What I’m reading - 52 book challenge 2025

I have three prompts left to complete the challenge.

Right now I’m working on “In the public domain” by rereading The Great Gatsby. I picked this because I recently read The Gatsby Gambit and enjoyed it.

Little books - Good reads

I’ve finished three more prompts for the 52 books challenge by choosing short books. Two of them are children’s books but I enjoyed them all.

Genre chosen for you by someone else: My 8 yr old granddaughter has zipped through this whole series and says they are really good! I thought it had good characters and the story worked for both children and adults.

Has a moon on the cover: This came up in the Facebook group for this challenge and I thought "Why not?" Really good art, very short brief written segments and I learned something.

Author has won an Edgar award: I've never made it through one of his doorstop books but was intrigued by this different one. Quite short, written in 2 weeks after he was requested to do so, mixes history of cathedral construction and fires with his own experiences. All profits and royalties went to the reconstruction fund.

Filling in the gaps - 52 books challenge

After some helpful suggestions in the prior post comments and some thought on my part I’ve got the following ideas for completing most of the remaining prompts. That leaves just one prompt needing ideas and for September to arrive (see #10!).

 As I quickly stop reading if not interested in a book we will see if these stick! 

1. Title starts with the letter “N” - Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black

2. Set in Autumn

3. Has a moon on the cover - Before She was Harriett by Lesa Cline-Ransome

4. Author has won an Edgar award - Norte-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals by Ken Follett

5. In the public domain - Any of the Miss Read books

6. Audiobook has multiple narrators - Terminal Alliance by Jim Hines (I have never listened to an audiobook so I may try it that way)

7. Directions in the title - Leave the Gun; Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of the Godfather by Mark Seal

8. Written in the third person - Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

9. Genre chosen for you by someone else - Catstronauts book 1: Mission Moon by Ken Brockington (series is a current favorite of 8 year old granddaughter)

10. Read in a “ber” month - something I read in September lol

And, oops, I missed one - 

 11. Non-Human Antagonist - Eavesdropping on Elephants by Patricia Newman (although I suspect the Elephants are the protagonists!) - I wanted to find the new book The Secret Life of a Cemetery, but it is not available in my library lending universe yet.

52 Books Challenge - Suggestions?

I have 10 prompts left and am looking for suggestions for 9 of them as Read in a “ber” month simply has to wait for September to come around. Ideas?

1. Title starts with the letter “N”

2. Set in Autumn

3. Has a moon on the cover

4. Author has won an Edgar award (for any other their books not necessarily the one you recommend)

5. In the public domain

6. Audiobook has multiple narrators

7. Directions in the title (could be something that starts with “Go to …”, “Keep …” etc. as well as compass directions)

8. Written in the third person

9. Genre chosen for you by someone else (I might read a graphic novel in the Catstronauts series as my 8 year old granddaughter is consuming them right now lol)

March Reads: second half - Quirky time travel science fiction & more mysteries & WWII novels

I shouldn’t be surprised that I like to read quirky time travel science fiction with clever characters. After all there was the fun read of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy back in the day. So a very enjoyable one has been finished.

1) Prompt: Has a character who can fly - well they do take off and land in their time travel pod and someone has to set the coordinates and tell it to go! Saving Time by Jodi Taylor is the 2nd in a 4 part series. Don’t know why I jumped in on #2 but I’m going to keep going and not worry about reading the first one.

2) Prompt: Climate fiction. Well, this was certainly an epic tale and it up is not until near the end that you realize it is about the political, economic and societal situation we are living through now in the US. That makes sense when the author’s comments include that the idea came to him in 2016. Along the way though you get a small band of fem eco terrorists, King Arthur and his brother Sir Kay, Merlin, Lancelot and his sometimes lover Marlowe, dragons, floods, outsourced government and military, and on and on. I’m glad I stuck with it.

3) Prompt: Stream of Consciousness (multiple persons). I had a harder time sticking with this Irish writer’s award winning fiction. Too much family drama and angst. Well written though.

4) Prompt: Includes Latin American history. I say I don’t like romance novels but this one had strong and brave female characters. An interesting part was the participation of Latin American businesses in the Paris international exposition which is true.

5) Prompt: 300-400 pages long. These stories are staring to seem very similar but the twist here was focusing on Portugal’s position during WWII - both the good and evil. The US embassies role in preventing Jewish people from escaping the Nazi’s by delaying and denying exit Visas was also highlighted.  And then there was the undeniable extreme bravery of the French resistance and partisans. Well plotted and written.

March Reads - First half

I checked off   prompts this month for the 52 Books Reading Challenge. My favorite genres continues to be  Cozy Mysteries, Historical Mysteries and Detective Mysteries.

Prompt: I think it was blue (referring to the cover!) - Pretty generic mass market cozy mystery. 2 stars out of 5.

Prompt:Set in summer - A decent beach read. 3 out of 5 stars because I wanted to keep reading.

And then there were the library mystery book club read.

I did not enjoy this one as I don’t like dithering, waiting to be rescued female main characters. I do see how she was a representative of cultural and family norms though. That trope is also common to Romance novels which this was primarily with a side of a mystery. It will be interesting to hear the discussion next week.

 

Reading Challenge - February books

I actually ended up reading 4 books in February that fit into the reading challenge and rated 2 of them a 5 out of 5 because I really wanted to keep reading.

One was a real departure for me in terms of genre, Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction, that fit into prompt 28: A Crossover (set in a shared universe). Its partner for prompt 29: Shares Universe with prompt 28 will be The Glass Hotel.

The other book I rated 5 out of 5 was a Historical Mystery which is my reading sweet spot. House Party Murder Rap by Sonia Marin was one of the $1 books I picked up at the Friends of the Library sale table.

I also read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna which was Fantasy Fiction which I don't usually read but did enjoy (4 out of 5) and it met prompt 33: A standalone novel.

The one I liked the least was another Fantasy Fiction - The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (3 out 5) and used for prompt 6: Set in Spring.

What I’m Reading Wednesday

Another book for the challenge - Prompt 50: Set in the 1940’s. 

One of those plots that shifts from present day to the 1940s and back repeatedly. The sisters in their 90’s now who were spies/served in WWII for Britain along with their nephew who is middle aged. I enjoyed it even though it truly stretched believability in many places.

And for Prompt 41: Cover font in a primary color I read a Little Free Library 1997 cozy mystery find that I knew would be light reading but it was well written and the characters well developed if a again bit unbelievable. 

What I’m reading Wednesday

So far this month I’ve read or am in the midst of reading 3 books for The 52 Book Club Challenge. I also stopped reading 2 a few pages in.

Humble Pi fit nicely in the challenge Prompt 1: A Pun in the Title. Amazon classifies it as Applied Mathematics in Nonfiction. I found it interesting, scary and amusing in turn, but then I really like math and science real world applications. I didn’t fully grasp the math when he was talking about glitches in computer codes but the key points are clear and help me understand more about the thinking challenges involved in software engineering. I suspect the author is a great lecturer. Rating: 4 out of 5

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is Time Travel Fiction and has sold over a million copies (Prompt 26). I finished it but didn’t like it as I found the characters unlikable and the storyline didn’t grab me. I have like other time travel books especially the Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde so it wasn’t the genre as a whole that made it get a low rating. Rating: 1 out of 5. 

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister fits Prompt 22: Found family trope. It was a quick gentle read. Although I won’t be pursuing other books by her, I rate it 3 out of 5. It is listed as Friendship Fiction.

The 2 books I put down quickly were The Weight of Ink and Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop. In the first case I really disliked the main and other characters and the storyline wasn’t of enough interest to me to get past that. In the second case it was extremely dark and depressing.

52 Book Challenge - December’s early start

Oops, I started The 52 Book Club’s 2025 Reading Challenge in mid December but, since the guidance for how to do the challenge is “You do you”, oh well!

I’m a fast and frequent reader so my plan is to do at least one book for each prompt and perhaps more while reading books that don’t fit a prompt as well.

In December I read 6 books that fit prompts. My favorites were What Time the Sexton’s Blade Doth Rust and Mr. Dickens and His Carol.

#9 - Genre Four: Set in Winter - A typical period romance perfect for lazy reading. The historical aspects made it ok. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

#10 - Author’s Last Name is also a First Name - I have really enjoyed all the books in this series including this one. Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#11 - A Prequel - Charming and an easy read perfect for the season. Rating: 4 out of 5

#36 - Final Sentence is Less Than words Long - Meh! Rating 2 out of 5

#43 - Explores Social Class - An interesting attempt at rewriting Pride and Prejudice in the context of modern Pakistan. Rating: 3 out of 5

#44 - A Celebrity on the Cover - I liked her better after reading this but found the mix of heartfelt exposure of recovery from the impact of childhood trauma on midlife with her attempted humor based on her dogs rather odd. Rating: 3 out of 5