2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2022
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Lara Loves a Challenge - Again!
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Monthly Totals To help track my progress
Jan:
45 booksFeb: 68 books
22 graphic novels
59 picture books
38 booksMar: 89 books
12 graphic novels
18 picture books
24 booksApr: 50 books
23 graphic novels
42 picture books
20 booksMay: 63 books
5 graphic novels
25 picture books
28 booksJun: 55 books
5 graphic novels
30 picture books
26 booksJul: 79 books
20 graphic novels
9 picture books
19 booksAug: 61 books
15 graphic novels
45 picture books
26 booksSep: 54 books
5 graphic novels
30 picture books
14 booksOct: 65 books
4 graphic novels
36 picture books
14 booksNov: 46 books
16 graphic novels
35 picture books
13 booksDec: 72 books
13 graphic novels
20 picture books
22 books
38 graphic novels
12 picture books
Total Books: 289
Total Graphic Novels: 218
Total Picture Books: 361
Grand Total: 868
A-Z ChallengeRead 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!
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Historical Romance Series ChallengeGoal: Addictive
Another personal challenge through another group. Complete the sets! I'm not holding myself to just 2022 for this one, especially as my romance reading comes in waves when it comes to themes, tropes, subgenres, etc. This is just 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: Kellingtons - Maureen Driscoll (6 books)
A reread, but a favorite family to visit
6 Never Turn Away
Series: Emersons - Maureen Driscoll (6 books)
Reread the Kellington series first, then on to its sequel series, 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
Series: Bridgerton - Julia Quinn
Prequel 1 Because of Miss Bridgerton
Prequel 2 The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband
Prequel 3 The Other Miss Bridgerton
Prequel 4 First Comes Scandal
1 The Duke and I
2 The Viscount Who Loved Me
3 An Offer From a Gentleman
4 Romancing Mister Bridgerton
5 To Sir Phillip, With Love
6 When He Was Wicked
7 It's in His Kiss
8 On the Way to the Wedding
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
- read 2020
- read 2021
- read 2021Last Dragon Standing
The Dragon Who Loved Me
How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Light My Fire
Feel the Burn
Bring the Heat
Honey Badger Chronicles - Shelly Laurenston
- read 2021
- read 2021
- read 2021Breaking Badger
Call of Crows - Shelly Laurenston
The Unleashing
The Undoing
The Unyielding
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
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
Vampire Man
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
Found this one a few years ago and loved it. Appeals to my mythology-loving heart. 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.
Three Books by the Same Author A - K
Three Books by the Same Author L - Z
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...
AZ - Bull in a Tea Shop
CA - Family Affair
CT - Making Friends
FL - Recon Bear
GA - Watch Me Drown
IL - Storm Front
ME - The Stranded Whale
MD - A Beautiful Idea
MA - The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow
MI - Hopeless Romantic
MO - Kidnapping His Forever
NE - Pumpkinheads
NY - Foiled
NC - End Game
SC - Hammer's Pride
WA - Cole
WY - Shotgun's (B)Ride
THE WORLD
https://douwe.com/projects/visited?re...
Australia - Bewitched in Blood
Easter Island - The Day the Stones Walked
Egypt - Death on the Nile
France - The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams
Iraq - Murder in Mesopotamia
Japan - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 8
New Zealand - Rock Hard
Norway - John Jensen Feels Different
UK - Rattle His Bones
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!
Also
Arrogant
Axel
Bearista
Bluebird
Boink
Boone
Brave
Brick
Broken
Brontorina
Charming
Clash
Cole
Corban
Crazy
Delicates
Dreamer
Elecopter
Ella
Erika-San
Escargot
Evan
Fear
Fierce
Finn
Foiled
Gravedigger
Gunner
Habits
Heartless
Haven
Holt
Hounded
Jace
Jump!
Knox
Limits
Lines
Mac
Maniac
Max
Meaniehead
Meow
Mooncakes
Nathan
Nickel
Nightfall
Nightmares!
Off-Limits
Paax
Patchwork
Pipe
Pooh
Pumpkinheads
Rancher
Ribbit!
Ryan
Sabriel
SANDMAN
Shadow
Sheets
Smoky
Sniper
Stone
Storm
Supertruck
Sweep
Trick
TUMBLE!
Tyr
Uh-Oh!
Untamed
Vaant
Wag!
Wazdot?
Wrecker
Xerox
NEWBERY 100The Newbery Award celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and while I've read a good number off this list, I'm aiming to read a few more. There's quite a number that are older or younger than when I was in the "right" age for the Newbery, so there's a good reason to see what I missed!
Also, some I've read and won't be rereading, but will still count here. I've read them recently enough that I have tracked here (and reviewed), but didn't enjoy enough to bother rereading (looking at you, A Wrinkle in Time!)
JANUARY TOTALS45 books
22 graphic novels
59 picture books
Total Books: 126
Book Club/Challenge Reads
Historical Romance Series Challenge
Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid
Never Miss a Chance
Never Wager Against Love
Never Run From Love
Never Deny Your Heart
SHAPE Tween Book Club
The Dragon Warrior
FEBRUARY TOTALS38 books
12 graphic novels
18 picture books
Total Books: 68 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
Catch Up Book Club
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
SHAPE Tween Book Club
Root Magic
MARCH TOTALS24 books
23 graphic novels
42 picture books
Total Books: 89 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
working on several, but nothing finished this month
SHAPE Tween Book Club
(novels in verse)
APRIL TOTALS20 books
5 graphic novels
25 picture books
Total Books: 50 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
Reading the Detectives
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
SHAPE Tween Book Club
The Library of Ever
MAY TOTALS28 books
5 graphic novels
30 picture books
Total Books: 63 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
Reading the Detectives
And Then There Were None
EVERYONE Has Read This But Me - Catch Up Book Club
And Then There Were None
SHAPE Tween Book Club
(Newbery Prize Winners)
JUNE TOTALS26 books
20 graphic novels
9 picture books
Total Books: 55 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
JULY TOTALS19 books
15 graphic novels
45 picture books
Total Books: 79 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
AUGUST TOTALS26 books
5 graphic novels
30 picture books
Total Books: 61 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
SEPTEMBER TOTALS14 books
4 graphic novels
36 picture books
Total Books: 54 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
OCTOBER TOTALS14 books
16 graphic novels
35 picture books
Total Books: 65 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
SHAPE Tween Book Club
Nightmares!
NOVEMBER TOTALS13 books
13 graphic novels
20 picture books
Total Books: 46 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
DECEMBER TOTALS22 books
38 graphic novels
12 picture books
Total Books: 72 books
Book Club/Challenge Reads
none this month
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
A Man and His Cat, Vol. 5 (other topics)A Man and His Cat, Vol. 2 (other topics)
A Man and His Cat, Vol. 3 (other topics)
A Man and His Cat, Vol. 4 (other topics)
The Stranded Whale (other topics)
More...
I'm a public services librarian, so I read. A lot. That pretty much sums it up.
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. Plus two book clubs I run for work. It adds up - 600+ each of the last four years. Granted, more Mo Willems than Tad Williams, but still, a lot of pages each year.
For 2022, 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 reach at least 2022 reviews total - that's 222 reviews this year, both a nice number itself, plus a tie-in to the actual year. Yay for patterns!
I always look forward to the monthly challenges, etc. here to help with achieving these goals. I use this thread as a centralized Challenge Hub, with personal challenges as well as ones from other GR groups I'm in.