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2025 Monthly Reading Challenges
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Nirkatze's Monthly Challenge Tracker [Now for 2024]
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February: Short Month, Short Books
[Link]
February’s Challenge: Read as many novellas/short stories as you can!
Niki: "February is not the month to focus on finishing series or reading a bunch of tomes. No, it’s far to short for such high ambitions. But devouring a bunch of short books to make you feel like you’re making a ton of progress - now THAT we can do! Give your 2023 reading goals ahead start with some of these amazing tales we all keep meaning to read…"
2025 Goals:
o Kim Harrison - Hollows Shorts Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond
o Nalini Singh - Guild Hunter Shorts: Angels' Flight
o Sanderson non-Cosmere Tailored Realities
o McGuire - InCryptid Shorts & October Daye new Patreon shorts
o Wayward Children #10
o The Lady in Glass and Other Stories
o Golden Age and Other Stories
o Tales of the Apt
o Tea Princess shorts
o This Is How You Lose the Time War
o Ring Shout
Older Rollover:
o The King Must Fall (anthology)
o The Dream Gatherer - Kristen Britain
o Servant Mage - Kate Elliot
o The Black God's Drums - P. Djeli Clark
o American Hippo - Sarah Gailey
o Word Puppets - Mary Robinette Kowal
o Road Brothers - Mark Lawrence
o The Hidden Girl and Other Stories - Ken Liu
o Uncanny Collateral - Brian McClellan
o Remote Control - Nnedi Okorafor
o The Kraken's Tooth & City of Songs - Anthony Ryan
o Children of the Nameless - Sanderson
o White Sand, Volume 3 - Sanderson
o Elder Race - Adrian Tchaikovsky
o John Golden: Freelance Debugger - Django Wexler
o Unbound (anthology) edited by Shawn Speakman (#2 too?)
2025 March: BIPOC [Link]Black, Indigenous, People of Colour Authors & Characters
2025 Goals:
・Amina al-Sirafi
・Legendborn
・Kinda Nalini Singh, author but not really books
・The Rage of Dragons
・Octavia Butler
・The Grace of Kings
・To Shape a Dragon's Breath
Other Ideas:
Really enjoyed:
N.K. Jemisin: The Fifth Season, The City We Became, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Killing Moon
Fonda Lee: Jade City
M.L. Wang: The Sword of Kaigen, Blood Over Bright Haven
C.L. Polk: Even Though I Knew the End, Witchmark
Xiran Jay Zhao: Iron Widow
S. A. Chakraborty: The City of Brass, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Amal El-Mohtar: This Is How You Lose the Time War
Nghi Vo: The Empress of Salt and Fortune, The Chosen and the Beautiful
Nnedi Okorafor: Binti, Noor, Akata Witch
Micaiah Johnson: The Space Between Worlds
Tasha Suri: Empire of Sand, The Jasmine Throne
P. Djèlí Clark: Ring Shout, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Black God's Drums
Yume Kitasei: The Stardust Grail, The Deep Sky
Sangu Mandanna: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Victor LaValle: Lone Women
Stephen Graham Jones: The Only Good Indians
Were decent:
R.F. Kuang: The Poppy War, Babel
Gabriela Romero Lacruz: The Sun and the Void
Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow
Vaishnavi Patel: Kaikeyi
Zen Cho: Black Water Sister
Shelley Parker-Chan: She Who Became the Sun
Kamilah Cole: So Let Them Burn
Cassandra Khaw: The Dead Take the A Train, Hammers on Bone
Rebecca Roanhorse: Between Earth and Sky
Andrea Stewart: The Bone Shard Daughter
C.L. Clark: C.L. Clark
Haven't read yet but SO WANT TO
REALLY want to read Ken Liu: The Grace of Kings
Rivers Solomon: Sorrowland
K.S. Villoso: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
Yoon Ha Lee: Ninefox Gambit
Suyi Davies Okungbowa: Son of the Storm
S.L. Huang: The Water Outlaws
Hadeer Elsbai: The Daughters of Izdihar
Ryka Aoki: Light from Uncommon Stars
Samuel R. Delany: The Novels of Samuel R. Delany Volume One: Babel-17, Nova, and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
R.R. Virdi: The First Binding
Kritika H. Rao: The Surviving Sky
Neon Yang: The Genesis of Misery
Tade Thompson: Rosewater, Far from the Light of Heaven
Tlotlo Tsamaase: Womb City
Marlon James: Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Saara El-Arifi: Faebound
O.O. Sangoyomi: Masquerade
R.S.A. Garcia: The Nightward
Gabriella Buba: Saints of Storm and Sorrow
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson: The Principle of Moments
2025 April: Here There Be Dragons [Link]Real Dragons, Metaphorical Dragons--tough to crack books, award-winners...
Dragons!
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Awards: Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, BSFA, Edgar Award, Romantic Times, SPFBO, GR Choice, Pulitzer
ALA Alex (YA/Adult), Lambda (LGBT), Ditmar Award, Aurelias Award, Lodestar (YA Hugoish)
2025 Goals:
o Osten Ard: #3 To Green Angel Tower (Locus Nom), The Witchwood Crown (GRC Nom)
o Kushiel's Legacy/Naamah: Kushiel's Dart #1 (Locus, RT), #2 Naamah's Curse & #3 Naamah's Blessing (GRC Noms),
Older Carryovers/Ideas
o The Spare Man (Hugo Nominee 2023)
o Orconomics (SPFBO)
o The Grey Bastards (SPFBO)
o Small Miracles (SPFBO)
o The Lost War (SPFBO)
o The Combat Codes (SPFBO nominee)
o Where Loyalties Lie (SPFBO)
o The Carls: #1 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing & #2 A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (GRC Nom)
o Hench (GRC Nom)
o Stormlight Archive: The Way of Kings etc--#1-4 (ALL Noms for Locus/David Gemmel/GRC)
o Warrior Girl Unearthed (GRC Nom, various YA awards)
o So This Is Ever After (GRC Nom)
2025 May: May the Forth Be With You [LinkTBD]Sci-Fi Month!
Goal:
o Foreigner series Cont.
o On Basilisk Station Honorverse series Cont.
o Sisterhood of Dune series and other Brian Herbert sequels Cont.
o Shards of Honour Vorkosigan Saga series Finish
o Animorphs Finish
o Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash 2-3
o Old Man's War #7
o Finder Chronicles
o More Peter Hamilton
o Red Rising series
o Julie Czerneda - Species Imperative series Survival
Maybe:
o Warhammer 40K Horus
Ideas:
o Poor Man's Fight
o Fortune's Pawn Pardox series
o An Absolutely Remarkable Thing series
o A Talent for War series
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2025 June: Pride MonthLGBTQIA+ Authors and Characters [Link]
Goals:
・Heather Schaefer series (as Craig)
・Mossa & Pleiti
Ideas:
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2024-25:
・TJ Klune: Green Creek
・Lynn Flewelling: Nightrunner series
・Tasha Suri: Burning Kingdoms
・C.L. Polk: Kingston Cycle
・Clariel--Ace Protagonist, if subtle
2025 July: Hot Month, Hot BooksSpicy Romances and "hot" buzz books--Bestseller lists, TikTok etc
OR Self/Indy Published (Moved to Sept)
Romance Goals:
・Kim Harrison: Hollows Series
・Nalini Singh: Guild Hunter
・Sarah J. Maas-verse: Throne of Glass, House of Earth and Blood
・When the Moon Hatched
Hot Books Goals:
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Ideas:
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2025 August: August AugustClassics! Pre-2000s Fantasy and more!
Goals:
・The Count of Monte Cristo
・Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
・Stephen King: The Gunslinger
・Glen Cook: The Black Company
・Weis & Hickman: The Second Generation
・Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
Ideas:
Mercedes Lackey: Valdemar
Anne McCaffrey
Belgariad/Mallorean
Guy Gavriel Kay
2025 Sept: In September I Stand AloneStandalone Books (and Indy Publishers)
Standalone Goals:
・The Covenant of Water
・Hamnet
・Horse
・Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
・Little Fires Everywhere
・Mexican Gothic
・Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues
・Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
・When Women Were Dragons
Goals (Self/Indy Pub):
・Rachel Aaron: Hell for Hire 1-3
・J.A. Andrews:The Keeper Chronicles
・Eric Asher: Steamborn 1-9
・Daniel Greene: Breach of Peace, A Witch's Sin
・Helen Harper: Brimstone Bound 1-9
・Dakota Krout: Full Murderhobo
・Domagoj Kurmaic: Mother of Learning: ARC 1
・Shirtaloon: He Who Fights with Monsters 3-11
・Thundamoo: Bioshifter: Volume 1-3
・BuyMort
・Neverstone The Mad Elf
More Ideas (Standalones)
The Alice Network
Such a Pretty Face
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
The Worst Best Man
The Underground Girls of Kabul
Mother Trucker
2025 October: SpooktoberSee main [Tracker] for list:
Planning Thread: [TBD]
2025 November: Cozy November
See main [Tracker] for list:
Planning Thread: [TBD]
2025 December: Choose Your Own Adventure!
Pick Your Own Category!
TBD
Goals:
Ideas:
Nirkatze wrote: "April: April Showers--books saved for a rainy day.Tough one...there are sooooo many books I've picked up, collected the series of, then keep saying "wait for it... wait for it..."
Read 0/8
Idea..."
I have The Demon Cycle 4-Book Bundle: The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne and the Assassin's Apprentice on my tbr. If you wanted to buddy read those, I'd be in. :)
I've only read the The Painted Man so far, and I enjoyed it then. I remember having nightmares inspired by it, because it was so well written.
I'd be down for that! I'm pretty booked up for the first part of April, but I could start in the second half. I need to start from the beginning though. Are you looking to reread The Painted Man or jump in from book 2?
Choko wrote: "I'll read it with you guys:)"Yippie! :)
Nirkatze wrote: "I'd be down for that! I'm pretty booked up for the first part of April, but I could start in the second half. I need to start from the beginning though. Are you looking to reread The Painted Man or..."
I probably would re-read The Painted Man, because I can't remember much. If I actually pull through, it would be my first (accomplished) re-read ever xD
What would you think of starting on the 23rd of April? I have some deadlines coming up and should be able to make it towards the end of April rather than the 2nd half.
23rd sounds good to me! It's a BR date! I'll go ahead and put in a thread request.
I think I join you with The Painted Man ladies :) is The Desert Spear book number 2? Asking to be sure :) Found them few weeks ago in charity shop and couldn't resist LOL
Yay more people!Yup on Desert Spear! Here's the order:
1. The Painted Man
2. The Desert Spear
3. The Daylight War
4. The Skull Throne
5. The Core
New series set in same world about 15 years later--Nightfall Saga
The Desert Prince
Also several short stories & novellas
Brayan's Gold (set during time-jump in book 1)
The Great Bazaar and Other Stories (Described as "chapter 16.5 of the Warded Man" by the author)
Messenger’s Legacy (between book 3&4)
Barren (takes place during book 5)
Brett has his own reading guide recommendation here:
(https://www.petervbrett.com/2017/07/1...)
I'd be down for doing the novellas in the same BR thread as the main books--we could do the first novella in the BR thread for the first book, and so on.
I'll post a link here and on the BR Invite thread (and probably Vagabond too) to our shiny new BR thread when it's up.
Seems like I have not of time to find the rest of them then :)
Monika wrote: "I think I join you with The Painted Man ladies :) is The Desert Spear book number 2? Asking to be sure :) Found them few weeks ago in charity shop and couldn't resist LOL"Yes, sure do! This read is going to be fun! :)
Nirkatze wrote: "I'd be down for doing the novellas in the same BR thread as the main books--we could do the first novella in the BR thread for the first book, and so on.
I'll post a link here and on the BR Invite thread (and probably Vagabond too) to our shiny new BR thread when it's up."
Sure, sounds good, I just have to look up where I can get/find the novellas/short stories.
Thank you for taking care of all that! I was wondering, if and when we should write this BR in the BR invite thread. :)
Caroline wrote: "I just have to look up where I can get/find the novellas/short stories."Found them in a collection and bought them: The Demon Cycle Novella Collection: The Great Bazaar And Brayan’s Gold, Messenger’s Legacy, Barren
So I'm ready for it :)
2022 Monthly Challenge CompilationJanuary: New Year, New Books
2022 Read: 12/8
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February: Short Month, Short Books
2022 Read: 24/8
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March: Spring Clean Your Collection!
Read books you own or get rid of ones you're not going to...
2023 Read: 2/8 (at least)
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April: April Showers--books saved for a rainy day.
2022 Read: 26/8
Books I've been saving for a rainy day...but no more! 2022 Done!:
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Oct: Own in October! 2022
LOL--I own 90% of the books I read... Yeah, all but 2 of the 23 books I read in October were books I own... not sure I want to bother listing them.
Nov: Library Archives!
Clean out your library TBR.
Sort of the opposite of the intention, I think--I don't have much of a library TBR, so instead of cleaning out the list, I went through and made one...
Read 1/8
Ideas:
Realm of the Elderlings Books by Robin Hobb (Hoopla)
Mexican Gothic
Done or in progress:
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
Dec: TBD
Read 0/8
Ideas:
2023 Monthly compilationJanuary: New Month, New Books [Link]
2023 Read:
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o Drowning Empire:
o Secret Projects:
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o Crystal Calamity:
o Between Earth & Sky
o Great Cities
o Defiant by Sanderson (2023)
o Starter Villain by Scalzi (2023)
o System Collapse by Martha Wells (2023)
o For the Throne - Hannah Whitten
o Secret Project #4 - Sanderson
o By a Silver Thread, With a Golden Sword, #3 - Rachel Aaron
o The Eidolon - K.D. Edwards (also shorts)
o Ice & Ivy - J.D. Edwards
o Mammoths at the Gates - Nghi Vo (Also shorts)
o A Taste of Gold and Iron - Alexandra Rowland
o An Inheritance of Magic - Benedict Jacka
o Skyward Flight: The Collection: Sunreach / ReDawn / Evershore - Sanders & Janci (also shorts)
o Bookshops & Bonedust - Baldree
o In the Lives of Puppets - Klune
o The Justice of Kings - Swan
o The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
o Blood of Liscor, Tears of Liscor, Wind Runner, Titan of Baleros... all the new Wandering Inn releases.
o Beware of Chicken #2, Farmer #2
o A Spindle Splintered - Alix E. Harrow
o Unbroken - C.L. Clark
o The Drowning Empire #2 - Andrea Stewart
February: Short Month, Short Books: [Link]
2023 Done:
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o Toby Shorts ongoing
o Murderbot Diaries books by Martha Wells
o Chronicles of Amber books
o Hugo Novellas
o A Spindle Splintered - Alix Harrow
March: Spring Clean Your Collection! [Link]
Book List: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...)
2023 Done:
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o Chronicles of Amber
o Dragonback Series
o October Daye Series
o Great Leveler, Age of Madness
o Of Blood and Bone
o Covenant of Steel
o Seven Realms / Shattered Realms
o Lightbringer
o Young Elites
o Lord of the Rings
o Wheel of Time
o Swiss Family Robinson
April: April Showers--books saved for a rainy day.
Tough one...there are sooooo many books I've picked up, collected the series of, then keep saying "wait for it... wait for it..."
Books I've been saving for a rainy day...but no more! 2023 Done!:
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o The Bone Ships Tide Child Trilogy - RJ Barker
o The Demon King Seven Realms series (reread) &
o Flamecaster Shattered Realms series (new) - Cinda Williams Chima
o Murderbot--Marth Wells
o Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
o Anything Sanderson--especially Cosmere
o The Bone Shard Daughter Drowned Empire series - Andrea Stewart
o The Lord of the Rings--Tolkien
o First Law Reread
o Rick Riordan Mythverse (reread)
o Vorkosigan Series--Bujold
o Pretty much anything by Carol Berg (rereads)
o Django Wexler
May: ...Bring May Flowers--beautiful covers!
2023 Ideas:
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Other Elizabeth Lim books--all the beautiful covers!
All the Secret Projects too, really, so pretty.... not just the covers.
I swear the Broken Blade cover artist must've also done the Kushiel & Sevenwaters books--I love their art.
All Tarot Sequence books
All J.D. Evans Mages of the Wheel books.
All Expanse books--I seriously want some of this space art on my wall.
2022 Ideas:
Hmm... pretty books...
^also just figured out how to do the book cover thing!^
I like bright colors that contrast well, especially with white or clean fonts, flat shapes, stained-glass style and Asian-influenced art, and starry skies.
I just finished House of Sky and Breath but the cover (and inside art) is so pretty I had to stick it in there.
I love the purple starry sky versions of The Galaxy and the Ground Within, Cosmos, and Dark Run, but it wouldn't show them. I also really love the 2010 ebook reprint covers for Wheel of Time, but it doesn't show those either.
As always, I have waaay too many books to list. I pretty much went through my closest book mountain pile and pulled out the ones I was like "pretty!" No way I'll be able to read all of those this month, but if anyone's interested in a BR let me know!
Read from 2023 list:
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2023 June: Series Love!Ideas:
Series I'm in the middle of with FBR...
Chronicles of St. Mary's (11/13) next is St. Mary's and the Great Toilet Roll Crisis
Ember in the Ashes (3/4) next is A Sky Beyond the Storm Stalled out--no word from Em Lost in Books?
Joust (3/4) next is Aerie
Innkeeper Chronicles (5/6) next is Sweep of the Heart
Malazan (2/10+) currently reading Memories of Ice
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (1/3) next is Stone of Farewell
Mercy Thompson (13/13) Read #13
Wandering Inn (8/9) read #7-8 next is The Wandering Inn: Book 8 - Blood of Liscor
Wheel of Time (6/14) read 7-11 next is The Gathering Storm
Witcher (3/8) next is The Time of Contempt
Series I'm in the middle of by myself and probably won't get around to but what the heck I'll list them anyways... or at least some of them..
The Book of the Ice (2/3) next is The Girl and the Moon
Chronicles of Elantra (15/16) next is Cast in Conflict
Green Rider (6/7) next is Winterlight
Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant (3/4) next is A Call to Insurrection
Honorverse: Star Kingdom (3/4) next book A New Clan: A Star Kingdom Novel just came out!
Realm of the Elderlings (14/17) next is Fool's Assassin
Red Rising (4/5) currently reading Dark Age
Wayfarer (3/4) next is The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
Well, that's the ones I want to read the most, anyway...
Read 24/8
Done:
The Scholomance (3/3) The Golden Enclaves
Cradle (11/11) finished 7-11
Chronicles of St. Mary's (11/13) finished 2-11
Faithful and the Fallen (4/4) finished #4
Goblin Emperor (3/3 Done!) finished 2-3
Joust (3/4) next is Aerie finished #3
Mercy Thompson (13/13) Read #13
Wandering Inn (8/9) read #7-8 next is The Wandering Inn: Book 8 - Blood of Liscor
Wheel of Time (6/14) read 7-11 next is The Gathering Storm
2023 Challenge Archive Continued:
2023 August: Audiobook August!
Clean up & Focus!
Goals:
Poor Man's Fight #3-5
St. Mary's 12+
Realm of the Elderlings (Assassin's Quest on up)
Dragon Jousters #4: Aerie
Ghosts of Gotham #3
The Wandering Inn Vol 5+
Read 15/8
Done!:
The Original
The Grief of Stones
Rich Man's War
Chronicles of St. Mary's 7.7-11 with all shorts in between!
Mistborn Era 1 (all 3)
The Locked Tomb (Harrow & Nona)
The Demon Cycle (Skull Throne & The Core)
A Time for Witches
2023 Sept: Standalones!
Read 6/8
Done:
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Plain Bad Heroines
Interior Chinatown
The Guncle
The Night Watchman
2023 Spooktober
・A House with Good Bones
・Rolling in the Deep & Into the Drowning Deep
・The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
・Camp Damascus
・Meddling Kids
・The Final Girl Support Group
・A Night in the Lonesome October
・Hammers on Bone
・Hidden Pictures
・Black River Orchard
・Vigor Mortis: Volume 1
・Something Wicked This Way Comes
・Terminus
・Book of Night
・The Luminaries
Still planning on finishing up
・Last Exit
・Hive Minds Give Good Hugs
Might add in if I can:
・The Gone World
・Drood
Archives: 2024 Monthly Challenge Page [link]JAN - New Year, New Books (New Releases)
FEB - Short Month, Short Books (Novellas & Short Stories)
MAR - Spring Clean Your Collection (Read Physical TBR)
APR - Award Winners (Goodreads Choice, Hugo, etc.)
MAY - May the 4th be with You (Scifi Month)
JUN - Series Love (Making Progress on Series)
JUL - Ebook Extravaganza! (Digital Reads)
AUG - Audiobook August (Line up those earbuds!)
SEP - Stand-Alones (No Series Here)
OCT - Spooktober (Spooky Halloween Reads)
NOV - Cozy November (Relax with a warm cup of tea!)
DEC - Choose Your Own Adventure (Make Your Own Category)*
*Previously, this was the round-out category to focus on any categories, but I thought I'd give people some more freedom here since the library category has been changed to cozy reads. Make this category whatever is most useful to you!
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January: New Year, New Books [Link]
January's Challenge: Read as many new releases as you can!
Niki: "If you're like me, you had great intentions to get to all of the amazing books released in 2022... but didn't quite get to them. This challenge is to help you tie up loose ends by making time for all of those new books you meant to read but didn't take time for."
Old Ideas:
o Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki
o Absynthe by Brendan P. Bellecourt
o Winterlight - Kristen Britain
o The Ground, and the Galaxy Within - Becky Chambers
o The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina - Zoraida Córdova
o The Last Watch - J.S. Dewes
o Nuomena - Lindsay Ellis
o The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey
o Remote Control - Nnedi Okorafor
o The Wolf and the Woodsman - Ava Reid
o Cast in Conflict - Michelle Sagara
o Ariadne - Jennifer Saint
o Sorrowland - Rivers Solomon
o Shards of Earth - Adrian Tchaikovsky
o No Gods, No Monsters - Turnbull
o The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo
o Malice - Heather Walter
2024 Read:
o Running Close to the Wind
o What Feasts at Night
o The Trials of Empire
o Sunbringer
o Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao
o The Warm Hands of Ghosts
o Empire of the Damned
o Voyage of the Damned
o Kamilah Cole - So Let Them Burn 18 July 2024
o Those Beyond the Wall
o Disquiet Gods
o The Book That Broke the World
o The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
o The Brides of High Hill
o Mirrored Heavens
o Killing Time
o Winter Lost
o A Sorceress Comes to Call
o Somewhere Beyond the Sea
o The Dead Take the A Train
o Wind and Truth
o An Instruction of Shadow
o Burning Witch & Princess of Potential
o Wandering Inn
o Nolyn, Farilaine, Esrahaddon, Drumindor etc.
o The Will of the Many
o The Sun and the Void
o Radiant Emperor
o Buried Deep and Other Stories
o Green Bone Saga - Fonda Lee
2024 Read:
o Teixcalaan - Arkady Martine
o Wayward Children - Seanan McGuire
o The Golem & The Jinni - Helene Wecker
o The Tainted Cup
o DFZ Changeling
o Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands
o The Bullet Swallower
o Those Beyond the Wall
o Godkiller
o The Malevolent Seven
Archive 2024 February: Short Month, Short Books [Link]Read as many novellas/short stories as you can!
Niki: "February is not the month to focus on finishing series or reading a bunch of tomes. No, it’s far to short for such high ambitions. But devouring a bunch of short books to make you feel like you’re making a ton of progress - now THAT we can do! Give your 2023 reading goals ahead start with some of these amazing tales we all keep meaning to read…"
2024 Ideas:
o T. Kingfisher
o Anne Bishop, Ann Leckie shorts collections
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Older Rollover:
o The King Must Fall (anthology)
o The Dream Gatherer - Kristen Britain
o Servant Mage - Kate Elliot
o The Black God's Drums - P. Djeli Clark
o American Hippo - Sarah Gailey
o Word Puppets - Mary Robinette Kowal
o Road Brothers - Mark Lawrence
o The Hidden Girl and Other Stories - Ken Liu
o Uncanny Collateral - Brian McClellan
o Remote Control - Nnedi Okorafor
o The Kraken's Tooth & City of Songs - Anthony Ryan
o Children of the Nameless - Sanderson
o Elder Race - Adrian Tchaikovsky
o John Golden: Freelance Debugger - Django Wexler
o Unbound (anthology) edited by Shawn Speakman (#2 too?)
2024 Done:
o Black Jewels shorts
o October Daye Shorts
o Vorkosigan Shorts
o Iron Druid Shorts
o Wayward Children
o Fractured Fairytales
o Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Sanderson
o White Sand, Volume 3 - Sanderson
o Buried Deep - Naomi Novik
Archive 2024 March: Spring Clean Your Collection!
March's Challenge: Read/reread books you've been hanging on to for more than 10 years (or since publication)!
Yanique: "With all the new, shiny books coming out, it can be hard to remember those neglected little paperbacks you bought a decade ago keeping your shelf company. Let's dust off those tattered shelves and get ready for the new season by giving those old books some love. Let go of the ones you know you're never going to read and make time this month to crack the spine (figuratively... don't damage your books, you heathens) on at least a few of the others. :)"
Book List: (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...)
2024 Ideas:--books I've been meaning to read or reread FOREVER
o The Bear and the Nightingale Winternight Trilogy - Katherine Arden
o Green Rider Series (reread) + leading up to (new) Winterlight - Kristen Britain
o The Spirit Ring - Lois McMaster Bujold
o Thief's Magic Millennium's Rule Series - Trudi Canavan
o The Galaxy, and the Ground Within - Becky Chambers
o The Warrior Heir Heir Chronicles - Cinda Williams Chima
o The Naming series - Alison Croggon
o Something Strange and Deadly series - Susan Dennard
o Neverwhere (reread) - Neil Gaiman
o An Illusion of Thieves Chimera series - Cate Glass (who is actually Carol Berg)
o Chronological (reread) of the Craft Sequence, from (new) Last First Snow to (new) The Ruin of Angels finale --Max Gladstone
o The Ten Thousand Doors of January - Alix E. Harrow
o Dhampir Noble Dead (half reread to finish) - Barb & J.C. Hendee
o The Cry of the Icemark Icemark Chronicles (half reread to finish) - Stuart Hill
o The Shadow of What Was Lost Licanus Trilogy - James Islington
o Shades of Milk and Honey Glamourist Histories - Mary Robinette Kowal
o Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan
o Ninefox Gambit Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
o Through Wolf's Eyes Firekeeper Saga (reread to finish new ending) - Jane Lindskold
o Actually everything by Jane Lindskold (some rereads, some new)
o The Grace of Kings Dandelion Dynasty - Ken Liu (waiting for last book! This year, I think!)
o Blood Song Raven's Shadow (reread) to add in (new) The Wolf's Call Raven's Blade - Anthony Ryan
o Cast in Conflict - Michelle Sagara
o A Darker Shade of Magic Shades of Magic series - V.E. Schwab
o The Bone Season series - Samantha Shannon
o Stardoc series - S.L. Viehl
o Oath of Swords War God series & Off Armageddon Reef Safehold series & others - David Weber... just waiting for o him to finish a series...
o The Cloud Roads Raksura series - Martha Wells
o The Thousand Names Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler
2024 Done:
o Heroes of Olympus--Riordan
o Every Heart a Doorway Wayward Children Series - Seanan McGuire--and October Daye & InCryptid too
o Full Riordanverse Cont: Magnus, Apollo, new ones
o Priestess of the White Age of the Five
o Kushiel's Dart Series
o Luck in the Shadows Nightrunner
o A Court of Thorns and Roses Series
o World of Elan series, especially Nolyn, Chronicles
o Discworld
o Dune series
o The Crystal Cave series
o The Summer Tree--all Guy Gavriel Kay
o Foreigner Series
o A History of What Comes Next series
o Empire in Black and Gold series
o Discount Armageddon series
o Stephen King
o The Dragonbone Chair series
o The Ambassador's Mission Traitor Spy Series - Trudi Canavan (and Black Magician reread)
o The Magicians series - Lev Grossman
o Jade City Green Bone Saga - Fonda Lee
Archive 2024 April: Award Winners/Nominees! [Link]
Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, BSFA, Edgar Award, Romantic Times, SPFBO, GR Choice, Pulitzer
ALA Alex (YA/Adult), Lambda (LGBT), Ditmar Award, Aurelias Award, Lodestar (YA Hugoish)
2024 Ideas:
o The Spare Man (Hugo Nominee 2023)
o Orconomics (SPFBO)
o The Grey Bastards (SPFBO)
o Small Miracles (SPFBO)
o The Lost War (SPFBO)
o The Combat Codes (SPFBO nominee)
o Where Loyalties Lie (SPFBO)
o The Carls: #1 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing & #2 A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (GRC Nom)
o Hench (GRC Nom)
o Osten Ard: #3 To Green Angel Tower (Locus Nom), The Witchwood Crown (GRC Nom)
o So This Is Ever After (GRC Nom)
2024 Done!:
o The Sword of Kaigen (SPFBO)
o Ancillary Justice (Hugo/Nebula)
o Gods of Jade and Shadow (Hugo/Nebula/Locus nominee)
o Kushiel's Dart (Locus, RT)
o The Humans (GR/Edgar Nominee)
o The Queen of Blood (ALA Alex)
o The Fifth Season series (all Hugo)
o The Snow Child Pulitzer shortlist
o House of Hollow (Bram Stoker/GR Nominee)
o Dead Silence (GR nominee)
o Ancillary Sword (Locus), Ancillary Mercy (Locus), Provenance (Hugo/Locus Nominee), Translation State (GR Nominee)
o The Reluctant Queen (ALA Alex)
o Series: Old Man's War (Hugo/Locus Nominee), #2 Ghost Brigades (Locus Nominee), #3 Last Colony & #4 Zoe's Tale (Hugo/Locus Nominee), #5 Human Division & #6 The End of All Things (GR Choice nominee)
o Academy series: #1 The Engines of God (Arthur C. Clark nom), #3 Chindi (Nebula Nom), #4 Omega (JWC Award/Nebula Nom), #5 Odyssey (JWC/Nebula Nom), #6 Cauldron (Nebula Nominee),
o The Mask of Mirrors (ALA Alex)
o Foreigner: #1 Foreigner, #2 Invader, #5 Defender, #17 Visitor (ALL Locus Noms)
o Iron Widow (Hugo/Nebula/Locus/GR Nominee)
o Never Die (SPFBO Nominee)
o Dune (Hugo/Nebula), #3 (Hugo/Locus Nominee) #4 (Locus Nominee)
o Vorkosigan Series: #0 (Nebula), #1 (Locus Nominee), #2 (Hugo), #4 Vor Game (Hugo), #5 Cetaganda (Locus Nominee), #8 Mirror Dance (Hugo/Locus), #9 Memory (Hugo/Nebula/Locus Nominee), #11 A Civil Affair (Hugo/Nebula/Locus Nominee), #12 Diplomatic Immunity (Locus Nominee), #13 Captain Vorpatril (Hugo/Locus Nominee), #14 Cryoburn (Hugo/Locus Nominee), #15 Red Queen (GR Nominee)
o The Darkest Road (Locus Nominee)
o Shalador's Lady (GR Nominee), Twilight's Dawn (GR Nominee)
o The Priory of the Orange Tree (Lambda/GR Nominee)
o The Memory Police (International Booker Nominee)
o Middlegame (Hugo/Locus/ALA/GR nominee)
o The Book of Lost Things #1 (ALA Alex)
o Old Kingdom: Sabriel (Ditmar/Aurelias nominee), Abhorsen (Locus Nominee), #4 Clariel (Locus/Ditmar/Aurelias Nominee), #5-6 (Aurelias Nominee)
o Ilona Andrews Edge Series: #1 On the Edge (RT), #4 Steel's Edge (RT/GR Choice nom)
o Remembrance of Earth's Past: The Three-Body Problem (Hugo/Nebla nom/Locus nom), #2 (GR Choice nom), #3 (Locus/Hugo Nom)
o The Up-and-Under #1 (Locus)
o Legends of the First Empire: Age of Myth etc #1-4 & 6 (ALL GR Choice Nom)
o A Court of Thorns and Roses (GRC Nom), #2-4 (ALL GR Choice)
o She Who Became the Sun (Noms for Hugo/Aurelias/Lambda/BSFA/GRC)
o Folk of the Air: #1 The Cruel Prince (Nom for GRC/Locus/Lodestar), #2 (GRC), #3 (GRC/Locus & Lodestar Nom), #4 (GRC Nom), Sequel series #1 The Stolen Heir (GRC Nom)
o Hidden Legacy: #2 White Hot, #4 Sapphire Flames, #5 Emerald Blaze (each GRC Nom)
o Stormlight Archive: The Way of Kings etc--#1-4 (ALL Noms for Locus/David Gemmel/GRC)
o Warrior Girl Unearthed (GRC Nom, various YA awards)
o Innkeeper Chronicles: #3 One Fell Sweep (GRC Nom)
o Kushiel's Legacy/Naamah: Kushiel's Dart #1 (Locus, RT), #2 Naamah's Curse & #3 Naamah's Blessing (GRC Noms),
o King: ’Salem’s Lot (World Fantasy Nom), The Stand (Nom for Locus/World Fantasy), Everything's Eventual (BSFA), Hearts in Atlantis (Noms for World Fantasy/BSFA)
o Wendig: The Book of Accidents (Noms for Bram Stoker, GRC), Wanderers (Noms for Bram Stoker/Locus/GRC)
o The Fisherman (Bram Stoker Nom)
o The Only Good Indians (Noms for Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy)
o Lone Women (Bram Stoker Nom)
Archive 2024 May: May the Forth Be With You [Link]Sci-Fi Month!
o Foreigner Series by C.J. Cherryh
o Academy Series by Jack McDevitt
o Alex Benedict Series by Jack McDevitt
o Old Man's War by Scalzi
o More Peter Hamilton
o Animorphs
o Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
o 三体問題 by Liu Cixin
o The Carls by Hank Green
o Paradox by Rachel Bach
o Poor Man's Fight
o Shadows of the Apt by Tchaikovsky
So much more...
My list:
Project Hail Mary
The Engines of God Academy series
Foreigner series
Nyxia series
Shards of Honour Vorkosigan Saga series
On Basilisk Station Honorverse series
Ancillary Justice Imperial Radch series
Disquiet Gods and Suneater shorts
Old Man's War series
Dune series
The Sparrow duology
The Three-Body Problem series
Aurora Rising series
A History of What Comes Next series
Fortune's Pawn Pardox series
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing series
A Talent for War series
So many more...
Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Deep Sky (other topics)The Black God's Drums (other topics)
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (other topics)
Lone Women (other topics)
The Stardust Grail (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sangu Mandanna (other topics)Yume Kitasei (other topics)
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson (other topics)
Victor LaValle (other topics)
Stephen Graham Jones (other topics)
More...
Intro Page: [link]
Folder: [link]
JAN - New Year, New Books (New Releases)
FEB - Short Month, Short Books (Novellas & Short Stories)
MAR - BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour Authors & Characters)
APR - Here There Be Dragons! (Real or Metaphorical)
MAY - May the 4th be with You (SF Month)
JUN - Pride Month (LGBTQIA+ Authors and Characters)
JUL - Self-Published and Indy-Published / Hot Month, Hot Books (Spicy Romances & Bestsellers/TikTok etc)
AUG - Classics (Pre-2000s Fantasy etc)
SEP - Stand Alone in September (Stand-alones & Indy Pub)
OCT - Spooktober
NOV - Cozy November
DEC - Choose Your Own Adventure (Make Your Own Category)*
*Previously, this was the round-out category to focus on any categories, but I thought I'd give people some more freedom here since the library category has been changed to cozy reads. Make this category whatever is most useful to you!
__________________________________________________
2025 January: New Year, New Books [Link]
January's Challenge: Read as many new releases as you can!
Niki: "If you're like me, you had great intentions to get to all of the amazing books released in 2022... but didn't quite get to them. This challenge is to help you tie up loose ends by making time for all of those new books you meant to read but didn't take time for."
2025 Goals:
o Queen's Price by Anne Bishop (2023)
o Cassiel's Servant - Jacqueline Carey
o Richard Swan Grave Empire
o Faithbreaker
o The Book That Held Her Heart Lawrence Library #3
o Heavenly Tyrant
o New Anne Bishop: Turns of Fate -- Isles of Wyrd #1
o Singing Hills: A Mouthful of Dust
o Wind and Truth
o Delemhach: Ether Witch
o Wandering Inn: The Wandering Inn: Book 15 - Garden of Sanctuary, Huntsong
o Blood Over Bright Haven
o Sullivan: Farilaine, Esrahaddon, Drumindor etc.
o Ruocchio: Sun Eater Finale #7
o Laundry Files: A Conventional Boy -- Laundry Files standalone -- Charles Stross
o McGuire (Wayward Children #10) Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
01/07 -- Threshold: Stories from Cradle -- Cradle anthology -- Will Wight
02/11 -- Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales -- Emily Wilde #3
02/11 -- Nemesis -- Orphan X #10 -- Gregg Hurwitz
02/11 -- This Inevitable Ruin -- Dungeon Crawler Carl #7 -- Matt Dinniman
02/28 -- Hell to Pay -- Tear Down Heaven #3 -- Rachel Aaron
03/04 -- Cold Iron Task -- Unorthodox Chronicles #3 -- James J. Butcher
03/04 -- Friends Indeed -- Star Kingdom #5 -- David Weber
03/11 -- Installment Immortality -- InCryptid #14 -- Seanan McGuire
03/11 -- The Tomb of Dragons -- Cemetaries of Amalo #3 -- Katherine Addison
03/18 -- The Martian Conspiracy -- Lady Astronaut #4 -- Mary Robinette Kowal
03/25 -- When the Moon Hits Your Eye -- John Scalzi
05/01 -- Isles of the Emberdark -- Sixth of Dusk #2 -- Brandon Sanderson
05/06 -- Archangel's Ascension -- Guild Hunter #17 -- Nalini Singh
05/06 -- The Devils -- The Devils #1 -- Joe Abercrombie
05/06 -- The Strength of the Few -- The Heirarchy #2 -- James Islington
05/20 -- Death at a Highland Wedding -- A Rip Through Time #4 -- Kelley Armstrong
05/20 -- Strange New World -- Dr. Greta Helsing #4 -- Vivian Shaw
05/27 -- Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me -- Dark Lord Davi #2 -- Django Wexler
08/12 -- Lucky Day -- Chuck Tingle
08/19 -- Hemlock & Silver -- T. Kingfisher
09/16 -- The Shattering Peace -- Old Man's War #7 -- John Scalzi
09/16 -- The Summer War -- Naomi Novik
09/25 -- Untitled -- Amina al-Sirafi #2 -- Shannon Chakraborty
09/25 -- Untitled Thursday Murder Club 5 -- Thursday Murder Club #5 -- Richard Osman
09/30 -- Silver and Lead -- October Daye #19 -- Seanan McGuire
09/30 -- What Stalks the Deep -- Sworn Soldier #3 -- T. Kingfisher
10/07 -- Queen Demon -- Rising World #2 -- Martha Wells
10/09 -- Out of Time -- Time Police -- Jodi Taylor
10/09 -- The Last Contract of Isako -- Fonda Lee
10/21 -- A Judgement of Powers -- Stephen Oakwood #3 -- Benedict Jacka -- US Release 11/4
11/06 -- Our Lady of Blades -- Court of Shadows #2 -- Sebastien de Castell
11/11 -- Untitled -- Alpha & Omega #7 -- Patricia Briggs
11/11 -- Brigands & Breadknives -- Legends & Lattes #2 -- Travis Baldree
12/09 -- Tailored Realities -- non-Cosmere anthology -- Brandon Sanderson
Looks Fun, Stolen From Iain:
01/02 -- A Language of Dragons -- S.F. Williamson
01/07 -- Four Ruined Realms -- Broken Blades #2 -- Mai Corland
01/07 -- The Stolen Queen -- Fiona Davis
01/14 -- Bloodsport: An Old World Tale -- Old World story -- Melissa F. Olson
02/04 -- All Better Now -- Neal Shusterman
02/04 -- The Rose Bargain -- Sasha Peyton Smith
02/05 -- The Stormborne Vine -- Leaf & Scale #1 -- Tilly Wallace
02/10 -- Waifs And Strays -- Cat Lady Chronicles #1 -- Helen Harper
02/11 -- The City That Would Eat The World: More Gods Than Stars Book 1 -- More Gods Than Stars #1 -- John Bierce
02/18 -- I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com -- Cosmic Chaos #1 -- Kimberly Lemming (PNR)
02/25 -- The Otherwhere Post -- Emily J. Taylor
02/25 -- Wicked Pursuit -- Black Rose Auction #1 -- Katee Robert
02/27 -- Our Infinite Fates -- Laura Steven
02/27 -- Shroud -- Adrian Tchaikovsky
03/03 -- The Halfling's Harvest -- Tales of Aedrea #3 -- SL Rowland
03/04 -- Tea You at the Altar -- Tomes & Tea #3 -- Rebecca Thorne
03/04 -- They Bloom at Night -- Trang Thanh Tran
03/11 -- What Wakes the Bells -- Elle Tesch
03/25 -- To Steal from Thieves -- MK Lobb
03/27 -- A Witch's Guide to Love and Poison -- Aamna Qureshi
04/01 -- A Drop of Corruption -- Shadow of the Leviathan #2 -- Robert Jackson Bennett
04/01 -- Direct Descendant -- Tanya Huff
04/01 -- Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man -- Vera Wong #2 -- Jesse Q. Sutanto
04/08 -- Don't Sleep with the Dead -- The Chosen & the Beautiful (standalone companion) -- Nghi Vo
04/22 -- Great Big Beautiful Life -- Emily Henry
05/06 -- Overgrowth -- Mira Grant
05/13 -- The Floating World -- Floating World #1 -- Axie Oh
05/13 -- The Incandescent -- Emily Tesh
05/22 -- Bad Moon -- Elizabeth Cage #4 -- Jodi Taylor
06/10 -- The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses -- Mossa & Pleiti #3 -- Malka Ann Older
06/16 -- The Dark Hiss of Magic -- Cat Lady Chronicles #2 -- Helen Harper
06/17 -- I Think I'm in Love with an Alien -- Ann Aguirre
06/24 -- Chilling Reflections -- Villains' Code #3 -- Drew Hayes
07/01 -- Circle of Liars -- Kate Francis
07/01 -- Infinite Archive -- Midsolar Murders #3 -- Mur Lafferty
07/15 -- A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping -- Sangu Mandanna
07/22 -- The Last Wizards' Ball -- Gunnie Rose #6 -- Charlaine Harris
08/05 -- Songs for Ghosts -- Clara Kumagai
08/12 -- Alchemy and a Cup of Tea -- Tomes & Tea #4 -- Rebecca Thorne
08/12 -- The Hungry Gods -- Adrian Tchaikovsky
08/12 -- Villain -- Hench #2 -- Natalie Zina Walchots
08/14 -- The Massif -- Garth Nix
08/19 -- Lessons in Magic and Disaster -- Charlie Jane Anders
08/28 -- Katabasis -- RF Kuang
09/02 -- Framed In Death -- In Death #61 -- JD Robb
11/04 -- Witchlight -- Witchlands #5 -- Susan Dennard
TBD No release date:
o Alecto the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2023)
o A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
o Outlaw Empire
o Hench, #2
o The Will of the Many #2
o The Sun and the Void #2
Older Ideas:
o Random in Death #58
o Bethany Baptiste - The Poisons We Drink 18 August 2024
o Molly X Chang - To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods 18 Sept 2024
o KM Enright - Mistress of Lies 18 Oct 2024
o Ghost Engine
o Alien Clay
o Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction
o Max Gladstone Craft Sequence
o The Misfit Caravan
o A Galaxy of Whales
o Saturation Point
o The Mercy of Gods
o The Lady in Glass and Other Stories
o Buried Deep and Other Stories
o Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki
o Absynthe by Brendan P. Bellecourt
o Winterlight - Kristen Britain
o The Ground, and the Galaxy Within - Becky Chambers
o The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina - Zoraida Córdova
o The Last Watch - J.S. Dewes
o Nuomena - Lindsay Ellis
o The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey
o Remote Control - Nnedi Okorafor
o The Wolf and the Woodsman - Ava Reid
o Cast in Conflict - Michelle Sagara
o Ariadne - Jennifer Saint
o Sorrowland - Rivers Solomon
o Shards of Earth - Adrian Tchaikovsky
o No Gods, No Monsters - Turnbull
o The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo
o Malice - Heather Walter