2025 Reading Challenges

It's the beginning of a new year, which must mean it's time to set some reading goals and join some reading challenges. I enjoy reading challenges, even if I don't have a realistic expectation of completing everything in the challenge. That's been my experience with The 52 Book Club. I don't read fifty books in a year any more, but after a couple of years taking part in the club's challenge, it's still a worthwhile endeavor for me because it motivates me and helps me choose what to read. Often it gets me outside of my usual reading box and introduces me to titles, authors, or genres that I might not have considered otherwise.

So I will be doing The 52 Book Club Challenge for 2025, and my personal goal is to get about halfway through it.

Find out more about the 2025 Reading Challenge HERE, and check out the 2025 Reading Challenge Guide too.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

They've added a Read It, Watch It challenge as well, and I'm not sure I'll be able to complete that but it looks like fun.

I've been a member of the What The Dickens Book Club on Facebook for a few years too, but haven't participated in quite some time. To be honest, the posts in the group have tended to get lost in my newsfeed so I wasn't sure what they were reading, and was either unable to join in the scheduled discussion parties or didn't find the dates until too late. I planned ahead a little better this time and grabbed the info about the books and discussion dates. Again, I probably won't participate in all of the discussions, but I'm happy to see the books chosen include some shorter and easier reads, and are a mix of books I've already read and would be happy to revisit, and classics that I haven't read and probably should.

I also joined a Facebook book club group with members of the chorus I sing in, and they've shared other reading challenges, so maybe that group will help me stay motivated as well.

Updated to add . . . Since I consistently gravitate towards historical fiction anyway, I'm also going to participate in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by The Intrepid Reader and Baker. I love that it's such a simple challenge. Just link up my historical fiction reviews each month. I think I'll do the Renaissance Reader level, which is ten historical fiction books over the year.

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For my personal interest, I will continue keeping track of the titles I read in an "Alphabet Soup" challenge, to see how many letters of the alphabet I can represent. From time to time I have done Friday Fun posts, but it's been quite awhile since I've done them regularly - I do them sporadically at best! Friday Fun posts include some combination of First Line Fridays, hosted by Reading is My SuperPower; Book Beginnings on Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader; the Friday 56, currently hosted by Anne at My Head Full of Books; and the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. The problem is that I just don't have the time to get these done on a regular basis or to visit the other participants, and it bothers me to join a link-up and not spread the comment love to others.

 I do try to be consistent with writing bookshelf summaries, and depending on how the posting dates line up, I share with Book Date, at the BookWorms Monthly link-up, at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life, and What's On Your Bookshelf? #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge hosted by Deb's World.

While I don't have as much time to devote to reading as I'd like, I still love a good book, and I like talking about good books. My book totals may not be very high, but I'll keep doing a little blogging about books here and there. Something to look forward to in retirement might be more book and blog time! 

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Happy Reading!

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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2024 Reading Challenges Wrap-up

Back in the waning days of 2023, when I decided on my reading challenges for 2024, I had hoped I would find more time and motivation for reading. Well, I was taken a little by surprise when I was able to shift from part-time to full-time hours at my job starting in January, and I realized that would affect how much time and energy I'd have for a lot of things. Reading included. There were some ebbs and flows over the year, and I wound up with about the same number of books read as in 2023. It's tempting to be disappointed when I see others reading 60 or 70 or 100 books in a year, but after all, it's not a competition. Or so I tell myself! This is just a season in my life in which 20ish books per year is what I have time for, and as long as I'm enjoying what I read, it's a win.

So here's how I did this past year. First, a DNF challenge . . . The 2024 European Reading Challenge is hosted by Rose City Reader, and the goal is to read books set in Europe or by European authors, and to 'visit' as many European countries as possible. Quite a few of my books were set in the United Kingdom, but other than that I had only one other European setting and that was Italy (The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham). So I'm not going to do this challenge in 2025, and won't link this wrap-up post either. I do like keeping track of the locations my books are set in, but at present this is a challenge that isn't suiting my reading habits.

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Although I knew it was highly unlikely that I'd complete it, I did work on the 52 Book Club's 2024 Challenge. These kinds of challenges are fun for me, and worthwhile even if I don't complete them, because it encourages me to read titles, authors, and even genres I might not otherwise consider. Find out more about the 2024 Reading Challenge HERE.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

1.  Hardy Haul at Hardy Hall - PJ Fitzsimmons (locked-room mystery)

3.  Blood of Adam - Rachel S. Neal (more than 40 chapters)

4. Voice of the Ancient - Connilyn Cossette (lowercase letters on the spine)

7. Sisters of Fortune - Anna Lee Huber (at least four different points of view)

8.  The Juliet Code - Pepper Basham (features the ocean)

9. Once Upon A Prince - Rachel Hauck (a character-driven novel)

10. The Vanishing at Castle Moreau - Jaime Jo Wright (told in non-chronological order)

11. The Kamogawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai (title starting with the letter K)

12. The Lady of Bolton Hill - Elizabeth Camden (title starting with the letter L)

14. Ticker - Lisa Mantchev (a grieving character)

15. Harvest of Rubies - Tessa Afshar (part of a duology)

24. Find Momo Across Europe - Andrew Knapp (a cover without people on it)

25. The Sentence Is Death - Anthony Horowitz (an author "everyone" besides me has read)

30. The Matrimonial Advertisment - Mimi Matthews (picked without reading the blurb)

32. A Christmas Charade - Karla Hocker (time frame of a week or less)

37. A Fatal Illusion - Anna Lee Huber (palindrome on the cover)

**39. Good Energy - Casey Means (non-fiction recommended by a friend)

43. The Crumbs off Heaven's Table - D.M. Griffin (about finding identity)

44. Silencing the Siren - Denise L. Barela (includes a wedding)

47. The Word is Murder - Anthony Horowitz (author self-insert)

I counted one book in the challenge that I haven't finished, so I've ticked off twenty of the 52 prompts. I read a few books I'd had on my Kindle for ages and I'd nearly forgotten about, and I picked a couple books based on other blogger's mentions, and found a couple of new-to-me authors I enjoyed. So I didn't complete the challenge, didn't even get to the halfway point, but I'm still happy with my result. And this IS a challenge I'll do in 2025, and do my best to get my number up at least a little bit. 

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This post will be linked at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

December Bookshelf Review

Making this just a wee bit shorter than usual, as I need to also do a summary of my 2024 Reading Challenges and what I'm planning for reading challenges in 2025. And well, my monthly summaries tend to be short anyway, since I don't read that many books in a month!

December's Books Completed and Reviewed

A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker - a light romantic historical with a holiday theme. The ghost was probably my favorite character. (Read my review HERE)

During December I started reading:

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means - Purchased this earlier in the year but didn't start reading until December, after discussing it with a friend. I'm obviously not finished yet, but far enough along in the book that I'm going to count it in the 52 Book Club as non-fiction recommended by a friend.

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - I got started on this one that's been on the top of TBR for a really long time. 

During December I continued reading:

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I got back to this book and am enjoying the continuing love story between Sarah and Darius, and the intrigue and drama they deal with in the Persian court, and then when they are asked to accompany Nehemiah to Jerusalem. I really wanted to count this towards my 52 Book Challenge, like I did with Good Energy, but it doesn't seem to fit any of the prompts I have left.

Where My Books Took Me in December . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

A Christmas Charade is set in England, specifically along the Sussex coast.

One Word: Returning

A Deceptive Composition is set in rural England, mostly Cornwall.

Harvest of Gold takes place in ancient Persia.

Coming Up in January!

I'm rethinking what's next on my reading list since I'm starting on 2025 Reading Challenges, so I haven't got anything definite picked out yet. Well, except for a book of poetry that I feel like I can get through in time for a Facebook book club I'm still following but haven't really participated in for a couple years. My hope is to pick up my pace on reading at least a little this year!

Mountain Interval by Robert Frost 

On my blogs recently . . . 

This blog and Homeschool Coffee Break have been quiet, but on A Fresh Cup of Coffee you'll find:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

Twenty-Six Lists

2024 WOTY Wrap-Up - December's Rhythm

Share Four Somethings - December 2024

WQ - Holiday Traditions

WQ - Traditions (this is the link-up post)

WQ - Natural Beauty

Currently . . . December 6, 2024

Share Four Somethings - November 2024

This post will be linked at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - A Christmas Charade

A Christmas Charade by Karla Hocker - I found this book on my Kindle while hunting for something with a holiday theme and it obviously fit the bill! The story takes place at Stenton Castle, which has been standing empty for some years since a tragic fire. Clive Rowland, Duke of Stenton has decided to refurbish the castle and host a Christmas house party, but it's a cover to give him an excuse to investigate probable spy activity along the nearby Sussex coast.

Elizabeth Gore-Langton is a somewhat reluctant guest, having come as the paid companion to Lady Astley. A decade earlier, Elizabeth had been enamored of Clive during her first season, and is uncomfortable wondering if and how he'll remember her. 

It's pretty clear that a second chance romance will likely develop between these two, but there is a whole cast of supporting characters with their own storylines, including Lady Astley's son and his wife who are navigating issues in the marriage since his return from war. There are little subplots going on among the other extended family members and close friends at this house party as well. And while all these personal interactions are playing out, Clive is still trying to find out if spies are using the nearby coastline.

An important supporting character is Annie Tuck, the castle's ghost! Annie has her own agenda, now that there are people at the castle again, and to everyone's surprise, she can also contribute to the romances, dramas, and subterfuges. Annie becomes gradually more tangible to the people in the castle, and her part is probably the most entertaining part of the story.

While this was an enjoyable light read, I felt that it was very busy with all the little subplots, and everything about the spy activity and investigation seemed contrived and flimsy. There was an action scene that was confusing and improbable, both in the action itself and the characters' reactions and motivations.

From the publisher:

A charming Yuletide romance painted with gorgeous Regency detail.

Elizabeth Gore-Langton was hardly in a position to refuse accompanying Lady Astley to the Christmas party at Stenton Castle. After all, a paid companion must follow her employer's wishes. It scarcely mattered that Elizabeth would be forced to face the man who had unknowingly broken her heart years ago during her first season. Most likely, the Duke of Stenton wouldn't even recognize her. But once she looked up into his dark, piercing eyes, she knew this was a man who fogot very little and forgave even less. Well, she was no longer a blushing schoolgirl, and the dashing duke would soon find that a broken heart, once mended, could be formidable indeed!

Clive Rowland, Fifth Duke of Stenton, was in no mood for a holiday gathering. But the Christmas gala would provide the perfect cover as he investigated reports that French agents were doing a brisk trade in stolen documents along the Sussex coast. It would be devilishly difficult to play the host while tracking down traitors, but Clive was up to the task―provided he kept his wits about him and didn't get distracted by yule logs and Christmas folderol . . . or the delightful charms of the disturbingly familiar Elizabeth. She was hiding something, to be sure, and Clive liked nothing better than unveiling a lady's secrets!

This is a book with a time frame of a week or less (#32) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Monthly Bookshelf Review - November 2024

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. ~Mason Cooley

No surprise that I got very little reading done this month, since there was a lot going on at various times. 

November's Books Completed and Reviewed

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - I finished this novel about the Titanic right at the end of last month but hadn't posted the review when I did my October Bookshelf Review. (Read my review HERE)

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Detective Daniel Hawthorne has been called in to work on a new case, with Horowitz helping and taking notes to turn the adventure into another book. This is the follow-up to The Word is Murder. (Read my review HERE.)

During November I shelved . . . 

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I may have read a little on this one that I'd just started, but once I got focused on the library book, I put this aside temporarily.

Where My Books Took Me in November . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

Sisters of Fortune is mostly set on the Atlantic Ocean.

One Word: Sorrow

The Sentence is Death is set in London, England.

One Word: Revenge

Coming Up in December!

I have a feeling I won't get a lot of reading done in the month ahead, but I've got these that I'd like to start on so I'll likely choose one of them:

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - Next in the Lady Darby series and has been top of my TBR for quite awhile

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

What I'm Reading - November 18, 2024

On Homeschool Coffee Break:

Preserving Nature

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

Twenty-Six Lists

What's Been On My November Calendar

WQ - Helping Hands

Tell Us About . . . Confidence: The Story Behind "Gaining Confidence"

WQ - Gaining Confidence

10 on the 10th - The Best of November 

Currently . . . November 8, 2024

Reflecting on October's Rhythms

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; and at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life.

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Sentence is Death

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Investigator Daniel Hawthorne is back to investigate another tricky murder case, and he insists that the reluctant author Anthony comes along to record all of it for a second book in the series. Anthony doesn't have time―he's busy working on the set of the TV show he writes―but Hawthorne is hard to dissuade, and soon Anthony is intrigued and involved enough that he is determined to find out the answer to who killed a wealthy divorce lawyer and why. Of course, he'd also like to know more about Hawthorne as a character, but he doesn't give up his own secrets easily.

The murder victim is Richard Pryce, bludgeoned to death with a very expensive wine bottle in his own home. It's clear he knew the killer and wasn't expecting to be attacked, but once Hawthorne and Horowitz start digging into the case, they discover that there are several potential murderers who had motive and opportunity. They will have to follow the threads to Pryce's past and to his most recent divorce case to figure out all the reasons and narrow down the field of suspects.

Once again, Horowitz delivers a clever mystery with some unexpected twists and at least a couple of red herrings. Like Horowitz (the character), I really wanted to test my wit against Hawthorne's and see if I could pick out the murderer on my own. As narrator, Anthony mentions early on that he missed and misconstrued clues that are included in his descriptions, and I guess I missed them too. I picked out my own suspect and was quite convinced I knew who did it, although I wasn't sure exactly how or why. When Anthony pitches his solution and they take it to the unpleasant police detecctive, I figured I was wrong . . . until that solution was shown to be a red herring . . . so maybe I was right after all? I was, and I'm pretty proud of myself for it. 

I chose to use this for the 52 Book Club prompt "an author everyone except me has read" because it seemed I was seeing Horowitz's titles on so many of the book blogs I follow, but prior to reading the first in this series, The Word Is Murder, I actually hadn't read him. Now I'm hooked. Thanks, book bloggers!

From the publisher:

Death, deception, and a detective with quite a lot to hide stalk the pages of Anthony Horowitz's brilliant murder mystery, the second in the bestselling series starring Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne.

"You shouldn't be here. It's too late . . . "

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine―a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn't drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man's many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who's really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed―even at the risk of death . . .

By the same author: The Word Is Murder

This is a book by an author "everyone" besides me has read (#25) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What I'm Reading - November 18, 2024

 

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! Although the Book Date link-up happens weekly, I don't update that often, because what I'm reading doesn't change a great deal from week to week, and I seldom find time any more to participate in book-related link-ups. I do try to do this summary around the middle of the month but it's been a minute since I did! Here's what I'm currently working on and what I think might be next:

I'm currently reading . . .

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - Detective Daniel Hawthorne has been called in to work on a new case, and author Horowitz is helping and turning the investigation into another book. This is the follow-up to The Word is Murder which I read last month and really enjoyed.

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar - I started this on my Kindle awhile ago and haven't got very far with it. It's the sequel to Harvest of Rubies, a story about a Jewish woman married to a Persian nobleman, and it takes place during the Biblical time period of Nehemiah.

Up Next . . . On the TBR stack . . . 

The stack grows faster than my ability to read it, especially lately! No guarantees, but these are the top contenders for me to pick up next:

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means - It was just brought to my attention that this is Non-fiction November, so I should probably at least start on a non-fiction. This will probably be the one.

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber - Next in the Lady Darby series and on the top of my TBR pile.

And to catch up a bit, here are the books (not too many of them, I'm afraid!) I've finished since my last update:

I finished reading . . . 

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - a historical novel that follows a wealthy Canadian family wrapping up their grand tour by sailing home on the Titanic.  (Read my review HERE.)

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz - The author inserts himself as a character in this clever crime novel, as he follows enigmatic detective Daniel Hawthorne in solving a strange murder case. (Read my review HERE.)

Blood of Adam by Rachel S. Neal - A novel centering on an imagined name and character for Japheth's wife, and what life may have been like for Noah's family in the years leading up to the flood. (Read my review HERE.)

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Monthly Bookshelf Review - October 2024

Monthly Bookshelf Review - September 2024

On my main coffee break project, A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge and other Q&A Link-up posts

Twenty-Six Lists

WQ - Gaining Confidence

10 on the 10th - The Best of November

Currently . . . November 8, 2024

Reflecting on October's Rhythms

WQ - Superstitious

Share Four Somethings - October 2024

WQ - Celebrating the Harvest

10 on the 10th - Celebrating Birthdays

Currently . . . October 5, 2024

WQ - Showing Love and Kindness

The Steady Rhythm of September

Share Four Somethings - September 2024

Wednesday Quotes Returns!

Tell Us About . . . Favorite Things: Coffee, Of Course!

And on my "first cup blog", Homeschool Coffee Break:

Preserving Nature

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What are you reading?

This post will also be linked at What's On Your Bookshelf? #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge hosted by Deb's World. 

 ©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee.

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.