We’re all shocked that 2025 is half over, right? And yet, time marches on, and so do reading challenges! This year I’m only going to do a mid-year check-in and an end of the year wrap-up, just to keep things easier. Here is my challenge progress so far:
1. 2025 Goodreads goal:
This is a screenshot of my Goodreads progress at the end of June, and you can see I’m on track for passing the 100 books read mark if I keep up this momentum (and I might not, because I always have more drive during the first half of the year). Still, I’m very happy with this number!
2. Bookforager’s Picture Prompt Bingo:
I haven’t had a lot of time to figure this bingo card out, so I’m a little behind. But I did find six of the prompts, and I have the rest of the year to finish the challenge. Check out Bookforager’s Picture Prompt Bingo post here!
1. A prehistoric flint knapped stone knife
2. A lighthouse – The Way Up Is Death by Dan Hanks (very loosely interpreted, but the focus of this story is a huge tower)
3. An apple on a leafy branch
4. An archery target
5. A very large mechanical telescope – Overgrowth by Mira Grant (alien contact)
6. A human skull – Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill (Jenny collects the bones she finds in her lake)
7. A stag
8. The ruins of a temple-like structure
9. A crab
10. A sheaf of wheat
11. An old mechanical typewriter – The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. (parts of the story are journal entries, so this is like a “story within a story”)
12. A cluster of four mushrooms – Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton (the story revolves around truffles!)
13. A fringed umbrella/parasol
14. A chemistry set-up of bottles and tubes – Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis (the main character uses chemistry to make spells!)
15. A stylized sun with a human face
16. A roman helmet
3. Alphabet Reading Challenge:
This is an easy, passive challenge. I’m not really seeking out specific letters, but just reading my TBR lists and hoping I can get all (or most) of this filled in by the end of the year. So far, so good! This template is courtesy of @laurasloaninglibrary on Instagram, and you can download the template for free! (or just save this one)
4. TBR Jar Challenge:
Welp. I have read exactly ZERO of my TBR jar books, lol. I always have big plans for this challenge, but inevitably I get sucked into my review book commitments and forget about these. I aim to read at least 5 or 6 of these by the end of the year. Do you think I can? LOL. Let me know which one to read first!
You’re doing so well with all your challenges, especially the Alphabet. I found that one quite tough last year, most of the books I read seemed to start with M.
Good luck for the rest of the year 😀
Ha ha M is a popular letter. I also have read lots of “S” books.
Way to go, Tammy! I just reached my goal of 50 books and am at 51 now even. Yay!
Yay! I’m glad we’re both on track:-)
Looks like you’re doing great! Hope you have some great reads ahead as well.
Thanks Barb!
wow, 20 books ahead!
I hope you can soon get to Migrations, I think it was impressive!
Me too, I really want to read it:-)
Very shocked, yes! o.O You’re doing great with the challenges! I’m more or less on track with my single one – but only ‘cos I dropped the number to stop the negative “You’re x books behind!”.
I started doing that too with my Goodreads challenge, starting with a lower number to be “ahead” rather than “behind” lol.
I’m doing okay with all but my TBR and Coyer challenges I feel. Looks like you’re doing great too!
Thanks Lisa!
It looks like you made good progress on your challenges especially since there’s so much to juggle! I like the idea of only doing a mid and end of year check in, seems much simpler 🙂 I always also have more drive at the start of the year so I relate. Out of your TBR books I’d read Cackle or Chlorine first1
Last year I gave up trying to do quarterly challenge check ins, especially since time is moving so fast and I forget!
Yes! Where did the year go? And I’d often tell my husband at the end of the day, “Where did the day go?”
It seems so fast, but also not fast enough? You have a productive reading year so far. Awesome!
Thank you! And yes, I love that expression “The days are long but the years are short,” so true:-)
You’re doing great!! It can be hard to keep track of everything and ARCs are so exciting but also so distracting for our plans!!
ARCs always get me off track with the TBR jar, lol.
It’s so hard to believe we are halfway though the year!
It really is, it’s zooming by!
Looks like you’re rockin’ it on most of the challenges, even if the TBR Jar is a bit empty at present. 🙂 I’m a bit behind this year, but we’ll see what the second half brings.
That TBR Jar is always my downfall, lol. I have such lofty plans in January!
You’re doing wonderfully with your challenges. I’m doing a few of the same ones but need to look into what I can actually cross off for them still lol. Good luck getting to some of the books from your TBR jar too. I’ve heard good things about several of them so hopefully they’ll be worth the wait. Although I totally understand struggling to fit certain reads in. I’m constantly pulled in about five TBR directions.
You’re doing so well with your challenges, well maybe not the TBR jar – but you have time to catch up with that one and some good books to read in the jar.
Lynn 😀
I wanted to do the picture bingo challenge! Love the idea of being able to interpret the images in different ways
Yeah I get being sucked into commitments as well so every month when I pull a book, I forget to read it. #oops. But you are doing great with all the other challenges!