Sunday, December 31, 2023

My Year In Reading 2023

 My Year in Books

76,363
pages read
Jamie Ghione
261
books read

Updated about 1 hour ago. 
Newly completed books appear after a delay.

You're My Little Christmas Cookie by Nicola Edwards
Shortest Book
18
pages
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
Longest Book
1,070
pages
Average book length in 2023
 
292
pages

Verity by Colleen Hoover
Most Shelved
4,018,111
people also shelved
Golden Honey by Erica Varela
Least Shelved
0
people also shelved


The highlights from my Goodreads page. My last book of the year was Cherry Ames, Student Nurse, finished this afternoon. Can't wait to begin again for next year! 

Friday, December 29, 2023

The Nerd Daily’s 2024 Reading Challenge

 Another I have been doing for years now.


  1. 2024 adaptation: It Ends With Us--Colleen Hoover
  2. Recommended by the Nerd Daily:
  3. Features your a favorite trope: Life is Sweet--Elizabeth Bass
  4. Cover without people: If You're Out There--Katy Loutzenhiser
  5. An author you love: It's Better This Way--Debbie Macomber
  6. Title stars with C or M: The Cat Who Saved Books--Sosuke Natsukawa
  7. Co-authored or anthology: The Magical Reality of Nadia--Bassem Youssef & Catherine R. Daly
  8. Four-word title: Summers at the Saint--Mary Kay Andrews
  9. Judge a book by its cover: Euphoria--Lily King
  10. Set in a city: Behold the Dreamers--Imbolo Mbue
  11. Gifted to you: Sourdough Sagas--Herbert L. Heller
  12. Between 395-435 pages: The Girl From the Train--Irma Joubert
  13. Set in the past or future: The Pilgrim's Progress--John Bunyan
  14. By an indie author or from an indie bookstore: This Wound is a World--Billy-Ray Belcourt
  15. Bought whilst on holiday:
  16. Author starting with S: Leap of Faith--Danielle Steel
  17. Title is silver: The Leper of St. Giles--Ellis Peters
  18. Standalone: The Black Flamingo--Dean Atta
  19. Retelling: Never Cry Werewolf--Heather Davis
  20. Started but never finished: Snow White With the Red Hair 1--Sorata Akiduki
  21. Debut author: The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester
  22. Has a map: Songs of Willow Frost--Jamie Ford
  23. Purple on cover: XOXO--Axie Oh
  24. Relevant topics: Another Kind of Madness--Stephen P. Hinshaw
  25. Set in spring: Five Survive--Holly Jackson
  26. Final installment in a series: It Starts With Us--Colleen Hoover
  27. Author new to you: The Spanish Love Deception--Elena Armas
  28. Won an award in 2022: The Paris Apartment--Lucy Foley
  29. Historical or non-fiction: Into the Wild--Jon Krakauer
  30. Features royalty: Red Queen--Victoria Aveyard
  31. Recommended by a bookstore: The Idiot--Elif Batuman
  32. Don't judge a book by its cover: Check & Mate--Ali Hazelwood
  33. Blue spine: Summer Secrets--Jane 
  34. Hybrid genre: The Fiery Cross--Diana Gabaldon
  35. From our #readwithpride series: All That's Left in the World--Erik J. Brown
  36. Different culture: Killers of the Flower Moon--David Grann
  37. Quoted by an author you like: Remote Control--Nnedi Okorafor
  38. Released in January 2024: Come & Get It--Kiley Reid
  39. About an author or artist: Savage Beauty--Nancy Milford
  40. Author surname starts with T: Flights--Olga Tokarczuk
  41. Picked by a loved one: The Jane Austen Society--Natalie Jenner
  42. Looks spooky: The House in the Pines--Ana Reyes
  43. Fantasy or romanceThe Summer Getaway--Susan Mallery
  44. A 2023 release you neglected: River Sing Me Home--Eleanor Shearer
  45. Book you nothing  little about: By the Light of the Study Lamp--Carolyn Keene
  46. Less than 300 pages: Winter Stroll--Elin Hilderbrand
  47. Protagonist starting with B: Where'd You Go, Bernadette--Maria Semple (reread)
  48. Features a special event: The Sentence--Louise Erdrich
  49. Released in July 2024: The Days I Loved You Most--Amy Neff
  50. A sequel: Summer on Sag Harbor--Sunny Hostin
  51. Features two perspectives: She's Too Pretty to Burn--Wendy Heard
  52. Cover with three people: Burn for Burn--Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Four Moon Reading Challenge 2024

 Doing this one again, posted on the host's Instagram.


  1. More than one face on the cover: Burn for Burn--Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
  2. Indie book: This Wound is a World--Billy-Ray Belcourt
  3. Write a review for any one (or more if you wish) of the books you've read for this challenge: The Music Shop--Rachel Joyce (review)
  4. Memoir or biography of someone who interests you: The Story of My Life--Helen Keller
  5. Cartoon cover: Happy Place--Emily Henry
  6. Book that has been or will be made into a movie: It Ends With Us--Colleen Hoover
  7. Book you hope becomes a movie: The Book of Second Chances--Katherine Slee
  8. The letters, R, S, T, L, N and E on the cover: Winter Stroll--Elin Hilderbrand
  9. Reread a childhood favorite: These Happy Golden Years--Laura Ingalls Wilder
  10. Read a book you wish you'd had as a child/teen/young adult: Close to the Edge--Gloria D. Miklowitz
  11. Grey cover: Thunderstruck--Erik Larson
  12. Heard about on social media: Check & Mate--Ali Hazelwood
  13. Been on your TBR 5+ years: The Fiery Cross--Diana Gabaldon
  14. Book from the Rory Gilmore Reading list: Savage Beauty--Nancy Milford
  15. A thrifted or gifted book: Scandal--Amanda Quick
  16. Chest on the cover: The Leper of St. Giles--Ellis Peters
  17. Odd number in the title: Five Survive--Holly Jackson
  18. Between 350-375 pages: Red Queen--Victoria Aveyard
  19. Graphic novel: With a Dog AND Cat, Every Day is Fun, Volume 1--Hidekichi Matsumoto
  20. Wordless book: Look Book--Tana Hoban
  21. Free Space: Life is Sweet--Elizabeth Bass
  22. Most recently purchased book (or the last book you borrowed): It's Better This Way--Debbie Macomber
  23. Book that had made others cry, or laugh out loud if you don't want to cry: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry--Rachel Joyce
  24. Beverage on the cover: The Kept Woman--Susan Donovan
  25. 4-star rating or higher on Goodreads: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store--James McBride
  26. On Four Moon Reviews Top Books of 2023 list: The Best We Could Do--Thi Bui
  27. Book based on its 1-star reviews: The Summer I Turned Pretty--Jenny Han
  28. Book about a family: Garden Spells--Sarah Addison Allen
  29. Published the year you were born: The First Four Years--Laura Ingalls Wilder (reread)
  30. Randomize your TBR (use a TBR jar, dice or any other method and choose a random book): Patty Jane's House of Curl--Lorna Lindvik
  31. Book involving a mythical creature: Bo's Magical New Friend--Rebecca Elliott
  32. Sci-fi or fantasy: Tess of the Road--Rachel Hartman
  33. Published in 2004: Lilibet--Carolly Erickson
  34. Published in 2014: Greenglass House--Kate Milford
  35. Published in 2024: Funny Story--Emily Henry
  36. Book involving an animal: The Cat Who Saved Books--Sosuke Natsukawa
  37. Book recommended for your zodiac sign: Briarheart--Mercedes Lackey
  38. Thought-provoking book: Into the Wild--Jon Krakauer
  39. Book with dual timelines: The Address--Fiona Davis
  40. With a main character over 50 years old: Young Jane Young--Gabrielle Zevin

Challenge completed on November 12

Her Grace's Library Reading Challenge

 This is a new one being offered for the first time at Her Grace's Library.


  1. Title longer than 6 words: With a Dog AND Cat, Every Day is Fun, Volume 1--Hidekichi Matsumoto
  2. Author with your initials: Summer Secrets--Jane Green
  3. MC is an animal: Lone Wolf--Kathryn Lasky
  4. Takes place underwater: The Tail of Emily Windsnap--Liz Kessler 
  5. Doesn't have the letter "E" in the title: Songs of Willow Frost--Jamie Ford
  6. By or about being a refugee: Love is an Ex-Country--Randa Jarrar
  7. In translation: Persian Letters--Montesquieu
  8. Cover featuring neon colors: I'll Take You There--Joyce Carol Oates
  9. MC is a non-human entity (robot, alien, etc): Never Cry Werewolf--Heather Davis
  10. Set in space: Space Walks--Dana Meachen Rau
  11. By Indigenous/Native American/First Nations author: Apple: Skin to the Core--Eric Gansworth
  12. Anthology: Growing Up Trans--Lindsay Herriot & Kate Fry (eds.)
  13. Released in your birth month: Come & Get It--Kiley Reid
  14. Title is a question: Where'd You Go, Bernadette--Maria Semple (reread)
  15. MC or author is transgendered: The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester
  16. The weather plays a significant role: The Snow Child--Eowyn Ivey
  17. An unusal format: Countdown--Deborah Wiles
  18. Protagonist is a plant: Plants vs. Zombies Volume 1--Paul Tobin
  19. 2024 adaptation: It Ends With Us--Colleen Hoover
  20. You have no idea where you got this book: Bergdorf Blondes--Plum Sykes
  21. MC has a phobia: Zillah & Me--Helen Dunmore
  22. Set during your favorite holiday or event: Horrible Harry at Halloween--Suzy Klein
  23. One-word title: Bluebeard--Kurt Vonnegut
  24. MC is a time traveller: Can I Get There by Candlelight?--Jean Slaughter Doty
  25. By or about a person who is asexual: Heartstopper Vol. 2--Alice Oseman
  26. Color in the title: Red Queen--Victoria Aveyard
  27. Published in the year of a big historical event in your lifetime: World of Wonders--Aimee Nezhukumatathil
  28. MC has a weird job (taxidermist, etc): Euphoria--Lily King
  29. MC who collects something unusual: The Magical Reality of Nadia--Bassem Youseff & Catherine R. Daly
  30. Won an LGBTQ+ literary award: Branded by the Pink Triangle--Ken Setterington
  31. Over 400 pages: Watership Down--Richard Adams
  32. Novella: Home--Toni Morrison
  33. By an author with your zodiac sign: The Fiery Cross--Diana Gabaldon
  34. Features 24 (a 24-year-old MC, was published 24 years ago, etc): Into the Wild--Jon Krakauer
  35. Women in STEM/Girl coders, etc: Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers--Erin Twamley
  36. Attention-grabbing title: All That's Left in the World--Erik J. Brown
  37. Author or MC is HIV positive: My Name is Mary--Mary Fisher
  38. Takes place in a haunted house: The House in the Pines--Ana Reyes
  39. Title starts with "G": Greenglass House--Kate Milford
  40. Book of poetry: The Black Flamingo--Dean Atta
  41. Microhistory: Thunderstruck--Erik Larson
  42. By or about a neurodivergent person: A Kind of Spark--Elle McNicoll
  43. Debut book by an author over 60:
  44. Has a pretty cover: Life is Sweet--Elizabeth Bass
  45. MC has a stange hobby: The Magical Reality of Nadia--Bassem Youssef & Catherine R. Daly
  46. Set in a city you've never visited: City of Darkness and Light--Rhys Bowen
  47. By or about a person with a mental illness: Another Kind of Madness--Stephen P. Hinshaw
  48. A title that rhymes: Five Survive--Holly Jackson
  49. Set in a parallel universe: This is How You Lose the Time War--Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
  50. Published in your birth year: The First The First Four Years--Laura Ingalls Wilder--Laura Ingalls Wilder (reread)
  51. Indie or small-press published: Apocalypse Baby--Virginie Despentes
  52. By or about a person on the autism spectrum:

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Feminist Reading Challenge 2024

 Doing this one again, hosted at this Instagram account.




1. A book by a Palestinian author: Love is an Ex-Country--Randa Jarrar
2. About nature by a writer of color: World of Wonders--Aimee Nezhukumatathil
3. Memoir by an Indigenous / First Nation Australian writer
4. Translated short story collection: Flights--Olga Tokarczuk
5. By Toni Morrison: Home
6. Translated fiction by a woman published prior to 1980
7. Fantasy with queer rep/queer author: Lumberjanes: Out of Time--Noelle Stevenson 
8. Essay collection by author of color: Policing the Black Man--Angela Davis
9. By a neurodivergent author: A Kind of Spark--Elle McNicoll 
10. A mythology retelling: The Painted Queen--Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess
11. Translated fiction from an indie press: Apocalypse Baby--Virginie Despentes 
12. Fiction by a Caribbean writer: King and the Dragonflies--Kacen Callender 
13. Non-fiction by disabled writer: Rolling Warrior--Judith Heumann
14. By a non-binary writer: The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester
15. Historical fiction with queer rep/by a queer author: Last Night at the Telegraph Club--Malinda Lo
16. Fiction by a writer from North Africa
17. Horror-esque fiction by a woman/non-binary writer: Weyward--Emilia Hart
18. By a Latinx author: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez--Adrianna Cuevas
19. Graphic novel with queer rep/by a queer author: Queen of the Sea--Dylan Meconis 
20. Fantasy by an Asian American writer: Jade War--Fonda Lee
21. Poetry by a Black British writer
22. A mythology retelling: Cinderella Liberator--Rebecca Solnit
23. Non-fiction less than 150 pages: The Art of Costuming--Ruth E. Carter 
24. By a Muslim writer: The Idiot--Elif Batuman
25. By a Southern African writer: The Girl From the Train--Irma Joubert

Boxing Day Humor

The actual meaning of Boxing Day can be found here












Monday, December 25, 2023

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

Another favorite I have been doing for several years now. There are always a lot of interesting categories in this one.  Click above to see the graphic with the categories. As in the past, I will try to complete the Fortnightly level (one category from each topic), then see how much father I can go with the list.



The Standards

Thriller: The Paris Apartment--Lucy Foley

Classic: Rebecca--Daphne Du Maurier

Mystery: Fatally Frosted--Jessica Beck

Fantasy: The Fiery Cross--Diana Gabaldon

To Coin A Phrase

Coins on the cover

By an author known for coining a phrase

Title based on a well-known phrase: Leap of Faith--Danielle Steel

Book about language: Berlitz German


Our Amazing World

Book about the ocean

Memoir about someone living with nature: Into the Wild--Jon Krakauer

Book about an explorer

Book about a lost species


Classic Computer Games

Oregon Trail--book where the characters might die of dysentery

Legend of Zelda--book where the protagonist is not the title character: Young Jane Young--Gabrielle Zevin

Pacman--A maze on the cover

Space Invaders--book with aliens: This is How You Lose the Time War--Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone


Roadkill

About something you might find dead on the road

Mystery set during a vacation: When We Believed in Mermaids--Barbara O'Neal    

Hotel on the cover

Something flat on the cover: Vanity Fare--Megan Caldwell


How Does Your Garden Grow

Author with flower/plant name

Coming-of-age story: Far From the Tree--Robin Benway

About three main characters: Weyward--Emilia Hart

"Silver" or "shell" in the title


Bright and Shiny

Book released in 2024: Funny Story--Emily Henry

Memoir about someone with a Hollywood Star

Gold or silver cover: Angel--Johanna Lindsey

Picture of the sun on the cover: White Lies--Jayne Ann Krentz


Things That Are Good for Us

Vegetable in the title

About walking away: The Stepsisters--Susan Mallery

Lots of fresh air on the cover: Summer on Sag Harbor--Sunny Hostin

About positive changes


Shhh...

"Secret" in the title: Summer Secrets--Jane Green

Someone sleeping on the cover

About a secret society: The Jane Austen Society--Natalie Jenner

Book you hope will calm your mind


Reasons a Book Might Be Banned 

About gender identity: Women Who Dared--Linda Skeers

Written by a POC: Behold the Dreamers--Imbolo Mbue

With offensive language 

With talking animals: The Cat Who Saved Books--Sosuke Natsukawa


Reflections

Mirror on the cover

About looking back

Book you know will make you think: Thunderstruck--Erik Larson

Antonyms in the title: City of Darkness and Light--Rhys Bowen


Book Cliches

The butler did it--Book with a butler

It was a dark and stormy night--Book with a great first line

Once upon a time--Fairy tale retelling: Never Cry Werewolf--Heather Davis

There can only be one--Pits characters against each other: Red Queen--Victoria Aveyard


Swashbuckling

Book with pirates: Pirate Passover--Judy Press

Sword on the cover: Glass Sword--Victoria Aveyard

Daring adventure graphic novel: Queen of the Sea--Dylan Meconis

About a stowaway


New Year's Resolutions

Read anything--your goal is to read more: She's Too Pretty to Burn--Wendy Heard

Title that sounds like exercise: Meditations for Personal Healing--Louise L. Hay

About cleaning home or getting organized

About getting away from it all


How Do You Want Your Eggs?

A hard-boiled crime: Reckoning--Catherine Coulter

About finding the sunny side of life: The Scent Keeper--Erica Bauermeister

With a poacher 

Book where someone is likely to be "baked"


Doing It "Old School"

Stamp or rotary phone on the cover

Author old enough to be a grandparent

About someone traveling by foot: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry--Rachel Joyce

Set before you were born: These Happy Golden Years--Laura Ingalls Wilder (reread)


Generational

Written by someone the same generation as you

Multi-generational story:  Picture Bride--Yoshiko Uchida

Set when boomers were in their prime

Book that generates hope


Food Groups

Dairy--A cheesy book

Meat--Book you can sink your teeth into 

Fruit--Fruit in the title: Death by Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake--Sarah Graves

Grain--Set in a farming community: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous--Suzanne Park


Love Them Pockets!

Key or pocket watch on the cover: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood--Quentin Tarantino

"Pocket Guide"

Purse on the cover (because of course your clothes don't have pockets): The House of Eve--Sadeqa Johnson

Book that might have been carried in a soldier's pocket


Just Desserts

About revenge: Scandal--Amanda Quick

Something sweet on the cover: Sugar and Spice--Sarah Mlynowski

Book you'd like to settle in with an after-dinner drink

By an author who has a good reputation with fans


Color Me Up!

Color word in the title: Greenglass House--Kate Milford

Favorite color on the cover: The Summer Club--Susan Mallery

Author with a color name: All That's Left in the World--Erik J. Brown

Book that looks like someone went crazy with crayons


Seems Sketchy

An illustrated book: The Fabulous Zed Watson!--Basil Sylvester

With an unreliable narrator: Burn for Burn--Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Sketchbook or notebook on the cover: The Magical Reality of Nadia--Bassem Youssef & Catherine R. Daly

"Fake" in the title


TBR Busters

Book you meant to read last year: Life is Sweet--Elizabeth Bass

Any book on your TBR: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek--Kim Michele Richardson

Book someone gave you that you haven't read yet: Mystique--Amanda Quick

Book in your house with a dusty cover


Fakes

About a monster no one believes exists

By an author who uses a pseudonym: By the Light of the Study Lamp--Carolyn Keene

Fiction book based on a true story: River Sing Me Home--Eleanor Shearer

About something counterfeit


Spice It Up

Nonfiction book about a controversial person: Paris: The Memoir--Paris Hilton 

Spice in the title

Spicy cover: Keep Quiet--Lisa Scottoline

Set somewhere known for its cuisine


The Long and Short of It

Over 500 pages: The Forgotten Garden--Kate Morton

Under 150 pages: Home--Toni Morrison

Title at least 7 words long: With a Dog AND Cat, Every Day is Fun, Volume 1--Hidekichi Matsumoto

Author whose last name is no more than 5 letters: Yellowface--R.F. Kuang


Wildcards

Gothic novel: Emma Brown--Clare Boylan 

With a geeky character: My Video Game Ate My Homework--Dustin Hansen

About prophecies: The Pilgrim's Progress--John Bunyan

Book someone says "changed their life"

About someone with a disability: Rolling Warrior--Judith Heumann

Sunday, December 24, 2023