July - How Are You Getting There?

[Blagica , Challenges]

HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2025

Planes, trains, boats, and beyond—this month, we’re traveling in style! Inspired by Goodreads' “ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” summer reading guide, this open-ended challenge invites you to explore books where how you get there is just as important as where you’re going. You are not limited to the books in the Goodreads list—let it serve as inspiration, not a restriction. Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts. Whether the story unfolds on the open sea, across scenic railways, or through the skies, let the way characters move shape your reading adventure.

All aboard the July reading adventure—your ticket is your TBR!


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 Susan for inspiring this challenge. Thank you GailW for volunteering to lead it!

[GailW]

Welcome to the July Challenge – “HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?”
Once you have signed up for the challenge with a preliminary goal, you can change that goal at any time by providing an update with the changed goal.

Updating your progress
When posting your progress, please be sure to include both your original message number and progress:
Example: Updated msg #10: 2/8

If you decide to drop out of the challenge, please do not delete your original sign-up post. Simply post an update letting me know. If you wish to do so, you can delete the information that is in your post, but it will be necessary to at least leave a single letter or number in the post.

Any questions - please don't hesitate to ask!

As always, have fun with this!

PARTICIPANTS
Alyssa (# 10) - 1/1 - Completed!
Amy (# 24) - 4/4 - Completed!
Beth (# 16) - 0/10
Blakie (# 14) - 1/1 - Completed!
Caraina (# 11) - 3/3 - Completed!
Caroline (# 23) - 1/3
Carri Carey (# 9) - 10/10 - Completed!
Carrie (# 41) - 6/5 - Completed!
Charlotte (# 12) - 5/4 - Completed!
Ciara (# 7) - 5/5 - Completed!
DL (# 39) - 0/2
Gail (# 3) - 5/5 - Completed!
Jenn (# 21) - 15/15 - Completed!
JennH (# 6) - 6/5 - Completed!
Karin (# 25) - 5/3 - Completed!
Kristina (# 54) - 7/5 - Completed!
Laurie (# 8) - 3/3 - Completed!
LinaVer (# 17) - 3/3 - Completed!
Lisa Marie (# 34) - 0/5
Melissa (# 26) - 5/4 - Completed!
Rachael (# 13) - 3/3 - Completed!
Sarah (# 18) - 10/10 - Completed!
SarahKat (# 20) - 6/5 - Completed!
Sophia (# 48) - 1/2
Susan (# 4) - 5/5 - Completed!
Tanu (# 36) - 0/3
TerryJane (# 15) - 22/12 - Completed!
Whitney (# 5) - 8/8 - Completed!

----------------------------------------------------------------

STATS
Participants: .......... 28
Active: .................... 24
Books Read: .......... 140 ..... 97% of total
Book Goal: ............ 144
Completed !: ..................... 22 ..... 79% of participants

Updated through message #100 on Aug 12, 2025

[GailW]

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts:
🛞Completed 5 / 5

🛞 Binti - journeyed by spaceship from Earth to another planet
🛞 The Final Revival of Opal & Nev - travel abroad, travel in US doing tours
🛞 I Cheerfully Refuse - journey by sailboat
🛞 Only The Stones Never Die - journey by boat from Achill Island Ireland to Scotland
🛞 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - journey by ox-bike and wagon

[Susan, Games & Events]

Sign me up for 5 please.

Progress: 5/5

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation

1. The Paris Express (Train) - Finished 7/4/25
2. One Last Stop (Train) - Finished 7/10/25
3. The God of the Woods (Summer Camp) - Finished 7/9/25
4. Project Hail Mary (Space) - Finished 7/17/25
5. One Plus One (Car) - Finished 7/13/25

[Whitney]

I'm in for 4! -- Goal updated to 8.

Progress: 8/8 books completed!

*Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts.*

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Completed 7/5/25)
Main character immigrates to America. Other main character immigrates to London. Later, both main characters move back to Nigeria.

2. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (Completed 7/13/25)
Main character travels from Vietnam to America for an arranged relationship. There is also a plane on the book cover.

3. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (Completed 7/21/25)
Main characters go on a road trip in a convertible through the American West.

4. The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (Completed 7/27/25)
Main character goes on a spiritual and physical journey around the world.

5. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Completed 7/21/25)
Main character becomes a refugee and must travel to safety.

6. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (Completed 7/24/25)
Main character time travels between modern-day and early 1800s.

7. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (Completed 7/27/25)
Main character escapes to France. Book also discusses a stoneware jar that has been passed down through the generations. Book explains the jar's journey, which was "brought North by an enslaved ancestor".

8. The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (Completed 7/26/25)
Main characters travel and spend their summer vacation in Italy.

[JennH, Cheerleader]

Please sign me up for 5.

HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2025

6/5

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts.

1. Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff 7/10/25 - ship, train
2. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa 7/13/25 - journey
3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 7/20/25 - travel
4. The Burnt Orange Heresy (Movie Tie-In Edition): A Novel by Charles Willeford 7/22/25 - drove from Florida to New York
5. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells 7/24/25 - time machine
6. Danger on the Atlantic by Erica Ruth Neubauer 7/25/25 - transatlantic liner

[Ciara]

Sign me up for 5!

[Laurie]

3/3 DONE! Thanks for a fun challenge!

HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE? By plane! 🛫🛫🛫

🛫 1. Code Name Verity

🛫 2. Rose Under Fire

🛫 3. The Aviator's Wife

[Carri Carey, TBR Twins]

Please sign me up for 10 books!
Progress: 10/10

Here One Moment - Read 7/5/25
The Last One at the Wedding - Read 7/9/25
Great Big Beautiful Life - Read 7/11/25
Jackal - Read 7/15/25
Falling - Read 7/17/25
Unsouled - Read 7/17/25
Beautiful Ugly - Read 7/22/25
The Unsinkable Greta James - Read 7/25/25
Sing, Unburied, Sing - Read 7/26/25
The Stardust Grail - Read 7/29/25

[Alyssa]

Sign me up for 1.

[Caraina]

HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?
Duration: July 1, 2025 - July 31, 2025

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation

Completed: 3/3

1. The Paris Express - Emma Donoghue 7/7/25 (Train)
2. Falling - T.J. Newman 7/25/25 (Plane)
3. The Titanic Sisters - Patricia Falvey 7/28/25

[Charlotte]

Completed!

I'm in for 4

Progress: 5/4+

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts:

Vindmakeren Maja Lunde 7/1/25 - In the book Tobias (MC) travels from his town by train and boat to an island where he is going to spend the summer.

The Black Star of Kingston S.D. Smith 7/5/25 - They travel by boat a lot, first to get to a new land (Natalia), and then to cross a big lake.

The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner S.D. Smith 7/9/25 - They travel by boat a lot, they try explore in the boats.

Prince Lander and the Dragon War S.D. Smith 7/10/25 - They travel by boat a lot, and they get rescued on boats from an island.

Murder on the Orient Express Agatha Christie 7/24/25 - The whole story is set on a train.

[Rachael]

Please sign me up for 3 books.
I'm planning on reading The Odyssey because as the title suggests there is a journey featured and two books called Dragon Rider* because I'm counting dragons as a mode of transport
(*I recently realised I own two books with the exact same title but by different authors)

COMPLETED: 3/3
1. Dragon Rider (Funke) finished 6 July, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Dragon Rider (Matharu) finished 14 July, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ with review
3. The Odyssey finished 17 July, ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

[Blakie]

Hi everyone, thanks for the add. I am a newbie to challenges other than the standard Goodreads badges, so I will start slow and commit to one book:
Vol State 500K:A Journey Through Madness,
Blurring the Lines of American Division Seems.
Author:Nancy Barber

I don’t like discussing politics but I do like long walks. We’ll see how they go together :)
Happy reading, and thank you for an interesting prompt.
~Blakie

[TerryJane, Challenges]

🛩️ HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE? - Monthly Challenge
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2025
Progress: 22/12

🛩️ The Retirement Plan - motorboat, sailboat
🛩️ We Were Liars - ferry, motorboat
🛩️ You Have a Match - ferry, canoe/kayak
🛩️ Atmosphere - spacecraft, airplanes
🛩️ Rage Against the Dying - van, semi, car
🛩️ I Did Warn Her - super yacht
🛩️ A Letter to the Luminous Deep - floating research vessel, depth craft (submersible)
🛩️ Don't Let Him In - train, Tesla
🛩️ The Return of Ellie Black - cars, fishing boat, helicopter
🛩️ When Devils Sing - cars, ambulance, cabin cruiser
🛩️ Moloka'i - steamer ship, streetcar, horse, Model T, sampan, airplane, trolley, bus
🛩️ We Will Be Jaguars - canoe, airplane, truck
🛩️ Good Morning, Midnight - spacecraft, snowmobile
🛩️ Passing - taxi, train
🛩️ The Reluctant Fundamentalist - airplane, ferry
🛩️ The Phoenix Pencil Company - bicycle, ship, train
🛩️ The Devil's Arithmetic - horse and wagon, train
🛩️ In Search of April Raintree - car, truck
🛩️ Rosshalde - horse carriage, ship
🛩️ Summer - horse carriage, train
🛩️ The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - car, subway, plane
🛩️ The Vanishing Half - bus, train, car, streetcar

[Beth]

How Are You Getting There?

Destination
1. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo Seoul, Korea
2. The Clinic by Cate Quinn Pacific Northwest
3. Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins Hudson River Valley, New York state
4. Moloka'i (Moloka'i, #1) by Alan Brennert Hawai'i
5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King 1958
6. The King's Deception (Cotton Malone, #8) by Steve Berry London
7. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne an English country estate
8. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Scotland
9. The Trap by Melanie Raabe Munich, Germany
10. Death in Disguise (Agatha Christie Investigates, #3) by Alison Joseph London
11. Shades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1) by Jasper Fforde East Carmine

Mode of Transportation
1. Hope Rides Again (Obama Biden Mysteries, #2) by Andrew Shaffer helicopter
2. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell canoe
3. Small Spaces (Small Spaces, #1) by Katherine Arden school bus
4. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls horse
5. Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8) by James Patterson car
6. The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody, #6) by Elizabeth Peters camel
7. In the Blood by Lisa Unger bike
8. Point of Origin (Kay Scarpetta, #9) by Patricia Cornwell helicopter
9. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) by Rick Riordan pegasus

[LinaVer]

Please sign me up for 3. 😊📚

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation

Progress: 3/3

1. Confessions on the 7:45 - train
2. Ruin and Rising - flying ship, but also the whole book happens on a journey looking for a (fire)bird
3. Great Big Beautiful Life - boat

[Sarah]

Sign me up for 10 books

10/10 - COMPLETED

✅1. Spitfires: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II (10/7/25)
✅2. The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road (22/7/25)
✅3. The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir (23/7/25)
✅4. Run for the Hills (21/7/25)
✅5. The Unsinkable Greta James (20/7/25)
✅6. Falling (24/7/25)
✅7. Someone Like Us (22/7/25)
✅8. Sing, Unburied, Sing (4/7/25)
✅9. The Lincoln Highway (24/7/25)
✅10. Here We Go Again (31/7/25)

[GailW]

Welcome everyone! See some active names and some new names. Love that. I've started the participants/stats info at the top with everyone on here so far.

As always, if you see any "goof-up" with your info, please let me know.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

6/5

🚂The Paris Express
🚢Red Seas Under Red Skies
⛵ The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
🛫The Approach
🚂Confessions on the 7:45
🚶‍♂️A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

[Jenn]

I would like to sign up for 15-- thanks 🙂

[GailW]

AND WE'RE OFF! Have fun!

[Caroline]

Please sign me up for 3!

[Amy]

I will go for 4 books!
4/4-- Challenge Complete

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts.

1. Bus: The Big Rewrite
2. On foot: Shelterwood
3. Flying: All Together Dead
4. Bicycle: Tell Me How to Be

[Karin]

Okay, it turns out I can do this challenge! My initial goal is 2 books.
5/3

✈️1. travel by plane, helicopter and a portal to an alternate Earth another dimension: The Kaiju Preservation Society
✈️2. travel to a different world by magic, travel by boat, horse, on foot Prince Caspian
✈️3. travel by ship and car
✈️ 4. travel by float plane, plus jet, boat and car The Twelfth Imam
✈️ 5. travel by spaceship and wormhole (the latter also done on a planet from place to place - The Universe Within by G.S. Jennsen

[Melissa]

I am in for 4

Any book featuring travel, a journey, or a notable mode of transportation counts.

Completed: 5/4

1. The Lost Apothecary (7/2/25) Journey to England
2. Husbands & Lovers (7/6/25) Journey to Egypt
3. Great Big Beautiful Life (7/10/25) Journey through generations from California to Georgia
4. Part of Your World (7/13/25) Travel by car
5. Blood Heir (7/16) Travel mostly by horse

[GailW]

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Stats updated with newest participants through message 26.

[Charlotte]

Update to message #12

Progress: 1/2

[Karin]

Update message #25, including new goal

2/3

[Susan, Games & Events]

Update message #4

Progress: 1/5

[Amy]

Updated message 24-- 1/4

[Charlotte]

Update to message #12

Change goal to 4

Progress: 2/4

[Whitney]

Updated msg #5: 1/4

[Lisa Marie]

Please sign me up for 5 books at this time :)
I will add the books as I finish the book if that works

HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?
July 1 - July 31, 2025

GOAL: 5 BOOKS

[GailW]

Lisa Marie wrote: "Please sign me up for 5 books at this time :)
I will add the books as I finish the book if that works ... "

That absolutely works!

[Tanu]

Please sign me up for 3!

[Rachael]

Updated message 13: 1/3

[GailW]

Welcome Tanu!

Stats have been updated through message #37.

[D.L.]

Please put me down for 2 books for now. TY.

COMPLETED: 0/2

1.
2.

[GailW]

D.L. wrote: "Please put me down for 2 books for now. TY.."

You're now in!

[Carrie]

Sign me up for 5 please!


🧳HOW ARE YOU GETTING THERE?🧳
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2025
Completed: 6/5

How did we get there?

✔️1. Plane - Winter in Paradise
✔️2. Ferry - Beautiful Ugly
✔️3. Washed up on shore - Wild Dark Shore
✔️4. Time Travel - The Time Traveler's Wife
✔️5. Walk - Shelterwood
✔️6. Boat - The Light Between Oceans

[Karin]

Updated Message #25

3/3

[Amy]

Updated message 24-- 2/4

[GailW]

Our first completion! Congrats, Karin.

Stats updated.

[Susan, Games & Events]

Update message #4

Progress: 2/5

[Charlotte]

Update to message 12

Progress: 3/4

[Susan, Games & Events]

Update message #4

Progress: 3/5

[Sophia]

A bit late to the party but I'm going to go ahead and sign up for 2 book this month. Thanks!

Progress: 1/2

Jackdaws - completed 7/26/25

[GailW]

Sophia wrote: "A bit late to the party but I'm going to go ahead and sign up for 2 book this month. Thanks! Progress: 0/2"

You aren't too late until August 1 - welcome!

[Charlotte]

Update to message 12

Progress: 4/4+