2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Post here when you get your book, and feel free to let others know what you've received. Santas, you're welcome to reveal yourselves after your Santee posts here!

Happy holidays!

All participants have received their Santees.

Thank you, Secret Santa for my book Doomsday Book. However, the title says it is not available in the United States and would not download to my Kindle. :( Thank you for trying though. :)

...well, that's an unexpected wrinkle in this. I didn't think THAT would be a problem at all. I'm surprised this didn't come up last year. I wonder if Amazon changed its rules? I'll need to dig into this further.

Ashley: Does Amazon provide you with a gift card to make up for the unavailability of the gift? Should santa try again? Inquiring anonymous santas want to know.

Thank you Secret Santa for Defending Jacob! I've been looking forward to this book for a long time and several of my friends have recommended it to me.

As a general tip to those of us outside of the US gifting kindle books: Some books have several kindle editions listed. It's probably(!) wise to make sure you choose a US publisher if the recipient is in the US.

Possibly this didn't come up last year because there aren't all that many santas trying to throw digital gifts down chimneys on other continents and far from every book offers multiple, but regionally restricted, editions...?

Karina wrote: "Ashley: Does Amazon provide you with a gift card to make up for the unavailability of the gift? Should santa try again? Inquiring anonymous santas want to know."

Karina, yes, they did offer a gift card for the unavailability.

Good point, Karina. There are several editions to the books, so make sure it is available in the country you are sending. :)

Here are the official guidelines from Amazon in case you get a duplicate book or cannot download the one you were gifted:

Exchange a Kindle Book Gift for an Amazon Gift Card

If you already own the Kindle book you received, would prefer to have something else, or aren't eligible to receive the gifted book, you can exchange the Kindle Book gift.

We will provide you with an Amazon gift credit redeemable on millions of other items on Amazon, including other Kindle books.

To exchange your gift for gift card credit on Amazon you can reach us by clicking on the Contact Us button on the Help pages.

Good to know, Theresa--thank you for sharing!

Thank You secret Santa for A Bend in the Road. I love Nicholas Sparks

Thank you to my Secret Santa for my book The Long Road Home. I am really looking forward to reading it. It is different from what I have been reading lately and I need a change! I will let you know how it goes!

Thank you, secret santa! I can't wait to read How to Make a Zombie: The Real Life (and Death) Science of Reanimation and Mind Control :D

Thank you so much, Ashleigh! I've had this series on my To Read list for ages! I can't wait to start!

thank you secret Santa for the book wool omnibus edition by hugh howey ive been looking forward to reading this.

IF YOU CANT ACCEPT YOUR BOOK GIFT IN YOUR COUNTRY READ THIS.

when I tried to receive my book gift from my secret Santa it wouldn't let me as it said this it not available for the UK. so I went onto my account and clicked on manage my kindle. I then clicked on country settings and where it said united kingdom next to it said change. so I clicked on it and changed my location and address to my parents in Spain and it worked and I was able to receive my gift.
you might have to use a address and post code from a different country that isn't yours but it should work.
If you have any questions message me and I'll be glad to help

Ashley wrote: "Thank you, Secret Santa for my book Doomsday Book. However, the title says it is not available in the United States and would not download to my Kindle. :( Thank you for trying though. :)"

IF YOU CANT ACCEPT YOUR BOOK GIFT IN YOUR COUNTRY READ THIS.

when I tried to receive my book gift from my secret Santa it wouldn't let me as it said this it not available for the UK. so I went onto my account and clicked on manage my kindle. I then clicked on country settings and where it said united kingdom next to it said change. so I clicked on it and changed my location and address to my parents in Spain and it worked and I was able to receive my gift.
you might have to use a address and post code from a different country that isn't yours but it should work.

In Canada, I didn't have to change my address and postal code, like Shannon. I just had to switch my account to USA. It was very easy and when I received my gift, it was easy to switch back.

I am glad it worked for you Shannon and good to know that it is possible to give and receive e-book gifts outside of the US.

I hope everyone enjoys their new books.

Thank you, all, for the tips! This was an unexpected wrinkle this year, and I appreciate all the help and patience.

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ALL SANTEES ARE NOW SENT. If you haven't received a message from me saying who your Santee is, then one of two things have happened: (1) I'm waiting for a response from you for a question I had, or (2) I messed up. In either case, please let me know.

How do I know when I get my book? Do I get an email? And for my Secret Santa person, their book will get there this Friday.

You will get an email, Alison. :)

I received Sisters Red and a card today from my secret santa :)

Thank you! I look forward to reading it!

Many thanks to my Secret Santa, Alison G., who sent me Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This was on my wish list and will fit some challenges that include reading books by Nobel Laureates and by authors from countries other than my own.

Thank you, Secret Santa, for sending me Three Tales from the World of Cotton Malone: The Balkan Escape, The Devil's Gold, and The Admiral's Mark. I love Steve Berry's books and look forward to reading this!

I'm not sure if I have two Secret Santas or if this is from the same person, but I just received Shadow of the Hegemon which I am very much looking forward to reading. Thanks, Santa!

All, just a reminder: Mail becomes particularly slow around the holidays, so please don't panic if you haven't received your books yet. I would expect that some books will still be trickling in at the start of January.

Patience! Everyone will get a book. :)

I got my book The Solaris Book of New Fantasy in the mail on Friday 12/20! Thank you Secret Santa T. Lowe!~

I got mine today - The Sea of Tranquility I can't wait to read it :) Thank you Secret Santa!! :D And Merry Christmas everyone!

I got my book and I am so so so excited about it. It is so unique and I can not wait to read it. Thank you so much Secret Santa!!! They sent me . It is so different and I was like jumping for joy about it!!!! Thank you again!!!

I got my book a few days ago AND MY DAD STOLE IT! He made me wait until today. (Luckily I'm German so I didn't have to wait until the 25th.)
Thank you Secret Santa for Inferno . I've read his other books and Dante fascinates me and I was really only waiting for my edition to come out, but now I can go ahead and dive into it. Thank you so much!

Tiffany-Rae wrote: "I got my book and I am so so so excited about it. It is so unique and I can not wait to read it. Thank you so much Secret Santa!!! They sent me . It is so different and I was like jumping for joy about it!!!! Thank you again!!! "

Surprise!

I'm revealing myself only because I wanted to point out that Tiffany-Rae and I were also paired as December TBR Twins this month (we're reading and discussing The Night Circus together at the moment though I'm finding it hard to get through). It was such a neat and exciting coincidence when Kara messaged me that my Secret Santa was none other than....Tiffany-Rae! So I did everything I could to stay quiet and ship it anonymously to keep it a secret until she received it.

I am so so happy that you like it!! I thought really hard about what to get because the tip was something like James Patterson or Stephen King but that you already owned a lot of books and I was nervous maybe you already had it. So based on your love of mystery and thriller type books, I wanted to try to find one that was a little bit different from the norm and one that I would also want to read myself (no question I"m going to order a copy for myself - obsessed with J.J. Abrams). Also just 10 minutes ago my boyfriend texted me giddy with excitement describing all this stuff about a unique clue-based book that is a story within a story with a website that feeds into it and a decoder ring that no one has deciphered yet that he got as one of his Christmas presents from his mom and I was like "Omg you're talking about S.!"

I hope it's as good as it sounds! Merry Christmas!

I opened my presents from Santa today :-) I am so excited to read Me Before You and To Kill a Mockingbird, both of which were on my TBR list! They came wrapped and everything, which was so lovely. Thank you, and Merry Christmas everybody!

Erin wrote: "Thank you so much, Ashleigh! I've had this series on my To Read list for ages! I can't wait to start!"

You're so welcome Erin! I actually ended up adding that series to my TBR pile, as well - it looks very good and interesting! You'll have to let me know how it turns out :)

Santas, if you'd like to reveal yourselves now, please feel free!

Santees, if you haven't received your books yet, please be patient. As you may be aware, there were SIGNIFICANT shipping delays with some major companies like FedEx and UPS which could cause some of our gifts to be late.

I promise that you will all receive a book.

My Secret Santee was Kathy Lucey!~ According to tracking information, it was delivered on 12/23. So I hope you will enjoy the 2 books I sent.

Once again, Thank you Secret Santa Tiffany-Rae Lowe for The Solaris Book of New Fantasy!~ It is such a big book and might take awhile for me to get to it, so I think I'll use it for 2014 Reading Challenge. Maybe it can even fit one of the monthly or mini challenges!~

Without yet revealing myself to my Santee, I have to admit I'm getting a bit worried. The tracking number tells me that the book was delivered, but my Santee has not yet posted. Did it get delivered to the wrong location? Did something else happen? I'm trying not to think the worst, but I admit that I'm feeling a little bit anxious that something went wrong!

This was a great holiday exchange! Shannon was my Santee, and she told me she received both the books I sent to her,
Wool Omnibus and Outlander .
I received Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn from my Secret Santa, Shannon. I look forward to reading that one early in 2014.

Erin, I've messaged your Santee to see if she has received your book.

I know this is a big travel season for lots of folks, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of our participants are out of town so haven't received their books yet.

Thanks! Of all the possible scenarios that went through my brain, somehow that one (the most reasonable of all) didn't even occur to me!

I received from my Secret Santa :) I look forward to reading it in the new year. Thanks Santa :D

Natalie wrote: "I received Sisters Red and a card today from my secret santa :)

Thank you! I look forward to reading it!"

That was from me :) I hope you enjoy it!

I would like to thank my Secret Santa, Sherry Wang for the two books that she had given me. Thank you for taking the time to select from your own personal library: Time After Time by Kay Hooper and Last Witness by Jilliane Hoffman - I can't wait to start reading!! :)

Nidia wrote: "Natalie wrote: "I received Sisters Red and a card today from my secret santa :)

Thank you! I look forward to reading it!"

That was from me :) I hope you enjoy it!"

I'm sure I will. Thank you again!

Erin- you must have had me. I know what book it is supposed to be. Thank you. Unfortunately, I cant find it in my email... HMMM. Ive looked in my spam and my inbox. Ill keep looking though.

Nope, yours wasn't Erin. Alison, I'll ask your Santa to reach out and see what's going on.

Oh ok! Well that message was for whoever mine was then!

I just received my book today!!! I am so excited - I got the book that won the best memoir for goodreads awards in 2013 and have really wanted to read it! Thank you Secret Santa for I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai - you picked the perfect book. And thank you 100 times for sending it to me all the way from Japan!! That was extremely generous of you, and I hope you receive an equally awesome book!

Thank you, Secret Santa! I just received Mew is For Murder by Clea Simon. I am looking forward to reading it! Thanks so much for sending it overseas! I hope you got a great book too.

Thank you very much Secret Santa, Anne Weickert, for Heaven by Christoph Marzi. I can't wait to start reading, you truly made my day with your wonderful gift. Hopefully you had a great holiday and that you received an equally amazing surprise and book in the mail.

There's still quite a few books outstanding, but I've confirmed that every Santa has sent out a gift. If you haven't checked in this thread yet but have received your books, please let us know.

(And if you haven't received your book yet, don't worry! Mail is always super slow this time of year, and some of the Santas are shipping internationally.)

A big thank you to my Santa for my two books. Two, I feel spoiled! They did initially arrive at my house on the 30th but I was on holiday so they were just redelivered today. Thank you so much, I look forward to diving into them.

Okay! I've had a chance to go through and check off everyone who has and hasn't received books yet.

I have confirmed with EVERYONE that books were sent, so if you have not received yours, please let me know.