2025 Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Monthly Challenges
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March - Reading Picnic
🍏 Reading Picnic 🍏Welcome everyone and happy reading! I hope you enjoy this month's tasty challenge!
🍏 How to participate:
🍏1. To join the challenge, post a comment below with your goal.
You can choose to read as many books as you wish. If you don't know how many books you want to read yet, you can decide and update later. In such case, to make it easier, I will automatically write down 1 book as the initial goal, which can be changed later.
🍏2. Note down your message number and use it for updates.
As you finish reading a book, edit your original message and post a new comment to update, including your original message number. For challenge updates and statistics, I will be looking at the update comments, not the original messages.
* Example of an update message: Update to message #1: 5/8
5 being the books read so far, 8 being the goal.
🍏3. Update if you do not wish to be a part of the challenge anymore.
If you decide to drop out of the challenge, please don’t delete your original sign-up post. You can just edit it instead and add a new comment with the original message number so that I would see it sooner. You can also message me privately. Thanks! 😊
Example:
* Original post edit: Opting out of the challenge.
* New comment: Update to message #1: Opting out of the challenge.
🍏4. You can choose the books you'll read in advance or add them as you go.
🍏5. You may join late if the challenge hasn't ended yet, and may count any relevant books completed during the challenge dates.
🍏 I will post updates every few days. That will include:
* Updating the statistics in the message #3 (the one below).
* Posting an update comment.
🍏Challenge Tiers:As you update your challenge, I will update your tier according to how many books you read. Have fun! 🙂
🍔🥨🧃 Starter Plate: 0-1 books read
🍓🍏🍇 Fruit Basket: 2-3 books read
🍽️🥗🧂Gourmet Spread: 4-6 books read
🍷🍝🍰Ultimate Meal: 7+ books read
🎉✔️✨ Challenge Completed
Happy reading!
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🍏 Participants:
🍔🥨🧃 Starter Plate: 🍔🥨🧃
Amy (# 20) - 1/4
Amy (Other Amy) (# 19) - 0/2
Ciara (# 31) - 0/5
Diana S (# 30) - 0/4
Elisa (# 34) - 0/3
Jill (# 7) - 0/3
Joanne (# 29) - 0/5
Karin (# 17) - 1/2
Kim (# 63) - 1/5
Sarah (# 14) - 0/3
Sarah2 (# 61) - 0/12
Temitayomiyoshiseun (# 22) - 1/5
🍓🍏🍇 Fruit Basket: 🍓🍏🍇
Claire (# 27) - 2/5
JennH (# 10) - 3/5
LinaVer (# 4) - 2/4
🎉✔️✨ Challenge Completed: 🎉✔️✨
Ann (# 49) - 3/3
Beth (# 16) - 4/4
Blu's World (# 38) - 3/3
Brianna Raquel (# 28) - 9/5
Caraina (# 18) - 5/5
CarriCarey (# 9) - 5/5
Carrie (# 15) - 4/3
Debra (# 5) - 2/2
Jenn (# 46) - 12/12
Kristina (# 11) - 3/3
Laurie (# 32) - 3/3
Rachael (# 13) - 3/3
SarahKat (# 8) - 5/5
Shari (# 12) - 4/4
Sheila (# 54) - 5/5
Susan (# 6) - 5/5
TerryJane (# 21) - 9/9
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🍏General stats:
Number of participants: 32
Books Read: 95
Book Goal: 146
Goal progress: 65.07%
Participants who completed the challenge: 17
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Thank you to each and every one of you who took part in ***March Reading Picnic Challenge***, you are awesome! This challenge is now officially closed. it was an honor to spend another month reading great books with you.
Yay, the challenge is open to sign up for! 🤩 Welcome to the picnic everyone, don’t forget to take your books with you 😊I will try for 4 books 🙂
Progress: 2/4
Options:
• The Grapes of Wrath
✅ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
✅ Water Moon
• Burnt Sugar
• My Fine Fellow - food topic in the book + forks on the cover
Sign me up for 5 books pleaseProgress: 5/5
Completed: Fudge Cupcake Murder, Sugar Cookie Murder, Summertime Punchline, Life of Pi, Peach Cobbler Murder
5/5🍚The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
🥕Carrots by Colleen Helme
🥐Poison in the Pastries by Susan Harper
🍎Appleseed by Matt Bell
🧂House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Please sign me up for 5!Progress: 5/5 - Challenge completed!
✅ All the Bad Apples - Read 3/7/25
✅ I'm More Dateable than a Plate of Refried Beans: And Other Romantic Observations - Read 3/13/25
✅ Land of Milk and Honey - Read 3/17/25
✅ A Sweet Sting of Salt - Read 3/10/25
✅ When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie - Read 3/19/25
Please sign me up for 5.3/5
1 - Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander 3/5/25
2 - Botched Butterscotch by Amanda Flower 3/30/25
3 - Sealed Off by Barbara Ross 3/31/25
READING PICNICMarch 01, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 3/3
Sign me up for 3 books for now!
✅ 1. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
✅ 2. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
✅ 3. Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
I would like to sign up for 4 please.READING PICNIC
Duration: March 1 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 4 / 4 - COMPLETED MARCH 31, 2025
Peach Cobbler Murder
- has a picnic (of cake) on the coverCarrot Cake Murder
Raspberry Danish Murder
I am bringing cake, gingerbread and fruit to this picnic so that's three books please.COMPLETED: 3/3
1. Goblin Fruit finished 5 March, ⭐⭐⭐ with review
2. Gingerbread finished 12 March, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Night of Cake & Puppets finished 24 March, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
I am in for 3I actually read 4:
1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
2. Strawberry Shortcake Murder
3. Alligator Pie
4. Superfudge
I am only going to try for 3 on this one!🧺READING PICNIC🧺
Duration: March 1 - March 31, 2025
🎉Completed: 4/3🎉
✔️1. HONEY
Mad Honey 3/2/25
✔️2. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder 3/18/25
✔️3. CRAWDADS
Where the Crawdads Sing 3/16/25
✔️4. FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe 3/27/25
Reading PicnicProgress: 4/4; completed March 30
1. Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 17 Recipes by Mark Crick (soup in title)
2. If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries What Am I Doing in the Pits? by Erma Bombeck (cherries in title and on cover)
3. Salvage the Bones (Bois Sauvage, #2) by Jesmyn Ward (I'm taking my dog with me, so bones for him)
4. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (peach on cover)
I'll start with a whopping goal of 2 books :) I forgot to check here before ordering my books for the month. This may expand as the month goes on, but I have two that could work if I get to them :)Reading Picnic
(books with food in title or on cover)
1/2
☕1.
(cup with coffee in it to the left and a bit higher than the cat by the lower S.)2.
COMPLETEDREADING PICNIC
Duration: March 1, 2025 - March 31, 2025
Explore books featuring food in the title or on the cover that represent delicious treats you’d bring to a picnic.
Completed: 5/5
1. Sweet, Sweet Wine - Jaime Clevenger 3/17/25
2. Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse - Harper Lin 3/12/25
3. Mystic Tea - Rea Nolan Martin 3/19/25
4. Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes - Karen Rose Smith 3/16/25
5. Tea & Treachery - Vicki Delany 3/10/25
🥪 READING PICNIC - Monthly ChallengeDuration: March 1 - March 31, 2025
Progress: 9/9 -- COMPLETE
🥪 Tea - Breakfast at Tiffany's
🥪 Chili - Chili Cauldron Curse
🥪 Sandwich - Grilled for Murder
🥪 Lemonade, peaches, peach pie - Peaches and Scream
🥪 Raspberry pastry - The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove
🥪 Champagne - Winner Cake All
🥪 Ice cream - A Killer Sundae
🥪 Coffee - When the Grits Hit the Fan
🥪 Lemon Cake - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Reading Picnic: I’m in for 5 books 1. Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah
2. Skeleton Picnic by Michael Norman
3. The Chef by James Patterson
4. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
5. Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke
Hello everyone! So nice to have you all in our reading picnic on this beautiful first day of March! 🍰🥝🥡🍷🍴📚 Some new and familiar faces here, it's going to be great company. I hope you get to read some tasty books this month.Updated through: msg #22
Beth wrote: "Reading Picnic1. The Grapes of Wrath
2. The Passionate Olive
3. Salvage the Bones (I'm taking my dog with me, so bones for him)
4. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar"
I love that your dog is taking part in the picnic, Beth!
Karin wrote: "I'll start with a whopping goal of 2 books :) I forgot to check here before ordering my books for the month. This may expand as the month goes on, but I have two that could work if I get to them :)..."2 books is a great goal, Karin, lovely to have you here! :)
I'm loving looking through all the book options everyone's chosen! Some great food for thought in this picnic. Yes, I am enjoying all the food puns entirely too much 😂
READING PICNICDuration: March 1 - March 31, 2025
2/5
1. Moord aan tafel (Moord op het menu Book 1)
Tom Hillenbrand 260 p. 5 march glasses and cutlery2. Voordat de koffie koud wordt
Toshikazu Kawaguchi 256 p. 9 march Coffee3. De Flessentrekker
Ilja Gort 247 p. 12 april bottle of wine
READING PICNICMarch 01, 2025 - March 31, 2025
9/5
1. (Im)perfectly Happy
2. Sleep Like Death
3. Sweethand
4. Don't Go Baking My Heart
5. Recipe
6. Crumbs
7. Cake Eater
8. Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
9. Recipe for Persuasion
I try for 4
1.
2.
3.
4.
I will aim to read five books! Sorry for the late sign-up.
Updated through: msg #32Welcome, everyone, and happy reading! :)
Ciara, you are not late, the month has just begun, and it is possible to sign up for challenges as long as they are active/not finished. :)
LinaVer wrote: "🍏 Reading Picnic 🍏Welcome everyone and happy reading! I hope you enjoy this month's tasty challenge!
Hello everyone,
I would like to participate in the Picinic Challenge with 3 books. I will update with the book titles soon
Thanks
🍏 How to participate:
🍏1. To join the challenge, post a comment below with your goal.
Yo..."
Updated message 6 to a goal of 5 books, already almost done with my first book.
Please sign me up for 3 books this month!1. The Vine Witch
2. Love Bites
3. The Kamogawa Food Detectives
Completed: 0/3
Susan wrote: "Message #6 updated"Hey, Susan, it's great to have you in the challenge! 🙂 Would you please kindly include your progress count in your update messages? So that I wouldn't have to search for your original message?
Example: "update to message #6: 5/5"
This speeds up the updating process for me quite a bit, thank you! 🙂
Welcome to the challenge, Elisa and Blu! 🙂 And great reading progress, Laurie, Rachael and Susan 🎉
Elisa wrote: "Hello everyone, I would like to participate in the Picinic Challenge with 3..."
Elisa, it appears some technical glitch must have happened while you were writing the message. But I've registered you for the goal of 3 books. 🙂
If you'd like to edit your original message, you can just click on "edit" (right bottom corner under your message). Can't wait to see what books you pick to read!
I would like to sign up for 12- thanks 🙂
Hey everyone! We now have tiers in this challenge!!! ✨ Thank you, TerryJane, for helping me with setting them up.As you read and update your progress, I will update you tier according to the number of books you've read. I hope this makes our reading picnic even more fun. 🙂
🍔🥨🧃 Starter Plate: 0-1 books read
🍓🍏🍇 Fruit Basket: 2-3 books read
🍽️🥗🧂Gourmet Spread: 4-6 books read
🍷🍝🍰Ultimate Meal: 7+ books read
🎉✔️✨ Challenge Completed
Additionally, let's all welcome Ann and Jenn to the challenge, and congratulate Amy, Carrie and Claire for great reading progress! 🙂
Updated through msg #49
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
De Flessentrekker (other topics)Grimoires and Gingerbread (other topics)
Coffee Shop Girl (other topics)
Easy as Pie (Sweater Weather, #5) (other topics)
Cookies & Milk (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ilja Gort (other topics)Barbara Ross (other topics)
Zora Neale Hurston (other topics)
Jesmyn Ward (other topics)
Erma Bombeck (other topics)
More...
Duration: March 1 - March 31, 2025
Pack your basket and blanket—it’s time for a Reading Picnic! This challenge invites you to explore books featuring food in the title or on the cover that represent delicious treats you’d bring to a picnic. Whether it’s a cozy mystery with cupcakes or a novel about wine and cheese, let’s feast on literary delights together. A picnic isn’t complete without a book!
To join, post a message telling the challenge leader how many books you plan to read. If you are new to our group and/or our group challenges, take a moment to check out the Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly Challenges - Start Here thread for more information on how our challenges are run.
Thanks to Lina for inspiring this challenge! Thank you to LinaVer for agreeing to lead!