2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2023
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Can I Go The Distance?
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1. How to De-Stress: The Essential Toolkit for a Calmer Life by Anna Barnes - 160 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 1/1/23
I found this book really interesting. Some tips I already knew of, however a few good insights on how to deal with stress and anxiety. It's a good book to look back on when you want reminders on techniques and whatnot. It's a quick read and I really enjoyed it.
2. The Life of Lee by Lee Evans - 385 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 2/1/23
Ever since my teenage years I have been a massive fan of Lee Evans. He is one of my favourite comedians and I just love watching his live shows via DVD. When I learned Lee Evans wrote a book about his life I was quick to buy it. From the first page I was drawn in and there was a good insight into his childhood/family life along with trails and tribulations he faced. To me Lee Evans is not a failure at all in spite of what that horrible teacher told him.
3. What I Love About Me by Frankie Jones - 96 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 3/1/23
I was very excited to get the chance to read this! It's a bit different to what I thought it was going to be, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by the content. A lot of it is interesting like your goals, what you are grateful for along with talking about the past and future versions of you. I can't wait to fill this out when I have the opportunity to.
4. The Secret Life of an Uncool Mom by Serena Terry - 352 pages (New read)Rating: 5/5
Date finished: 5/1/23
Tara and her brood of husband and three kids was such a delight to read! I admit I read the sequel before this, so it was interesting thrill to read about their first adventure. I loved Tara in this as she is so easy to relate to and the antics of her three children was very hilarious. I do hope Serena continues to write about them!
5. What I Love About You by Frankie Jones - 96 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 7/1/23
I've had my eye on this for a while now and I'm so glad I finally bought it. I've been with my man for over four years now and we have been engaged for a year now. He's the first person I want to give this book to because I think he will appreciate it in his own way and he might laugh a few times. Only question I didn't like (and thay I found a tad depressing) was this: "If one day, I am no longer around, then I hope you can:" Other than that the questions were interesting and pretty fun.
6. What I Love About You: Mum by Frankie Jones - 96 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 7/1/23
I admit I love these kind of books, which surprises me. When I learned there was a series of these books I was pulled into a rabbit hole. I really love the majority of the questions in this book. I really can't wait to fill it out and give it to my mum as a present because she is worth it. Kinda curious about how she might react!
7. The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk - 352 pages (New read)Rating: 5/5
Date finished: 9/1/23
This was so bloody excellent and hilarious at the sane time. Really enjoyed the concept of Groundhog Christmas Day and it certainly kept me on my toes. I see a lot of myself in Gwen so that's quite a pleasant surprise. The way she tried to figure out how to break free of the whole groundhog thing was well written with plenty of new adventures/outcomes and the way some things interlink with others. Her family is so awesome and her budding relationship with Dev was so sweet. I'll have to read some more of her books!
8. The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll - 336 pages (New read)Rating: 3/5
Date finished: 12/1/23
This is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I'm new to the whole principle of a bullet journal so this was a lot to take in. It's like some parts I would look at and be like "I kinda don't understand this" and I'd reread them a few times. On the other hand at times I was like "Oohh, so this is what it means!" while understanding it somewhat. I think it would work better if I done some video research on bullet journaling to get a better insight/understanding.
9. April Fools by Jess Lourey - 320 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 14/1/23
Bloody amazing! I've never read any of the books in the series so I have missed out on a lot considering this may be the last book in the series. Mira is a strong character who I liked from the start. Her best friend, Mrs Berns, is an awesome chick considering she is in her 80s - I love her attitude, humour and sense of strong justice. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery behind this note and the list of four names including Mira's late father. Although there was some hilarious moments in the book, there was serious and disturbing aspects to the plot which I liked.
10. The 3am Shattered Mum's Club by Nina Manning - 486 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 17/1/23
Aisha, Mel and Sophy are my heroes! It is amazing and awesome to see how these strong women forming a close friendship with each other due to their differing experiences in motherhood. Each of them has their own problems and situations to deal with and I like the way they call themselves the 3am shattered mum's club. It was refreshing to see how they lean on each other for support. By the way I really hated Jeff in this for obvious reasons. At one point during the story I got so pissed off with his attitude that I said "Bastard" out loud - to which my fiance asked me what's the matter lol.
11. The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson - 242 pages (New read)Rating: 3/5
Date finished: 20/1/23
It's very hard to read this while not comparing this story to the Titanic disaster. It's just so eerie how this was written a few years beforehand. I did like the story and I felt sorry for the male main character as he went through quite a lot. All it shows there is a lot of corrupt people working in high off places. I was a little shocked that it ended soon. Quite a short read all around.
12. Third Wheel by Nick Spalding - 304 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 24/1/23
Very hilarious and awesome fun! The two that stood out for me is Jake and Sy and from the get go I was already smiling widely at the antics they get up to. They are completely inseparable until their friendship is threatened with the arrival of Helana and Sy falls for her, leaving Jake a jealous wreck. Some parts had me laughing out loud, especially the Romanian class bit. There were some twists and turns and things did get somewhat serious when things came into the open. All I can say is friends before relationships.
13. Working with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann - 240 pages (Reread)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 29/1/23
I admit there have been times in which I have been very frustrated and upset in my line of work - I think we all have. So I can relate to how she feels, but I'm so glad that I've never went through the experiences she had to go through. The style of writing is personal and she just tells it like it is. Very open and honest throughout.
14. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne - 224 pages (Reread)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 30/1/23
One of my favourite youtubers talked so much about this book that I decided to read it. I watched the Netflix documentary as well and this book is a great link in with the show. There is a lot of things that opened my heart and eyes to try and build the life for me. Basically it highlights the importance of the law of attraction and how you ask the universe for whatever your heart desires. Then it's a matter of belief and working hard to get the result you want. In 2021 I wanted to have headphones for a long time and I drawn them on my vision board. A few years later I got my headphones for free as my fiancee had a spare one he didn't use. So in a way it does work.
15. How to Be Mindful by Anna Barnes - 161 pages (Reread)Rating: 5/5
Date finished: 30/1/23
This book is so well written, filled with beautiful quotes and pictures. The tips that was covered was easy to understand so that everyone can get a real insight into the concept of mindfulness. From time to time I do practice mindfulness and I have used some of the tips in real life and put them into good use. Mindfulness is about being aware in the present moment and to me that's a real blessing.
16. The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas - 20 pages (New read)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 30/1/23
For my nursery we have chosen this lovely book for our book of the month to base our activities around. I find this very delightful and the illustrations was just so wonderful and compelling. It teaches children that different emotions/feelings reside within us and while it may be confusing at times it is perfectly normal for these emotions to be jumbled up with one another. I personally love the explanations for each emotion and it's very easy to understand too. Emotions are what drives us and it is okay for us to feel and express them. This is such a beautiful story overall.
17. How to Be Confident by Anna Barnes - 160 pages (Reread)Rating: 5/5
Date finished: 31/1/23
This is one of my comfort books and it's so easy to take in. If you feel like your confidence had been knocked or if you find yourself in guidance of inspiration this book is very ideal. Insightful advice and tips with amazing quotes and illustrations. Confidence stems of happiness and happiness is an inside job.
18. The Joy of Mindful Journaling: Finding Serenity Through Creative Expression by Tara Ward - 160 pages (Reread)Rating: 4/5
Date finished: 31/1/23
Fairly good book covering a lot about mindfulness. I really like the journal format and each chapter gives you guided exercises about topics. I find the subjects covered like the five senses really interesting as when you think about it mindfulness is adapting all five senses into being present and grounded in the moment. Some parts are repetitive though, but overall it's quite balanced and well written. You can tell that Tara Ward wrote this from the heart and that she is passionate about achieving peace, joy and gratitude through being mindful.
Kay, I hope you are enjoying your 2023 reads. Half a year to go!Happy reading! 😊
Question is this:
Can I go the distance? Let's see.