One focus I have in 2025 is to read more and to read more widely. I’ll share a few things that are helping my reading life, as well as the books I’ve finished so far this year.
Reading Challenge
I’ve never done a reading challenge before, but my son’s girlfriend shared one with me and I decided to give it a try.
I looked up each of the twelve categories and found potential books so I have a list to work from. This has been a great way to choose books I wouldn’t ordinarily read. I’ve already checked off several of the categories, but I may go back and read the other books listed too.
Here are the challenge categories, along with the possible books I’ve chosen for each category:
Book with a color in the title – The Scarlet Pimpernel or The Golden Compass
Book with a number in the title – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or Six of Crows
A memoir – Crying in H Mart or Wild or When Breath Becomes Air or Lab Girl
Book with a city in the title – A Gentleman in Moscow
Book about a sport – Carrie Soto is Back
Book with a one-word title – Wonder or Walden
A classic – The Hobbit
Book made into a movie – The 100 Foot Journey or Marley and Me or Slumdog Millionaire
Book with an animal on the cover – Jurassic Park or The Traveling Cat Chronicles
Book published in 2024 – Funny Story or Table for Two or The Briar Club
Book on my TBR list for ages – All the Light We Cannot See
Book by a South African author – Recipes for Love and Murder
Keeping Track of What I Read
I’ve never been able to keep track of what I read. When I’ve tried in the past, it’s turned reading into a chore.
But in July, I decided to use my daily planner as the place to record what I’m reading. Each month has a “currently” page that’s perfect for listing what I’m currently reading, books started during the month, books finished during the month and books abandoned (although, I haven’t had as many of these lately).
There’s also a page in this daily planner where I keep my reading challenge list.
Physical books vs Kindle
I love my Kindle, especially for reading in bed, but I’m finding that my attention focuses much better with a physical book.
I’m not exactly sure why that is, but I’m leaning into it. I’ve only read one book on my Kindle this year so far.
What I’ve Read So Far in 2025
Non-Fiction:
Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick – I’m teaching a high school elective class on AI this semester. This is the best book I’ve read on the subject. It’s easy to read and very helpful. I checked it out from the library and read it in one afternoon, then purchased my own copy to refer to.
Good Energy by Casey Means – The focus of this book is metabolism and how we can improve it. Great info!
Fiction:
Wonder by R.J. Palacio – I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time and finally got around to it. I chose it for the reading challenge category “book with a one-word title”. I LOVED this book.
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This book fulfills the reading challenge category of “a book with a number in the title”. I enjoyed this one. I read it while traveling and it was a great to dive into the story to pass the time on the airplane.
Tea Women of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See – I’ve read several books by Lisa See and I think this is my favorite so far.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton – I chose this for the category “a book with an animal on the cover”. This isn’t a genre I usually read and I’ve never seen the original movie, although I have seen one of the others. I think if I’d read this when it first came out, my mind would have been blown! Even knowing so much about the story, it’s still really good. And it’s interesting to read while learning so much about AI, which feels like tinkering with a different kind of science.
What are you reading?
I’d love to know what you’ve been reading! And if you have recommendations for any of the reading challenge categories, let me know that too. Leave a comment below.
I loved Seven Husbands! Also Wonder – read it to my then-12yo and we sobbed together in her bed! Such a sweet story! I use Goodreads to track my reading. So easy once you get started! Follow me if you get on. I just heard about another called Fable. Good luck!
I’ll have to look up Fable. I’ve tried Goodreads, but never think to login.
So many books, so little time! I've never done a book challenge with categories or a title for every letter of the alphabet, but I am doing the 25in25 reading challenge I learned from Gretchen Rubin's podcast. It's reading at least 25 minutes everyday in 2025. I do usually participate in the summer reading program at the library. Last summer I put all the tickets I earned in the final drawing and ended up winning a $50 gift card to a little bookstore. It's probably the only time of year that I push myself to finish a book a week to earn a drawing ticket.
I have been keeping track of the titles I read since 2018. I keep a little notebook in my nite stand drawer. My daughter gave me a pack of notebooks that look like the cards in library books that used to get stamped with the due date. We have 15 bookcases in our home. Eight are in our library, 2 in my office, 2 in my husband's office and 3 in my daughter's room. I used to homeschool so collecting books was a weakness. Book sales at the library ends with dozens to add to the collection. Can't pass up 3 for $1. Books are starting to get stashed in places other than shelves because we are out of shelf space. The last couple years I've tried to focus on the books we already own. After finishing a book I ask myself is this book mine or my daughter's? Will I read it again? Is it special or grandkid worthy? If it's my daughter's I ask if she wants to part with it, usually the answer is no. Unless it's pretty special, I've been trying to let them go. I do write in tiny print the month and year I read it inside the back cover so if I happen to donate it to the library book sale I don't rebuy a book I've already read. I've stopped going to all 6 library book sales. Now I only go to one or two and I only take a couple dollars.
I also have a massive recommendation list that I add to regularly with suggestions from podcasts, newsletters, and other places. Not including the books you mentioned, there are 925 books on my list. I also use Honey For a Child's Heart, Honey For a Teen's Heart, and Honey for a Woman's Heart (all by Gladys Hunt) for recommendations. I try to include books from the library several times a year as it's important for their funding that people are using the library.
So far this year I've read the last 3 of the Chronicles of Prydain series. I read the first two in December. I've read A Kind of Grace, the autobiography of Jackie Joyner-Kersee. She came to town at the beginning of Feb. for a Black History Month event. I was going to go but the weather was a little yucky. I just finished The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver, out of necessity. 😉 The things nobody tells you about perimenopause. Yikes! I'm currently reading the classic Little Women. I haven't read it in decades. It belonged to my mother. It's falling apart with yellowed pages with brittle edges, the spine cover is missing and one page is loose. Well, it is 63 years old assuming my mother got it as a new book.
I think maybe I'll hang on to your categories and use it for the summer reading program. Thanks for the idea and suggestions!
Nikki, Thanks for all those recommendations! You’ve got a very bookish life 🙂 We used to homeschool too, but I’ve done some big clear outs of books several times. It always makes me sad to do. I’m not following along with the 25for25 reading challenge, but I like know there’s a lot of people out there focused on reading, even if I’m not counting the minutes for myself.