Better Late Than Never - 2022 Reading Challenges I Hope to Complete

 Every year I pick challenges, and every year I slack off...no excuse really, life just seems to get in the way. It isn't that I'm not reading, that's far from the case. For some reason I have let this site fall off a little and I have decided this is the year to bring it back. Get back to writing reviews for all books read, any fun memes that I feel up to participating in, you just never know what might pop up. To start, these are the challenges I will participate in. Will I complete them? That remains to be seen. But, I am going to have fun trying. 

In the past I have created separate post for each challenge. That I don't have time for. But, when I write a review I will post which challenge it fits. I hope you will join me in some of these.

Happy Reading!

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. Fill your bowls with one book for each letter of the Alphabet

Alphabet Soup – Author Edition Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.

Backlist Reader Challenge. Read books that have been published before 2021 AND are already on your TBR list or pile.

Beat the Backlist Challenge. The Beat the Backlist reading challenge is designed to help you tackle all the books you keep meaning to read and still haven’t.

Beyond the Bookends 2021 Reading Challenge. This challenge features 12 categories – 1 for each month – that will inspire your reading journey for the road ahead.

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge. Read any book that is from the mystery, suspense, thriller, or crime genre.

Finishing the Series. This challenge is focused on finally finishing those series that you’ve started but not yet completed.

Linz The Bookworm 2021 Reading Challenge. There are different levels, and different categories in each level. There are a lot of options but this reading challenge will also help challenge you to come out of your comfort zone. Get reading!

Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge. Your task is to read at least one book each month whose title includes one or more of the keywords for that month. This challenge is hosted here at Girlxoxo!

Monthly Motif Reading Challenge. Read a book that corresponds to one of the themes or motif provided each month. This challenge is hosted here at Girlxoxo!

Mount TBR. Knock out some of those books you OWN that have been waiting in the wings for weeks … months … even years.

Netgalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the number of NetGalley/Edelweiss books sitting on your shelf to be read? Have you lost your 80% rating and would love to get it back? Then challenge yourself to read more NetGalley and/or Edelweiss books.

The Nerdy Bookworm 50 Books a Year Reading Challenge. Read 50 books by picking one for each of the prompts, or complete the BINGO!

The Nerd Daily Reading Challenge. Consisting of 52 challenges, you could potentially read a book a week from the printable prompts, or read any time throughout the year.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks. The goal is to read 52 books this year. How you get there is up to you, but there are also 4 challenges along the way – a 52 Books Bingo, A to Z and Z to A Word of the Week to stir your creativity, Books about Books Bookology for the author of the month reading and spelling challenge and Crime Spree which will take us around the world, following in the footsteps of detectives of all ages. 

Stacked Reviews 2021 Reading Challenge. Choose a book for each of the 20 reading challenge prompts.

Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge. The goal is to read at least ONE book from your TBR every month. It can be an ARC, ebook, audiobook or print – your choice. Any reading is good reading!

TBR Challenge 2022. Pull out long neglected books from your “to be read” list, following the theme of the month – and read. Share with #TBRChallenge

TBR 22 in ’22. The goal is to read 22 books from your TBR shelves in 2022.

Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge. This challenge is for all those folks with mile-long “wish-list” of TBRs who would like a chance to climb as well – similar to the Mount TBR Challenge.

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2021 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge - Author Edition

 

Author Edition Reading Challenge!

Just for Fun!

Start keeping track of your authors and by December 31, 2021
your bowls must be filled by one author for each letter of the Alphabet.
Be sure to include the book title too.

 

Details

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2021 until December 31st, 2021.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page.

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name, middle, or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.

A - The Groomer by Jon Athank

B - Oyinkan Braithwaite - My Sister, the Serial Killer

C - Heather Chavez - Blood Will Tell

      Justin Cronin - The Ferryman

D - Abi Dare - The Girl With the Louding Voice

E

F - Alice Feeney - Daisy Darker

      Tarryn Fisher - An Honest Lie

G - Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

H - Ali Hazelwood - The Love Hypothesis

       Kristin Hannah - The Nightingal

I

J - Tayari Jones - An American Marriage

K - The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

L - Jenny Lawson - Furiously Happy

M - Charlotte McConaghy - Once There Were Wolves

       Jojo Moyes - Someone Else's Shoes

N - The Resemblance by Lauren Nosett

O - Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

P - Nita Prose - The Maid

Q

R - Taylor Jenkins Reid - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

      You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose

S - J.D. Salinger - Raise High The Roofbeam Carpenters

      Riley Sager - The House Across the Lake

T

U - Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

V - Catherynne Valente - Comfort Me With Apples

       Ocean Vuong - Time is a Mother

W - Stephanie Wrobel - This Might Hurt

X

Y

Z

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2022 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

 

JUST FOR FUN!

This is my favorite Challenge!

The Alphabet Soup Challenge means that by December 31, 2022
your bowls must be filled with one book for each letter of the Alphabet.

Each Letter Counts As 1 Spoonful

Details

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2022 until December 31st, 2022.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

Children’s Books and Novellas are acceptable but they need to be over 50 Pages. 

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page.

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

 

The First Main Word Needs To Be
The Letter You Are Counting 

Except For that pesky Q, X, AND Z titles then the word that starts with the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title.

Let's see how close I can get to finishing this one this year, it might be harder than I think!

A - An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan - Finished 06/28/22

      An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - Finished 02/25/22

      Always the First to Die by Rej Jacobs

      All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

B - Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez - Finished 1/30/22

      The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison - Finished 05/04/22

      Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances by Ruth Emmie Lang - Finished 04/05/22

C - Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne Valente - Finished 1/09/22

      Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkin Reid - Finished 07/29/22

D - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - Finshed 2/06/22

E

F - Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson - Finished 2/19/22

     The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

     The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

     Fairy Tale by Stephen King

G - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare - Finished 2/05/22

       The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson - Finished 07/13/22

       Ghost 19 by Simone St. James

       The Groomer by Jon Athan

H - An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher - Finished 1/09/22

      The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager - Finished 2/16/22

      His and Hers by Alice Feeney - Finished by 07/05/22

      Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak - Finished 06/26/22

      The Housemaid by Freida McFadden - Finished 04/04/22

      Hide by Kiersten White - Finished 03/31/22

       Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

      How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I - The It Girl by Ruth Ware - Finished 03/13/22

    I Know Where You Live by Gregg Olsen

J - Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel - Finished 06/09/22

     Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

K

L - The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood - Finished 1/26/22

      Lover Arisen by J.R. Ward - Finished 3/22/22

      Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

M - The Maid by Nita Prose - Finished 1/16/22

       Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult - Finished 05/25/22

       My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - Finished 03/01/22

N - Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson - Finished 07/10/22

      The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - Finished 03/12/22

       New Friends by Daniel Hurst

O - Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy - Finished 2/12/22

      The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

P - The Prisoner by B.A. Paris - Finished 07/23/22

      The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Q

R - Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters by J.D. Salinger - Finished 1/27/22

      The Ruins by Scott Smith - Finished 07/03/22

      The Resemblance by Lauren Osectt

S - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Finished 1/23/22

      A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena - Finished by 06/26/22

      She is Me Too by T.M. Shivener - Finished 04/27/22

      Someone Else's Shoes by JoJo Moyes

      Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

      The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

T - Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong - Finished 2/19/22

      Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier - Finished 04/20/22

      This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel - Finished 02/28/22

U

V

W - We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin - Finished 07/31/22

       Woom by Duncan Ralston - Finished 03/19/22

X

Y - You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose

      The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

Z - Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates - Finished 05/29/22

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Fall Calls for a New Tea Kettle

With fall and winter on the way it's time to add a new tea kettle to the household. I used to have an electric one but it stopped working. That was ok because I was hoping to find one that looked nice on the stove anyway. I would love to have a collection of antique tea kettles to match my antique tea cups, unfortunately I don't have the space where we live to accommodate that.

It came down to what type and what color tea kettle to get...after talking with my husband (yeah, I do have him help sometimes) this is the tea kettle we decided on, an AIDEA Ceramic Tea Kettle with a Wooden Handle. I thought the color was fabulous and I have never had a tea kettle with a wooden handle before, so that is also exciting. 

Sitting with a good book and a nice cup of tea (French Breakfast may be my favorite), are two of my all time favorite things to do. What about you? Are you a tea drinker? If so, what is your favorite brand/flavor?

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Book Review: The Sitting Swing by Irene Watson

  

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Loving Healing Press (July 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932690670
ISBN-13: 978-1932690675
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches

Book Synopsis:

Irene Watson's pretentious life could go no further until she faced her past. Her moving and inspiring memoir begins at the end, in a recovery center, whe she has gone to understand a childhood fraught with abuse, guilt, and uncertainty.

Two distinct parts of the book look at abusive child rearing and the process of recovery years later. This story shows change, growth, and forgiveness are possible. It gives hope and freedom to those accepting the past and re-writing life scripts that have been passed down for generations. It's never too late to change your life, never too late to heal.

This book was truly an eye opener. Upon hearing of Irene's upbringing, I got tears in my eyes. My mother is not a whole lot older than Irene, and yet she had clothing bought for her and plumbing and electricity her entire life! She was the oldest of 6 children, but never felt neglected (maybe the first born syndrome was in play...even then). My heart broke for young Irene, constantly living in the shadow of a brother she never knew, and was never spoken of. She could do nothing right, yet had no freedom as both of her parents were afraid of what might happen to their daughter. Their fear may have led to their inability to show her the love she so desparately craved, and led to her seeking to find any way out of a miserable exsistence.

This books starts out with Irene enrolling in Avalon, a treatment facility recommended by her friends. She is leary from the very beginning as she looks up at the corner of the room and sees a video camera. There is no way she is going to consent to being videotaped, who do these people think they are? After dealing with Gilles for the first two weeks, she is ready to throw in the towel. She is not sure she believes anything that he is "preaching", it is the same old, same old and he is harsh and demeaning in his delivery. After the first two weeks his wife Liliane takes over the sessions and it is a different world. Gone is the harsh and demeaning lessons, and the love and support that Irene felt so lacking in the beginning of her stay comes shining through...that is until she has to do a scripted session about a conversation she envisions with her husband. Liliane has words with Irene, words that shock Irene but in the end lead her to the breakthrough she needed all along.

There were so many parts of this book that I could relate to. I have some people in my family that struggle with alcohol, and it is heartbreaking to watch. It also is the reason that I don't drink, something that Irene and I share. Don't get me wrong, I will have an occasional glass of wine, but do not enjoy being around people that have had too much to drink. I also can relate to the overprotective aspect of mothering...but I am the culprit. I don't seclude my daughters, but I do have a daughter with heart defects and there isn't a day that passes that I don't try to protect her just a little bit more than you might a "regular" child. I think the part that I could relate to the most was the Needs section from her stay at Avalon. After reading that I knew that this was my type of woman - it was exactly the way I thought of things.

This was an excellent book, and one I would recommend highly. Great job Irene, and I look forward to more from you in the future!

About the author:

Irene Watson holds a Masters Degree in Psychology, with honors, from Regis University in Denver, CO. Her life has taken her on many paths, with breakthrough results and exemplar growth, to find her authentic and true self. She lives with her husband in Austin, Texas. You can visit her website at http://www.irenewatson.com/.

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It's Monday What Are You Reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

            

(Library/Sora)

I actually was on a roll reading Karen Marie Moning's Fever series but just wasn't drawn to read Dani's story. I may go back to it at some point but knew I had many other books on my list. I did love this series and will review them as a lot soon. 

I have owned The Coldest Girl in Coldtown for a few years but to be honest, it is just easier to read on my Kindle so I checked it out from our Sora system (that is our schools library system). I will review this soon as well, it wasn't as good as I hoped but I didn't hate it. 

(REVIEWS COMING SOON)

***********

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

(NETGALLEY)

A chilling feminist novel set in a near-future dystopia, Anna explores the conflicts between selfhood and expectations, safety and control, and the sacrifices we make for the sake of protection.

Beaten. Branded. Defiant.

Anna is a possession. She is owned by the man named Will, shielded from the world of struggles by his care. He loves her, protects her, and then breaks her. Anna is obedient, dutiful, and compliant. Anna does not know her place in the world.

When she falls pregnant, Anna leaves her name behind, and finds the strength to run. But the past - and Will - catch up with her in an idyllic town with a dark secret, and this time, it’s not just Anna who is at risk.

UP NEXT:

(NETGALLEY)

Few writers evoke the complexities of the heart and the gritty fascination of the American South as vividly as Donna Everhart, whose lyrical new novel, set against the background of the Great Depression, is a powerful story of courage, survival, and friendship . . .

In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.

Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it—and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity—a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer’s tally. Delwood Reese, who’s come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers “Ray” a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.

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