2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hi All!

I have a few challenges going this year. Most of them are year long. I will try and track them all here. First, I want to read 15 books from the 1001 Books to Read before you die list:

1-The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald - read 1/12/2015
2-Mansfield Park Jane Austen - read 1/29/2015
3- Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro - read 2/21/2015
4- Candide Voltaire - read 3/2/2015
5- The Shining Stephen King - read 5/5/2015
6- To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee - IN PROGRESS
7-
8-
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13-
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15-

I am also hoping to read 15 new-to-me female authors:

1- G. Willow Wilson - Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal - read 1/3/2015
2- Roxane Gay - Bad Feminist: Essays - read 1/6/2015
3- Eve LaPlante - Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother - read 1/20/2015
4- Jacqueline Woodson - Brown Girl Dreaming - read 1/17/15
5- Roz Chast - Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? - read 2/8/2015
6- Alice Munro - Dear Life: Stories - read 2/18/2015
7- Susan Hill - The Woman in Black - read 2/26/2015
8- Sarah Vaughn - Alex + Ada, Volume 1 - read 2/25/2015
9- Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites - read 3/8/2015
10- Caitlin Moran - How to Be a Woman - read 4/1/2015
11- Amy Poehler - Yes Please - read 4/22/2015
12- Gretchen Rubin - The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun - read 5/1/2015
13- Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird - IN PROGRESS
14- Noelle Stevenson - Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 - read 5/12/2015
15- Sarah Waters - The Paying Guests - read 5/12/2015
16-
17-
18-
19-
20-

I also want to complete the A-Z challenge, using author names. Will fill in the books and cross off the author once completed:

A- Jane Austen - Mansfield Park - read 1/29/2015
B- Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - read 1/28/2015
C- Italo Calvino
D- Tsitsi Dangarembga
E- Cary Elwes - As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride - read 1/15/2015
F- F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby - read 1/12/2015
G- Roxane Gay - Bad Feminist: Essays - read 1/6/2015
H- Zora Neale Hurston
I- Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go - read 2/21/2015
J- Shirley Jackson
K- Franz Kafka
L- Eve LaPlante - Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother - read 1/20/2015
M- Alice Munro - Dear Life: Stories - read 2/18/2015
N- Sylvia Nasar
O- Edna O'Brien
P- Oliver Pötzsch
Q- Raymond Queneau - Pierrot Mon Ami - read 5/3/2015
R- Mary Doria Russell
S- Michael Sokolove - Drama High: The Incredible True Story of a Brilliant Teacher, a Struggling Town, and the Mag ic of Theater - read 2/28/2015
T- Miriam Toews - Summer of My Amazing Luck - read 1/20/2015
U- John Updike
V- Voltaire - Candide - read 3/2/2015
W- Tennessee Williams - The Glass Menagerie - read 1/10/2015
X- Ruiyan Xu
Y- Tiphanie Yanique
Z- Carlos Ruiz Zafón

TOTAL COMPLETED: 13/26

Finally, I'll be participating in the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge with the tasks and corresponding books as follows:

COMPLETED 13/24

1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65 - Dear Life: Stories Alice Munro - read 2/18/2015

3. A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people)

4. A book published by an indie press - Summer of My Amazing Luck - Miriam Toews - read 1/20/2015

5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ - Bad Feminist: Essays Roxane Gay - read 1/6/2015

6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own - The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald- read 1/12/2015

7. A book that takes place in Asia

8. A book by an author from Africa

9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)

10. A microhistory

11. A YA novel
The View from the Cherry Tree Willo Davis Roberts - read 1/3/2015
12. A sci-fi novel

13. A romance novel

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)

16. An audiobook - Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother Eve LaPlante - read 1/20/2015

17. A collection of poetry - Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson - read 1/17/15
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you
Here Richard McGuire - read 1/8/2015
19. A book that was originally published in another language - Pierrot Mon Ami Raymond Queneau - read 5/3/2015
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind
Saga #1 Brian K. Vaughan - read 1/1/2015
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure - Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Anthony Bourdain - read 1/28/2015

22. A book published before 1850 - Mansfield Park Jane Austen - read 1/29/2015

23. A book published this year

24. A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”) - The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun Gretchen Rubin - read 5/1/2015

January Wrap-Up

So far, this year is going well!

Here are my stats at the end of January:

1001 books goal: 2/15 = 13.3%

#readwomen challenge: 4/15 = 26.66%

A to Z challenge: 8/26 = 30.7%

BookRiot Read Harder challenge: 10/24 = 41.6%

I've been reading a lot for a challenge in a another group, The Roundtable, and will hopefully finish the A to Z challenge by the end of April when I complete those tasks. The hardest one for me so far has been the 1001 list, because I don't often pull out my list or app and look for something from there. I will try to get three from that list in next month. I know I have at least two scheduled to read for February already so it won't be too difficult. 2015 might be my best reading year yet!

May Update:


Here are my stats as of May 6:

1001 books goal: 5/15 = 33.3%

#readwomen challenge: 12/15 = 80%

A to Z challenge: 13/26 = 50%

BookRiot Read Harder Challenge: 13/24 = 54.1%