2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
10/10
1. The Shadow of the Wind √
2. Interpreter of Maladies √
3. Candide √
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane √
5. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer √
6. Neverwhere √
7. Oryx and Crake √
8. Eleanor & Park √
9. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex √
10. Written in Red √

Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014
16/5 books
Fiction
Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands
Kinder Than Solitude
Boy, Snow, Bird
Mystery & Thriller
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
Concealed in Death √ 2/22
Historical Fiction
The Lost Sisterhood
Fantasy
Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery
Paranormal Fantasy
Sparrow Hill Road
Banishing the Dark √ 1/20
Dirty Magic √ 2/1
Up From the Grave √ 2/5
Wild Things √ 2/9
Half-Off Ragnarok
Night Broken
The Undead Pool
Memoir & Autobiography
History & Biography
Nonfiction
Humor
Debut Goodreads Author
An Untamed State

Duration: January 2014 – December 2014
5/6
000-099
100-199
200-299 Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex √
300-399 French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters √
400-499
500-599
600-699
700-799 Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind √ 1/4
800-899 Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere√
900-999 The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe √

20 books
Man Booker Prize Winners - 1/5
1.The White Tiger √
2. The Blind Assassin
3. Disgrace
4. Schindler's List
5. Midnight's Children
The Remains of the Day Wolf Hall
Orange Prize Fiction Winners - 3/3
1. Bel Canto √
2. Half of a Yellow Sun √
3.The Tiger's Wife √
Costa/WhitBread Novel Winners - 1/4
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time √
2. The Moor's Last Sigh
3. The Satanic Verses
4. White Teeth
Pulitzer Prize Winners -3/8
1. Middlesex
2. The Good Earth
3. A Confederacy of Dunces
4. Interpreter of Maladies √ 2/1
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
6. Gilead √
7. A Visit from the Goon Squad √
8. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Total of 46 - 9/20

Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2014
1. The Horse. On January 31, 2014, it becomes the Year of the Horse! Horses like being the center of attention. Read a book where the main character is famous OR read a memoir about or a biography of a celebrity. Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind √
2. The Goat. Home is where Goats feel the most comfortable. Read a book that takes place in the country you were born in. The Spider √ 1/2
3. The Monkey. Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book. √ Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
4. The Rooster. Roosters tend to "tell it like it is." Read a non-fiction book. √ In Cold Blood
5. The Dog. While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance. This Is How You Lose Her √
6. The Pig. Pigs love to have fun but tend to prefer spending to saving. Read a book you have purchased (rather than borrowed). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time √ 1/11
7. The Rat. Constantly seeking knowledge, Rats are curious and clever. Read a book that teaches you something. The Lady of the Rivers √ 1/6
8. The Ox. Oxen aren't very sociable and prefer life-long friendships to casual acquaintances. Read a book in which the main character could be described as an introvert. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer √
9. The Tiger. Tigers love to be challenged. Read a book you find challenging in some way maybe because of its length, style, or subject matter. The Master and Margarita √ 1/16
10. The Rabbit. Rabbits tend to enjoy meeting people from different places and learning about different cultures. Read a book about a culture not your own. The White Tiger √ 1/14
11. The Dragon. The Dragon is often considered to be the strongest sign, and the only one that is a mythical animal. Read a book that contains a mythical or paranormal creature. Drink Deep √ 1/22
12. The Snake. Snakes work hard but tend to be easily bored. To prevent boredom, read a short book (i.e., one with fewer than 100 pages). Candide √ 2/5

Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
For this challenge, your task is to read books from different regions of the world. The book must take place in that region, be written in a language of that region, OR be written by an author from that region.
10/10
Regions
North America In Cold Blood √ Finished (Kansas)
Central America
Caribbean This Is How You Lose Her √ Finished (Dominican republic)
South America Bel Canto √ Finished (unnamed country)
West Europe The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time √ Finished (England)
East Europe and Former Soviet Union The Master and Margarita √ Finished (Russia)
Africa Youth √ Finished (South Africa)
Middle East The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe √ Finished (Afganistan)
East Asia A Tale for the Time Being √ Finished (Tokyo)
South Asia The White Tiger √ Finished (India)
Southeast Asia
Australia & South Pacific The Rosie Project √

1. Save more money. Instead of buying a book, read a book you borrowed (from a friend or the library) or was given to you as a gift. Oryx and Crake
2. Quit smoking. Smoking is an addiction which is a neurological disorder explained by science. Read a science non-fiction book.
3. Exercise more. Read a book whose cover shows people being active in some way OR read a book in which one of the main characters is an athlete.
4. Spend more time with friends. Old favorite books are just like old friends. Reread an old favorite. Discount Armageddon
5. Watch less TV. Instead of watching TV or going to the movies, read a book that got turned into a movie or TV show. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
6. Go back to school. Read a book from this list: Best School Assigned Books Animal Farm
7. Go on a trip. Read a book that takes place in a country you've never been to. (This can be a made up country.) The White Tiger
8. Volunteer or donate more. Read a book you own then donate it. There are many places that accept donated books. You can try your library, thrift stores, or local charitable organizations. Let us know where you donated your book!

Duration: February 1 - 28, 2014
Love comes in all flavors right?
2/4
1. Philia. Translated from the ancient Greek as brotherly love. Read a book that features some sort of ‘bromance’ or two strong male characters.
2. Love triangle. There are some pretty famous ones. In honor of Aphrodite, Hephaistos, and Ares, read a book about ancient myths or fables OR a mythic fantasy novel.
3. Pygmalionism. From the Greek myth of Pygmalion. Read a book that features an artist, a great work of art or architecture, or an inanimate object having some sort of consciousness.
4. Autassassinophilia. Another way to say you love death, destruction, or mayhem. Read a mystery, horror, or thriller.
5. Chronophilia. When you only date people of a certain age group, derived from the God Chronos (father time). Read a book where the main characters are vastly different age ranges OR read a book that spans a large amount of time. Interpreter of Maladies
6. Biophilia. A love of nature. Coined by the great E. O. Wilson. Read a book whose setting takes place in nature or wild and untamed lands OR read a book about ecology. Bonus if you read a book by Edward O. Wilson!
7. Star-crossed lovers. In honor of the original star-crossed lovers, read a book that takes place in Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, or was book to movie that had Claire Danes or Leonardo DiCaprio in them. (There are a lot, seriously. Check out IMDb if you don’t believe me.) The Midwife of Venice
8. Mechanophilia. Who doesn't love cool machines? Read a Steampunk/Cyberpunk book OR read a book that machines (like a spaceship) play a big role.
9. Plushophilia. A love of stuffed animals. They even call themselves plushies. Read a book about a sub-culture OR read a book involving anthropomorphism.

Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014
This is a modified spell out challenge where each month of the year is spelled out in a different language!
For each letter, read a book where that letter is contained somewhere in the title or the author's name. It does NOT need to be the first letter of the word. The book used must be read in the month it represents.
January: Kapampangan (a language of the Philippines)
E Perfume: The Story of a Murderer√
N The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time√
E The White Tiger√
R The Lady of the Rivers √
O Oryx and Crake √
February: Arabic (Algeria & Tunisia)
F The Midwife of Venice √
I Interpreter of Maladies √
F Fool √
R The Reader √
I Afterlight √
March: Malay (a language of places like Indonesia etc)
M How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia √
A Kelley ArmstrongDime Store Magic √
C The Chapel Perilous Kevin Hearne √
April: Papiamento (a language of the Caribbean ABC Islands => Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao)
A Kelley Armstrong Forbidden √
P The Pink Hotel Anna Stothard √
R The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion √
E Erin Morgenstern The Night Circus √
L The Lost Sisterhood Anne Fortier√
May: Romanian (Romania)
M The Magicians' Guild √
A Alice Hoffman Practical Magic √
I Fables, Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind √
June: Greenlandic (Greenland)
J - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
U - An Untamed State
N - Song of the Nile
I - Mockingbird
July: Swahili (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda etc.)
J - Jim Gaffigan Dad Is Fat
U - Y: The Last Man: Unmanned
L - The Lion and the Rose
A - Alice Munro Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories
I - L.M. Ironside The Sekhmet Bed
August: Japanese (Japan)
H - The House Girl
A-Assassination Vacation
D - Sierra Dean Cold Hard Secret
U -
K-Kelly Sue DeConnick Captain Marvel #1
I - Insurgent
September: Basque (Basque Country, Spain)
I
R
A
I
L
October: Ewe (is a Niger–Congo language spoken in southeastern Ghana and southern Togo)
K
E
L
E
November: Venda (South Africa) (is a Bantu language predominately spoken in the Limpopo Province, Botswana)
L
A
R
A
December: Niuean (Niue Island, Tokelau)
T
E
S
E
M
O

In many parts of the northern hemisphere, Daylight Savings Time begins in March. Below is a map showing the usage of Daylight Savings Time around the world. Blue is for areas currently using it, and red and orange areas do not.
4/4
1. Read a book set in a place that currently uses daylight savings time. Half-Off Ragnarok
2. Read a book set in a place that does not currently use daylight savings time. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
3. Daylight savings time was first implemented in 1916. Read a book that takes place before 1916. The Kingmaker's Daughter
4. Daylight savings time was first proposed by a man named George Veronon Hudson. Read a book by an author who shares an initial with George Vernon Hudson. The Undead PoolKim Harrison

Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2014
50/60
A 1
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Half of a Yellow Sun
B 2
Karen Le Billon French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters
Anne Bishop Written in Red
C 2
Trudi Canavan The Magicians' Guild
Susanna Clarke Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Tara Conklin The House Girl √ 8/12
D 2
Stephanie Dray Lily of the Nile
Kelly Sue DeConnickCaptain Marvel #1
E 2
Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad
Barbara Ehrenreich Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
F 2
Tina Fey Bossypants
Anne Fortier The Lost Sisterhood
G 4
Kelly Gay The Better Part of Darkness
Roxane Gay An Untamed State
Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper
Susan Jane Gilman The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street
H 2
Alice Hoffman Practical Magic
Nancy Horan Under the Wide and Starry Sky
I 1
L.M. Ironside The Sekhmet Bed
J 2
Elle Jasper Afterlight
Erika Johansen The Queen of the Tearling
K 1
Rachel Kushner The Flamethrowers
L 3
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe
Lauren Leto Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere
Yiyun Li Kinder Than Solitude
M 2
Kelly Sue DeConnick Captain Marvel #1
Alice Munro Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories
O 5
Téa Obreht The Tiger's Wife
Melissa F. Olson Dead Spots
Julie OtsukaThe Buddha in the Attic
Helen Oyeyemi Helen Oyeyemi
Ruth Ozeki A Tale for the Time Being
P 2
Ann Patchett Bel Canto
Adrian Phoenix Black Dust Mambo
R 7
Roberta Rich The Midwife of Venice
Suzanne Rindell The Other Typist
Mary Roach Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Marilynne Robinson Gilead
Veronica Roth Divergent
Rainbow Rowell Eleanor & Park
Diana Rowland Mark of the Demon
S 3
Carol Shields Unless
Fiona Staples Saga, Volume 1
Anna Stothard The Pink Hotel
T 1
Stephanie Thornton Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
V 1
Sarah Vowell Assassination Vacation
W 2
Christie Watson Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway
Z 3
Kate Zambreno Green Girl
Gabrielle Zevin The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2014
I have 3 series I'd like to use.
The Cousin's War 5/5
The Iron Druid Chronicles 6/7
Charley Davidson series 5/6



Duration: April 1 - 30, 2014
6/6
Wikipedia has lots of entries for the word "shower." Let's explore them!
1. A shower is the act of bathing under a spray of water. Read a book that has water in some form on its cover. This can be traditional forms of water (such as a lake, a glass of water, or rain), but it could also be ice or steam.
2. A type of precipitation. Read a book that contains some kind of weather event. The Night Circus (several rain storms) √
3. A juggling pattern. The more objects in the shower, the more difficult. The same can be said for page numbers. Read a book with more than 350 pages. The Lost Sisterhood √
4. The 1999 short film. This film is only 10 minutes long. Read a short book (fewer than 150 pages).
5. The 1999 Chinese drama/comedy. Read a book set in China OR read a book you would consider to be both a drama and a comedy. Kinder Than Solitude √
6. The episode of The O.C. The O.C. was an American teen drama that took place in Orange County, CA. Read a book set in California OR read something you would consider to be a teen drama. Dead Spots √
7. Baby shower. Read a book in which a character has a baby OR read a book in which something important happened to a main character while he or she was a baby. The Pink Hotel √
8. Bridal shower. Read a book you received as a gift OR read a book in which someone gets married. The Rosie Project √
9. Meteor shower. Read a book that at least partly takes place in space OR (because we sometimes wish upon meteors) read a book in which a character makes a wish.
10. Particle shower. Read a book about science OR read a book with a title containing a word that can be made from the letters in the word PARTICLE (examples: PART, ICE, IT, AT, CLEAR).

Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2014
May the odds be ever in your favor.
7/8
The Capitol: The capitol is filled with beautiful extravagant people. Read a book with “beauty” in the title OR read a book where the main character is said to be extraordinarily beautiful.
District 1: District 1 produces luxury items. Read a book about people who are rich OR read a book where a piece of jewelry plays an important role.
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step
District 2: District 2 produces weapons and trains peacekeepers. Read a book about a war OR read a book with a cop as one of the characters.
The Better Part of Darkness
District 3: District 3 makes electronics. Read a book about a technologically advanced society OR read a book with a computer (or robot) as a main character.
District 4: District 4 is a fishing district. Read a book about a fisherman OR read a book that at least partially takes place on a boat.
District 5: District 5 is the source of electrical power. Read a book that features a lightning storm OR read a book that is set in a place without electricity.
The Lion and the Rose
District 6: District 6 is the hub of transportation. Read a book written by an author from a different country OR read a book that takes place in a real location you could visit.
District 7: District 7 produces lumber and paper. Read a book that takes place in a forest OR read a physical book made out of paper (as opposed to an ebook).
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories
District 8: District 8 makes textiles. Read a book about fashion OR read with an item of clothing on its cover.
District 9: District 9 produces grain and has no characters named in the books. Read a book with an unnamed main character OR read a book with a character who is a vegetarian.
The Book of Life
District 10: District 10 specialized in raising livestock. Read a book that has a domestic animal as a character OR read a book that has an animal in the title.
District 11: District 11 is an agricultural district and Rue, a young herbalist, originated here. Read a book where a young person dies OR read a book where an herbalist saves someone from dying.
Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
District 12: District 12 is the mining district, and Katniss and Peeta, its tributes, wear clothes that catch fire. Read a book that has a fire that is helpful in it OR read a book that has the word “coal” somewhere in it (add a quote of the sentence where you found the word).
District 13: District 13 is a rebellious district that specialized in nuclear technology. Read a book centered around a nuclear disaster OR read a book where the main character is rebellious.
Empress of the Seven Hills

Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2014
There are tons of wonderful books out there that have never won any awards, no matter how many awards they've been nominated for.
For this challenge, choose a literary award (or two or three) that appeals to you. For a list of literary awards, click here: award
Your goal is to read as many books as you can that have been nominated for but never won that specific award. Set your goal, and do your best to reach it by the end of the quarter!
3/9
Americanah (Women's Prize) - print
Gilead (PEN/Faulkner) - print
The Magician's Assistant (Women's Prize) -kindle
Paradise (Women's Prize) -print
The Hundred Secret Senses (women's Prize) - print
The Bookshop (Man Booker) -print
The Lowland (man booker) - kindle/kobo
The Sisters Brothers (man booker) -oyster
Great House (national book award) -print
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (National Book Award) -print
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (NBA) -kindle

Duration: July 1 - 30, 2014
For this challenge, spell out a place you are visiting or would like to visit. You can use ANY of the first letters of the main words in a title of a book (don't use words like "a", "an", "the", or "of") or the initials of its authors.
5/5
I L.M. Ironside The Crook and Flail
T Stephanie Thornton Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
A Alice Munro Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories
L The Lion and the Rose
Y Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned

Duration: July 1 - July 30, 2014
As we move into the second half of the year, it's time to clear those shelves!
5/5
1. Read the book that has been on your Goodreads TBR list longest.
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Siddhartha
2. Read a book from your physical book shelf or any other stash of books.
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories
3. Read a book you got as a gift or for free.
The Book of Life
4. Read a book recommended by or borrowed from a friend.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
5. Read a group read that you missed. You can see them all here: group reads
The Golden Compass
6. Read the next book in a series that you've neglected.
7. Read the book that you've most recently added to your TBR list.
Smoke and Mirrors
8. Read a book you started and never finished.
Gilead
9. Read a book you bought with great intentions to read and just haven't got to it yet.
10. Read a book that you should have read in high school or college but you faked through instead.
The Stranger
Books mentioned in this topic
Assassination Vacation (other topics)Cold Hard Secret (other topics)
The House Girl (other topics)
Insurgent (other topics)
Captain Marvel (2012-2013) #1 (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Kelly Sue DeConnick (other topics)Sierra Dean (other topics)
Tara Conklin (other topics)
Kelly Sue DeConnick (other topics)
Sarah Vowell (other topics)
More...
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The Listopia challenge
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March- Daylight Savings TimeYearly Challenge: #readwomen2014
2nd Quarter Challenge: Finish those seriesTHE SHOWER DISAMBIGUATION CHALLENGE3rd QUARTER CHALLENGE: HUNGER GAMES
3rd QUARTER CHALLENGE: ALWAYS A NOMINEE, NEVER A WINNER
JULY: THE SUMMER VACATION SPELL OUT CHALLENGEJULY: THE HOARDERS CHALLENGE