Booklist Queen’s 2025 Reading Challenge

 Another favorite of mine is now up for 2025.

1. Meant to read last year: Tweet Cute--Emma Lord
2. Goodreads Winner in 2024: The Women--Kristin Hannah
3. Romantasy: A Sorceress Comes to Call--T. Kingfisher
4. About siblings: Hello Beautiful--Ann Napolitano
5. Book becoming movie/show in 2025: Klara and the Sun--Kazuo Ishiguro
6. Spy thriller: In This Grave Hour--Jacqueline Winspear
7. Women's fiction: The Girls With No Names--Serena Burdick
8. Title starts with C: Cloud Atlas--David Mitchell
9. Nonfiction book about health: Tiny Beautiful Things--Cheryl Strayed
10. Twist ending: Mad Honey--Jodi Picoult
11. Published in 2015: The Only Woman in the Room--Eileen Pollack
12. Fiction & Nonfiction by same author: The Signature of All Things--Elizabeth Gilbert
13. Fiction & Nonfiction by same author: Big Magic--Elizabeth Gilbert
14. Mythology retelling: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea--Axie Oh
15. Own but haven't read: Legacy of Secrets--Elizabeth Adler
16. Set in the Middle East: The Master and Margarita--Mikhail Bulgakov
17. Sequel: The Guncle Abroad--Steven Rowley
18. Debut author: Saint X--Alexis Schaitkin
19. Heartwarming story: The Last Letter--Rebecca Yarros
20. Book that took a while to read: The Mammoth Hunters--Jean M. Auel
21. Classic recommenced to you: The Diary of a Goose Girl--Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
22. Villain as protagonist: Cold Hearted--Serena Valentino
23. Set in the summer: The Beach Club--Elin Hilderbrand
24. 2024 bestseller: Intermezzo--Sally Rooney
25. Green cover: Prodigal Summer--Barbara Kingslover
26. Bottom of TBR: As Seen on TV--Sarah Mlynowski 
27. Author from Africa: Home is Not a Country--Safia Elhillo
28. Book that makes you cry: I Found You--Lisa Jewell
29. About a politician: In This Grave Hour--Jacqueline Winspear
30. Popular book you've never read: Klara and the Sun--Kazuo Ishiguro
31. Illustrated book: Around the World in 80 Days--Jules Verne
32. Audiobook with multiple narrators: Jazz--Walter Dean Myers
33. Set in the suburbs: None of This is True--Lisa Jewell
34. Dark academia: Banned Book Club--Kim Hyun Sook
35. Intriguing cover: The Blackbirds--Eric Jerome Dickey
36. Five-star read: The Love Haters--Katherine Center
37. About an immigrant: The Last Train to London--Meg Waite Clayton
38. Banned book: Eleven--Tom Rogers
39. Set in the 1960s: The Berry Pickers--Amanda Peters
40. With chapter titles: Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books--Kirsten Miller
41. Dystopian fiction: It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit--Justin A. Reynolds
42. Author you love: The Summer Pact--Emily Giffin
43. Multigenerational story: Holes--Louis Sachar
44. Animal in the title: Cat's Cradle--Kurt Vonnegut
45. 2025 new release: Under the Same Stars--Libba Bray
46. Out of your comfort zone: Rider of Lost Creek--Louis L'Amour
47. Thought-provoking historical fiction: East of Eden--John Steinbeck
48. Book everyone is talking about: How to Sell a Haunted House--Grady Hendrix
49. Romance book: The Rom-Commers--Katherine Center
50. Bestselling memoir: The Light We Carry--Michelle Obama
51. YA fiction: Openly Straight--Bill Konigsberg
52. Reread a favorite: The Best of Enemies--Jen Lancaster

Challenge completed on December 4

2025 Reading Challenge--Reader Haven

 A new one to me this past year that I will join again.

Read a book that(s)…

1. Been on your TBR list for 3+ years: The Wednesday Sisters--Meg Waite Clayton
2. Recommended by a friend: Pieces of Happiness--Anne Ostby
3. In a genre you don’t usually read: Rider of Lost Creek--Louis L'Amour
4. By a BIPOC author: The Blackbirds--Eric Jerome Dickey
5. By a debut author: The Reading List--Sara Nisha Adams
6. By a bestselling author: The Beach Club--Elin Hilderbrand
7. Nominated for a literary prize: This One Summer--Jillian Tamaki
8. Set during a historical time period you don’t know much about: The Mammoth Hunters--Jean M. Auel
9. Set on a mountain, in a forest, or in a rural area: Sunrise Canyon--Janet Dailey
10. Set on a college campus or in a museum: Ninth House--Leigh Bardugo
11. Written in first-person POV: Nightcrawling--Leila Mottley
12. Set during fall (or has leaves on the cover): The  The Travelling Cat Chronicles--Hiro Arikawa
13. Set during summer (or has a sun on the cover): The Beach House--Rachel Hanna
14. Has a movie or TV adaptation: Beautiful Creatures--Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
15. Gives you cozy vibes: Sinister Sprinkles--Jessica Beck
16. Gives you spooky vibes: Collected Stories and Poems--Edgar Allan Poe
17. Published before 1940: Around the World in 80 Days--Jules Verne
18. Published before 1970: The Master and Margarita--Mikhail Bulgakov
19. Published before 2000: Serendipity--Fern Michaels
20. Published last year (2024): The Rom-Commers--Katherine Center
21. Features a culture/religion different from your own: The Last Train to London--Meg Waite Clayton
22. Has a person’s face on the cover: Hello Beautiful--Ann Napolitano
23. A retelling of a fairy tale, myth, or classic novel: Happily Ever Afters: A Reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red--Melanie Cellier
24. A non-fiction book about a topic that interests you: The Small and the Mighty--Sharon McMahon
25. Part of a trilogy (or longer series): Ace of Shades--Amanda Foody
26. Has 400,000+ Goodreads ratings: Hello Beautiful--Ann Napolitano
27. Has >30,000 Goodreads ratings: Be Ready When the Luck Happens--Ina Garten
28. Less than 250 pages: Eleven--Tom Rogers
29. More than 500 pages: East of Eden--John Steinbeck
30. Set in a country you don’t know much about: Home is Not a Country--Safia Elhillo

Challenge completed on August 19

2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge

 Another favorite seasonal challenge. I will get as many books as I can during the time indicated.

Here we are at the holiday season again! Time to sign up for the Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon co-event!

Dates: Monday, November 25 through Tuesday, December 31

Three ways to participate:

1. Challenge - Pick a level
2. Readathon - read as much (or as little) as you want
3. Participate in both!

AND new this year....a fun (optional) BINGO challenge! 

Regarding the reading of Christmas books, for the readathon, you do not have to read only Christmas books. I am always reading regular genres along with Christmas books during the season. Please do try to read at least one though.

For the reading challenge (and the BINGO challenge), these must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, children's books (we even have a level for them!), etc.

Reading Challenge Levels:
--Candy Cane: read 1 book
--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books, or more (this is the fanatic level!)

Additional levels:

--Fa La La La Films: watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
--Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above

My Books:

1. A Bad Kitty Christmas--Nick Bruel (Free Space)
2. The Nutcracker--Susan Jeffers (Red as Main Color on Cover)
3. A Piñata in a Pine Tree--Pat Mora (Pine Tree on Cover)
4. Santa Baby--Lisa Jackson & others (Holiday song in title)
5. Best in Snow--David Rosenfelt (Snow in Title)
6. The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas--Laura Murray
7. The Real Santa--Nancy Redd
8. The Twelve Jays of Christmas--Donna Andrews (Mystery)
9. Zoe's Rescue Zoo: The Runaway Reindeer--Amelia Cobb (Reindeer on Cover)

Challenge completed on December 19

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2025

 Another I have been doing for years now. I always get as many books as possible each year.

A) Read only cozy mysteries of your choice (see link above for more details).

My books:

1. Pardonable Lies--Jacqueline Winspear
2. The Girl Who Knew Too Much--Amanda Quick
3. Sinister Sprinkles--Jessica Beck
4. Whiskers in the Dark--Rita Mae Brown
5. The Case of the Missing Marquess--Nancy Springer
6. In This Grave Hour--Jacqueline Winspear
7. Late For the Wedding--Amanda Quick
8. Trixie Belden: The Secret of the Mansion--Julie Campbell
9. Blackmail and Bibingka--Mia P. Manansala
10. The Gingerbread Bakery--Laurie Gilmore
11. Kernel of Truth---Kristi Abbott
12. Skirting the Grave--Annette Blair

Last book read on December 31

What An Animal Reading Challenge 2025

 Another favorite now up for 2025.

1. Any book read for this challenge has to have an animal that plays a major role in the book (which could be fiction or non-fiction.) It also counts if a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like). In the past, books would qualify if an animal is in the title or on the cover, but that alone no longer qualifies. This challenge is for books related to animals and just because they are in the title or on the cover, doesn't mean it's about an animal. 

These are the levels.

Level 1 - Read 6 books

Level 2 - Read 7-12

Level 3 - Read 13-20 

Level 4 - Read 21 or more

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...

3. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

4. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.

5. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).

My Books:

1. The Mammoth Hunters--Jean M. Auel
2. Frog and Toad Together--Arnold Lobel
3. Earth's Wild Music--Kathleen Dean Moore
4. The Twelve Princesses--Gordon Fitchett
5. The Travelling Cat Chronicles--Hiro Arikawa
6. The Diary of a Goose Girl--Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
7. The Very Busy Day--Diana Hendry
8. Whiskers in the Dark--Rita Mae Brown
9. Sue & Tai-chan, Volume 2--Konami Kanata
10. Splat the Cat Audio Collection--Rob Scotton
11. Cats at Sea--Lisa Martin
12. A Snake Falls to Earth--Darcie Little Badger
13. Santa Claus and the Three Bears--Maria Modugno
14. The Biggest Snowman Ever--Steven Kroll
15. Wintertime: Let's Look at the Seasons--Ann Schweninger

Calling challenge complete on December 28

Color Coded Reading 2025

 This has been one of my favorite challenges. Preparing for another round of filling my color pallet!

I've opened the possibilities up just a bit further--the color may be named in the title, in the author's name, or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover of the book. For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover--for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter. Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2025. 

~Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/author name/on the cover: Dream When You're Feeling Blue--Elizabeth Berg

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/author name/on the cover: Happily Ever Afters: A Reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red--Melanie Cellier

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/author name/on the cover: Yellow Wife--Sadeqa Johnson

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/author name/on the cover: Green is a Chile Pepper--Roseanne Greenfield Thong

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/author name/on the cover: Before the Coffee Gets Cold--Shikazu Kawaguchi

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/author name/on the cover: The Blackbirds--Eric Jerome Dickey

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/author name/on the cover: Whiteout--Dhonielle Clayton

8. A book with any other color in the title/author name/on the cover/title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc): Acts of Violet--Margarita Montimore

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/author name/on the cover. (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, etc): Gods of Jade and Shadow--Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Challenge completed on July 29

Winter 2025 Reading Challenge--Beyond the Bookends

 Here is the new winter bingo card. Though it says Winter 2025, it begins in December 2024.

1. Best of 2024: The Guncle Abroad--Steven Rowley
2. Holiday Book: Best in Snow--David Rosenfelt
3. Set in the 80s: The Beautiful Struggle--Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. Book Set in the Library: The Reading List--Sara Nisha Adams
5. Book Being Adapted: Klara and the Sun--Kazuo Ishiguro
6. Short Story: Santa Baby--Lisa Jackson & others
7. Psychological Thriller Books: Pardonable Lies--Jacqueline Winspear
8. Second Chance Romance Books: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird--Josie Silver
9. Mythical Creature: Lalani of the Distant Sea--Erin Entrada Kelly

Challenge completed on February 26