Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This is definitely the latest I've ever been in posting my reading challenge plans for any year! I'd actually debated not posting at all since I've been finding myself falling behind on updating it consistently. I was also quite late to finalizing my plans because it took me a while to settle on which challenges I really wanted to do. In the end, I find it helpful to have all my lists collected in one place and to keep a running total on progress toward my goals, so even though it's late, it's still a helpful thread to have. Like last year, I'm organizing my challenges over at least two years, with a lot of books carried over from 2023 that I didn't get to at the time, as well as a bunch of new and exciting releases! Obviously there are way too many books here to finish them all, but I'm treating these mostly as lists of options to maximize the range of books for me to pull from.

These are my plans for each of my challenges, but things will most likely change as the year goes on. Please feel free to offer suggestions, especially for anything left blank!

Goodreads ATY
1. A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y - Only If You're Lucky
2. A book connected to something you read in 2023 - A Game of Lies (sequel to The Last Party)
3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the final list -- A winner or nominee from the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Leftover Woman (nominated for mystery/thriller, didn’t win)
4. A book related to something mentioned in the lyrics of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong - Stay with My Heart (sky of blue and clouds of white)
5. A book set in one of the 25 most beautiful cities in the world - The Gilded Wolves
6. A book with wings on the cover - The Bad Ones
7. A book with a pronoun in the title - I Know Who You Are
8. A book by an author from Canada, Australia or New Zealand - Everyone Here Is Lying
9. A book with fewer than 2024 ratings on Goodreads - In an Orchard Grown from Ash (shockingly low ratings – only 311!)
10. A history or historical fiction book - Lady Tan's Circle of Women
11. A book with an X connection - Expiration Dates
12. A book that has been on your TBR for over a year - Don't Try to Find Me
13. A book that is on a Five Books List; reader’s choice of which list - The It Girl (on a list of best mysteries of 2022)
14. A book with a main character who is Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color - Sleep Like Death
15. A book whose author’s name includes one of the 4 least used letters in the alphabet (JQZX) - Heavenly Tyrant
16. A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" - Good Bad Girl
17. A book involving intelligence - Master Class
18. A book with a botanical cover - What Never Happened
19. A book connected in some way to any of the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream - For the Last Time (relates to Chocolate Therapy because main character is a therapist)
20. A book with a single word title - Greywaren
21. A book with a title containing 6+ words - I Hope This Doesn't Find You
22. A book by an author from an African country - The Eternal Ones
23. A book related to Boats, Beaches, Bars, Ballads, or Jimmy Buffett - Float Plan
24. A book with a secondary color on the cover (orange, green or purple) - The Unheard
25. A book involving a crime other than a murder - The Chain
26. A book by an author known by their initials - My Darling Daughter
27. A book related to land - The Road Trip
28. A book related to sea - Loveboat, Taipei
29. A book related to air - The Perfect Girlfriend
30. A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea - The Fury
31. A book related to “Going for the Gold” - Cleat Cute
32. A book with a number in the title - The New Couple in 5B
33. A book involving travel - If Something Happens to Me
34. - 40. A book related to the name of one of Snow White's seven dwarfs
Happy – Would Like to Meet
Sleepy – My Wife is Missing
Sneezy – Mr. Sneeze or Sneezy the Snowman
Grumpy – A Man Called Ove
Dopey – F This Test: Even More of the Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers (or something similar)
Bashful – The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Doc – On Rotation
41. A science or science fiction book - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
42. A book featuring a character in education - Not Here to Be Liked
43. A book that is part of a series - Her Radiant Curse
44. Two books with similar covers: Book 1 - This Might Hurt
45. Two books with similar covers: Book 2 - Little Cruelties
46. A book involving a wild animal or endangered species, in the content, title, or on the cover - Jana Goes Wild
47. A book with a chilling atmosphere - No Exit
48. A book with a sound-related word in the title - Such a Quiet Place
49. A book by an Edgar Award-winning Author - Happiness Falls
50. A book with a touch of magic - With a Little Luck
51. A book that is not a novel - What Feasts at Night
52. A book related to night - Midnight Is the Darkest Hour
53. A book with a two-word title beginning with THE - The Intern
54. A second book that fits your favorite prompt -- a book with a title that ends with A, T or Y - Funny Story
55. A book with a senior citizen character - Just Like The Other Girls
56. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2023 or 2024 - The Woman in the Library (2023 threads)
57. A book published in 2024 - A Talent for Murder
58. A cozy mystery - It's Elementary
59. Wild Card - A book with a trial or with a legal term in the title - The Evidence Against You

PopSugar 2024
1. A book with the word "leap" in the title - Before You Leap: A Frog's-eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons
2. A bildungsroman book - Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl
3. A book about a 24-year-old - The Friend Zone
4. A book about a writer - Just My Type
5. A book about K-pop - ASAP
6. A book about pirates - Daughter of the Pirate King
7. A book about women's sports and/or by a woman athlete - Home Field Advantage
8. A book by a blind or visually impaired author
9. A book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author - Your Blood, My Bones
10. A book by a self-published author - A House with Good Bones
11. A book from a genre you typically avoid - Our Missing Hearts (seems to be a literary sci-fi/dystopian, which is a combo I usually avoid)
12. A book from an animal's POV - maybe The 101 Dalmatians
13. A book originally published under a pen name - The Atlas Complex
14. A book recommended by a bookseller - The Heiress
15. A book recommended by a librarian - The Golden Couple (recommended on LibraryReads.org – March 2022)
16. A book set 24 years before you were born - The Last House on the Street or The Women
17. A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list - The Bronzed Beasts
18. A book set in space - Alone Out Here
(Alone Out Here) or On the Edge of Gone
19. A book set in the future - The Marriage Act
20. A book set in the snow - The Bones of the Story
21. A book that came out in a year that ends with "24" - The Pairing
22. A book that centers on video games - Didn't See That Coming
23. A book that features dragons - Fourth Wing
24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours - The First to Die at the End
25. A book that was published 24 years ago (2000) - maybe Angel Falls
26. A book that was turned into a musical
27. A book where someone dies in the first chapter - The Last Time I Saw You(technically dies before the book starts, but mentioned in first chapter)
28. A book with a main character who's 42 years old - Strange Sally Diamond
29. A book with a neurodivergent main character - American Girl
30. A book with a one-word title you had to look up in a dictionary - Vespertine
31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence - I Have Some Questions for You
32. A book with an enemies to lovers plot - Tools of Engagement
33. A book with an unreliable narrator - To Tell You the Truth
34. A book with at least 3 POVs - One of Us Is Back
35. A book with magical realism - The Unmaking of June Farrow
36. A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person
37. A book written during NaNoWriMo - You Had Me at Hola
38. A cozy fantasy book - Legends & Lattes
39. A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author - The Sunbearer Trials
40. A horror book by a BIPOC author - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me
41. A memoir that explores queerness
42. A nonfiction book about Indigenous people
43. A second-chance romance - A Lot Like Adiós
44. An autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll
45. An LGBTQ+ romance novel - Iris Kelly Doesn't Date
46. A book in which a character sleeps for more than 24 hours - A Spindle Splintered
47. A book with 24 letters in the title - Just Another Missing Person
48. A collection of at least 24 poems
49. The 24th book of an author - House of Correction
50. A book that starts with the letter "X" - XOXO

ATY Rejects, Leftovers, and BookishFirst Bingo
This challenge is a combo of three different things -- the prompts I voted for that didn't make the ATY list, many of the prompts I had leftover from 2023 that I couldn't fit in anywhere else or that I loved and didn't want to give up, and my favourite prompts from BookishFirst Bingo's challenge from 2023.

1. A book with a piece of fruit on the cover - My Summer Darlings
2. A book related to “X Marks the Spot” - Something Wilder
3. A book with a divided, or split, cover - Going Bicoastal
4. A book set mostly in or around a building - Her Every Fear
5. A book related to a sensory disability - The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder
6. A book involving lost family - Little Secrets
7. A book involving found family - The Half Sister
8. A book with a hidden object on the cover - Looking Glass Sound
9. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” list - Prom Mom or A Study in Drowning
10. A book with a character who is neurodiverse - The Rosie Result
11. A book with an author OR character whose first name is considered gender neutral - Hairpin Bridge
12. A book related to the British rhyme about Henry VIII’s six wives: “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived” - The Younger Wife
13. A book with a main character who is in “domestic service” (ie. butler, maid, cook, chauffeur, etc.) - The Mystery Guest
14. A book related to civil rights or human rights - Dear Justyce
15. A book about or related to technology - The Right Swipe
16. A book with a word in the title related to reading - End of Story
17. A book with a character who could appear on the X-Files - Cutting Teeth
18. A book on a summer reading list - A Likeable Woman
19. A book featuring a creature of the night - Masters of Death
20. A book with a main character who is Mad, Bad or Dangerous - For You and Only You
21. A book related to the theme of a Las Vegas hotel - Gwen & Art Are Not in Love (related to Hotel Excalibur)
22. A book with a character that could be described as one of the classes in Dungeons & Dragons - The Heart Forger
23. A book with a main character who is a bookseller, writer, journalist or librarian - Better Than Fiction
24. A book with a character who works in an eating establishment - When in Rome
25. A book with an ex - Exes and O's
26. A book with a common household object on the cover - The Stranger in Her House
27. A graphic novel/comic with a female main writer and female main artist - Heartstopper: Volume Six
28. A book with a family member in the title - The Cousins
29. A book with a character whose name that starts with a letter in the phrase LIBRARY CARD - The Wake-Up Call
30. A book with a warm or heated atmosphere - One Perfect Couple (takes place on a tropical island, heated because of the tension between characters)
31. A book related to the Addams Family - Dead End Girls (colour scheme of the cover, involves faking death and extended family)
32. A book set in a group living situation - If You Could See the Sun
33. A book that has an X in the title - The Excalibur Curse
34. A book with an anti-hero as a main character - The Shadows Between Us
35. A book related to Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass - For the Throne (bit of a stretch, but character is trapped in a kind of “mirror world” which reminds me of Alice)
36. A book that includes a love story - This Time It's Real
37. A book related to one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Foxglove
38. A book where at least one character is trapped - What Lies Between Us
39. A book with a character who has an alter ego - My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix
40. A hot book or a book with a hot topic - Those People Next Door
41. A book with a title that seemingly refers to one or more characters in the book - The Replacement Wife
42. A book featured on a list for a media or celebrity book club - False Witness or You're Invited
________________________________________

43. A book with one of the five W question words in the title - What Have We Done
44. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies - Small Favors
45. A book with a faceless person on the cover - Stone Mothers
46. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier or Spy - Spin the Dawn
47. A book found by inputting a favorite author on https://www.literature-map.com - Woman Last Seen (found by inputting Lisa Jewell)
48. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923 - Just the Nicest Couple
49. A book with a school subject in the title - Lessons in Chemistry
50. A book featuring a blog or podcast - The Last Housewife
51. A romance with a fat lead - The Fastest Way to Fall
52. A book published in spring 2023 - The True Love Experiment
53. A modern retelling of a classic - She's Too Pretty to Burn
54. A social horror - When No One Is Watching
55. A #BookTok Recommendation - The Spanish Love Deception
56. A book that comes out in the second half of 2023 - A Twisted Love Story
57. A book that started out as fanfiction - Big Bad(Not technically, but similar enough to fanfiction)
58. A book with a shoe on the cover - The Sisters

Leftovers Continued
59. 3 Weeks:A book related to a Warner Brothers film - The Wedding Crasher
60. 3 Weeks: A book related to a Disney film - Darling (related to Peter Pan)
61. 3 weeks: A book related to a BBC film - My Plain Jane
62. A book that involves a moral dilemma or question - My Sister's Keeper
63. A book featuring a character who is engaged in a typically compassionate profession or career - The Wrong Family
64. A book related to “On the Road” - One of the Good Ones
65. A book featuring the Widow, The Wallflower, or the Woman Scorned - The Next Wife
66. A book with a secret passage - Under Lock & Skeleton Key
67. A book featuring one of the five love languages - Love Her or Lose Her
68. Author has written YA and adult - Mister Magic
69. A book related to a game - Mother May I
70. A book with handwriting on the cover - Dear Child
71. A book with at time-related word in the title - Today Tonight Tomorrow
72. A book with the name of a board game in the title - Guess Who
73. A book related to a nursery rhyme - They All Fall Down
74. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (Hear No Evil) - The Silent Suspect
75. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (Speak No Evil) - I Have No Secrets
76. 3 books related to the phrase “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil” (See No Evil) - Forget You Know Me
77. A book whose title contains an honorific - The Other Mrs.
78. A book that fits a 2021 prompt suggestion that didn’t make the list (A book related to Blackjack or gambling) - Jackpot
79. A book with a character whose name you can’t pronounce - Each of Us a Desert
80. A book with “poison” in the title - This Poison Heart
81. A book with a dead body on the cover - The Drowning Kind
82. A book with a typewriter on the cover - Very Sincerely Yours
83. A book with a shape on the cover that reminds you of a Rorschach test - A History of Wild Places
84. A fairytale or myth retelling in a modern setting - Lore
85. A book with the word “hard” in the title - No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
86. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins - Kingdom of the Feared
87. Includes a funeral - The Pallbearers Club
88. A book set in a workplace - The Other Black Girl
89. A book with a time in the title - Confessions on the 7:45
90. A book related to the word Murder - Killers of a Certain Age
91. A 2023 new release - The Only Survivors
92. A book with the word game in the title - The Blame Game
93. A “hard to catch book” - The Lying Game
94. A book set in the British Isles - Do Not Disturb
95. Contains a character with a vice - Lies, Lies, Lies
96. A book with a clock or stopwatch on the cover - Troubled Blood
97. A book by an author whose name starts with N - The Merciless Ones
98. A book that centers around a group of friends - The Long Weekend
99. A book with the colour red or the word “read” on the cover - When You Read This
100. A book with a food-related pun in the title - A Pho Love Story
101. A book with “Aunt” or “Uncle” in the title - Dial A for Aunties
102. A book about a heroic event - What Remains
103. A book with an X or cross on the cover - Nothing More to Tell
104. A book about a pandemic - Defy the Night
105. A book about a werewolf - Such Sharp Teeth
106. A book that employs dark humour - Sign Here
107. A book you definitely want to read before you die - The Bone Witch
108. A book set after a major world event - They Went Left
109. A book told from the villain’s perspective - The Nothing Man
110. A nonfiction/fiction pairing (Book 1 – Fiction) - Go Ask Alice
111. A nonfiction/ficition pairing (Book 2 – Non-fiction) - Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries
112. A book with an unlikely detective - The Red Palace
113. A book by an author with an X, Y or Z in their name - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
114. The second book by an author - The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
115. A book with a feather or wings on the cover - Six Crimson Cranes
116. An urban fantasy - Wings of Ebony
117. A book someone called a “page turner” - The Stranger in the Mirror
118. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list – A winner or nominee from the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Ballad of Never After
119. A book about a love triangle - Kate in Waiting
120. A book from the Millions Most Anticipated List - Notes on an Execution
121. Historical fiction with a protagonist of colour - The Forest of Stolen Girls
122. A book that has an alternate title - The Hiding Place
123. A book about being a first-time parent - The Rosie Effect
124. A domestic thriller - A Stranger in the House
A Stranger in the House (Shari Lapena)
125. Set in Australia - The Island
126. A book involving an “ism” - Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman

Leftovers Continued
127. A book with a character who is an orphan - Belladonna
128. A ghost story - The Invited
129. Takes place during the roaring 20s - Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix
130. A book by an author with fewer than 10 letters in their name - Steelstriker
________________________________________
131. New-to-you author - All Her Little Secrets
132. Property is inherited - Twice Shy
133. Silver or gold on the cover - Realm Breaker
134. Fictional setting - The Hemlock Queen
135. American History - The Davenports
136. Romance by a Black author - The Boyfriend Project
137. Two women on the cover - You Can Trust Me
138. Characters make a bargain - Once Upon a Broken Heart
139. Red or pink cover - Rent a Boyfriend
140. Football - Intercepted
141. Heart on the cover - The Honey-Don't List
142. Flower in the title - Wisteria
143. Betrayal occurs - The Prisoner's Throne
144. Hero is a baker - Bloom Part II (if it exists? Haven't seen it anywhere!)
145. Your favourite author - The Night She Disappeared
146. Title includes “and” - Old Flames and New Fortunes
147. Single parent - Fumbled
148. Character starts a new job - Betting on You
149. Yellow cover - Yolk
150. Protagonist is famous - Ship Wrecked
151. Garden in the title - The Girls in the Garden
152. Pastel cover - How to Love Your Neighbor
153. Car on the cover - We Lie Here
154. Trees on the cover - A Sorceress Comes to Call
155. Character has powers - Infinity Son
156. Title includes a job title - The Personal Assistant
157. Includes a party - The Engagement Party
158. Cover set outdoors - The Friend
159. LGBTQ+ SFF book - Infinity Kings
160. Character starts at a new school - The Lies We Tell
161. Author’s name begins with R - The Righteous
162. Sun on the cover - In a Garden Burning Gold
163. A standalone book - Gone Tonight
164. A birthday is celebrated - Ten Rules for Faking It
165. Theme of friendship - We Used to Be Friends
166. Title begins with Y - Yours Truly
167. Paranormal - Haunted Ever After
168. Fireworks on the cover - Party of Two
169. Secret society - All That Consumes Us
170. Midnight in the title - It Ends at Midnight
171. Key on the cover - Throne of the Fallen
172. Microphone on the cover - The Breakup Tour
173. Stars on the Cover - This Spells Love
174. Beauty and the Beast retelling - By the Book
175. Character owns a small business - That Prince is Mine
176. Bought for the cover - Skyhunter
177. Backlist book - Best Day Ever
178. Leaves on the cover - You, Again
179. By an author you discovered in 2023 - The Narrow
180. Read for the hype - Delilah Green Doesn't Care
181. Vampire romance - My Roommate Is a Vampire
182. Set on Halloween - All Hallows
183. Skull or bones on the cover - The Damned
184. Pumpkin on the cover - Small Spaces
185. Hades & Persephone retelling - The Star-Touched Queen
186. Past catches up with characters - Things We Do in the Dark
187. Family dinner - The Family Game
188. Body positive theme - I'll Be the One
189. Sapphic romance - Mistakes Were Made
190. Author you’re thankful for - Cursed
191. Dessert on the cover - A Sweet Mess
192. New-to-you BIPOC author - Missing White Woman
193. Combines tropes you love - The Haters
194. Debut novel published in 2023 - How I'll Kill You
195. Author you want to read more of in 2024 - My Other Husband
196. Horror by a Latinx author - Vampires of El Norte
197. Character wins the lottery - The Manor House
198. A book by an Asian author - How We Fall Apart
199. Blue or white cover - One for My Enemy
200. Title begins with O - One Wrong Word
201. Title begins with W - We'll Never Tell
202. Green cover - The Lies You Told
203. A paperback book - Woman of the Year
204. Character takes a vacation - An Honest Lie
205. Set in a different country - The Other Mothers (might switch to a different prompt)
206. Character learns a new skill - maybe Anatomy
207. Apple on the cover - Apples Never Fall
208. Set in New York - I Need You to Read This
209. On your TBR for 1+ years - Twice in a Blue Moon
210. Third in a series - Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
211. Set in a small town - What Have You Done?
212. Animal in the title - A Crane Among Wolves
213. Brown cover - Layla
214. Title begins with L - Local Woman Missing
215. Published in June - Past Present Future
216. Cover includes large body of water - Odd Child Out
217. Title begins with “The” - The Kiss Curse
218. Colour in the title - Black Sheep
219. Recommended on Youtube - At First Spite (pre-emptively recommended by Chandler Ainsley before it even came out, on the strength of this author’s writing in general)
220. Retelling - Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix

52 Book Club
1) Locked-room mystery - The Midnight Feast
2) Bibliosmia: A smelly book - A Taste for Love (all about baking, so can imagine the recipes would smell good)
3) More than 40 chapters - The Girls Who Disappeared
4) Lowercase letters on the spine - The Perfect Family
5) Magical Realism - The Mirror Season
6) Women in STEM - Not in Love
7) At least four different POV - Nine Lives
8) Features the ocean - Lying in the Deep
9) A character-driven novel - Alone With You in the Ether
10) Told in non-chronological order - Wrong Place Wrong Time
11) Title starting with the letter “K” - Kill Her Twice
12) Title starting with the letter “L” - Lying in Wait
13) An academic thriller - Where Sleeping Girls Lie
14) A grieving character - The Happy Ever After Playlist
15) Part of a duology - All of Our Demise
16) An omniscient narrator - A Slow Fire Burning
17) Nominated for The Booker Prize - Such a Fun Age
18) An apostrophe in the title - Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead
19) A buddy read
20) A revenge story - The Collective
21) Written by a ghostwriter
22) A plot similar to another book - Yellowface
23) The other book with the similar plot - Kill All Your Darlings
24) A cover without people on it - Daughter of Mine
25) An author “everyone” has read except you - The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
26) Hybrid genre - My Murder
27) By a neurodivergent author - Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
28) A yellow spine - The Gilded Ones
29) Published in a Year of the Dragon - Like Mother, Like Daughter
30) Picked without reading the blurb - Foul Heart Huntsman (didn’t read the blurb because it’s a sequel and wanted to avoid spoilers)
31) Includes a personal phobia - Hostage
32) Timeframe spans a week or less - The Last Murder at the End of the World
33) An abrupt ending - All Good People Here(according to Goodreads list)
34) Set in a landlocked country
35) Title matches lyrics from a song - Never Ever Getting Back Together
36) Has futuristic technology - The Perfect Wife
37) Palindrome on the cover - Little Eve
38) Published by Hachette - The Running Grave
39) Non-fiction recommended by a friend
40) Set during a holiday you don’t celebrate - A Merry Little Meet Cute
41) A sticker on the cover - Pieces of Her or I Know You Know
42) Author debut in second half of 2024
43) About finding identity - Honey Girl
44) Includes a wedding - Do You Take This Man
45) Chapter headings have dates - The Favour
46) Featuring Indigenous culture - Warrior Girl Unearthed
47) Self-insert by an author - The Sentence is Death
48) The word “secret” in the title - Two Can Keep a Secret
49) Set in a city starting with the letter “M” - The Familiar
50) A musical instrument on the cover - A River Enchanted
51) Related to the word “Wild” - The Wild Huntress
52) Published in 2024 - Children of Anguish and Anarchy

BookList Queen 2024
1) A book you meant to read last year - Hook, Line, and Sinker
2) A Goodreads Award Winner in 2023 - Check & Mate
3) A book about mental health - The Perfect Daughter
4) A five-star read - The Whispering Dark (a 5-star prediction from last year that I didn’t get to)
5) An audiobook
6) A book set in the 1950s - The Spectacular
7) A book with an unreliable narrator - A Simple Favour
8) A book becoming a movie in 2024 - It Ends with Us
9) A book with an epilogue - How to Fail at Flirting
10) A book about starting over - Begin Again
11) A book by an author you love - The Fragile Threads of Power
12) A book with flowers on the cover - The Ten Thousand Doors of January
13) A book with a title that starts with B - Blood Will Tell
14) A book published in 2014 - Unraveling Oliver
15) A book with a purple cover - She's Not Sorry
16) A historical mystery - The Christie Affair
17) A book with multiple points of view - She Started It
18) A book you couldn’t put down - In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (assuming, based on everything I’ve heard about it)
19) A book with a one-word title - Ghoster
20) A book by a debut author - No Bad Deed (on Indigo’s list of Bestsellers from 2023, as well as other Canadian bestseller lists)
22) A book with an intriguing premise - Flawless Girls
23) A friend’s favourite book
24) A book by an author from the southern hemisphere - The Family Next Door
25) A book about secrets - No One Can Know
26) A book at the bottom of your to-read list - Monsters of Men(this series has been on my TBR forever, only mild interest most of the time)
27) A book from your favourite genre - Dark Corners
28) A book with a character who is an actor - Stars in Your Eyes
29) A book recommended on a podcast - The Seven Year Slip (recommended on Talk Bookish To Me in their episode about Best and Worst books of 2023)
30) A book set in Paris - Everything That Burns
31) A book with an ugly cover - All Is Not Forgotten
32) A book set in a small town - Don't Look for Me
33) Three books by the same author (1) - In Every Generation
34) Three books by the same author (2) - One Girl in All the World
35) Three books by the same author (3) - Against the Darkness
36) A quick read - 10 Things I Hate About Pinky (this author’s books always go fast for me)
37) A book set during autumn - The September House
38) A classic by a female author
39) A memoir by a person you admire
40) A book about a historical event - I Must Betray You
41) A book written under a pseudonym - The Last Invitation (writes under different names for different genres)
42) A legal thriller - Take It Back
43) A fantasy book - Heart of the Sun Warrior
44) A popular book you’ve never read - Gilded
45) An inspiring nonfiction
46) A 2024 new release - One of Our Kind
47) A book from a genre you don’t usually read - The Family Experiment
48) A book you own but haven’t read - What She Knew
49) A book about books - The Wishing Game
50) A book everyone is talking about - House of Flame and Shadow
51) A book with a place in the title - Greenwich Park
52) Reread a favourite - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Reserved for Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Ancient Runes
Action: Ancient Runes: Read a book as you become more ancient
1. Deathly Hallows: A book that has a symbol on the edges - The Last Graduate
2. Eihwaz: A book with a homophone word in the title - The Wife Who Knew Too Much
3. Ehwaz: Includes a great partnership - Ruthless Vows
4. Parseltongue: Includes a fictional language - Sword Catcher (mentioned on Storygraph list, seems to be a few fictional words scattered)
5. Dumbledore: A book with a character more ancient than you - The Camelot Betrayal

Arithmancy
Action: John Williams-Read a book while listening to music
6. Iambic Pentameter: A book inspired by Shakespeare
If I’m Being Honest (Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegmund-Broka – The Taming of the Shrew)
7. Golden Trio: The third book of a series - Career of Evil
8. Arithmancy: Includes multiple parts - A Tempest of Tea
9. Numerology: Written in a year with a double number (1993, 2020, 2011, etc) - The Golden Enclaves (written in 2022)
10. Grammatica: Written by multiple authors - My Imaginary Mary

Astronomy
Action: Meteor Shower: Read a book at night
11. Sirius: Includes stars on the pages - A Wilderness of Stars
12. Andromeda: Contains star crossed lovers - Bride
13. Astronomy: An out of this world book - A Cosmic Kind of Love (literal interpretation: one character is on the international space station)
14. Star Gazing: A celebrity book pick - The Guest List (Reese Witherspoon's list)
15. Moony: Related to the moon - Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Care of Magical Creatures
Action: Hagrid: Read a book while wearing something related to an animal (Animal print, a pic of an animal, mouse ears, etc)
16. Dobby: Contains a prominent animal character - Remarkably Bright Creatures
17. Crookshanks: Includes a character with a pet name - Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? (may be a stretch, but counting “Kitty” as a pet name)
18. Hippogriff: A book you flew through - The Last Word
19. Blast Ended Skrewts: Includes a slimy character - The New Husband (assuming, but husband seems a little “too” perfect, might be slimy)
20. Niffler: A book that’s won a prize - Divine Rivals (Goodreads Choice Awards winter for YA SFF)

Charms
Action: Charms: Read a book in a charming location
21. Wingardium Leviosa: Includes flight - The Layover
22. Expecto Patronum: Includes a happily ever after - Spoiler Alert
23. Repairo: Contains a repaired relationship - The Getaway List
24. Accio: A book you have to get your hands on - Somewhere Beyond the Sea
25. Fidelius Charm: Includes a secret feature (Hidden artwork under dust jacket, pop outs, illustrations, a recipe, a playlist, etc) - A Curse for True Love (my copy is Indigo Exclusive version which includes a bonus alternate ending)

Defense Against the Dark Arts
Action: Dark Arts: Read a book during a dark time
26. Umbridge: Read a banned or contested book - The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
27. Dementors: Includes a kiss - The Partner Plot (assuming it will since it’s a romance)
28. Impedimenta: A slow developing book - Empire of the Damned (bound to be slow at the size)
29. Snape: An intimidating book - The Ink Black Heart
30. Mimblewimble (Tongue Tying Curse): A book with an alliterative title - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Divination
Action: Prophecy: Predict your TBR for this subject before completing any prompts
31. Tea Leaves: A book that includes tea (gossip) - Something to Talk About
32. Crystal Ball: A book you predict to be a bestseller - The Reappearance of Rachel Price
33. 33. Unfogging the Future: A book with a foggy cover - The Trap
34. The Grim: Related to an omen - All of Us Villains(set around the Blood Moon)
35. Star Chart: Related to a zodiac sign - Written in the Stars (slight stretch, but one of the main characters is an astrologist)

Herbology
Action: Mandrake Repotting: Read a book in 2 or more locations
36. Greenhouse: Includes a character with a plant or flower related name - Her Perfect Life
Her Perfect Life (Hank Phillippi Ryan – main character’s name is Lily)
37. Devils Snare: Deadly fun (a risky situation) - You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight
38. Neville: Includes an underestimated character - I'm the Girl (not 100% sure it fits)
39. The Forbidden Forest: Set in nature - I Am Still Alive
40. Whomping Willow: A hard hitting book - Dark Room Etiquette

History of Magic
Action: Hermione: Research something you find in one of these books (the definition of a word, an event, a person, a hobby, a location, etc)
41. Harry Potter: A book that mentions Harry Potter -What If It's Us
42. Ghosts: Includes a ghosting - Last Girl Ghosted
43. Giant Wars: Includes a war - The Warm Hands of Ghosts
44. Hogwarts, A History: Includes a history - The Last Grand Duchess
45. Hogwarts Library: Read a borrowed book

Muggle Studies
Action: Arabella Figg: Get a book recommendation from a muggle
46. Muggle relations: Related to a muggle issue - Thoughts & Prayers
47. World Cup: Includes a sport - Snapped
48. Eckeltricity: A book to screen (Bonus point if you watch the screen version too!) - One of Us Is Next
49. Arthur Weasley: A book where rules are bent - Before She Finds Me (main characters are assassins, husband bends the rules by failing to tell his wife about a mission before he does it)
50. Rubber Ducky: A book that makes you nostalgic - Stacey's Mistake: A Graphic Novel

Potions
Action: Cauldron: Read a book while drinking a “potion” (A drink with 2 or more ingredients, preferably that you mix yourself!)
51. Liquid Luck: Choose a book randomly
52. Polyjuice Potion: Includes an imposter - Well, That Was Unexpected
53. Skelegrow: Includes something broken - This Wicked Fate
54. Draught of Peace: A book where peace is restored - We Free the Stars
55. Essence of Dittany: A restorative read - Dinosaur Philosophy

Transfiguration
Action: Quill: Annotate a book from this subject
56. Animagus: Includes a shapeshifter - My Lady Jane
57. Switching Spell: Read a book in multiple formats - Claudia and the Bad Joke: A Graphic Novel
Claudia and the Bad Joke (Graphic novel)
58. McGonagall: Includes a matriarch figure - My Darling Girl
My Darling Girl (Jennifer McMahon)
59. Banishing Spell: A book you’ve banished - All I Want (forgot it was on my list last year!)
60. Aguamenti: Set near water - All the Stars and Teeth

Pick Your Poison 2024
The Standards
1. A thriller - The House Guest
2. A classic
3. A mystery - Lethal White
4. A fantasy - House of Marionne

To Coin a Phrase
5. A book with coins on the cover - Come and Get It (one version of cover has coins falling into piggybank)
6. A book by an author known for introducing a phrase - maybe Dr. Seuss
7. A book with a title based on a well-known phrase - With a Kiss We Die
8. A book about language - Vox

Our Amazing World
9. A book about the ocean - My Salty Mary
10. A memoir about living with nature
11. A book about an explorer
12. A book about a lost species - Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures

Classic Computer Games
13. Oregon Trail: A book where the characters might die of dysentery - The Giver of Stars or The Four Winds
14. Legend of Zelda: A book where the protagonist is not the title character - The Foxglove King (might switch)
15. Pacman: A book with a maze on the cover - Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World
Reader, Come Home (Maryanne Wolf – on wishlist on Markham Library Overdrive) or Okay, Cupid
16. Space Invaders: A book with aliens - The Ask and the Answer

Roadkill
17. A book about something you might find dead on the road - Murder Road
18. A mystery set during a vacation - The Vacation
19. A book with a hotel on the cover - A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
20. A book with something flat on the cover - Girl Gone Viral
Girl Gone Viral (Alisha Rai – photograph is flat)

How Does Your Garden Grow
21. A book by an author with a flower/plant name - Undead Girl Gang
22. A coming of age story - Breathless
23. A book about three main characters - You'll Be the Death of Me
24. A book with the word “silver” or “shell” in the title - Silver in the Bone

Bright and Shiny
25. A book released in 2024 - The Paradise Problem
26. A memoir of biography about someone with a Hollywood Star - Making It So: A Memoir or The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
27. A book with a gold or silver cover - Foul Lady Fortune (Indigo exclusive edition is gold)
28. A book with a picture of the sun on the cover - Wait For It

Things That Are Good For Us
29. A book with a vegetable in the title - Creepy Carrots!
30. A book about walking away - You Deserve Each Other (all about which one will walk away from the engagement first)
31. A book with lots of fresh air on the cover - Summer Reading
32. A book about positive changes - One Night on the Island (maybe a stretch? But characters both travel there for self-care/getting reenergized)

Shhh…
33. A book with the word “secret” in the title - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
34. A book with someone sleeping on the cover - Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling
35. A book about a secret society - The Atlas Paradox
36. A book you hope will quiet your mind - The Love Wager

Reasons A Book Might Be Banned
37. A book about gender identity - maybe something by Steven Salvatore?
38. A book written by a POC - Invisible Son
39. A book with offensive language - maybe Go the F**k to Sleep
40. A book with talking animals - The Knife of Never Letting Go

Reflections
41. A book with a mirror on the cover - Behind the Red Door
42. A book about looking back - Darling Girls(characters have to look back on their past with a foster mother)
43. A book you know will make you think - Next of Kin
44. A book with antonyms in the title - The Worst Best Man

Book Cliches
45. The butler did it: A book with a butler
46. It was a dark and stormy night: A book with a great first line - The New Mother
47. Once Upon a Time: A fairytale retelling - If the Shoe Fits
48. There can only be one: A book that pits characters against each other - Immortal Longings

Swashbuckling
49. A book with pirates - Daughter of the Pirate King
50. A book with a sword on the cover - Fate Breaker
51. A daring adventure graphic novel
52. A book about a stowaway - Daughter of the Siren Queen (not quite a stowaway, but she gets herself captured on purpose so pretty close)

New Year’s Resolutions
53. Read anything – your goal is to read more! - House of Glass
54. A book with a title that sounds like exercise - Run Time
55. A book about cleaning house or getting organized - The Stranger Upstairs(about a character who is cleaning out a fixer-upper murder house)
56. A book about getting away from it all - From the Jump

How Do You Want Your Eggs?
57. A hardboiled crime - The Cuckoo's Calling
58. A book about finding the sunny side of life - Someone Else's Shoes
59. A book with a poacher - Larger Than Life
60. A book where someone is likely to be “baked” - The Villa (specifically mentions drugs, set in the mid-70s)

Doing It “Old School”
61. Book with a stamp or rotary phone on the cover - Last Violent Call
62. Book by an author old enough to be a grandparent - The End of Her (author is in her 60s)
63. A book about someone traveling by foot - Thistlefoot
64. A book set before you were born - The Monsters We Make

Generational
65. A book written by someone the same generation as you - All This Twisted Glory(Tahereh Mafi – she is 35)
66. A multi-generational story - Mother-Daughter Murder Night
67. A book set when the boomers were in their prime - Music from Another World (set in 1977)
68. A book that generates hope - Here's to Us (synopsis mentions new beginnings & second chances, which both seem hopeful)

Food Groups
69. Dairy: A cheesy book - Meet Me in the Margins
70. Meat: A book you can sink your teeth into - Tender Beasts
71. Fruit: A book with a fruit in the title - All the Bad Apples
72. Grain: A book set in a farming community - Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous

Love Them Pockets!
73. A book with a key or pocket watch on the cover - Curfew
74. Read a “pocket guide”
75. A book with a purse on the cover (because of course your clothes don’t have pockets) - The American Roommate Experiment
76. A book that might have been carried in a soldier’s pocket

Just Desserts
77. A book about revenge - The Revenge List
78. A book with something sweet on the cover - Happily Ever Afters
79. A book you’d like to settle in with an after dinner drink - Middle of the Night
80. A book by an author who has a good reputation with fans - The Good Samaritan (saw author joking with fans on Facebook, his comments were taken well, defending another author)

Colour Me Up!
81. A book with a colour word in the title - Ashes of Gold
82. A book with your favourite colour on the cover - The Scarlet Veil
83. A book by an author with a colour name - Book of Night
84. A book that looks like someone went crazy with crayons - Just for the Summer

Seems Sketchy
85. An illustrated book - Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually
86. A book with an unreliable narrator - All the Missing Girls
87. A book with a sketchbook or notebook on the cover - Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
88. A book with the word “fake” in the title - Every Smile You Fake

TBR Busters
89. A book you meant to read last year - The Drowning Woman
90. Any book on your TBR
91. A book someone gave you that you haven’t read yet - Murder in the Family
92. A book in your house with a dusty cover - I Know You Know

Fakes
93. A book about a monster no one believes exists - Dark Waters
94. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym - Playing Nice
95. A fiction book based on a true story - Bright Young Women
96. A book about something counterfeit - My Favourite Half-Night Stand

Spice It Up
97. A nonfiction book about a controversial person
98. A book with a spice in the title - A Dash of Salt and Pepper
99. A book with a spicy cover - The Fiancée Farce
100. A book set somewhere known for its cuisine - The Guilt Trip (set in Portugal)

The Long and Short of It
101. A book over 500 pages - Destroy the Day
102. A book under 150 pages - Guts
103. A book with a title at least 7 words long - Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
104. A book by an author whose last name is no more than 5 letters - A Fire Endless

Wildcards
105. A gothic novel - The Death of Jane Lawrence
106. A book with a geeky character - What's Not to Love or Love, Decoded
107. A book about prophecies - This Woven Kingdom
108. A book someone says “changed their life” - They Both Die at the End (on a Buzzfeed list of Life-Changing Books According to Readers from 2022)
109. A book about someone with a disability - Hello Stranger

Beat the Backlist
I've only just discovered that this challenge had lists of prompts, so I decided to compile the 2021 - 2024 lists in hopes of getting some books off my backlist. I tried my best to choose books that were actually backlist compared to the year of the challenge list they were applied to. If not, then at least backlist from now wherever possible (but there are some exceptions)!

2024 List
1. fae or aliens (doesn’t matter which, just needs to include one of them in some way) - The Stolen Heir
2. title contains a body of water (pick your favorite! lake? ocean? sea? river? etc.) - Stranger in the Lake
3. 4-word title (not 3 words, not 5, only 4) - Every Vow You Break
4. travel by ship (there is travel done on a ship. what kind of ship is up to you) - Luck of the Titanic
5. prominently features a desert (a desert is important to the plot in some way, whether your characters travel across it, it hides a secret, whatever fits the story) - Sundial
6. retelling of a classic (pick your favorite classic and find a retelling or reimagining of it) - The Kingdom of Sweets
7. small town vs. big city (the characters are either living that small town or urban life, maybe both!) - Part of Your World
8. queer AF (there’s no mistaking this cast of characters as anything else) - I'm So Not Over You
9. good vibes only (a book that makes you feel good or gives off that positive energy) - When You Get the Chance
10. these woods hold secrets (it’s up to you and the characters to figure out what they’re hiding) - The Forest Demands Its Due
11. anything but a monarchy (literally any other form of government. just no monarchies) - The Senator's Wife (government doesn’t play a huge role, but at least is mentioned)
12. published 100+ years ago (a perfect pairing with the retelling of a classic prompt)
13. walk through history (historical fiction, alternate history, a historian character, a historical tour of the town, get creative!) - My Contrary Mary
14. door on the cover (windows are great but looking for a door here) - Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail
15. 2023 debut novel (an author’s first published book released in 2023) - The Golden Spoon
16. bird is the word (on the cover, in the title, a character’s pet, as long as it’s a (type of) bird) - Starling House
17. writing about writing (a book about a writer/journalist/etc., written for writers, related to publishing, and so on) - Off the Record
18. live in infamy (about or inspired by an infamous figure in history (fictional history counts too)) - The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
19. blurbed by a fave author (one of your favorite authors has a little quote on the cover about how awesome the book is) - Where the Drowned Girls Go
20. recommended via a newsletter or podcast (a book shared in a newsletter or podcast episode (any will do)) - The Kind Worth Saving (recommended via LibraryReads.org for the March 2023 list)
21. tickles your funny bone (a book that makes you laugh. a solid chuckle is acceptable too) - The Rosie Project
22. first in an unfinished series (the series may not be done but you’re going to read the first book anyway) - Forging Silver into Stars or The Foxglove King
23. on your TBR 5+ years (we all have those books that have been waiting, let’s read one!) - The Wrath and the Dawn
24. coauthored or illustrated (either a book written by 2+ authors, or one that has illustrations)My Calamity Jane
25. share the love (love comes in all shapes and sizes, pick a book that features your favorite kind) - Count Your Lucky Stars
26. author last name starts with v (that’s v as in violin or villain) - Anatomy of a Scandal
27. it’s the end of the world as we know it (or at least it’s the end of the main character’s world) - I Hope You Get This Message
28. STEM stan (either about or featuring a character who loves science, technology, engineering, and/or math) - Give Me Your Hand
29. we have so much in common (you share something in common with the main character) - The Upside of Unrequited
30. between 300 and 400 pages (the Goldilocks of books, not too short, not too long) - You Will Remember Me (around 350 pages)
31. an unexpected inheritance (a character finds themselves the new owners of something unexpected) - These Fleeting Shadows
32. neon colored cover (looking for bright colors on this cover) - The Return
33. hotel, mansion, or castle (set in a very large home of some kind) - One Last Secret
34. author and character share an initial (first or last name, doesn’t have to be both, as long as they share at least one initial) - Better than the Movies
35. character name is a color (challenge yourself to find an unusual color name) - Anywhere You Run
36. let’s circle back to this (there is a circle. it’s somehow important to the story or even the cover design. many things can be a circle…) - The Do-Over
37. name that tune (the book title is also a song title or lyrics. alternatively, a book prominently featuring music) - As You Walk On By
38. popular throwback (a backlist book that was popular in its day but you still haven’t read) - The Kind Worth Killing
39. sweet or spicy (is it food? is it something else? you decide!) - Hang the Moon
40. 3+ points of view (there are at least three different character perspectives) - The No-Show
41. coffeehouse reads (something you imagine reading in a coffeehouse, or has those vibes) - It Started with a Dog
It Started With a Dog
42. we all scream (for ice cream?) (horror or featuring ice cream in some way (maybe both?)) - A Winter in New York
43. that’s not my name (featuring a character who’s mistaken as someone else) - Mr. Wrong Number
44. dance the night away (whether the characters want to or not, there will be dancing!) - Instructions for Dancing
45. second chances (the main character gets another shot at something) - See You Yesterday
46. sibling showdown (what happens when siblings don’t get along and someone writes about it) - Not a Happy Family
47. I was framed! (main character was framed for something they didn’t do) - Zero Days
48. anthology or omnibus edition (either a collection of short stories or other volumes, as long as they’re all bound up together) - Loathe to Love You
49. released the 13th of any month (best start checking those release dates) - The Final Girl Support Group
50. written by or about a (fictional) celebrity (celebrity can be used loosely here) - While We Were Dating
While We Were Dating (Jasmine Guillory)
51. creature feature (monsters, strange beasts, very real creatures of our world, whichever makes you happy) - Mislaid in Parts Half-Known
52. space – the final frontier (set in space, exploring space, escaping space. there’s just one requirement here…) - The Weight of the Stars

2023 List
1. cozy read or cover (a story or book cover that gives you cozy vibes) - The Last Chance Library
2. about dragons or robots (pick your favorite and read a book about one of them) - Iron Widow
3. takes place primarily in winter or a cold region (the majority of the story is set in the winter season or a cold region of the world) - The Silvered Serpents
4. meant to read it last year (a book you planned to get to in 2022 and didn't) - Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia was on my priority list specifically because of this book, and I somehow didn’t get to it)
5. giving an author a second chance (an author (or specific book) you previously didn't jive with) - Hidden Bodies
6. an author writing under a pseudonym (the author(s) is not writing under their real name) - Nettle & Bone
7. fairy/folktale you haven't heard of before (the more obscure the better) - House of Salt and Sorrows
(inspired by a fairy tale I haven’t heard of before called 12 Dancing Princesses)
8. non-fiction just for fun (something you want to read just because it sounds interesting) - Gen Z @ Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace
Gen Z @ Work
9. set in or inspired by the 1700s or 1800s (the setting is either inspired by the time period or set in it) - So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
10. bought and forgot it (a book you bought (or borrowed) and forgot about it) - Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match(bought because of the author, keep forgetting to prioritize it)
11. 2022 debut novel (an author's first book that released in 2022) - The Hacienda
12. name in the title (the title has a character name in it) - The Guinevere Deception
13. multiple points of view (there is more than one character perspective throughout the story) - Two Dead Wives
14. a character is lost royalty (one of the characters doesn't know they're actually royalty (until they do)) - These Infinite Threads
15. won an award (the book won an award. any award!) - Firekeeper's Daughter
16. here there be monsters (monsters are involved and, remember, they can come in all shapes and sizes) - Our Dark Duet
17. no romance (no romantic plot or subplot) - This Savage Song
18. recommended by a bookseller (ask your local bookseller for a recommendation! if you don't have a local store, there are plenty with social media accounts to reach out to) - Five Survive (recommended by Waterstones as a “Best of 2022” YA book)
19. set on or involving a train (the story either is set on a train or involves a train in some way) - Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect
Everyone On This Train is a Suspect
20. featuring travel (time optional) (about travel (as in distance) or time travel) - One True Loves
21. all the nature vibes (something about the book reminds you of nature) - The River Has Teeth
22. that heist plot tho (has a heist plot or subplot) - To Have and to Heist
23. family drama or court intrigue (story has family drama and/or court intrigue as a component) - Thicker Than Water
24. point-of-view character is an adult (18+) (at least one point of view character is 18 years or older) - Built to Last
25. standalone (the book has no prequels/sequels) - A Thousand Steps into Night
26. let's play sportsball (a book about sports, involving a sport, etc. (real or fictional)) - The Dating Playbook
27. it's a trope! (your favorite) (pick your favorite trope and read a book featuring it) - Everything We Didn't Say
Everything We Didn’t Say (trope – true crime podcast)
28. less than 170 pages (make sure it's a short one!) - A Mirror Mended
29. set on a continent you don't live on (the story is set on a continent (or heavily inspired by a place on a continent) you do NOT live on) - Children of Virtue and Vengeance (set on a fictionalized version of Africa)
30. released at least 23 years ago (that's right, we're taking it back to the 90's (release dates in 1999 or before)) - maybe a Kevin Henkes book, or early Jodi Picoult

Beat the Backlist (Continued)
31. protagonist name starts with "M" (the main character has a name beginning with "M") - Unravel the Dusk
32. point-of-view character is under 18 (one of the point of view characters is 17 years old or younger) - Counting Down with You
33. "lost" or "found" in the title (one of the words appears in the title) - Lost in the Moment and Found
34. novel in verse, poetry, or anthology (pick your poison from one of the three option) - Eternally Yours
35. letter "z" in the title (the letter "z" appears somewhere in the title) - Zyla & Kai
36. first in a trilogy (the book is the first of three) - A Deadly Education
37. all the romance (a book with lots of romance or featuring romance prominently) - Well Traveled
38. spooky vibes (this one puts you in a spooky mood or spirit) - Keep It In The Family
39. your favorite genre (a book that falls in your favorite genre) - The Night Before
40. this school isn't what it seems (features a school that isn't your typical school in some way (example: magic school, there's a hidden secret, etc.)) - Ace of Spades
41. graphic novel outside your fave genre (find a graphic novel that isn't in one of your favorite genres) - Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting
42. this house is alive (or at least very important) (features either a house that's alive in some way and/or is important to the story) - The Last House on Needless Street
43. protagonist has a pet (any pet will do) - Life's Too Short
44. five word title (only 5 words, count 'em up!) - I Know What You've Done
45. more than 450 pages (grab a tome and get reading!) - Seasonal Fears
46. plants on the cover (any kind of plant on the cover is fair game) - House of Roots and Ruin
47. epistolary or an unusual writing style (a story written through letters or another format that isn't the typical prose) - maybe Dear Aaron
48. character is keeping a big secret (one of the characters has a big secret they're keeping from the rest) - Tell Me Your Secret: the gripping page-turner from the bestselling 'Queen of the Big Reveal'
49. horses. that's the prompt. (interpret as you see fit) - Across the Green Grass Fields
50. main cover color is your least favorite color (find a book prominently featuring your least favorite color on the cover) - First Comes Like
51. all about music or the arts (the story revolves around music or the arts in some way) - An Enchantment of Ravens
52. picked out by a friend with no context (ask a friend for a book rec without telling them why, then read it!)

2022 List
1. 2+ people on the cover (2 or more people, either models or character art, on the cover) - Mister Impossible
2. 6+ words in the title (6 or more words in the title, can include “the,” “and,” etc.) - We Are All the Same in the Dark
3. a book about books (a book that’s centered around books in some way) - Suggested Reading
4. a book in a genre you never/rarely read (a genre you pick up very infrequently, or have never tried) - One of the Boys
5. a book set in the season you read it in (for example, reading a book primarily set in winter during the winter season) - Cool for the Summer
6. about food or food in the title (either the book’s plot is centered around food in some way or there’s a type of food in the title) - Arsenic and Adobo
7. about or inspired by a historical event (a book that’s either about an event in history, or heavily inspired by one) - We Are Not Free
8. an unusual or unexpected pet (a character has a pet that’s either unusual or something you wouldn’t expect) - The Long Game
9. author has a first, middle, and last name on the cover (no initials) (i.e. 3+ names on the cover, so Karen Marie Moning would count, Jennifer L. Armentrout would not) - The First to Lie
10. author has an active podcast or youtube channel (author with a podcast or youtube channel that’s had an episode/video posted in the last 6 months) - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
11. book about siblings (the plot is strongly focused on siblings in some way) - Sister Dear
12. book featuring time travel (we’re going back… back… back…) - The Dream Daughter
13. book with chapter names (no “Chapter One” here, these chapter titles have something interesting to say) - Cackle
14. book written for an age group you don’t belong to (for example, an adult reading young adult or vice versa) - Dead Voices
15. classic novel (pick a classic, any classic)
16. co-authored (book is by 2 or more authors) - The Lying Room
17. debut novel (this was the first published book by this author) - The Hunting Wives
18. discovered via social media (because social media is rough on our TBRs) - Suburban Hell
19. everyone has read it but you (it feels like everyone else has read this book except you) - Children of Blood and Bone
20. features royalty (I know I left that crown somewhere…) - Defend the Dawn
21. finish a series (reading this book means you’re finishing the series) - The Shadowglass
22. first in a series you’ve been putting off (this is a callout so get to that series!) - The Beautiful
23. forgotten on your shelf or eReader (a book you forgot you had until recently) - The First Mistake (somehow always forget about this one)
24. graphic novel, manga, or web comic (a book that fits one of these categories) - Sisters
25. indie or self published (the book was published by the author or an independent press) - The Atlas Six (stretching a little, was originally indie published but this version was traditionally published)
26. involves family secrets (this plot is very suspicious… secrets abound!) - My Darling Husband
27. longer than 500 pages (tackle that tome!) - Blade Breaker
28. murder, mystery, or both! (take your pick! murder, mystery, or something with both!) - Never Coming Home
29. mushroom on the cover (find the ‘shroom…) - Weyward
30. new-to-you author (you’ve never read anything by this author, and maybe you never heard of them until recently) - Truth Be Told
31. non-fiction (your pick of topic but make sure it’s based on facts) - The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction
32. novella (often around 200 pages or less, a shorter work that either stands alone or is a novel companion - What Moves the Dead
33. number in the title (as simple as it sounds) - Three Perfect Liars
34. one word title (only one word allowed) - All That Glitters
35. picked by a celebrity book club (any book selected in the past by a celebrity for their book club) - The Turnout
36. poetry or anthology (your choice of a book of poetry or book of short stories) - A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology
37. protagonist has a profession that twists the truth (the main character’s job involves twisting the truth or lying often) - The Disappearing Act
38. published in the month you were born (book was released the same month you were born) - Kingdom of the Cursed
39. reading for research, reference, or general interest (pick something that interests you!) - To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of a Machine
40. second or fourth book in a series (you’re getting through those series this year!) - The Silkworm
41. set in space OR on/in the ocean (sea of stars, sea of fish, your choice) - All the Tides of Fate
42. set in the mountains (the story primarily takes place in the mountains) - The Last to Vanish
43. set on an island (the story primarily takes place on an island) - Spells for Forgetting
44. story centered around a real or fictional holiday (the story is focused around a holiday from our world or a holiday in the world of the book) - Just Like Magic
45. superheroes/villains OR character in disguise (a story about superheroes/villains or one that features a character in disguise) - We Hunt the Flame
46. title is an alliteration (the title features at least 2 words starting with the same letter back to back (excluding words like “the,” “and,” etc.) such as Silence of the Soleri) - Perfect on Paper
47. translated into your native language (the book was originally written in a different language and translated into your native language) - The Aosawa Murders or The Only Child
48. “wolf” or “star” in the title (one of those words appears in the title) - For the Wolf
49. women in the (fictional) sciences (a book featuring women in science, either from our world or fictional) - Transcendent Kingdom
50. you watched the show or movie first (a book turned into a movie/show that you watched before reading) - You Love Me (watched You Season 3 before reading the book)
51. your favorite animal (real or fictional) on the cover (simple as it sounds!) - You Lucky Dog
52. your favorite trope on the page (your favorite character or plot trope is in the book) - Before the Storm (child with a disability, accused of a crime that mom doesn’t believe he committed)

2021 List
1. More than one author (A book written by at least 2 author; not an anthology) - You Are Not Alone
You are Not Alone (Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen)
2. Dragons or lizards ( a book featuring one or the other, or both!) - The Dragon's Promise
3. It’s on a ship! (A book that takes place on a ship, the type of ship is up to you) - Namesake
4. Purple cover (bring on the purple!) - Fix Her Up
5. Set in a major city (this can be any major city around the globe) - The Liar's Girl
6. Book you forgot you had (don’t lie, you know there’s at least one…well, maybe you don’t know…yet) - I See You (knew I had it, but keep forgetting where I put it)
7. Caused a major book hangover (the book was so good that you just don’t think you can start a new one just yet) - Sharp Objects(based on author’s other books, assume it would)
8. Multiple points of view (there are at least two different character perspectives) - The Gifted School
9. Book you’re giving another chance (you tried it before and it just wasn’t working, but maybe this time…) - Call Down the Hawk
10. Quest to find lost/hidden object (this can be a search for any lost and/or hidden object so get creative!) - Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix
11. Chapter title page has art (the pages that mark the beginning of a new chapter feature some sort of artwork or design) - Kingdom of the Wicked
12. Kept you up late reading (definitely not a book you can easily put down) - The Pact
13. Picked by a friend/trusted reviewer (whether a friend decided it or a reviewer online you trust recommended it, either is fair game) - The One (recommended by my friend Katie and multiple online reviewers)

Beat the Backlist (Continued)
14. Non-human character (a prominent character in the story is not human) - The Drowned Woods
15. First line is less than 10 words (that’s right, count ‘em) - A Stranger on the Beach (first line has 7 words)
16. Banned book - Infinity Reaper (banned in libraries and classrooms in Texas)
17. Cover features your favourite colour prominently (make sure that colour dominates the book cover) - Then She Vanishes
18. All about music (a story where music is a strong focus in some way) - I Was Born for This or More Than Maybe
19. Character lets out a breath they didn’t realize they were holding (if you’ve seen a line like this in a book, that’s what we’re looking for here) - Tell Me Three Things confirmed by Amazon preview search)
20. Genre you never/rarely pick up (there has to be at least one genre you don’t usually pick up) - Homicide and Halo-Halo
21. Standalone (All by itself) - A Lesson in Vengeance
22. Lost royalty (lost in time, lost to the world, don’t know who they are, interpret “lost” as you see fit) - Tokyo Ever After
23. Cover with your country’s flag colours (ideally the main colours of the cover, but you may have to get creative) - probably Friends Like These
24. Written in letters or diary entries (yes, we mean books told through letters or diary entries, the word is “epistolary” if you were looking for it) - This is How You Lose the Time War
25. Book centred around politics (everything from court intrigue to presidential elections) - The Widow
26. Features a carnival or circus (doesn’t have to be the main story, just part of it) - Empty Smiles
27. Snake on the cover (we bet you can think of a few) - The Once and Future Witches
28. On the Indie Bestseller list in 2020 or earlier - The Good Girl(on the 2016 list)
29. Historical with a twist (stories set in history that didn’t quite happen that way) - My Contrary Mary
30. Character has a dream scene (if the protagonist details a dream then wakes up, you’ve got a dream scene) - The Rose & the Dagger
31. Set in autumn (at least part of the story) - Someone We Know (opening chapters at least set in September/October)
32. Based on non-Greek/Roman mythology (literally any other mythology works here) - Wicked Fox
33. Non-binary protagonist (the books protagonist identifies as non-binary) - I Wish You All the Best or Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution
34. A book with illustrations (anything from graphic novels and manga to small illustrations throughout an otherwise text-heavy novel) - The Little World of Liz Climo
35. WTF plot twist (those twists that make you wonder WTF, whether it’s in a good way…or bad) - Luckiest Girl Alive (mentioned on a list)
36. Second book in a duology (time to get to that duology you started but haven’t finished yet) - Vicious Spirits
37. Non-fairytale retelling (any spin on something that isn’t a classic fairytale) - What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix
38. From your 2020 backlist TBR (a backlist book you planned to read last year…and didn’t) - Perfect Little Children
39. Book where the woods/forest are important (exactly like it sounds, the woods or forest are an important part of the story in some way) - Rules for Vanishing
40. Black and white (interpret as you wish) - The Perfect Girl
41. Novella (generally under 200 pages) - Love, Creekwood
42. Person on the cover (character art or models count) - She Was the Quiet One
43. Anthology (here is where you can play the anthology card, short stories generally around a theme with one or more editors) - At Midnight
44. Has a map (any kind of map will do) - Fable
45. Book about bones or “bone” in the title (take your pick, a book featuring bones prominently or one that has the word “bone” in the title) - The Restless Dark
46. Good book, bad cover (another one exactly as it sounds, you liked the book but the cover is…not good) - Something She's Not Telling Us extreme closeup on the face is just weird)
47. Brings out the geek in you (whether it’s a fandom dream or you’re just really into rocks and this book talks about rocks, whatever makes you geek out) - Bloody Fool for Love
48. Bought it for the cover (we’re sure you’ve done it at least once) - A Crown of Wishes
49. Book written in verse (a novel told through poetry) - Forget Me Not or Other Words for Home
50. Includes a second person point of view (at least one character narrates the story as “you walk” or “you go” vs. “I walk/They walk”- You
51. Author has a book released in 2021 (let’s support authors’ backlists! If they have a new book coming out, count any of their previous books published in 2020 or earlier) - Dear Wife (published in 2019, but she had another book in 2021)
52. Mentions a pineapple (yes, we’re serious) - The Roommate (Rosie Danan – according to Storygraph list)

2024 Goals
Challenge Goals
1) Have less than 30 books remaining on each of ATY and PopSugar by the end of the year

2) Finish at least 1/3 of each section of my Rejects, Leftovers, & BookishFirst Bingo Challenge

3) Achieve a "passing grade" one each of the subjects in the Flourish & Blotts NEWTS challenge

4) Read at least 25% of the books on my Beat the Backlist Challenge

5) Finish at least 30% of each of my other challenges

General Goals
1) Read 175 books, but ideally 200

2) Read more of my BOTM books (at least 40)

Priority Series
Read at least 8 of these fully published series leftover from previous years' challenges:
The Knife of Never Letting Go (3 books)
You (4 books, 2 of which are rereads)
The Cormoran Strike series (7 books, 2 of which are rereads)
The Gilded Wolves (3 books)
The Lady Janies (3 books)
The Guinevere Deception (3 books)
Call Down the Hawk (3 books, 1 of which is a reread)
Kingdom of the Wicked (3 books)
Scholomance (3 books)
The Gilded Wolves (3 books)
The Bone Witch (3 books)
The Rosie Project (3 books, all re-reads)

Read at least 3 of these recently completed series
The Gilded Ones (3 books)
Belladonna (3 books)
The Beautiful (4 books)
Once Upon a Broken Heart (3 books)
Infinity Cycle (3 books)
Legacy of Orisha (3 books)
Six Crimson Cranes (3 books)
Defy the Night (3 books)

Read at least 3 of these series that are newly added to my list
Realm Breaker (3 books)
The Atlas Six (3 books) (I’ve previously only had the first book on my priority list, never the series)
This Woven Kingdom (3 books)
In Every Generation (3 books)
The Mary series (Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows) (3 books)
The Foxglove King (2 books currently, with more to come)

Read at least 12 duologies
Foul Lady Fortune
The Stolen Heir
Wings of Ebony
This Poison Heart
Gilded
The Star-Touched Queen
The Wrath & The Dawn
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Sands of Arawiya
Spin the Dawn
House of Salt & Sorrows
Enchantee
All the Stars & Teeth
Wicked Fox
All of Us Villains
Skyhunter
Fable
In a Garden Burning Gold
For the Wolf
What If It’s Us
They Both Die at the End
Daughter of the Pirate King

Priority Authors
Read at least one book (but ideally, at least two books!) by each of these authors
Alix E. Harrow
Olivie Blake
Lynn Painter
Wendy Heard
Tashie Bhuiyan
Dahlia Adlier
Axie Oh
Ann Liang
Rebecca Ross
John Marrs
Lisa Unger
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Heather Chavez
Abby Jimenez
Taylor Adams
T. Kingfisher
May Cobb
Nicci French
Liz Nugent
Kia Abdullah
Rachel Harrison
Heidi Perks
Catriona Ward
Gillian McAllister

Top 24 to Read in 2024
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
Yellowface by RF Kuang
My Murder by Katie Williams
If Anything Happens to Me by Alex Finlay
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood
Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
House of Marionne by J. Elle
The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
A Tempest in the Tea by Hafsah Faizal

5-Star Predictions
This isn't necessarily an "official" goal, but I always end up tracking alongside my priority books anyway so I figured I might as well include my list here. I picked 3 books per challenge to be my 5-star predictions, and the aim is to read as many as I can (ideally all) before the end of the year

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
End of Story by AJ Finn
Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Abike-Iyimide
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
House of Flame & Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
Murder Road by Simone St. James
Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

Genre Goals
- Read at least 40 thrillers (YA does not count)
- Read at least 20 non-fiction
- Read at least 15 historical fiction (can be YA or adult)
- Read at least 25 adult contemporary romances

January Update
As with everything book-related lately, I am extremely far behind on my monthly updates! I guess that should be obvious since we're now a third of the way into March and I'm only updating about January now. To be fair, I went into the new year already feeling a little behind on my reading. I was behind on setting up my challenge plans in general, and that just set everything back. I was hoping to get the year off to a bit of a stronger start, but at least got a headstart on some of my goals. I ended up reading a total of 10 books in January, which is on the low side for me, but I at least got a headstart on several of my goals.

Around the Year
A book with a chilling atmosphere - No Exit

Total: 1/59 (1.69%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month!

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Family dinner - The Family Game
A book related to Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass - For the Throne
A book with a character whose name that starts with a letter in the phrase LIBRARY CARD - The Wake-Up Call

Total: 3/220 (1.36%)

52 Book Club
Nothing this month!

BookList Queen
Nothing this month!

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Nothing this month!

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book about a lost species - Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures

Total: 1/109 (0.92%)

Beat the Backlist
A story centered around a real or fictional holiday (the story is focused around a holiday from our world or a holiday in the world of the book) - Just Like Magic
A book with illustrations (anything from graphic novels and manga to small illustrations throughout an otherwise text-heavy novel) - The Little World of Liz Climo
A non-fiction just for fun (something you want to read just because it sounds interesting) - Gen Z @ Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace
“Wolf” or “star” in the title (one of those words appears in the title) - For the Wolf
A graphic novel, manga, or web comic (a book that fits one of these categories) - Sisters

Total: 5/208 (2.4%)

Series Goals
I completed the For the Wolf duology this month! I've loosely planned to read at least 1 series or 2 duologies per month if I can, but to be fair, this duology was a bit on the longer/slower-paced side so I'm happy with at least finishing this one!

Total So Far:
0/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
0/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
1/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I did not read any books from either of these lists in January, unfortunately. To be fair, I only really established my goals and predictions mid-month, so I didn't really expect to get to them yet either.

Total So Far:
0/24 Priority Books
0/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
In my original post about goals on my blog, I separated my list as usual into YA and non-YA, but it doesn't quite make sense since some of the authors write in both age categories. To be fair, it really doesn't make much difference either way, since I prioritize authors based on them being new-to-me and with multiple books already on my TBR.

In January, I read No Exit by Taylor Adams, which is the only book I've read by one of my priority authors so far!

Total So Far:
1/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
This is a goal that I think is often to a relatively solid start! I read The Family Game and No Exit this month. I was hoping so squeeze in one more before the end of January, but ran out of time since the For the Wolf duology took me a while.

Total So Far 2/40

Other Genre Goals
As usual, I'm sure my non-fiction goal will end up being one of my easiest to accomplish this year. In January, I read 2 books that are definitely non-fiction (Woolly and Gen Z @ Work), and I'm a little on the fence about Sisters. Technically, it is a graphic memoir since it is a story based on the author's real life and I believe I did count this author's previous book Smile as non-fiction, so it seems fair to count!

I did not read any historical fiction yet, but I did read 2 adult contemporary romances: Just Like Magic and The Wake-Up Call. Again, I feel like this goal was impacted a bit by how long some of the other books took since I had at least one more book in each of these genres that I'd planned to read but couldn't get to in time.

Total So Far:
3/20 non-fiction
0/15 historical fiction
2/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
Two of the books I read this month were books I've acquired through BOTM! Both No Exit and The Family Game were BOTM selections.

Total: 2/40

Highlights/Notes
I'm trying to shorten up these posts a bit this year to hopefully motivate myself to keep up with them a little more easily, so instead of paragraphs, I'll just make a few notes:

- Great progress on some of my genre goals!
- Very happy to have finished the For the Wolf duology
- Quite a few books toward my "Beat the Backlist" challenge already read!

Goals For Next Month
- Read at least 2 romances (for a Valentine's Day theme)
- Read at least 2 domestic thrillers (for an anti-Valentine's Day theme)
- Review my Top 24 list and 5-Star Predictions to familiarize myself with what's on them so it's easier to remember

February Update
Just for the sake of catching up, I'm doubling up on my updates today! February was another month where I ended up reading just 10 books overall, although it is often a month where my reading is a bit on the lower side since it's a little shorter. To be fair, with this year being a leap day, I expected the small amount of extra time might help a bit but in this case it didn't really. On the other hand, I did read some really great books in February so I can't really complain!

Around the Year
Nothing this month!

Total: 1/59 (1.69%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month!

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book with an ex - Exes and O's
A book that comes out in the second half of 2023 - A Twisted Love Story
Characters make a bargain - Once Upon a Broken Heart

Total: 6/220 (2.73%)

52 Book Club
Nothing this month!

BookList Queen
Nothing this month!

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Nothing this month!

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book by an author known for introducing a phrase - If I Ran the Zoo

Total: 2/109 (1.83%)

Beat the Backlist
A non-fiction (your pick of topic but make sure it’s based on facts) - The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction
A retelling of a classic (pick your favorite classic and find a retelling or reimagining of it) - The Kingdom of Sweets
Reading for research, reference, or general interest (pick something that interests you!) - To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of a Machine
Includes a second person point of view (at least one character narrates the story as “you walk” or “you go” vs. “I walk/They walk”- You
3+ points of view (there are at least three different character perspectives) - The No-Show
Book written in verse (a novel told through poetry) - Forget Me Not

Total: 11/208 (5.29%)

Series Goals
I didn't end up completing any series this month, but I at least started two different ones. I started the You series by Caroline Kepnes by rereading the first book, and I also started the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy. I'd actually intended to read that entire trilogy around Valentine's Day since it seemed fitting, but got a bit delayed somehow. Although neither were completed, I still made some progress at least toward two series!

Total So Far:
0.25/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
0.33/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
1/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I read A Twisted Love Story which was on my Top 24 List, and The Kingdom of Sweets which was one of my 5-Star Predictions! I may have been able to squeeze in one or two more, but I'm also not necessarily seeing anything that fit my loose Valentine's Day/anti-Valentine's Day theme for the month either.

Total So Far:
1/24 Priority Books
1/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
I did not read any books by priority authors this month, but it seems worth noting that I read a second book by one of my "bonus round" authors. I didn't mention it above, but I had an extra optional goal of trying to catch up on some authors that I've read and loved in the past this year, and I've already read 2 books by Beth O'Leary since the start of 2024 so I'm starting to catch up on her at least!

Total So Far:
1/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I read another two thrillers toward this goal this month: You and A Twisted Love Story. I definitely will need to pick up the pace a tiny bit to reach my goal of 40 for the year, but it was another month with some solid progress.

Total: 4/40

Other Genre Goals
I read two more non-fiction books toward my goal this month, including one that I'm already sure is likely to be one of my favourite non-fictions of the year! I would highly recommend The Enchanted Hour, which is all about the benefits of reading out loud. Unfortunately, To Siri With Love was not as fun to read.

I'm potentially counting The Kingdom of Sweets as a historical fiction, but I haven't 100% decided yet. Personally, I tend to classify it mostly as a fantasy or magical realism, but there is a historical setting involved that becomes a little more clear toward the end. I did see it tagged as historical fiction on Goodreads, but other sources seem to keep it only as fantasy so I'm not sure. For now, I'm listing it on the side as a "maybe."

I also read two more adult contemporary romances this month: Exes and O's, and The No-Show. To be fair, I personally felt The No-Show was a bit mismarketed, and it's a stretch to really consider it a romance, but it is a close enough fit that I still mostly feel comfortable including it.

Total So Far:
5/20 non-fiction
0/15 historical fiction (+1 maybe)
4/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
Only one of the books I read this month was a BOTM selection. I read The Kingdom of Sweets, which was one of my selections toward the end of 2023.

Total: 3/40

Highlights/Notes
- Aside from The Enchanted Hour, I'm not having much luck with my non-fiction selections this year! Two of them have been 3 star reads
- Excellent progress toward Beat the Backlist again
- Got started on 2 series
- Good progress on all genre goals
- Read 1 priority book and 1 book that was a 5-star prediction!

Goals for Next Month
- Read from some other challenges!
- Read at least 2 priority authors
- Complete at least 2 series (either the ones in progress, or something else)
- Aim for at least 3 thrillers

March Update
March was a bit of a weird month for me, since it felt simultaneously very long and very short somehow. I got about halfway through the month and thought I still had a ton of time to read more books, but then things slowed down considerably in the second half. To be fair, a big part of that is because I was reading an extremely long book which naturally took more time. It was another month where I read a total of exactly 10 books, but I was a little surprised to look at my Storygraph stats and see that even though the overall number of books hadn't changed, it was technically my best reading month in terms of page count and audiobook time!

Around the Year
Nothing this month!

Total: 1/59 (1.69%)

PopSugar
A book set in the snow - The Bones of the Story

Total: 1/50 (2%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list – A winner or nominee from the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards - The Ballad of Never After

Total: 4/220 (1.81%)

52 Book Club
Written by a ghostwriter - Counting the Cost

Total: 1/52 (1.92%)

BookList Queen
A book everyone is talking about - House of Flame and Shadow
An inspiring nonfiction - The Happiness Project

Total: 2/52 (3.85%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Includes a secret feature (Hidden artwork under dust jacket, pop outs, illustrations, a recipe, a playlist, etc) - A Curse for True Love
A book that makes you nostalgic - Stacey's Mistake: A Graphic Novel

Total: 2/60 (3.33%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A memoir or biography about someone with a Hollywood Star - The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
Any book on your TBR - The Frozen River

Total: 4/109 (3.67%)

Beat the Backlist
we all scream (for ice cream?) (horror or featuring ice cream in some way (maybe both?)) - A Winter in New York

Total: 12/208 (5.77%)

Series Goals
I finished off one trilogy this month! Technically, it was one that I had already started in February, but I read two out of the three books this month. I'd been hoping to squeeze in or at least start one more series before the end of the month but unfortunately that didn't work out.

Total So Far:
0.25/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
1/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I have not read anything more from my Top 24 list yet, but I did make a little progress on my 5-Star Predictions. Both The Bones of the Story and House of Flame & Shadows were on my predictions list.

Total So Far:
1/24 Priority Books
3/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
Unfortunately I did not read any more books by my priority authors this month, nor did I read anything by any of my "bonus round" authors. This is a goal I'd really like to prioritize for next month since I'm feeling a little behind!

Total So Far: 1/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I read just 1 thriller this month, which was The Bones of the Story. Technically, I have also seen The Frozen River classified as a thriller or a mystery/thriller sometimes, but I personally wouldn't consider it one.

Total: 5/40

Other Genre Goals
I read a total of 3 non-fiction books this month! All three of them were audiobooks that I listened to while doing some work at home, but they contributed a lot toward my goal to reach at least 20 non-fiction this year. It's ironic that this goal is always my easiest one to achieve considering it's a genre I'm really not that into.

I also read my first "real" historical fiction of the year with The Frozen River! As I noted last month, I could potentially count The Kingdom of Sweets but that one feels like a bit more of a judgment call, whereas The Frozen River is a very clear fit.

I also read just 1 more adult contemporary romance right at the end of the month! Thanks to the snowy weather, I decided to squeeze in A Winter in New York, which gave me a tiny bit more progress toward this goal as well. I have already reached 1/5 of the minimum total romance books I wanted to read this year!

Total So Far:
8/20 non-fiction
1/15 historical fiction (+1 maybe)
5/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
The Frozen River was also a book that I acquired from BOTM, so it also counts toward this goal of trying to read 40 by the end of the year!

Total: 4/40

Highlights/Notes
- Best reading month in terms of page count and audiobook minutes!
- Finally got a start on my historical fiction goal
- Got started on reading books toward multiple challenges that I hadn't read toward yet
- Finished another series
- Read 2 more 5-Star Prediction books!

Goals for Next Month
- Read at least 2 priority authors
- Read at least 2 thrillers
- Start (or ideally complete) at least 2 series
- Break the pattern of reading just 10 books per month! Read a few more!

April Update
I expected April to be a fairly strong reading month since I had some extra time off work, and I was happy to see that it ended up being my best reading month so far! I finally broke my trend of reading just 10 books per month, although just barely. In April, I read a total of 11 books, and also had my highest total page count and second highest total audiobook minutes count all year. It's interesting to me that my page count keeps climbing higher even though the number of books per month hasn't really. I definitely want to keep that trend going!

Around the Year
A book related to the phrase "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" - Good Bad Girl

Total: 2/59 (3.39%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month!

Total: 1/50 (2%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
Nothing this month!

Total: 4/220 (1.81%)

52 Book Club
Picked without reading the blurb - Foul Heart Huntsman

Total: 2/52 (3.85%)

BookList Queen
An audiobook - Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America

Total: 3/52 (5.77%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
A book with an alliterative title - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Total: 3/60 (5.00%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book with a vegetable in the title - Creepy Carrots!
A book that might have been carried in a soldier's pocket - Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You
A book with a gold or silver cover - Foul Lady Fortune
A book with a maze on the cover - Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World
A book with a stamp or rotary phone on the cover - Last Violent Call

Total: 9/109 (8.26%)

Beat the Backlist
A graphic novel outside your favourite genre - Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting
Point-of-view character is under 18 - Counting Down with You

Total: 14/208 (6.73%)

Series Goals
I finished one duology this month! What I didn't even account for in my initial series list was the bonus novellas that went with the Foul Lady Fortune duology, but I ended up reading both books and the novellas. Again, I'd hoped to squeeze in one more series before the end of the month but I was very happy to have finally read this one!

Total So Far:
0.25/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
2/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I did not read anything from my Top 24 list, but I did read Good Bad Girl which was one of my 5-Star Predictions! I did have a couple of Top 24 list books that I was hoping to get to but ran out of time, so hopefully I'll be able to fit some of them into May instead.

Total So Far:
1/24 Priority Books
4/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
Luckily, this was a goal that had much better progress! I read one book by Lisa Unger, and one book by Tashie Bhuiyan, both of whom are on my list to try this year. This was great progress after having a couple of months in a row of not reading any!

Total So Far: 3/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I can add two more thrillers to my list from this month! Both Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six and Good Bad Girl are definitely within the thriller category. That brings me up to a total of 7 thrillers already this year, which is getting close to a quarter of the way to my goal!

Total: 7/40

Other Genre Goals
I made some excellent progress on several of my genre goals this month! I read a total of 4 non-fiction books in April. Two of these were audiobooks, one was a graphic memoir, and the last was Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You. Personally I think that last one is a little questionable since it's poetry, but it is tagged as nonfiction and self-help on both Goodreads and Storygraph so it seems fair to include. I have now officially passed the halfway point on this goal!

However, the goal I'm even more excited to have made progress on was my historical fiction goal! I wasn't even consciously thinking of it at the time, but all three books (including the novellas) in the Foul Lady Fortune series are historical fiction! They are set in 1930s China and refer quite heavily to real events. When I set my goal, I wasn't picky at all about what books would count as long as they had some kind of historical setting, so even fantasy qualifies! This brings me to almost a third of the way to my goal!

The one goal that had to give a little this month was the contemporary romance goal. Unfortunately, I did not read any in April but I'm still siting at 1/5 of the way to this goal, so I'm not too worried yet.

Total So Far:
12/20 non-fiction
4/15 historical fiction (+1 maybe)
5/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
None of the books that I read this month were books that I'd acquired from BOTM. This is a goal that will easily do double-duty with multiple other goals, so it shouldn't be too hard to catch up.

Total: 4/40

Highlights/Notes
- Finally broke my streak of just 10 books per month!
- Best reading month again in terms of pages count, and second best for audiobook minutes
- Amazing progress on my historical fiction and nonfiction goals!
- Finished another duology!
- Read 2 more priority authors
- Very mixed bag of books this month overall, in terms of genre, format, etc.

Goals for Next Month
- Start (or ideally complete) at least 2 series
- Read at least 2 more priority authors
- Read at least 2 books from my Top 24 list
- Keep reading more than 10 books within the month!

May Update
I really tried to have this month's update up on time, but the last week of the month was particularly exhausting! I was very pleasantly surprised to see that May ended up being my best reading month overall once again, with my highest number of books and highest page count so far, and my second-highest audiobook time by about an hour and a half. It was very encouraging to see an upward trend continuing for another month, especially when I felt so busy/tired toward the end.

Around the Year
A book by an Edgar Award-winning Author - Happiness Falls

Total: 3/59 (5.08%)

PopSugar
A book about a 24-year-old - The Friend Zone

Total: 2/50 (4%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book that includes a love story - This Time It's Real
A graphic novel/comic with a female main writer and female main artist - Guts

Total: 6/220 (2.73%)

52 Book Club
Set in a city starting with the letter “M” - The Familiar
Title starting with the letter “L” - Lying in Wait

Total: 4/52 (7.69%)

BookList Queen
Nothing this month!

Total: 3/52 (5.77%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Nothing this month!

Total: 3/60 (5.00%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A multi-generational story - Mother-Daughter Murder Night
A memoir about living with nature - Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
A nonfiction book about a controversial person - Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony
An illustrated book - Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually
A book with offensive language - Go the F**k to Sleep

Total: 14/109 (12.84%)

Beat the Backlist
This school isn't what it seems (features a school that isn't your typical school in some way (example: magic school, there's a hidden secret, etc.)) - Ace of Spades

Total: 15/208 (7.21%)

Series Goals
Unfortunately, I did not make any progress at all on this goal this month! I find that this is a goal that it's very easy to slip on as soon as I get out of the habit of prioritizing series, so I'm hoping to really turn it around in June to make sure I stay on track.

Total So Far:
0.25/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
2/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I finally read one more book from my Top 24 list! I read Mother-Daughter Murder Night, which to be honest, I had forgotten was on my list when I picked it up!

I also read two more books from my 5-Star Predictions list, which were Happiness Falls and The Familiar! Those two brought me to a full quarter of the way through my predictions list overall!

Total So Far:
2/24 Priority Books
6/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
I also made some good progress toward this goal as well! I read one book by Abby Jimenez and one book by Liz Nugent from my non-YA list, and one book by Ann Liang from my YA list. This has doubled my overall total number of priority authors tried so far this year, and again brings me to a total of a quarter of the goal!

Total So Far: 6/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I can safely add one thriller to my list because of Lying in Wait. Both Happiness Falls and Mother-Daughter Murder Night are tagged as thrillers on Goodreads but not on Storygraph. Personally I would consider Mother-Daughter Murder Night a thriller (or at least a mystery-thriller) while Happiness Falls is a little more questionable. I'll play it safe and count that one as a "maybe" for now.

Total: 9/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I made some excellent progress on several of these goals as well! I read 4 more non-fiction books this month. I had Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals and Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony which were both clear non-fiction. Guts is another one of those graphic novels that I'm a little on the fence about since it's based on the author's own life, but I am counting it because I've counted this author's previous books. I also have Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually which is an illustrated book that features different stories from the author's own life (along the lines of Hyperbole and a Half), which seems pretty clearly non-fiction too.

I also read The Familiar which was pretty clearly historical fiction because it is set in the Spanish Golden Age and that time period is very evident throughout the story. I was also surprised to see that Lying in Wait was set for a good chunk of the book in 1980 and 1985 Ireland, and although it didn't really "feel" like a historical book to me, there were mentions of the IRA and other real events. I will count that one as a "maybe" for now.

I also read just one more adult contemporary romance with Abby Jimenez's debut. I was hoping to squeeze in one more either from that series or a romance by a different author within the month, but I ran out of time.

Total So Far:
16/20 non-fiction
5/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
6/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
Only Happiness Falls was a book that I'd acquired through BOTM, so I can at least add that one to my total!

Total: 5/40

Highlights/Notes
- Excellent progress on the majority of goals!
- Highest page count and total number of books, and very close to the highest audiobook time
- Reached 1/4 of the way to my 5 Star Predictions goal and my Priority Authors goal
- About 1/5 of the way to my thriller goal

Goals for Next Month
- Get back on track with reading some series
- Read at least 2 more books from my Top 24 list
- Try to read some more BOTM books
- Start (or ideally finish) at least one multi-week prompt

June Update
This was a weird month, that felt simultaneously very fast but also very slow somehow! I had a whole bunch of books in mind to try to squeeze in because I loosely wanted to go for a bit of a Pride Month theme for at least part of the month, but ended up only getting to a few of them. However, I continued my upward trend of tying May for my highest number of books read this year and, by a margin of about 70 pages, my highest page count! I had quite a bit less audiobook time this month, but that's fairly normal for me toward the summer. It was great to see the upward trend continuing!

Around the Year
A book with a title that ends in A, T or Y - Only If You're Lucky

Total: Total: 4/59 (6.78%)

PopSugar
A memoir that explores queerness - All Boys Aren’t Blue
A collection of at least 24 poems - milk and honey

Total: 4/50 (8%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book about a love triangle - Kate in Waiting

Total: 7/220 (3.18%)

52 Book Club
A grieving character - The Happy Ever After Playlist
A buddy read - Listen for the Lie

Total: 6/52 (11.54%)

BookList Queen
New-to-you author - The Hunting Wives

Total: 4/52 ((7.69%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Read a borrowed book - Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are
Read a book in multiple formats - Claudia and the Bad Joke: A Graphic Novel
A restorative read - Dinosaur Philosophy

Total: 6/60 (10%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A fiction book based on a true story - Bright Young Women

Total: 15/109 (13.76%)

Beat the Backlist
that’s not my name (featuring a character who’s mistaken as someone else) - Mr. Wrong Number

Total: 16/206 (7.69%)

Series Goals
I started a book toward one of my series this month, but didn't finish it before the month was over so I can't count it yet! By the end of June, I'd read only about 35% of The Cuckoo's Calling, and I'd imagine this series will take me some time to work through. At least I'll be able to count the book toward this goal next month.

Total So Far:
0.25/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
2/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
Both Bright Young Women and Only If You're Lucky are on my Top 24 list! I don't even think I remembered that they were on my list when I chose them, just that I felt like reading them at the time. I did not read anything else toward my 5-Star Predictions this month.

Total So Far:
4/24 Priority Books
6/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
I made some great progress on this goal too! I read a second book by Abby Jimenez, who I had already crossed off my list. I also read one book each by May Cobb and Lynn Painter, both of whom were also on my priority authors list! Those bring me to a third of the way through this goal for the year!

Total So Far: 8/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I'm realizing more and more as the year goes on that I may need a more solid definition of what a thriller is for the future. This month, I read three books that I can safely classify as thrillers: Only If You're Lucky, The Hunting Wives, and Listen for the Lie. However, I'm a little on the fence about how to classify Bright Young Women. It is tagged as a thriller on both Goodreads and Storygraph, and was nominated in the Mystery/Thriller category of the Goodreads Choice Awards so it seems safe to include, but it didn't necessarily feel like a thriller at times either. These 4 books bring me over a quarter of the way to my goal!

Total: 13/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I was also very excited to see that I made some excellent progress toward all of these goals as well! I wouldn't necessarily have thought of Milk and Honey as non-fiction since I don't typically classify poetry that way, but it was very clearly based on the author's own life so I think it's fair to count it as non-fiction. I'm still a little confused about how Dinosaur Philosopy counts since it's just comics. Last year, I didn't count Dinosaur Therapy as non-fiction, but this one seems like a better fit since it touches on philosophical theories/self-help, so I guess I'll count it. I also read listened to two non-fiction audiobooks, bringing my total for the month up to 4 and thereby completing my goal!!

Even though Bright Young Women is a little questionable as a thriller, it most certainly counts as historical fiction due to it being heavily based on a real-life serial killer, with specific references to those crimes. I'm slowly making my way through this goal, since this one brings me up to a total of 6 for the year so far (with 2 "maybes" that I might be able to add later).

I also read two more adult contemporary romances this month, with Mr. Wrong Number and The Happy Ever After Playlist! This is another goal that I'm making some slow and steady progress on, since I'm now about a quarter of the way there!

Total So Far:
20/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
6/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
8/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
This is a goal I always seem to forget about, but luckily I keep making some progress on it anyway since my BOTM books are often among my highest priority! This month, I read 3 books that I'd acquired through BOTM: Bright Young Women, Only If You're Lucky, and Listen for the Lie.

Total: 8/40

Highlights/Notes
- Amazing progress on many goals!!
- Completed my non-fiction goal (although one or two of the books may be a little iffy)
- Highest page count and tied for highest total number of books
- Read at least one book toward each of my challenges
- Also read some of my favourite books of the year so far this month!

Goals for Next Month
- Get back on track with reading series (may be challenging when I'm away for a chunk of the month)
- Read some more BOTM books
- Read at least 2 more priority authors
- Read at least 2 more priority books and/or 5-Star Predictions

July Update
July is always a bit of a weird reading month for me! Instead of my normal work, the first two weeks are staff training, although sometimes that is more stressful/exhausting than my actual job. Luckily, this year it was very smooth and peaceful. I also typically have the last two weeks of July off for vacation, where I usually expect to read a lot but don't always get to. I was very surprised to look at my Storygraph stats and see that somehow, my July reads were by far the highest page count I'd had all year! I read a total of 674 pages more in July than in June, which had already been my highest page count of the year. This was especially surprising since I'd actually read one book less, with a total off 11 in the month rather than the 12 I'd been hitting for the past couple of months. I did not listen to any audiobooks this month at all, but that's normal for me over the summer. I was so surprised to see such a huge spike in my page count!

Around the Year
Nothing this month!

Total: Total: 4/59 (6.78%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month

Total: 4/50 (8%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book with “poison” in the title - This Poison Heart

Total: 8/220 (3.63%)

52 Book Club
Nothing this month!

Total: 6/52 (11.54%)

BookList Queen
A book about mental health - The Perfect Daughter

Total: 5/52 (9.62%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
A book you flew through - The Last Word
Includes something broken - This Wicked Fate
Contains a prominent animal character - Remarkably Bright Creatures

Total: 9/60 (15%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A hardboiled crime - The Cuckoo's Calling
A book by an author who uses a pseudonym - Playing Nice

Total: 17/109 (15.60%)

Beat the Backlist
protagonist has a pet (any pet will do) - Life’s Too Short
Picked by a friend/trusted reviewer (whether a friend decided it or a reviewer online you trust recommended it, either is fair game) - The One
small town vs. big city (the characters are either living that small town or urban life, maybe both!) - Part of Your World
a book set in the season you read it in (for example, reading a book primarily set in winter during the winter season) - Cool for the Summer

Total: 20/206 (9.71%)

Series Goals
I finished off The Cuckoo's Calling, and also read the entire This Poison Heart duology! I still feel like I'm making extremely slow progress on my series goal, but it keeps feeling like series will get in the way of some of my other goals since they can take a while to get through, depending on the length. I definitely want to try to prioritize at least a few more series before the end of this year!

Total So Far:
0.25 +1/7 books/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
3/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
None of the books I read this month were on my Top 24 list! However, I did read The Last Word which was one of my 5-star predictions. This may be a silly reason, but this goal was affected by my being on vacation this month. Many of the books on these lists are books I got from BOTM and I didn't necessarily want to travel with them and risk losing them or them getting damaged. Now that I'm back, I'm planning to prioritize a whole bunch of these books!

Total So Far:
4/24 Priority Books
7/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
I read my first ever books by John Marrs and Dahlia Adler, so that crosses both of them off my list! I believe I have read one of Dahlia Adler's short stories in an anthology before, but I still count her as a new-to-me author. I also read 2 more books by Abby Jimenez and 1 more Taylor Adams, which works toward my goal to read at least 2 books per priority author instead of just 1. This brings me to a total of 10 out of the 24 authors on my list, which is almost halfway toward my goal!

I even made some progress toward my extra goal of catching up on some authors that I've read and enjoyed before! I read one book each by DJ Palmer and DP Delaney. I'm not really officially tracking this goal, but I might do a bit of a wrap-up on it toward the end of the year.

Total So Far: 10/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I read a total of 4 thrillers this month! I am not counting The Cuckoo's Calling since I'd classify that more as a mystery rather than mystery-thriller. However, The One, The Last Word, Playing Nice and The Perfect Daughter all count! In a way, The One is a little questionable since it's a mix of several different genres, but it is classified as a thriller on both Goodreads and Storygraph as one of its top genres and I feel like it had enough thriller elements that I can count it.

Total: 17/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
These goals were a bit more of a mixed bag this month. I actually brought one historical fiction book with me on my trip intending to read it but didn't get to it! I also did not read any non-fiction books at all within the month, but I'm not so worried about that one since that is a goal that is already accomplished.

However, I did read two more adult contemporary romances, both of which were by Abby Jimenez. I purposely wanted to finish off her first series and get started on the next so I can squeeze in Just for the Summer some time this summer! I did make progress toward my bonus goal of completing at least one full romance series since I've read all three books in her Friend Zone series! The two romances I read this month brought me to a total of 10 romances so far this year, which is pretty solid progress toward this goal, although a bit further behind than I'd like to be at this point of the year.

Total So Far:
20/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
6/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
10/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
As I mentioned above, this goal was impacted a bit by my trip since I didn't really want to bring any BOTM books with me. However, my copy of The Last Word which I read earlier in the month was from BOTM so at least that one counts toward this goal!

Total: 9/40

Highlights/Notes
- Somehow reaching my highest total page count per month by close to 700 pages!
- Made at least a little progress again toward reading series
- Finally read some of my "bonus" authors who I'd been meaning to read again for a while
- Great progress on several goals, especially thrillers and priority authors

Goals for Next Month
- Keep prioritizing fitting in series (either fully or at least individual books from series)
- Read more BOTM books, especially those that are on my Top 24 list
- Read some books from the ATY and PopSugar challenges
- Aim to keep (or exceed!) the same total number of books/page count

August Update
August is another unusual reading month for me, most of the time. I'm generally coming back to work after having 2 weeks off at the end of July so that's a bit of an adjustment. This year, I also had the entire last week of August booked off as well and part of the plan was to read a ton, but I ended up being busy most of the days so I didn't necessarily have much extra time to read. Luckily, I still managed to end the month tied with June for my highest total number of books read in a month (12), and my second highest page count of the year with a total of 3830 pages read, which is only about 150 pages less than last month! I also listened to one audiobook which is my second-lowest audio total this year (with July being 0), but that's expected since I rarely listen to audiobooks at all in the summer! I was surprised to see I'd still managed to read so much when I'd felt so behind.

Around the Year
A book set in a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea - The Fury

Total: 5/59 (8.47%)

PopSugar
A book that came out in a year that ends with 24 - The Pairing
A book that was turned into a musical - Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Total: 6/50 (12%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A title that begins with Y - Yours Truly
A book with a warm or heated atmosphere - One Perfect Couple
A book with a piece of fruit on the cover - My Summer Darlings
A book with a divided or split cover - Going Bicoastal

Total: 12/220 (5.45%)

52 Book Club
Nothing this month!

Total: 6/52 (11.54%)

BookList Queen
A classic by a female author The 101 Dalmatians

Total: 6/52 (11.54%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Nothing this month!

Total: 9/60 (15%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book about looking back - Darling Girls
A book that looks like someone went crazy with crayons - Just for the Summer
A book with a butler - The Paradise Problem
A book with lots of fresh air on the cover - Summer Reading

Total: 21/109 (19.27%)

Beat the Backlist
Nothing this month!

Total: 20/206 (9.71%)

Series Goals
I've once again failed in my plan to keep up with reading or at least making progress on a minimum of one series or duology per month! I'd intended to spend most of that last week of August when I was off reading through a series but ended up switching to reading some of my summer-themed books instead to fit them in before summer was over! It's looking like reaching my series goal is not necessarily possible by the end of the year, but I'd at least like to make more progress.

Total So Far:
0.25 +1/7 books/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
3/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, which was on my Top 24 list for this year! That brings me up to a still quite small total of just 5 out of 24 so far. There are still 3 books on the list that I don't have copies of yet either, but hopefully I'll be able to get those soon. I also read The Fury and The Pairing, which were both on my 5-Star Predictions list, which brings me just over a third of the way through that list!

Total So Far:
5/24 Priority Books
9/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
Technically, I didn't make any new progress on this goal this month, but I did read more books by some of the priority authors that I'd already tried earlier in the year. I read 2 more books by Abby Jimenez, which means I am now fully caught up on everything she has published! I also read a second book each by May Cobb and Dahlia Adler, both of whom I'd already tried. This at least makes progress on my "bonus goal" of trying to read at least 2 books per priority author instead of just 1.

Total So Far: 10/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
This was a goal I made some excellent progress on this month! I essentially ended up alternating between romances and thrillers for the majority of it, and ended up reading a total of 4 more thrillers to add to my list. This brings me just over the halfway mark of this goal, and a great step into fall where I tend to read a lot of thrillers especially around October.

Total: 21/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I didn't read any historical fiction this month. I guess you could arguably make a case for The 101 Dalmatians being historical since it is set in the past now, but it was contemporary at the time it was written so I don't think it's fair to count it as of right now. I also did not read any non-fiction this month, but I rarely read non-fiction in the summer and anyway that goal has already been accomplished.

However, where I did make some great progress was on my romance goal! As mentioned above, I essentially alternated between thrillers and romances through the month and end up reading a grand total of 5! This marks a huge jump in my total from 10 all the way up to 15, which means I am now 3/5 of the way to my goal! I just need to read 10 more in total over the next 4 months, which seems pretty doable.

Total So Far:
20/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
6/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
15/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
This was another goal where I expected to make some great progress as soon as I was back from vacation and had access to my BOTM books again. I purposely didn't bring them with me on my trip last month because I didn't want to risk them getting damaged. However, this month I read a total of 4 books that I'd acquired from BOTM. There were 3 others that had also been BOTM options at different times, but I won't count those since my copies were not from them and the idea is to make sure I'm keeping up with the books I'm purchasing from them as much as possible. Those 4 books brought me up over the 25% mark on this goal! Reading another 27 before the end of the year seems a little daunting, but it's possible I'll be able to do it or at least get close.

Total: 13/40

Highlights/Notes
- Excellent progress on multiple goals, including thrillers, romances and BOTM!
- Somehow reaching my second-highest page count and highest book total of the year
- Read some "bonus" books by several of my priority authors
- Finally read more of my 5 Star Predictions and Top 24 priority list

Goals for Next Month
- Prioritize series!!
- Read some books from the ATY and PopSugar challenges
- Prioritize more of the books on my Top 24 list
- Get an early start on some fall-themed/spooky books so I don't squash them all into October

September Update
September just flew right by! This was definitely the month that seemed to go by the fastest all year, even though I've been sick for the last week of it! I had to take two days off work right at the end of the month to try to recover, which at least bought me a tiny bit of extra reading time. In fact, September ended up being my best reading month of the whole year so far! I read a total of 15 books within the month, which is the most I've read in a single month this year. Strangely, even with at least 3 more books read than any other month, September had a lower total page count. I was about 400 pages lower than last month, and about 500 pages lower than my highest page count of the year (July). This confused me a bit at first until I realized that this month also had by far my highest audiobook time, so naturally that would decrease the physical page count a bit. I had about 130 minutes listened to more than my next highest audio month (March). Especially given that I ended the month sick which usually makes it harder for me to focus, I was very happy to have read so much!

Around the Year
A book related to boats, beaches, bars, ballads or Jimmy Buffett - Float Plan
A cozy mystery - It's Elementary

Total: 7/59 (11.86%)

PopSugar
A nonfiction book about indigenous people - #Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women

Total: 7/50 (14%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book with a school subject in the title - Lessons in Chemistry
A nonfiction/fiction pairing - Go Ask Alice
A nonfiction/fiction pairing - Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries

Total: 15/220 (6.82%)

52 Book Club
Women in STEM - Not in Love

Total: 7/52 (13.46%)

BookList Queen
A book you meant to read last year - Hook, Line, and Sinker
A book set in autumn - The September House

Total: 8/52 (15.38%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Nothing this month!

Total: 9/60 (15%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A mystery set during a vacation - Bad Tourists
A book released in 2024 - The Break-Up Pact
A classic - The Prince and the Pauper
A pocket guide - Notes from Small Planets: FT Book of the Year 2020: The Essential Guide to the Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy! The ONLY Travel Guide You’ll Need This Year.
A daring adventure graphic novel - The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor
A book with a poacher - Larger Than Life

Total: 27/109 (24.77%)

Beat the Backlist
Nothing this month!

Total: 20/206 (9.71%)

Series Goals
I have still not made any progress on my series goals! I had one or two series I was strongly considering reading in September, but they ended up getting pushed back because I had a few summer-themed reads that I wanted to squeeze in to the first half of the month. I still would like to try to prioritize at least some series before the end of this year! Also, I realized that I'd forgotten to list at least one series that I had on my TBR for the year when I originally made my lists of series to choose from, so if I do end up reading any of those, I'll just count them straight into the goal.

Total So Far:
0.25 +1/7 books/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
3/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I read Not in Love which was on my Top 24 list for the year! Unfortunately, this was the only progress I made on either of these lists this month, despite having several more books earmarked for September. Trying to finish off my summer reads really set me back in that sense! Still, at least reading that book brought me to a quarter of the way through my priority books list. Reading 18 more seems like a bit of a longshot before the rest of the year, but I'd love to get to at least half of my list in total if not more!

Total So Far:
6/24 Priority Books
9/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
This was another goal that I unfortunately didn't even touch this month, however I'm not too worried about it because I'm still in reasonably good shape with this one. I also had a few authors that I was purposely saving to read in the fall so I'd expect a big jump in progress in the next month or two. Again this seems like a goal where it may be a bit of a longshot to completely finish before the end of the year, but I will do my best to at least get close!

Total So Far: 10/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I made a small amount of progress on this goal! I read two books that could pretty safely be classified as thrillers: Bad Tourists and The September House. The one thing I've never quite figured out with this goal is how to manage horror books since many of them have a lot of thriller elements. I even went back and looked at what I did last year for the same goal, and saw that it was really a subjective call of whether the book "felt" like a thriller in addition to the horror elements and sometimes counted them as "maybes." In the case of The September House, I definitely felt like there was a strong enough thriller element to feel comfortable counting it. This brings me to a total of 23 (+1 questionable) for the year so far, with many more thrillers expected to be read in the next month or so!

Total: 23/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I'd say these were the goals where I did the best this month! I read another 2 non-fiction books, which is just a bonus now for my already-completed goal of reading at least 20 within the year! I also finally read another historical fiction book with Lessons in Chemistry! This brings me officially to halfway done this goal, with a total of 7 books (+2 I already had marked as maybe), which is great progress although I'd love to push myself a bit to get at least close to finishing this one by the end of the year.

I also made incredible progress on my adult contemporary romance goal! This month, I read a total of 4 romances which brings my total up to 19 for the year so far! My goal is to reach 25 minimum, so that definitely seems achievable as long as I prioritize a handful in the next few months. Just 2 per month would finish it off!

Total So Far:
22/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
7/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
19/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
I made a small amount of progress on this goal as well! Both Lessons in Chemistry and Bad Tourists were books that I'd acquired through BOTM, bringing me up to a total of 15. My goal was to read 40 for the year, which was a bit of an arbitrary number that I chose based on how many I've been buying. I'm hoping to squeeze in many more BOTM books in the next couple of months, although 25 to finish the goal may be a challenge. On the other hand, many of the thrillers that I have in mind for the next month or so were books I got from them, so maybe!

Total: 15/40

Highlights/Notes
- By far the highest number of books read in a single month this year, as well as my highest total audiobook minutes in a single month
- Excellent progress on genre goals overall, especially my romance goal
- Tons of progress on the Pick Your Poison challenge
- Read some of my most anticipated books of the year (even some that didn't make my priority list like It's Elementary or The September House)
- Crossed some of the more difficult prompts off my list

Goals for Next Month
- Read at least 2 series/duologies
- Prioritize more of my Top 24 list and 5-Star Predictions
- Read at least 2 priority authors
- Use the time off I have throughout the month to fit in some extra reading!

October Update
October somehow felt both too fast, and too slow! I suspect it's because I had a whole bunch of days off work, which by all logic should have given me extra time to read. Unfortunately, I didn't end up making as much use of that extra time as I'd originally planned! Luckily, I still managed to finish a total of 12 books, which is tied with a few other months of the second highest total within a single month this year. However, my page count was on the slightly lower side since I did fit in a couple of shorter options to make that happen. It was only about 300ish pages less than the previous month though (essentially the length of 1 full book) so that's really not too bad, considering I'd read 3 more books in September than October!

Around the Year
A book that is not a novel - What Feasts at Night

Total: 8/59 (13.56%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month!

Total: 7/50 (14%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book about a werewolf - Such Sharp Teeth
A book featuring a creature of the night - Masters of Death

Total: 17/220 (7.73%)

52 Book Club
An academic thriller - Where Sleeping Girls Lie

Total: 8/52 (15.38%)

BookList Queen
A five-star read - The Whispering Dark

Total: 9/52 (17.31%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Choose a book randomly - Incidents Around the House
Deadly fun (a risky situation) - You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

Total: 11/60 (18.33%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book you can sink your teeth into - Tender Beasts
A book about cleaning house or getting organized - The Stranger Upstairs

Total: 29/109 (26.61%)

Beat the Backlist
Released at least 23 years ago - Hallowe'en Party
A novella - What Moves the Dead
A classic novel (pick a classic, any classic) - The Island of Dr. Moreau

Total: 23/206 (11.17%)

Series Goals
I finally made a tiny amount of progress on this goal! I realized after the fact that I hadn't included the Sword Soldier duology by T. Kingfisher on my list of duology options. I believe I left it off at the time because T. Kingfisher was also on my priority author list, and I didn't want to double-count, but I realized that I had included other series by other priority authors on my list. For the sake of being consistent (and to reward myself for the progress!), I've decided to include it as progress toward my duology goal. The same would go for any series/duology by any other priority author on my list that I might not have included in my initial post, since that list is meant as mostly a guideline anyway.

So with that said, I finished 1 duology this month, and I also got started on one series. Right at the end of the month, I finally started the Kingdom of the Wicked series. That book is not reflected above because I only got about a third of the way into the first book by the time October ended, but it should count toward my November progress instead!

Total So Far:
0.25 +1/7 books + 1 in progress/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
4/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I read The Stranger Upstairs which was on my Top 24 list (and to be honest, I'd forgotten it was there!), bringing me to a modest total of 7 out of 24 books so far.

I also read Tender Beasts, Masters of Death and Where Sleeping Girls Lie which were all on my 5-Star Predictions lists, which puts me over the halfway point to completing this goal! Obviously this is much later in the year than I would have liked to reach the halfway point, but many of the books I had on this list were ones I planned to read in fall so I guess it makes sense.

Total So Far:
7/24 Priority Books
12/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
This was another goal where I made some solid progress this month! I read one book each by Olivie Blake and Rachel Harrison, as well as the two books by T. Kingfisher! That crosses another 3 authors off my priority list, bringing me to a total of 13! There are still a lot left to read if I want to complete this goal by the end of the year, but at least I've got some momentum going.

Total So Far: 13/24 authors

Read More ThrillersSurprisingly, this was a goal where I made limited progress this month despite my plan to read a ton of thrillers for spooky season! I ended up reading quite a few YA books instead, and even though some of those are thrillers, I'm not counting them toward my goal. However, I will count The Stranger Upstairs and Incidents Around the House. That second one is a little questionable since it is mostly horror, but I felt that it had enough of a thriller element to count and it is tagged as such on Goodreads in addition to horror. That brings me to a total of 25 for the year, which means I need 15 more to reach my goal of 40! It's going to be tight, but I think I can possibly get there before the end of the year.

Total: 25/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I did not read any non-fiction books this month, but that's not a big deal since that goal is already accomplished. I also did not read any adult contemporary romances. In a way, Such Sharp Teeth could potentially count since there was quite a prominent romance storyline, but it doesn't quite feel like an appropriate fit to me so I am excluding it for now. I do have a few other books coming up this year that also have a fantasy element to them that I'm expecting to count, so I might reconsider where this one stands in comparison.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that both of the T. Kingfisher books I read could be counted as historical fiction! This duology is set in 1890, and that time period comes through quite clearly in the story even though its historical elements are not necessarily the main focus. I didn't even realize they would count toward this goal when I first picked them up, but I'm happy to be able to count them! This brings me to a total of 9 historical fictions this year (plus 2 more options that I might count), which means I need just 6 more to reach my goal!

Total So Far:
22/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
9/15 historical fiction (+2 maybe)
19/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
This was another goal where I made only a small amount of progress. My copies of The Stranger Upstairs and Incidents Around the House were both from BOTM, so that's two more that I can count toward this goal. I still think it may be a longshot to reach my arbitrary goal of 40, but it would be nice to at least get very close to it!

Total: 17/40

Highlights/Notes
- Read some of my most anticipated books of the year!
- Did an excellent job getting started on my spooky season theme early this month, and keeping it up the whole way through
- Progress on series and historical fiction!
- Read 3 more of my priority authors

Goals For Next Month
- Prioritize some of the thrillers that I'd meant to read in October
- Focus on reading books that work toward specific goals (ie. priority authors, genres)
- Read books that "double up" on goals as much as possible to maximize progress!
- Start looking ahead at next year's reading challenges

November Update
November was unfortunately one of my most disappointing reading months of the year, despite starting it with the intention to read a ton! For some reason, the entire month felt like a slog while simultaneously going by way too quickly, and that seemed to directly translate to how I managed my reading too. I tried to start out the month with a full trilogy that I'd been meaning to read for a while and despite really enjoying it, it somehow sapped fully half of the month to read it! There is no way it should have taken that long to get through each of the books based on the writing style and length alone. As a result, this ended up being my worst month by far in terms of page count (2569 pages in total, which was a significant drop from last month but not too far off my next worst month this year, which had been January). It was also the fewest books overall that I'd read, and my lowest overall audiobook total except for over the summer when I really don't listen to any audiobooks anyway. It was definitely a discouraging way to go into the end of the year, but maybe gave me a bit of a kick in the butt to get things in gear for December as much as I can!

Around the Year
Nothing this month!

Total: 8/59 (13.56%)

PopSugar
A book from an animal's POV - Bambi: A Life in the Woods

Total: 8/50 (16%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins - Kingdom of the Feared
Paranormal - Haunted Ever After

Total: 18/220 (8.18%)

52 Book Club
Nothing this month!

Total: 8/52 (15.38%)

BookList Queen
Nothing this month!

Total: 9/52 (17.31%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
Contains star-crossed lovers - Bride

Total: 12/60 (20%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
A book about an explorer - How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
A book you'd like to settle in with an after dinner drink - Middle of the Night
A book about something you might find dead on the road - Murder Road

Total: 32/109 (29.36%)

Beat the Backlist
Chapter title page has art - Kingdom of the Wicked
Published in the month you were born - Kingdom of the Cursed

Total: 25/206 (12.14%)

Series Goals
I can finally cross the Kingdom of the Wicked series off my list! This was a series that I've been meaning to prioritize for a few years now, but always pushed it aside because I specifically wanted to read it in October and kept missing my chance. I finally decided to just go for it since I could at least start the first book right at the end of October, so that seemed close enough. I was very happy to have finally crossed another series off my list considering how slow my progress has been on this goal all year!

Total So Far:
1.25 +1/7 books/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
4/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
I was very happy to have made a little progress on both of these lists too! Haunted Ever After was on my Top 24 list, and Murder Road, Bride and Middle of the Night were all 5-star predictions! Both of these goals are still much further away from being completed than I would have liked, but at least some progress has been made! I have now finished 1/3 of my priority books, and over half of my 5-star predictions!

Total So Far:
8/24 Priority Books
15/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
This was a goal that completely fell by the wayside this month since I decided to focus on some of my priority books instead. I was really hoping to be able to do a little of both, but my reading progress was just too slow. Unfortunately, it completely stopped all the momentum that I felt I had going in October!

Total So Far: 13/24 authors


Read More Thrillers
Again, the progress on this one was much slower than I would have liked given how few books I read in total, but at least I was able to add a few to my list. Middle of the Night and Murder Road were both a blend of thriller and horror, but both had enough of a thriller element to them that I am comfortable counting them toward this goal easily.

Total: 27/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I read one more non-fiction book this month, which adds a little more to my already-completed goal to read at least 20 for the year. I also read two romance books which I will count as adult contemporary. Both Bride and Haunted Ever After contained fantasy/paranormal elements but I feel comfortable counting them as contemporary anyway due to their settings being the real world. I guess if I wanted to be picky, I could count both as "maybes" but while reading them, I definitely felt that they were both close enough to fit.

On the other hand, historical fiction was a lot more confusing. Technically, all three of the Kingdom of the Wicked series are historical since they are set in the 1800s, and I think that setting was noticeable enough that I could potentially count them. They are definitely historical fantasy rather than realistic, but my goal never specified that I couldn't have any subgenres. Both Murder Road and Middle of the Night are even more confusing. Murder Road is set entirely in 1995, and as weird as it is to count something within my lifespan as "historical" I think it potentially could count. I tried looking it up online to see what others have classified it as and it seems most do not count it, so I'll leave it as a maybe for now. Similarly, Middle of the Night had a timeline that was set in the 90s, but a good chunk of the story was set present-day so I don't think it quite fits.

Total So Far:
23/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
12/15 historical fiction (+3 maybe)
21/25 adult contemporary romances

Read Some BOTM Books
I made another small amount of progress on this one too! I read only two books this month that were from BOTM, so that brings me almost halfway to my very arbitrary goal of 40. When I set that goal, I really had no firm idea of how many would be realistic to read within the year, but at least wanted to make sure to prioritize some. Obviously I'd love to be much, much closer to achieving my goal but at least I've made some progress.

Total: 19/40

Highlights/Notes
- Finally read the Kingdom of the Wicked series!
- Read 3 more 5-star predictions
- Surprisingly good progress on my historical fiction goal (given that I didn't realize Kingdom of the Wicked counted initially)

Goals For Next Month
- Finish the year strong by reading as much as I can!
- Try to squeeze in a few more priority books and authors
- Aim to read at least 1 more series or duology if possible
- Read 4 more romances to complete my goal!

December Update
I'm quite late to this update since I've been focusing on getting my new reading challenges organized instead, so I'll probably just keep this one short! I ended the year in a bit of a slump, with just 10 books read in total, although it was somehow still more pages and more audiobook minutes total than the previous month. The one good thing is that I managed to squeeze in quite a few of my high priority books before the year ended, but I was really hoping for a much bigger push to close out the year since it was still my second lowest total page count of the whole year!

Around the Year
A second book that fits your favourite prompt - Funny Story

Total: 9/59 (15.25%)

PopSugar
Nothing this month!

Total: 8/50 (16%)

Rejects, Leftovers & BookishFirst Bingo
A book with a main character in domestic service - The Mystery Guest
An author's debut in the second half of 2024 - Four Weekends and a Funeral

Total: 20/220 (9.09%)

52 Book Club
Told in non-chronological order - Wrong Place Wrong Time

Total: 9/52 (17.31%)

BookList Queen
A book about secrets - No One Can Know
A memoir by a person you admire - ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
A book recommended on a podcast - The Seven Year Slip
A book about books - The Wishing Game

Total: 13/52 (25%)

Flourish & Blotts: NEWTS
A book you have to get your hands on - Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Total: 13/60 (21.67%)

Pick Your Poison 2024
Nothing this month!

Total: 32/109 (29.36%)

Beat the Backlist
Published 100+ years ago - The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Total: 26/206 (12.62%)

Series Goals
I decided to prioritize standalones over series for the last month to try to squeeze in as many of my higher priority books as I could. Unfortunately this means ending the year with very little progress on my series goals, so that's something I'm really going to have to focus on structuring differently for next year!

Total So Far:
1.25 +1/7 books/8 fully published series leftover from previous challenges (awkward to count this way, but not sure how else to show it's progress toward two different series)
1/3 recently completed series
0/3 series newly added to my list
4/12 duologies

Top 24 to Read in 2024 and 5-Star Predictions
This was a goal that I actually did quite well on in December! No One Can Know and Funny Story were both on my Top 24 list, and The Wishing Game, The Mystery Guest and Somewhere Beyond the Sea were all 5-Star Predictions! I ended the year quite behind on my Top 24 list, but with 3/4 of my 5-Star Predictions read!

Total So Far:
10/24 Priority Books
18/24 5-Star Predictions

Priority Authors
I made a tiny amount of progress on this goal, since Gillian McAllister was on my list and I read Wrong Place, Wrong Time! If I'd been a little faster with finishing each book throughout the month, I most likely could have squeezed in one or two more priority authors.

Total So Far: 14/24 authors

Read More Thrillers
I read two more thrillers this month! No One Can Know and Wrong Place, Wrong Time can both be safely counted as thrillers. In theory, The Mystery Guest could arguably be a thriller as well, but I counted that as more of a mystery along the lines of the Agatha Christies I read this year, and those weren't counted either.

Total: 29/40 (+1 maybe)

Other Genre Goals
I read one more non-fiction book this month, which adds to my already-completed goal for this year. When it comes to romance, things get a little more tricky to count. The Seven Year Slip, Funny Story and Four Weekends and a Funeral definitely count, but I'm a little on the fence about The Wishing Game. It's tagged primarily as fantasy/magical realism, but it is also tagged as a romance and I personally felt the romance was prominent enough that it could count, so I'll put it as a maybe. Unfortunately, nothing I read this month could be counted as historical fiction, so no further progress on that goal.

Total So Far:
24/20 non-fiction GOAL COMPLETE!!
12/15 historical fiction (+3 maybe)
24/25 adult contemporary romances (+1 maybe)

Looking at my numbers above, if I include all maybes then I've technically accomplished all of my genre goals (or at least come extremely close)!

Read Some BOTM Books
Three of the books I read this month were books that I'd acquired from BOTM, bringing me just over halfway to my goal of 40. To be fair, this was a completely arbitrary number that I set because I wanted to push myself to actually read the books I was buying, but I had no idea how many would be realistic.

Total: 22/40

Highlights/Notes
- Essentially completed all of my genre goals (but just barely!)
- Got to several of my highest priority books before the year ended
- Found some more favourites of the year!

Goals For the New Year
- Be more on top of tracking my reading/making notes on my books
- Go a little easier on myself with book choices (include more short/quick options to balance things out)
- Prioritize my highest priority books better so I don't cram them all in right at the end!