2025 Reading Challenges

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I’m tracking my 2025 reading challenge progress here. I’m limiting myself to challenges that might push me a little out of my comfort zone or at least mix up my habitual reading patterns. This looks like a lot, and it kind of is, but I can complete several of these by reading just one book.

The challenge buttons and names link to to the signup/information posts at the challenge host’s website if you’d like to join me!

Reading Challenges I’m Hosting

Books in Translation Reading Challenge

Status: Incomplete by my self-imposed goals. I technically read 6 books in translation, but 4 were picture books and I didn’t really count those. So my final count was only 2.

Hosted here at Introverted Reader. I’m signing up at the Conversationalist level, 4-6 books. #2025booksintranslation

  1. What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts, illustrated by Rohan Eason
  2. The Kamogawa Food Detectives (The Kamogawa Food Detectives #1) by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, read by Hanako Footman

Bonus:

I don’t want to count these children’s books for my main challenge, but I do want to record them for my own reference.

  1. ¡Diez Manzanas En La Cabeza! by Dr. Seuss, translated by Yanitzia Canetti, illustrated by Roy McKie
  2. Lola en la Biblioteca by Anna McQuinn, translated by Eida Del Risco, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  3. Lola le lee al pequeño Leo by Anna McQuinn, translated by Yanitzia Canetti, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  4. Lola va a la escuela by Anna McQuinn, translated by Carlos E. Calvo, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Southern Literature Reading Challenge

Status: Complete!

Hosted here at Introverted Reader. I’m signing up at level four, 7+ books. #2025southernlit

  1. Run: Book One by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin, illustrated by L. Fury and Nate Powell
  2. The Whispered Word (Secret, Book & Scone Society #2) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  3. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
  4. Creatures of Habit by Jill McCorkle
  5. The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book & Scone Society #3) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  6. A Dream So Dark (A Blade So Black #2) by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge, Jacob York, and Matthew Barnes
  7. Revelator by Daryl Gregory
  8. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Challenges I’m Participating In

Hundred Years Hence Reading Challenge

Status: Complete Failure!

Hosted by A Hot Cup of Pleasure. Read and write about one book published in 1925. I found an article entitled “1925 in Literature” on Wikipedia that should help. #HYH25

Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

Status: Complete!

Hosted by Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book. Read cozy mysteries. I’m signing up for level 1, which is 1-25 cozy mysteries. #CravingCozies

  1. Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody #9) by Elizabeth Peters
  2. The Kamogawa Food Detectives (The Kamogawa Food Detectives #1) by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, read by Hanako Footman
  3. The Whispered Word (Secret, Book & Scone Society #2) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  4. The Thursday Murder Club (#1) by Richard Osman, read by Lesley Manville
  5. The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book & Scone Society #3) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  6. Evergreen Chase (Shady Hollow #3.5) by Juneau Black

2025 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

Status: So Close!

Hosted by Shelleyrae at Book’d Out. I’m joining at the Nonfiction Nosher level to read 12 books, one from each of 12 categories. #ReadNonFicChal | Instagram: @shelleyrae _bookdout | Mastodon: @shelleyrae@aus.social

2025 Classics Reading Challenge

Status: Incomplete. I wasn’t really feeling the classics this year.

Hosted by Tea and Ink Society. I’ve done pretty well in the five-year long Classics Club challenge but I first signed up for Tea and Ink Society’s challenge to help steer my choices in 2022. I wasn’t completely successful but it definitely kept classics on my radar. I’m signing up again this year.

  • January: A classic you discover in a used bookstore–Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins #1) by Scott O’Dell
  • February: A Russian novel or short story collection
  • March: A classic about immigrants or pioneers–O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
  • April: A classic set on your own turf
  • May: A book you were supposed to read in school
  • June: Nonfiction nature writing
  • July: A science fiction novel or short story collection
  • August: A classic by an author you’ve only read once
  • September: A classic World War I or World War II novel
  • October: A Jane Austen novel
  • November: A poetry collection by one of the Romantic poets
  • December: A Medieval or Renaissance classic

2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge

Status: Complete! I only signed up for 10 of these books but I’m only missing one from the entire list! Woohoo!

Hosted by Bloggin’ Bout Books. I’m signing up for level 1: read 1-10 books with covers that match the following prompts. I’ll decide which prompts I want to use as I go.

  1. A television or movie screen
  2. Something you might find in a child’s bedroom (teddy bear, nightlight, crib, etc.) Lola va a la escuela by Anna McQuinn, translated by Carlos E. Calvo, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  3. The name of one of the four seasons in the title, design, or author’s name Winter Lost (Mercy Thompson #14) by Patricia Briggs
  4. The name of and/or a depiction of a famous person Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson by Claire Hoffman
  5. A depiction of something that has been spilled (milk, paint, blood, etc.) I Am Not a Serial Killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells, read by John Allen Nelson
  6. A piece of jewelry The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
  7. A futuristic scene The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson, read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading
  8. A title and/or scene that makes you laugh Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
  9. Something you might see in a hospital (medicine bottles, IV stand, stethoscope, doctor, etc.) The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
  10. Outdated technology (typewriter, film camera, rotary telephone, etc.) Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (Paola Santiago #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia, read by Frankie Corzo
  11. The name of a month in the title, design, or author’s name Once Upon a December by Aimee E. Reichert, read by Sharon Freedman
  12. Your favorite color Feral Creatures (Hollow Kingdom #2) by Kira Jane Buxton, read by Robert Petkoff
  13. Headwear of some kind The Bookshop on the Shore (Kirrinfief #2) by Jenny Colgan, read by Eilidh Beaton
  14. A mode of transportation Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #) by Caroline Carlson, read by Katherine Kellgren
  15. Bookish elements What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts, illustrated by Rohan Eason
  16. An author that has a common name spelled in an uncommon way A Stitch in Time (A Stitch in Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong, read by Samantha Brentmoor
  17. An illustrated scene Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins #1) by Scott O’Dell
  18. A design that is in desperate need of a makeover Creatures of Habit by Jill McCorkle
  19. A wintry scene The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman, read by Nancy Peterson
  20. A summery scene O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
  21. Food The Whispered Word (Secret, Book & Scone Society #2) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  22. A skeleton, bones, or a skull and crossbones The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen, read by Fairuza Balk
  23. Floral elements The Tea Dragon Society (The Tea Dragon Society #1) by K. O’Neill
  24. Sports equipment Pickleball Is Life: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Obsession by Erin McHugh, illustrated by Jackie Besteman
  25. Someone wearing period clothing Ambush or Adore (Delightfully Deadly #3) by Gail Carriger
  26. A famous structure or landmark (man-made or natural) Noir (Noir Chronicles #1) by Christopher Moore, read by Johnny Heller
  27. A frame-worthy design Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  28. A lighted window Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by TJ Klune
  29. A bird Mairelon the Magician (Mairelon #1) by Patricia C. Wrede
  30. A number in the title or design Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
  31. No people The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
  32. An object that is broken Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody #9) by Elizabeth Peters
  33. A silhouette or shadow Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are by Bill Sullivan
  34. A sunrise or sunset I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter
  35. An aquatic animal River of Teeth (River of Teeth #1) by Sarah Gailey, read by Peter Berkrot
  36. A key and/or a keyhole Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
  37. A flag, pennant, or banner To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward J. Larson
  38. At least one person of color (POC) Run: Book One by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin, illustrated by L. Fury and Nate Powell
  39. A weapon Skin Game (The Dresden Files #15) by Jim Butcher
  40. A backpack or piece of luggage A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
  41. The words “light” and/or “dark” in the title A Dream So Dark (The Nightmare-Verse #2) by L.L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge, Jacob York, and Matthew Barnes
  42. A foggy/stormy scene A Superior Death (Anna Pigeon #2) by Nevada Barr
  43. A cityscape Cometh the Hour (The Clifton Chronicles #6) by Jeffrey Archer, read by Alex Jennings
  44. A light source that can be held in the hand (flashlight, torch, lantern, etc.) The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book & Scone Society #3) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  45. Eyewear of some kind The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
  46. A spooky scene The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
  47. A real, historical photograph Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted by Justin Martin
  48. A proper noun in the title or design The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte
  49. Something that is plaid Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins
  50. Someone partly or fully submerged in water Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill, read by Catrin Walker-Booth

Reading by the Numbers Challenge

Status: Complete!

Hosted by My Reader’s Block. This is similar to the GoodReads Challenge: choose how many books you want to read for the years and track them. I decided I’d like to have this list on my blog and not just on GoodReads so I’m signing up. My goal is 100 books. #ReadingByNumbers2025

  1. Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody #9) by Elizabeth Peters
  2. Run: Book One by John Lewis with Andrew Aydin, illustrated by L. Fury and Nate Powell
  3. What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts, illustrated by Rohan Eason
  4. Noir (Noir Chronicles #1) by Christopher Moore, read by Johnny Heller
  5. Pickleball Is Life: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Obsession by Erin McHugh, illustrated by Jackie Besteman
  6. The Tea Dragon Society (The Tea Dragon Society #1) by K. O’Neill
  7. Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist by Evan Griffith, illustrated by Joanie Stone
  8. A Small Kindness by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Wendy Leach
  9. Gibberish by Young Vo
  10. The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea–4.5 Stars
  11. Euphoria by Lily King, read by Simon Vance and Xe Sands
  12. The Witch Owl Parliament (Clockwork Curandera #1) by David Bowles, illustrated by Raúl The Third
  13. Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are by Bill Sullivan
  14. The Whispered Word (Secret, Book & Scone Society #2) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  15. Ambush or Adore (Delightfully Deadly #3) by Gail Carriger
  16. Winter Lost (Mercy Thompson #14) by Patricia Briggs
  17. The Kamogawa Food Detectives (The Kamogawa Food Detectives #1) by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, read by Hanako Footman
  18. Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1) by Connie Willis
  19. Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins #1) by Scott O’Dell
  20. Cometh the Hour (The Clifton Chronicles #6) by Jeffrey Archer, read by Alex Jennings
  21. ¡Diez Manzanas En La Cabeza! by Dr. Seuss, translated by Yanitzia Canetti, illustrated by Roy McKie
  22. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter
  23. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by TJ Klune
  24. The Bookshop on the Shore (Kirrinfief #2) by Jenny Colgan, read by Eilidh Beaton
  25. Mairelon the Magician (Mairelon #1) by Patricia C. Wrede
  26. River of Teeth (River of Teeth #1) by Sarah Gailey, read by Peter Berkrot
  27. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, read by Brittany Pressley and Kirsten Potter
  28. The Princess and the Goblin (The Princess and Curdie #1) by George MacDonald, illustrated by Arthur Hughes
  29. Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell’s 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon by Edward Dolnick
  30. Lola en la Biblioteca by Anna McQuinn, translated by Eida Del Risco, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  31. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman, read by Paul Boehmer and Coleen Marlo
  32. Jackaby (Jackaby #1) by William Ritter, read by Nicola Barber
  33. Lola le lee al pequeño Leo by Anna McQuinn, translated by Yanitzia Canetti, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  34. Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted by Justin Martin
  35. The Overstory by Richard Powers
  36. Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #) by Caroline Carlson, read by Katherine Kellgren
  37. Razzmatazz (Sammy and the Cheese #2) by Christopher Moore, read by Johnny Heller
  38. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
  39. Lola va a la escuela by Anna McQuinn, translated by Carlos E. Calvo, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
  40. Feral Creatures (Hollow Kingdom #2) by Kira Jane Buxton, read by Robert Petkoff
  41. A Superior Death (Anna Pigeon #2) by Nevada Barr
  42. A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
  43. Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1) by Olivia Atwater
  44. Night of Miracles (Mason #2) by Elizabeth Berg
  45. “The Lord Sorcier” (Regency Faerie Tales #0.5) by Olivia Atwater
  46. Skin Game (The Dresden Files #15) by Jim Butcher
  47. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
  48. The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen, read by Fairuza Balk
  49. Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus (Theodosia Throckmorton #3) by R.L. LaFevers
  50. This Was a Man (The Clifton Chronicles #7) by Jeffrey Archer, read by Alex Jennings
  51. Creatures of Habit: Stories by Jill McCorkle
  52. Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins
  53. The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
  54. The Thursday Murder Club (A Thursday Murder Club Mystery #1) by Richard Osman, read by Lesley Manville
  55. The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book & Scone Society #3) by Ellery Adams, read by Cris Dukehart
  56. To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration by Edward J. Larson
  57. A Stitch in Time (A Stitch in Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong, read by Samantha Brentmoor
  58. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  59. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
  60. Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
  61. Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation, written and read by Cokie Roberts
  62. Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
  63. Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros
  64. A Dream So Dark (A Blade So Black #2) by L. L. McKinney, read by Jeanette Illidge, Jacob York, and Matthew Barnes
  65. Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros
  66. The Lost Art of Mixing (The School of Essential Ingredients #2) by Erica Bauermeister, read by Cassandra Campbell
  67. The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte
  68. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
  69. The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent, read by Amanda Leigh Cobb
  70. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
  71. Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill, read by Catrin Walker-Booth
  72. Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson by Claire Hoffman
  73. The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (Montague Siblings #1.5) by Mackenzi Lee, read by Christian Coulson
  74. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, read by Mark Deakins
  75. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy, read by Cristin Milioti
  76. The Mythic Dream, edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe
  77. Open Carry (Arliss Cutter #1) by Marc Cameron, read by David Chandler
  78. Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quintet #1) by Roshani Chokshi
  79. Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
  80. Pirate Stew, written and read by Neil Gaiman (yes, I read it twice back to back)
  81. Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel Smythe
  82. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
  83. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, read by Louis Hill and Georgina Jane
  84. Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life by Jason Roberts
  85. Revelator by Daryl Gregory
  86. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
  87. I Am Not a Serial Killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells, read by John Allen Nelson
  88. The Nighthouse Keeper (Blight Harbor #2) by Lora Senf, read by Kimberly Woods
  89. The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
  90. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson, read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading
  91. The Troop by Nick Cutter
  92. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta
  93. Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
  94. Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
  95. Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister
  96. The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
  97. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett
  98. Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (Paola Santiago #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia, read by Frankie Corzo
  99. Poem a Day: Vol. 1: 366 Poems, Old and New – One for Each Day of the Year, edited by Karen McCosker and Nicholas Albery
  100. To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
  101. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear
  102. A Dead Djinn in Cairo (The Dead Djinn Universe #0.5) by P. Djèlí Clark
  103. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, read by Sneha Mathan
  104. Evergreen Chase (A Shady Hollow Mystery #3.5) by Juneau Black
  105. A Chef’s Christmas, written and read by Anthony Bourdain
  106. Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day (Year of Wonder #2) by Clemency Burton-Hill
  107. Perfect Pancakes If You Please by William A. Wise, illustrated by Richard Egielski
  108. Santa Is Coming to California by Steve Smallman, illustrated by Robert Dunn
  109. The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman, read by Nancy Peterson
  110. Once Upon a December by Aimee E. Reichert, read by Sharon Freedman
  111. The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories by Danny Pellegrino

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