2025...Reading Challenges, First Book of the Year, and my Word for the Year

I honestly cannot believe how fast 2024 went by! While it wasn't a terrible year, some things happened that made it less than ideal for me. Not going into details, but I'm sure many can relate. But let's put 2024 in the past where it belongs and get down to a new year of optimism and reading plans. I mentioned in my 2024 reading year post that I reached my goal of reading 50 books in 2024. I'm setting my 2025 goal at 60. We shall see if I can surpass last year. I'm certainly going to try.

First book of the year - Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry

Of course I'm starting off the year with a horror novel. I have always loved the legend of Sleepy Hollow ever since watching The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad as a kid. So far, this one is really good!

I'm also reading Winter King: Henry VII and The Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn for my book group on Goodreads, True Book Talk. 

My word for the year

Last year, my word was Release and I think I did a pretty good job of doing just that. In 2023, I was struggling with empty nest syndrome so Brave was my word and then I chose Release last year to help me accept and release what I could not change. This year I chose Courage to help me cope with what is going on in our country and the world, and also to have the courage to keep going with my weight loss (I've lost 80 lbs since April 2024), and writing, and finishing, my novel. 

The new year for me always comes with a fresh start at reading challenges. This year I'll once again be doing Book Challenge by Erin (which is twice a year), in addition to the four challenges I host.

Challenges listed below:
Book Challenge by Erin 22.0
2025 I Read Horror Year-Round
1000 Books Project 2025: Sigrid Undset's Krisin Lavransdatter
2025 Book to Movie (and TV) Challenge
2025 Read Your Shelf Challenge

First up...the twice a year challenge - Book Challenge by Erin 22.0 (Facebook group)

First round of the year runs Jan - April.

Freebie: Horseman, Christina Henry

Added to 2024 TBA - The Hacienda, Isabel Canas

Artist (writer) as main character - The Writing Retreat, Julia Bartz

Sunset on cover - Holly, Stephen King

Jenna Bush Book Club rec - Camp Zero, Michelle Min Sterling

Title starts with I - Incidents Around the House, Josh Malerman

City/Town in title - The Last Witch of Langenburg, Thomas Robisheaux

Female villain - Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin

Author w/ first name of Erin - Lake of Sorrows, Erin Hart

Climate change fiction - Portent, James Herbert

This is a private Facebook group. You can check it out and join here. You can join in at any time during the four months. Second challenge of the year starts July 1st. Categories announced in June.

Now on to the challenges I'm hosting...

I host this challenge at my sister blog, the horror blog, Castle Macabre. 

I have some ideas on what I'll be reading, but not sure on all of them yet. I'm going for the Chilling level again this year. I completed the level in 2024 so I'll stick with it for now.

Here are the prompts and levels...

• Vampires
• Witches
• Folk Horror 
• Written by a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) author
• A Ghost Story
• Written by a female author
• Cosmic Horror
• Frightening Cover
• Adapted as movie/series
• Katsu, Ketchum, King, or Koontz
• Black, gray, orange, or red cover
• Book featuring a Cryptid (mark off one BINGO square!)

Levels:

Spooky: Read 6 books from 6 categories
Chilling: Read 12 Books from all 12 categories
Frightful: Read 2 books from each category for a total of 24 books
Horrifying: Read 3 books from each category for a total of 36 books

I'm sure you noticed that last prompt up there. That's right...I've added an optional BINGO challenge with a Cryptid theme. Fun, right?! Check out the BINGO card!

Full details and sign up here.

The next three challenges are hosted by me at Gather Together and Read, my reading community site.

Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter - January through August

Honoring women: A woman's life saga.

We have already started reading. The reading schedule is posted here.

Full details and sign-up here.

My main level...

The Enthusiast: read 1-3 books
Also, additional levels...
Not Ready to Let Go: read at least one (1) book made into a movie or series in 2023
Living in the Past: read at least one (1) book made into a movie in previous years
The Movie Was Better (What?!): watch the movie(s) for the book(s) you read.

Potential books:

Wicked, Gregory Maguire (2024)
The Witching Hour, Anne Rice (reread) Second season of streaming series (1/5/25)
The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard (2022)
The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann (2023)

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin - House of the Dragon streaming series (2022, 2024)

The Keep, F. Paul Wilson (1983)

My Lady Jane, Cynthia Hand - streaming series (2024)

Dune, Frank Herbert (2021 and 2024) streaming series Prophecy (2024)

Klara And The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (2025)

The Running Man, Stephen King (2025)

Full details and sign up here.

Pretend your house is a library: A strategy for actually reading the books you own.

My "holds shelf"...

My full list of books on my holds shelf are listed on my 2025 Reading Challenges page located in the blog menu above.

Full details on how this challenge works (you can adapt it to fit your needs too!) and sign up here.

Last, but not least, my independent project called Backlist Challenge. I'm keeping track on a separate page which you can see up in the blog menu. As always, there are also links in the menu to my long term challenges like the Classics Club, etc.

That's it! What is (was) your first book of the year? Do you have a word for 2025? What are your reading plans? Doing any challenges, or perhaps thinking of joining one (or more) of mine?
Whatever your plans are, I wish you a Happy New Year of peace and prosperity, and great reading of course!

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