1. A book about a POC experience joy and not trauma
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1) by Kimberly Lemming
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts)
2. A book you want to read based on the last sentence
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
3. A book about space tourism
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4) by Becky Chambers
4. A book with two or more books on the cover or "book" in the title
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
The Halcyon Fairy Book by T. Kingfisher
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss
5. A book with a snake on the cover or in the title
The Last Magician (The Last Magician #1) by Lisa Maxwell
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
6. A book that fills your favorite prompts from the 2015 PSRC - 2015 was before my time, so I had to look these up!
I think I'll probably do a book with more than 500 pages:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (could also count for a classic or a book you want to read based on the last sentence)
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) by Hilary Mantel
Will there be a new Cormoran Strike book this year?
7. A book about a cult - so many options for this!
The Girls by Emma Cline
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
8. A book under 250 pages
A Mouthful of Dust (Singing Hills Cycle #6) by Nghi Vo- Expected publication date is October 2025
You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
9. A book that features a character going through menopause
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson
10. A book you got for free
Ha ha ha! This will be any book I get from the library, won't it?
11. A book mentioned in another book
I'll keep any eye out for books mentioned in other books as I'm reading.
12. A book about a road trip
Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart - I actually already read this!
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Death is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa
13. A book rated less than three stars on Goodreads
14. A book about a nontraditional education
Educated by Tara Westover
Truly, Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
15. A book that an AI chatbot recommends based on your favorite book
When I asked ChatGPT to recommend books based on my love of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, it recommended:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
16. A book set in or around a body of water
Moby-Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by T.J. Klune
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
17. A book about a running club
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
The Running Club by Ali Lowe
They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
18. A book containing magical creatures that aren't dragons
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
The next book in the Valdemar saga I have will inevitably have magical creatures
Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl #1) by Eoin Colfer - Can you believe I've never read this?!
19. A highly anticipated read of 2025
Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
20. A book that fills a 2024 prompts you'd like to do over (or try again)
I'd like to do a book by a blind or visually impaired author over again - I didn't get a great book last time
Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism by Elsa Sjunneson
Run by Kody Keplinger
Blind Spot by Laura Ellen
21. A book where the main character is a politician
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Infomocracy (The Centenal Cycle #1) by Malka Ann Older
Never by Ken Follett
22. A book about soccer
The Long Game (Green Oak #1) by Elena Armas
Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference by Warren St. John
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
23. A book that is considered healing fiction
The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
24. A book with a happily singly woman protagonist
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
25. A book where the main characters is an immigrant or refugee
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
26. A book when an adult character changes careers
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (could also be an anticipated book of 2025)
The Stand by Stephen King (could also be a book about a cult or a book about a nonverbal character)
Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber
27. A book set at a luxury resort
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
28. A book that features an unlikely friendship
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - This sounds like a perfect reread.
The Story of Arthur Truluv (Mason #1) by Elizabeth Berg
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
29. A book about a food truck
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen
Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
30. A book that reminds you of your childhood
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (also on the list Chat GPT recommended for me)
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
31. A book where music plays an integral part of the storyline
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
A Visit from the Goon Squad (Goon Squad #1) by Jennifer Egan
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
32. A book about an overlooked woman in history
The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of France Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience by Kirstin Downey
Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote by Tina Cassidy
Give Her Credit: The Untold Account of a Woman's Bank that Empowered a Generation by Grace L. Williams
33. A book featuring an activity on your bucket list - My bucket list item is to eventually have more than half my wardrobe be clothing I have made with my own two hands, so I looked at books with seamstresses in them.
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
34. A book written by an author who is neurodivergent
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children #9) by Seanan McGuire (also could be for a book under 250 pages)
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
35. A book centering LGBTQ+ characters that isn't about coming out
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Space Opera (Space Opera #1) by Catherynne M. Valente
36. A book with silver on the cover or in the title
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
The Silver Stars by Jeannette Walls4
Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes
37 & 38. Two books with the same title
I don't know if this is true, but someone in the Goodreads discussion said "The original Swedish title of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo translated as "Men Who Hate Women." So I'd argue it can pair with Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates's foray into the manosphere." I don't speak Swedish, so I cannot possibly fact check this, so I'm going with it.
39. A classic you've never read
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
40. A book about chosen family
Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews
Gabriel's Ghost (Dock Five Universe #1) by Linnea Sinclair
Ghost of Lies (Medium Trouble #1) by Alice Winters
41. A book by the oldest author in your TBR pile
Ugh. I hate this sort of thing. Now I have to track how old people are when they write books?
42. A book with a left-handed character
The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister #1) by Courtney Milan
The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle
Dragonkeeper (Dragonkeeper #1) by Carole Wilkinson
43. A book where nature is the antagonist
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
When I Fell From the Sky by Juliane Koepcke
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (could also be a classic or a book that reminds me of childhood)
44. A book that features a married couple who don't live together
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
The Prisoner's Wife: A Memoir by Asha Bandele
45. A book with a title that starts with the letter Y
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli
46. A book that includes a nonverbal character
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
47. A book you have always avoided reading
Any of the books on my big book (more than 500 pages) goal would work for this one.
48. A dystopian book with a happy ending
A Better World by Sarah Langan
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane
49. A book that features a character with chronic pain
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
False Witness by Karin Slaughter
The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
50. A book of interconnected short stories
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Dying with Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire
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Between this challenge and wanting to read big books (more than 500 pages) this year, I think I'm in for some fun reading? What do you want from your reading year in 2025?
My goal this year - it's an evergreen goal, really, I started it a while ago and have failed miserably time and again - is to DNF when I'm not enjoying a book. It's rare that I push through and love a book, you know?
ReplyDeleteIt's such a good point that I rarely push through and love a book. Even more reason to just DNF! Sometimes I fall into the sunk cost fallacy - I'm 50% of the way in and I should finish! - but I really should just go read something that makes me happy.
DeleteWell, darn! I thought How to Age Disgracefully was a how-to guide (ha ha) and was disappointed to learn it's just regular fiction.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth... i hated Moby Dick.
Also- a book you want to read based on the last sentence- unless it's unavoidable (like Gone With the Wind) I don't want to know the last sentence before I read a book!
My goal is to read 60 books this year, and like you, not be afraid to tackle some longer ones.
Moby Dick does seem to be a much disliked book. I really like books set at sea, so maybe it will be good for me? We'll see!
DeleteWhat a wonderful list you've built, Engie!! I'm bookmarking this for inspiration through the year, though I won't have the time to check everything off of it. Rushing to get the day started, so I'll come back with some secondary recs later today...
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm happy to take suggestions!
DeleteI've read quite a few on here and loved them. Speak is an assigned novel in our district--I forget at which grade level (9 regular, I think). I used to reread Gone with the Wind every June. Lots of good reading here (except Moby Dick--Melville really dragged it out in that one).
ReplyDeleteHa! No one loves Moby Dick - why are we still reading it?!
DeleteThat is so many books! I really liked The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and Wolf Hall. Loved A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World - gave it to Matt's stepdad and then he gave it to Eve to read. I totally believe you haven't read Artemis Fowl, why would you have really? I enjoyed the series quite a bit. I'm reading A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher and stayed up way too late last night.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to be less aware of the number of books I'm reading and take on a few more challenging reads. After January, when I am trying to read solely for pleasure because, January. Although I did read the first book that came available from my Diversity Spines calendar, because I am bad at not trying to win at reading.
Yes to more challenging reads! I am here for it. Although, don't get me wrong, I am still going to dive into my YA fantasy series because life is meant to be enjoyed, right?
DeleteOh god yes - not exclusively challenging reads, that would be madness.
DeleteThe Great Believers is one of my favorite books of recent years. I love it so much.
ReplyDeleteI just want to read good books this year. It’s not exactly something that I want from the books that I read, but more something I want for my reading habits, but I want to scroll less and read more. I think this might mean more paper books and fewer ebooks. Also I want to figure out a consistent method for book journalling.
Scrolling less is also something I'm all about. It's not good for our mental health to be so connected all the time. Stepping into another world in the form of a book is perfectly acceptable escapism.
DeleteHave you read The Bee Sting, by Paul Murphy? It's well over 500 pages, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm listening to it - I think it was 26 hours, and I have about 6 hours left. So not for your Pop Sugar challenge, but maybe for your Big Book Challenge. The only downside is that my library didn't have an audio book version of it, I had to buy it on Audible, which was fine because I have credits. Actually, if you decide you want to listen to it, I will gift it to you via one of my credits, just let me know via email. :-)
ReplyDeleteI was toying with the idea of rereading A Little Princess this morning. I like it more than Secret Garden, though I really adore them both. The movies I'm not so thrilled with, they ruined the ending.
I loved The Bee Sting! Maya recommended it. I really enjoyed the characters. It reads fast.
DeleteDuly noted about The Bee Sting. I added it to that 500 pager list. I'll keep in mind your Audible offer if I can't get it from the library!
Delete"Planes, Trains and All the Feels" is such a great title!
ReplyDeleteRomance novels frequently have the best titles, imo.
DeleteThe prompt list is fascinating! That you came up with books for some of the very specific prompts is amazing! I don't have reading goals except for the CBBC. I just go with the flow. But now I want to keep a list of books I read in 2025 because reading everyone's recaps & stats has been interesting.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your goal can be to just keep a list. That seems doable, right?
DeleteWow, this is a heck of a challenge. The age of the author thing does sound exhausting to figure out. I'm reading The Great Believers right now. I rarely read books before other people, so wow. I really like this book for what it's worth. My goal for reading this year is to try to find some time to read a few books that I'm excited about that aren't on our book club list. That shouldn't be too challenging really. I'm not one to put a ton of pressure on myself when it comes to reading. I don't have a lot of time to read, and I want to just enjoy it when I find the time, you know?
ReplyDeleteReading should be fun, I think. That's why I'm rarely reading super serious tomes. I just want to be lost in a book.
DeleteI have another neurodivergent suggestion for you. I've heard great things about the book, a little less broken. It's a memoir by a woman who finds out as an adult that she's autistic. I'm planning to read it with the wait in Libby right now is 17 weeks. And I requested it several months ago!
ReplyDeleteI want my percentage of diverse books, to increase in 2025. Since I'm at the whim of my Libby holds, it can be hard to manage that, though. I'm experimenting with making sure that one of the three books I have checked out is a diverse title (I always have three ebooks checked out at a time).
I added A Little Less Broken to my list. I do really want to read that Fern Brady book, though. Maybe I'll try to fit them both in.
DeleteI think at one point I tracked if it was a diverse book, but now I'm tracking where authors are born, so I'm trying to be more internationally diverse, rather than diverse in the US. It's hard to know what the right thing to do is in terms of reading different viewpoints.
So many books! I was starting to keep track of the ones I've read and loved but it got to be a lot, haha. I'm excited to see how this reading challenge goes for you this year.
ReplyDeleteMy big book goal for 2025 is exactly that: read bigger books! I want to read one 500+ page book ever quarter. I also really want to get better about DNF-ing books that I know aren't going to be 3 stars or more. I want to get my overall rating up!
I am about an hour away from finishing an almost 50-hour audiobook, so I feel like I have a good start towards my big books goal!
DeleteWhat do you want from your reading year in 2025? Distraction from reality. Give me a story with interesting characters, a plausible plot, and not politics.
ReplyDeleteI don't even really require a plausible plot. If the author is good enough to make me suspend my belief in reality, so much the better as far as I'm concerned.
DeleteI have a couple these titles on my TBR as well. So it will be fun to see what you think of them and if I havent read them yet if they move up or down on my list.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the nexte ones for me will be The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.
Also in case you want another book with a sam etitle check out "Blackout" by Marc Elsberg. Its a long one but I read it in 2 days.
I have to admit to DNFing The Dictionary of Lost Words. I gave it the old college try, though.
Delete