinks on another level! Good writing and character development are things I expect from the author. I also expect the unexpected, and I was not disappointed. I want to re-read this in the future when my life is less stressful - the images drawn might make more sense then. Whole series is definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Trust
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice, Personal serial
One hundred fifth book in 2022 - Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. It’s going to take me awhile to unpack this book. So good! “It was bad enough being a Black man in the good ol’ US of A and talking to the cops. You always felt like you were on the edge of some imaginary precipice during any interaction with an officer of the law. If you were an ex-con, it felt like the precipice was covered in bacon grease.” The writing is excellent! The characters are complex and making tough choices and going through evolution on the page. Just brilliant! “love is a kind of crazy.” So much truth in this book! Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Trust
Personal challenges: WPB Women’s Book club
One hundred sixth read in 2022 - A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. I respect what this author sought to achieve in this novel. Where I loved the innovation of Life After Life, that felt lacking in this book. The writing was good, but the plot jumped and meandered. Not my favorite of hers, but still a fine effort. 3.5 starsChallenges: CTS, TBR, Diversity
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred seventh book in 2022 - The Mislaid Magician; or, Ten Years After by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I really appreciated that this final novel in the trilogy returned to the epistolary format I loved in the first book. However, like the second book this was too long and would have benefitted from editing. Overall, glad I read the trilogy. 3.5 starsChallenges: CTS, Haunted
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred eighth book in 2022 - What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster. I appreciate the author’s effort and what she tried to accomplish. I liked that her characters were complex, and that she didn’t seek to fix everything for them. However the alternating timelines and character perspectives was distracting and was not done seamlessly. I guessed the twist well before it happened. I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. 3 starsChallenges: Diversity, Trust
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice
One hundred ninth book in 2022 - Before the Dawn by Beverly Jenkins. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Loved the setting, and as usual with this author, I learned more history and added to my knowledge. The main characters were a harder match in this novel, but the relationship arc was interesting. My only criticism was that perspectives shift often with a few sentences of each other, which sometimes made the through line difficult to maintain. Worth reading! 4 starsChallenges: Diversity
One hundred tenth book in 2022 - The Hope Chest by Viola Shipman. Lots of schmaltz and surface emotions. The women are written as saints who quietly perfect strength during struggle with no greater ambition than marriage and children with a career on the side. No depth in the characters or writing. I skimmed towards the end. Not one I would recommend. 2.5 stars
One hundredth eleventh book in 2022 - Always and Forever by Beverly Jenkins. It’s Grace and Jackson’s story!! Loved it! I truly appreciate that the author bases her stories in history, but she never writes cookie-cutter characters. Each character is as unique as a real person, with issues, biases, and wonderful traits, which makes her books such a delight. I loved the characters in this book! And the plot was riveting. Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: Diversity
One hundredth twelfth book in 2022 - Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby. Audio read by author and includes clips from the special - produced well! So many important topics covered. However, I had a hard time listening to the end - it was a bit long and also my mindset at the time. Gadsby is brilliant, and I really appreciate her perspective! 4.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, out of comfort, moonstruck
Personal challenges: Book adaptations, 2022 GR Choice
One hundred thirteenth book in 2022 - Madam by Phoebe Wynne. Dark academia meets gothic mystery in this well-written story! I really enjoyed the slow-building unease and liked the resolution. The characters weren’t perfect, but that was ok. I wish the main character had been developed a bit more. Really good debut! 4.5 starsChallenges: PopSugar, Diversity, out of comfort, Moonstruck
One hundred fourteenth book in 2022 - The Emma Project by Sonali Dev. Love this series and how the author can weave heart, humor, and healing into a beautiful story. This one took me a bit to connect with the main characters. But I really appreciated the side love story as well. Definitely read the whole series! 4 starsChallenges: Diversity
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice, Personal serial
One hundred fifteenth book in 2022 - Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. These are well-written short stories! I enjoyed the exploration of issues and characters. However, the end of each story left me unsettled and wanting more of a conclusion. Worth reading! 3.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Out of comfort, moonstruck
One hundred sixteenth book in 2022 - The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. Overall, I thought this was well-done. I liked some of the characters and the exploration of the post-war time period. I felt that the author was trying so hard, and the writing felt overworked at points. I don’t need everything to be spelled out, but don’t work so hard to not spell it out that it’s obvious. Looking forward to more from this author in the future. Worth reading! 4 starsChallenges: Diversity, Out of comfort
Personal challenges: WPB Women’s Bookclub
One hundred seventeenth book in 2022 - Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Another fantastic book by this author! I could care less about tennis, and I still found it riveting. I loved her characterization of Carrie! I loved all the characters in the book and how they interacted with her. The transcripts of the news reports were fascinating and quite true to coverage in the 90s and still today. My only quibble is that while I’m articles, the author acknowledges assistance in writing her characters of color and with the Spanish included in the narrative, she doesn’t really acknowledge that at the end in her author’s note. Slight continuity issues as well. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: Out of comfort
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice
One hundred eighteenth book in 2022 -Witchmark by C.L. Polk. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I love the world the author created! However, I did feel dumped in at the beginning and it took me a good quarter to figure out what was going on. Loved the two main characters. Closed door romance. Definitely worth reading! 4 starsChallenges: CTS, Diversity, Out of comfort, moonstruck
Personal challenges: 2022 Book adaptations, Personal serial
One hundred nineteenth book in 2022 - Stormsong by C.L. Polk. I enjoyed this second book in the trilogy. I liked the progression of the characters! However, a little editing would have helped. I felt it got a little bogged down in the middle with too much detail. And the ending was really abrupt, and goes right into the third book, so I recommend having it handy. Worth reading! 3.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, moonstruck
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred twentieth book in 2022 - Soulstar by C.L. Polk. I really enjoyed the conclusion to this trilogy. There was a lot of interesting ideas about labor, government, the role of representation, all carefully wrapped in this lovely story about childhood sweethearts. I loved the characters, and the ending is perfect. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Out of comfort
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred twenty-first book in 2022 - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Originally written in installments, when put together in a single narrative it drags so! He must have been paid by the word. The overall plot was interesting, but it could have been chiseled into something much more concise and enjoyable. I’m not a fan of how the author presented the women in his novel, but it is slightly better than some of his contemporaries. I did like his cynicism toward religious folk. 3 starsChallenges: group read, moonstruck
Personal challenges: 2022 book adaptations
One hundred twenty-second book in 2022 - A Chance at Love by Beverly Jenkins. Perfect historical romance! I love that this is Lorelei’s story and addresses some of the major issues of her day (and ours) with a liberal dose of spunk, kindness, and love. Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: Diversity
One hundred twenty-third book in 2022 - In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road by Allan C. Weisbacker. I can understand why some like this book. The writing was ok, and I did appreciate learning about surfing. However, the author presents his narrative in a haphazard fashion, with reflections into the past, and quite a bit of bragging. There is no acknowledgement that the reason he survived or was able to afford his lifestyle was due to his privilege as a white man born in America. I was also not a fan of the accepted misogyny. Interesting read but ultimately not for me. 2.5 starsChallenges: CTS, Out of comfort, Glass
Personal challenges: 2022 book adaptations
One hundred twenty-fourth book in 2022 - Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. This is a thoughtful, stark exploration of the aftermath of trauma. The characters are well-crafted, and I appreciate how the author set up the structure of the novel. It’s almost as if the reader is setup for the traditional story, but as it proceeds that gets tipped into how the trauma effects everyone individually. Well done but an emotionally difficult read. 4.5 starsChallenges: CTS, Out of comfort, Glass
Personal challenges: 2022 book adaptations, WPB Women's Bookclub
One hundred twenty-fifth book in 2022 - Harry Sylvester Bird by Chinelo Okparanta. This is one I will be pondering for a bit. The writing was good. But the subject and tone is very different from her previous novel. It’s a satire of white supremacy and colonialism. And somewhat a critique of wokeness. I enjoyed the thought experiment, and I want to talk about it with someone. But it missed the mark a bit. Interesting but I’m not sure to whom i would recommend it. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Out of comfort, Glass
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice
One hundred twenty-sixth book in 2022 - Sorry I Missed You by Suzy Krause. I had high hopes for this one, but it was muddled and ultimately fell flat. I couldn’t tell what I was reading, where it was going, and I wasn’t confident the author knew either. The characters were quirky but in a way that made all of them caricatures. Not worth reading. 2 starsChallenges: PopSugar, CTS, Diversity, Glass
One hundred twenty-seventh book in 2022 - Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal. It’s been a long time since I read a book that kept me up past midnight so that I could find out what happened. This was just an enjoyable read! Writing is ok. I liked that the author made a point of including things that most historical fiction hides or pretends wasn’t happening. Loved the main character! She wasn’t perfect, which was refreshing! Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: Out of comfort, Glass
Personal challenges: 2022 book adaptations, Personal serial
One hundred twenty-eighth book in 2022 - Mariam Al-Ijliya: The Astrolabe Designer by Rafia Rehman. Love the focus on this amazing woman in history! Really appreciate the explanation of the importance of her astrolabes and how they work. There were a few words missing and the illustrations weren’t my fav. But I really liked the activities at the end. Interesting picture book series for elementary-age kids. 3.5 starsChallenges: Out of comfort, Glass
One hundred twenty-ninth book in 2022 - The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas. Wow, that was a great romance book!!! The slow burn, the characters, the small touches, everything was perfection. This author is now an auto-buy, must-read for me. Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Rock the Vote
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice
One hundred thirtieth book in 2022 - The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney. Interesting book and well-written! The adaptation was fairly close to the book. Worth reading! 4 starsChallenges: PopSugar
Personal challenges: 2022 Book adaptations
One hundred thirty-first book in 2022 - An Untamed State by Roxane Gay. All the trigger warnings for this one! It’s a difficult book to read, but the author handles the subject matter deftly. I particularly appreciated the exploration of surviving the aftermath. Writing is really good! Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: CTS, TBR, Diversity, Glass
Personal challenges: 2022 Book adaptations
One hundred thirty-second book in 2022 - Lore Olympus: Volume Two by Rachel Smythe. Love the continuation of this webtoon! The modernization of the Greek gods lends itself to interesting topics that are as relevant today as they were in ancient times. Love that Persephone is a bit dorky and out of her depth! Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: Out of comfort, Glass, Rock the vote
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice, Personal series
Ne hundred thirty-third book in 2022 - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. This is my first Jesmyn Ward experience, and it was fascinating! The writing was really good, and while it’s literary, the story is also accessible. I thought the portrayal of substance use and toxic relationships was brutal but accurate. When the plot diverged into the slight fantastical elements, it was lost a bit for me. I just didn’t quite get how it all fit. Really interesting! Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: PopSugar, CTS, Diversity, Out of comfort
One hundred thirty-fourth book in 2022 - Verity by Colleen Hoover. I have issues with how she characterized fetish as perverted - that’s incredibly judgmental with no purpose to the plot. The author’s anxieties and impostor syndrome are showing in the plot. I had figured out the twist by the end. There were some sexy bits, and I actually like how she described things. Fun and entertaining but with the above caveats. 3.5 starsChallenges: Harmonies
Personal challenges: WPB Women’s Bookclub
One hundred thirty-fifth book in 2022 - Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison. I really appreciated the thoughtful way this book is organized and presented. Nothing is a mandate, just suggestions for how to make the season special to each person. That said, the history at the beginning is rather Eurocentric and not acknowledged as such. But other traditions and holidays that are more global are included toward the end of the book. Good reference and will be buying a copy for my bookshelf. 4 starsChallenges: Diversity, Out of comfort, Harmonies
One hundred thirty-sixth book in 2022 - The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson. Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were a few things, like the frontier nursing service and moonlight schools, that I had not previously known. There is repetition in the language and the writing is a bit simplistic for my taste, but balanced with the history and message, I would still recommend it. 3.5 starsChallenges: Diversity, Harmonies, Rock the Vote
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice, Personal serial
One hundred thirty-seventh book in 2022 - A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. One of the most brilliant space operas I’ve read! I loved the integration of an Aztec-like tradition into the overall empire. Every image felt revolutionary as it all unfolded. The writing and character development is next level! I cannot wait to see what this author does next! I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Definitely recommend! 5 starsChallenges: PopSugar, CTS, Diversity, Out of comfort, Sweet
Personal challenges: Personal serial
One hundred thirty-eighth book in 2022 - The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. This book is full of truths that are hard to face but necessary. The writing is good and easy enough for middle grade, but the author does not dumb down the harsh realities of the world - homelessness, hunger, poverty, domestic violence. Realities that kids too often live with, but adults still at times pretend they need to be shielded from the stories in books. Sad story but really well done! Definitely worth reading! 4.5 starsChallenges: TBR, Diversity, Out of comfort, Sweet
One hundred thirty-ninth book in 2022 - Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin, translated by John W. Baker. I learned a lot about the Turks’ role in saving Jewish people during WW2 and about Turkey in general in this book. I really appreciated the stories related. However, the writing was stilted and a bit repetitive. Not sure if that was a translation issue or not. The beginning was rather long and uneventful, and then I really enjoyed the book once the action picked up a bit. And the ending was then abrupt. Overall, I always love learning new things and appreciate the story told. 3.5 starsChallenges: CTS, TBR, Diversity, Out of Comfort, Sweet
Personal challenges: 2022 Book adaptations
One hundred fortieth book in 2022 - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. I love this author’s writing! She draws her characters so finely that they feel like they could step off the page and wander about in reality. I really appreciate the way she describes this period of time and instead of telling us why it would have been terrible, she shows us in exquisite detail. Definitely worth reading! 5 starsChallenges: TBR, Diversity, Sweet
One hundred forty-first book in 2022 - A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Adorable addition to the series! Wasn’t a huge fan of the lack of resolution brought to one of the main’s family story. However, I liked the mains and their connection to the rest of the book club members! Good twist on the usual trope! 4 starsPersonal challenges: 2022 GR Choice, Personal serial
One hundred forty-second book in 2022 - We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. I applaud the author on the effort and intention in this book. “That was the thing about Americitis - you never knew when and where it might flare up.” There were some interesting nuggets of truth hidden in the story. That being said, I found it a difficult novel to read. The universal collective voice used throughout, the labored sentence construction, and overall writing made this a boring read. I don’t know how that’s possible but it was. The best part if the last chapter, which is when I was truly invested. Not really one I would recommend. 2.5 starsChallenges: PopSugar
One hundred forty-third book in 2022 - Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn. I appreciate this author’s perspective and the viewpoint from a native Hawaiian on what has happened to the island. His characters are complex. The writing was good for a debut. I struggled with the construction and keeping the thread of the plot. Interested in what he writes in the future. 3 starsChallenges: PopSugar
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Sharks in the Time of Saviors (other topics)Sharks in the Time of Saviors (other topics)
We Ride Upon Sticks (other topics)
We Ride Upon Sticks (other topics)
A Very Merry Bromance (other topics)
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Challenges: August group read, Diversity, Sky
Personal challenges: 2022 GR Choice