2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Once again I am challenging myself to read 60 books. Sometimes I read more, but like the idea of a cushion. I also want to do one re-read a month, one Christian book a month, one audiobook a month and the rest whatever I feel like. 5 books a month means 60 books.

Great goals, Anne. Best of luck to you :)

1) 1/2/2023 Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Life by Eric Metaxas I love conversion stories, although I usually read political conversions. This was a faith conversion. From muddled secular to devoted Christian. Lesson: God speaks to us in many ways, but sometimes he can really be in your face!

2) 1/4/2023 The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers The plot of this book dragged a bit in the middle but overall I liked the concept of a woman trying to make it in a mining community. I shouldn't have said woman, she was a lady! Lesson: One person can have a powerful impact on a community.

3) 1/5/2022 Holy Moments: A handbook for the rest of your life by Matthew Kelly Dynamic Catholic sent this to me unordered. So I decided to make it my Christian book this month. Matthew says to look for opportunities to do something good in collaboration with God and that these moments are holy. Something to make things better. Our society needs a spiritual reawakening. If each of us did this our world would be so much better. Lesson: Do your part.

4) 1/14/2022 Marmee by Sarah Miller Got this one from Libby. I read Caroline by the same author last year. That was Little House on the Prairie from the mother's point of view. This was Little Women from Marmee's point of view. 3.5 stars. Liked it alot except for the imparting of modern feminist views onto Marmee. Ugghh. Plus the death of Beth hit home to me so hard since I just lost my oldest 2 months ago. The descriptions of her grief were spot on. Lesson: Help others but try to look at things from their point of view.

5) 1/16/2022 The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum Listened to this as an audiobook and really enjoyed it. The classic story of heroes and Gods and war. Lesson: There is a reason some stories are classics. It's because the stories are so good! Read more classics.

6) 2/8/23 The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss A woman wronged and focused on revenge during the crisis that was the Whiskey Rebellion. A re-read for me. I think I got alot more out of it this time, but it was still a pretty difficult read. Lesson: Leaders need to think about the unintended consequences of their policies and actions.

7) 2/13/23 Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell Excellent. Historical fiction about the death of Shakespeare's son Hamnet and the story of the family. Hard for me since I recently lost my son, one of my three children, just as happened to Agnes. Writing is beautiful. The characters are unique and it makes me want to read Hamlet again. Lesson: The same things happen to families no matter what the century.

8) 2/19/23 The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley A thriller about a dysfunctional family and their evil business. I kept on reading because of the way it kept leading me on, I wanted to find out what happened next. Ending was pretty good. Lesson - Never believe appearances.

9) Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-69 by Stephen E. Ambrose The history of the building of the first railroad that went all the way to the Pacific. So interesting, especially the stories of the workers and their different ethnicities. Lesson: Impossible things are possible!

10) True Believer by Jack Carr Wanted a good thriller and this was one. Loved the scenes in the boat and in the African bush. Not sure the plot is believable but it was enjoyable. Lesson: Don't trust the politicians, and don't cross a seal.

11) Friendship with God: Discover God's Relational Presence and Receive Peace, Identity, and Purpose for Your Life by Jamie Moore Short book on how to develop a close friend relationship with Christ. Lesson: Always be talking and asking questions of God. Listen for the answers.

12) A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II by Simon Parkin Wow, I thought I knew World War II. This was a story I had never heard of - and how fascinating! An ill Naval Officer and women Wrens come up with the way to beat the U-Boats and save England. Lesson: We all have different gifts and opportunities to serve.

13) The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick Interesting novel about what would have happened if the Axis had won WWII. But it seemed incomplete to me. A lot of plot ideas never really resolved. But still interesting. Lesson: Be very grateful that we did win WWII.

Great list, Anne! There's a few new additions to my ever-growing TBR :D

14) My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lost Love by Amanda Barratt The story of Bonhoeffer and the romance with Maria his fiancee. Bonhoeffer was working against the Nazis and was eventually imprisoned and killed. So much loss, so much war and blood and death. But Bonhoeffer remained strong in his faith and lived well to the end. Lesson: Remain strong in your faith even in suffering.

15) 3/17/2023 The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time by Gregory Bottaro Meditative techniques to use with a Catholic slant. Had some pretty good ideas to try to improve your prayer life. Lesson: We need quiet and peace to connect with God and for mental health.

16) 3/21/2023 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Excellent, nerdy, science fiction novel about a hero who didn't even want to be a hero. Lesson: Just do the next right thing.

17) 3/26/2023 Surprised By Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic by Patrick Madrid Loved this book - actually listened to it on audio and loved each one of the individual conversion stories. These people weren't converting for light reasons, they did their research. They prayed about it. It was very inspiring. Lesson: Consistency is so important.

18) 3/26/2023 The Oath by Frank E. Peretti A thriller about good and evil and how we are all subject to be drawn into sin. A definite page turner. Lesson: Pray! Pray a lot!

19) 4/4/2023 Savage Son by Jack Carr Fun and entertaining and unbelievable thriller. His villians are getting sicker and sicker that's for sure. It was still a fun ride. Lesson: Train. Be prepared.

20) 4/10/2023 A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean Novel about a woman in a bad car accident that messes up her life horribly. Pretty unbelievable plot but still entertaining. Lesson: things are never what they seem.

21) 4/15/2023 Gallipoli 1915: Riveting firsthand account of the most controversial campaign of the First World War by Joseph Murray Listened to this on audio. Really good. Joe was amazing. The only survivor of his whole group. The descriptions of the men and the landscape and the fear and the tunnelling and the flies was really incredible. How anyone survived is unbelievable. I'm visiting Gallipoli next month so this was a good book to read. Loved it. Lesson: We have it so good.

22) 4/16/2023 Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today by Greg Laurie Loved this book. He goes through the turmoil of the 60s and how many people turned to Christ in their desperation. How it involved hippies and 19 year old preachers and beach baptisms. Are we desperate enough for another revival? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Lesson: God works through lots of different people.

Anne wrote: "22) 4/16/2023 Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today by Greg Laurie Loved this book. He goes through the turmoi..."

I did not realize the movie that came out earlier this year was also a book! I may have to read this one for Popsugar's prompt "Becoming a movie in 2023"

23) Actually read this earlier and forgot to write it down: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Real American Heroes by Brion T. McClanahan A series of biographies of both good and bad American heroes, hence politcally incorrect. Still learned alot. Lesson: Tough times make tough people.

24) 4/22/2023 When You Suffer: Biblical Keys for Hope and Understanding by Jeff Cavins I've been listening to Jeff alot on Hallow and got this book. We all suffer. It's not meaningless. Lesson: Offer it up.

25) 5/9/2023 The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Started off pretty slow, but I came to like this novel about English Manors and House staff and mental illness.... Lesson: Everyone has a story.

26) 5/11/2023 The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis I need to read C.S. Lewis more than I do. He says we as Christians need to work on loving those who are not likable. Agape love. That's how God loves us. Lesson: Remember loving Frank.

27) 5/14/2023 Troy by Stephen Fry Read this after visiting Turkey and Greece. I like Fry's sense of humor. I could read this again and again. Lesson: The Gods are fickle and humans nature doesn't change.

28) 5/16/2023 What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon Good time travel novel with a lot of history of the Irish revolts of the 1910s to 1920s built in. And a good love story. I liked it! Lesson: Governments don't like rebels.

29) 5/21/2023 Gallipoli by Alan Moorehead Overview of the battle. Hard to read. Such waste. Lesson: Bad decisions are often made by politicians in war.

30) 5/28/23 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Re-read this because of my recent travels to Turkey and Greece. I think I liked it better this time. Patroclus was a much better person than Achilles and it was pretty sad. So much war and death because of pride. Well told. Lesson: Jealously and pride are a big cause of wars and death.

31) 5/30/23 Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis I try to re-read this every couple of years. A unique look at Christianity that never fails to move me. And I learn something new every time. Lesson: The last shall be first.

32) 6/4/23 Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid This one started slowly and I really did not like the main character. But that was the point of the book. Her becoming someone who was not defined by how she played tennis. Her becoming someone who could lose and love and learn and teach. 4 stars. Lesson: Why gain the whole world only to lose your soul? Focus on the important stuff.

33) 6/10/23 Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World by Charles J. Chaput This book had a lot of history and explained how things really aren't that different now. Christians just have to keep the faith. Even if things are terrible around us, even if the world hates us. We know the ending. Lesson: Do not despair.

34) 6/15/2023 Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb I had this book on my kindle from some sale some time ago. And I have been watching some young booktubers who talk about what a great writer Robin Hobb is. So I tried it and I loved it. Probably would have been a little better if I had started with earlier books in the series. But I couldn't put it down. The story and the characters and the loyalty and the intrigue. It was great. Now I have a whole new world of books to read by Robin Hobb! Very exciting! Lesson: You can try to hide but in the end you have to do what you were meant to do.

35) 6/16/2023 The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan I listened to this book on audio. I loved how the author went through the day by giving us the experiences of individual soldiers and leaders on both sides. Of course I have seen the movie many times and it follows the book pretty well. Excellent. Lesson: It really was a day to remember.

36) 6/19/2023 Elevation by Stephen King A short novel by King that I thought was strange. Maybe I just didn't understand it. He assumes so much about people that just isn't true. But I liked the elevation aspect. Rising above the world. Kind of like the ascension? Not sure. Lesson: Rise above it.

37) 6/21/2023 The Gunslinger by Stephen King I've read most of Stephen King and I like his books. But I've never read the Dark Tower series. This first one seems like just an introduction. A gunslinger chases after the man in black through a desert wasteland. And it's a strange world. Lots of questions at the end but I am interested. As long as I can get the books from the library that is.... Lesson: Sometimes you just have to do something but you don't know why. You just do it.

38) 6/23/2023 The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King Making my way through the Dark Tower Series. This one was weird but good. Lots of unexpected situations. Still watching for Jake. Seems like he needs to still be a part of this. Adventures in multiple worlds, at various times. Enjoying it. Lesson: Even addicts and cripples can surprise you!

39) 7/2/2023 The Talisman by Stephen King Also written by Peter Straub. Not my favorite Stephen King book although it had some good parts. I'm reading a bunch of these King novels as background for the Dark Tower series. A young kid has to travel across country to get something that will cure his mother. He also switches between worlds while he does this. It's kind of an odyssey journey where he has to face many trials. Loved Wolf, one of his friends. Lesson: Everyone has some good and evil - but some people are just plain evil.

40) 7/4/2023 The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King A great fairy tale of a novel. A retelling of the Cain and Able story in a way. There are heros and villians and characters that get used. All told in a distinctive way, very unlike King's other novels. It's like you are sitting by a fire and a master storyteller is telling you a tale. Flagg is the bad guy. Same Flagg as from the stand? Hmmm Lesson: Sometimes things you played with as a child will save your life.

41) 7/9/2023 The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer A mom with a special needs child that takes all her energy travels to Poland for her dying grandmother to find out what happened during the war. Great book. Some of the plot was a little unbelievable, but I enjoyed her travels and the second perspective of the young Alina during war. Lesson: Sometimes all you can do is survive... If lucky there will be time to thrive later.

42) 7/14/2023 The Waste Lands by Stephen King Jake is back! He and Roland move back into sanity after the time travel issues they caused. Adventures and death follow our group everywhere, but there is cleverness and some wisdom too. Enjoying this series. Lesson: Be careful with machines who think they are smart. Be careful with allowing machines to think.

43) 7/17/2023 Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer How to help children reject the lies of the world and be centered in God in their lives. A difficult task in this world today. It was challenging, there is a lot of things going on that we need to understand. I may have to read again someday. Lesson: The world wants the kids to reject God.

44) 7/19/2023 The Devil's Hand by Jack Carr Another thriller with James Reece who is strong and lucky and smart and probably wouldn't have survived the first book (this is number 4) in real life. Still fun to read with enough bits of truth to make it scary. Lesson: How many policies have been made because of revenge?

45) 7/24/2023 The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection by Michael A. Singer
What happens when someone just decides to surrender to life, to God? When they reject the negative voices in their head that always says NO. To just start saying yes? That's the story of Michael Singer. So interesting. About meditation, teaching, software, unfair attacks by the DOJ... But Mickey just keeps on accepting life as it happens. I liked it. Lesson: Just accept life and take the next step

46) 8/4/2023 Wizard and Glass by Stephen King A thousand pages in this book! We went back to Roland's youth and the tragic story of the start of the big war that destroyed his love and his world. Lesson: Young love can mess up your head.