2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I don't know how many books I am going to plan to read all together next year, but in 2023 I set myself an additional goal of reading 50 books that I own, because this shelf business is outta hand.

So, since I was successful, in 2024 I would like to also read 50 books that I already own. Onward!

65/? 2024 reads in general 📚
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49/50 Read books I own 📖

1. Anna of Kleve, The Princess in the Portrait - Alison Weir ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Perfume - Patrick Süskind ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Greek Life and Customs - E. Guhl and W Koner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. Heart Collector - Jacques Vandroux ⭐️
6. New Pompeii - Daniel Godfrey - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
7. Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
9. Wreckage - Emily Bleeker - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
10. Thanatos - Eva Pohler - ⭐️⭐️
11. Caveat Emptor - Ruth Downie - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
12. Challenge of Hades - Eva Pohler ⭐️
13. My Dear Hamilton - Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. Amy, My Daughter - Mitch Winehouse ⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. A New Goddess - Eva Pohler ⭐️⭐️
16. The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
17. The Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
18. The Last Plantagenets - Thomas D. Costain - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
19. Egypt's Golden Couple - John & Colleen Darnell - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
20. Migraine - Oliver Sacks - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
21. Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas De Quincey - Frances Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
22. The Absence of Mercy - John Burley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
23. The Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen - Sarah Bird ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
24. The Invention of Murder - Judith Flanders ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
25. Elantris - Brandon Sanderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
26. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter - Theodora Goss ⭐️⭐️⭐️
27. Gods and Generals - Jeff Shaara ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
28. Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
29. The Girl in the Glass - James Hayman ⭐️⭐️⭐️
30. The Show Girl - Nicola Harrison - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
31. Malady of the Mind - Jeffery Liberman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
32. The Bands of Mourning - Brandon Sanderson - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
33. Semper Fidelis - Ruth Downie - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
34. Thomas Cromwell - Tracy Borman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
35. Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
36. Caligula: The corruption of power - Anthony A. Barrett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
37. Free Food for Millionaires - Min Jin Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️
38. The Lost Metal - Brandon Sanderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
39. The Dark Lure - Loreth Anne White ⭐️⭐️⭐️
40. The Empire of Time - Daniel Godfrey ⭐️⭐️
41. The Second Mrs. Astor - Shana Abe ⭐️⭐️⭐️
42. A Secret History - Brandon Sanderson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
43. Tyndale: The Man who Gave God an English Voice - David Teems ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
44. Graveyard Shift - ML Rio - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
45. Through a Window - My 30 years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe ⭐️⭐️⭐️
46. The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men n a Race against an Epidemic - Gay Salisbury ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
47. By Any Other Name - Jodi Picoult ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
48. The Monster of Florence - Douglas Peterson ⭐️⭐️1/2
49. The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Antonia Fraser ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
50.

I do so agree. My New Year Resolution is to read all the books I own before taking out more from the library.

Darn! I already failed my New Year Resolution so I can read Murder at the Serpentine Bridge for the Sarah Kat challenge!

May the pages of the coming year unfold countless stories and adventures for you. Good luck on your literary journey in 2024!

Dorothy wrote: "I do so agree. My New Year Resolution is to read all the books I own before taking out more from the library."

Thanks!

And yes, Dorothy, I am thinking I will only allow for books from the library to interfere because at least I won’t have to pay for those!

I love your challenge. Every day i buy more and more books on offer on Amazon, Audible and goodwill but rarely read them. This year I plan to stop buying until i read the ones I already own! The only exceptions are bookclub purchases.

Pod wrote: "I love your challenge. Every day i buy more and more books on offer on Amazon, Audible and goodwill but rarely read them. This year I plan to stop buying until i read the ones I already own! The on..."

I was thinking of counting the TBR I own, but decided it would be too discouraging, so I am just going to try and tackle it piece by piece.

Amazon is dangerous, especially if you have a Kindle. Then you don't even realise what you're amassing, haha.

Off to a decent start, methinks.

I just finished New Pompeii, and I have to say, for a book I grabbed on a whim for a dollar, it was pretty good! There were definitely some plot issues, but it was still a fun read. Solid 3.5 stars.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins is an interesting read. Dawkins is rightly angry about a lot of things, but I am a tad surprised that as a scientist, he very rarely speaks about talking to any biblical scholars when he is speaking on what he believes certain passages to be conveying. Most of what he throws at the bible tends to be passed on religious fundamentalism. It seems a bit like thinking that evolution is synonymous with "random" and "chance."

I've been focusing a lot on all the kindle books that I have accumulated. I should probably work on the physical books that I own, though to free up space...

I only had the first 3 books from Eva Pohler's Underworld Saga on my Kindle, which is good, because I don't particularly care for them. But I have to say that the writing does improve a bit as they go on. Hopefully with the next few they're more polished. Anyway, on to new things!

Highly recommend The Faithful Executioner. It wasn't part of my "read the books on your shelf" but it was worth straying for.

I think I'm making some good progress. Currently have two historic biographies going while reading a cheat read. I have actually made a dent in my owned TBR that shows, so I am really proud of my progress so far!

It sounds like you're making amazing progress, Alex, so you should definitely be proud! :)

Thanks for the recommendation of The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century. It sounds really interesting.

As someone who exclusively reads e-books, I completely agree with you that Amazon is a dangerous place. And so is Bookbub, fyi :D
I'm pretty sure the only reason I have any sense of idea of what I'm accumulating is because of all the folders I have created, but the sheer amount of samples I have on my Kindle at this point is just plain stupid :D

I hope the second half on 2024, continues to bring lots of amazing books into your life.
Continued good luck on your reading journey in 2024!

Lisa wrote: "It sounds like you're making amazing progress, Alex, so you should definitely be proud! :)

Thanks for the recommendation of [book:The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the ..."

Thanks, Lisa!

Yes, Kindles are very dangerous things. Putting the books in folders is probably something that I need to start doing because I have completely lost all sense of what I have on there. It's another one of those seemingly unending battles.

Indeed! Wishing you lots of luck and patience with that project :D

Half way to my goal! It's pretty exciting. Yay me, lol.

I have so many bought-books accumulated that I need to read. Kudos to you for whittling down the pile!

D.L. wrote: "I have so many bought-books accumulated that I need to read. Kudos to you for whittling down the pile!"

Thanks! I made the mistake of going to Blackwell's in Oxford, and now I have more to read. Yay.

I love this thread title.

Beth wrote: "I love this thread title."

You're too kind.

One thing that I have to say about this challenge is, I have found that I actually enjoy a lot of the books that have been dying on my shelves. This knowledge should encourage me to have another challenge like this next year, and get this TBR down to something manageable.

Alex wrote: "One thing that I have to say about this challenge is, I have found that I actually enjoy a lot of the books that have been dying on my shelves. This knowledge should encourage me to have another ch..."

That's amazing, Alex! I'm really happy to hear that you're having a fun time with the group and enjoying your reading experiences this year. 😊 I'm currently looking for something to pick up soon - do you have any recommendations worth checking out?

Have a fantastic weekend! Happy reading 📚

Lisa wrote: "Alex wrote: "One thing that I have to say about this challenge is, I have found that I actually enjoy a lot of the books that have been dying on my shelves. This knowledge should encourage me to ha..."

Hi Lisa! So sorry for not replying! Ended up moving and everything as been crazy since then.

What sort of reads do you enjoy?

lol it was now my turn to miss your message. I just sent you a friend request, btw.
I'm pretty open minded so just hit me with recommendations. 😊

Congratulations on (I'm assuming) reaching your goal for the year. I hope you've had a good year, and that 2025 allows for more fantastic books to come your way.