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{Welcome to the 2024 Gaia Reading Challenge}

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      Everyone is welcome to participate! It doesn't matter if you read 5 books this year or 105! Any kind of book counts, whether it's a novel or a novella, a volume of manga, or an audiobook. Just enjoy reading what you like to read, any way you like to read! This is just a place to keep track of your challenge and share it with other Gaians.

      You can copy this form and update/repost as needed:


[b]Name:[/b] (Your Gaia username/nickname)

[b]Goal:[/b] (How many books do you want to read in 2024?)

[b]Specific Challenges:[/b] (Examples: Read more manga; read more LGBT authors; read more non-fiction; complete a long series.)

[b]Current Read(s):[/b] (What are you reading right now?)

[b]Completed:[/b] (The number of completed books or their titles, if you prefer.)


Have fun and good luck to all!
Credit: Starlight Orchid | 2023
Last updated: 4/18/2024

User ImageName
    Elda

Goal
    52

Specific Challenges


Current Read(s)


Completed (35/52)


[Link to My Spreadsheet for When I Forget to Update Here]

Ubebae's Darling

Romantic Cultist

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Inaqtuk's Wife

Salty Sweetheart

Name: GreenInkling

Goal: 24 in '24!

Specific Challenges: Read the books I already own!

Current Read(s):

The Flowers of the Moon by Alexander Palacio
Nine Hundred Grandmothers by RA Lafferty
Conquered by Eleanor Parker
Under the Silent Heavens by Brian Christopher Moore

Completed:

The Discarded Image by CS Lewis
The Viking Spirit by Daniel McCoy
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis [re-read]
Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson
The Wreath by Sigrid Undset [re-read]
The End of Woman by Carrie Gress
The Pied Piper of Atheism by Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry
The Wife by Sigrid Unset [re-read]
The Green Man by David Russel Mosley
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Lord of Spirits by Andrew Stephen Damick
The Sea Within by Peter Kreeft
The Everlasting Man by GK Chesterton [re-read]
The Turquoise Serpent by Alexander Palacio
The Lord of the Bottom of the Earth by Alexander Palacio
The Cross by Sigrid Undset [re-read]
Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange
My Brother's Keeper by Tim Powers
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Heartsound by Clare Stevens
Past Master by RA Lafferty [re-read]

Incomplete:

Merlin by Stephen Lawhead
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander
The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Dapper Bookworm

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Name: Penny Whistle

Goal: 20

Specific Challenges: Read some more nonfiction books.

Current Read(s):

Madman : Tracy Groot
Icefield : Thomas Wharton

Completed:

None Yet

Shirtless Lunatic

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Name: Mystery Ceres

Goal: 19/36
Well exceeded my original goal of 25 last year and surpassed 35, so how about starting with 30 and upping to 40 maybe?

I’d like to also diversify (or keep diversified) the kinds of authors I read from. Sometimes this is a little difficult if I get on a particular kick reading a few in particular, but I do try to vary it up when/where I can to keep perspectives different. Not always easy when I like fantasy, sci-fi, and weird fiction the most sweatdrop (I am very open to recs!)

I’m also going to try to actually read history books in full (instead of only reading the parts I like best). Not sure if I want to aim for one a month since I missed one for January, but one a month doesn’t seem like too much. Unlike above, I *do not* need recs. lol

Specific Challenges:
yum_tea finish all or most of my unfinisheds from last year
yum_tea read as much fiction as non-fiction?
yum_tea read at least:
- 12 fiction - 11/12
- 12 history - 5/12
- 12 magick/occult/folklore/mythology - 3/12

Current Read(s):
gaia_diamond The Accidental Empress - Allison Pataki
gaia_crown The First Ghosts - Irving Finkle
emotion_skull Astrology of the Shadow Self - Maja D’Aoust
emotion_skull


Completed:

January
gaia_zurg XX - Rian Hughes
gaia_zurg Babel-17 - Samuel R. Delany
gaia_zurg Empire Star - Samuel R. Delany
gaia_zurg Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany

February
gaia_moon gaia_sakura Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan
gaia_moon gaia_sakura Heart of the Sun Warrior - Sue Lynn Tan
gaia_crown Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded - Simon Winchester
gaia_zurg gaia_merduck Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler

March
gaia_crown Weavers, Scribes, and Kings - Amanda H. Podany
gaia_crown Desert Queen - Janet Wallach
emotion_skull Gemstone & Crystal Magic - Gerina Dunwich
gaia_moon gaia_contract One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig
emotion_skull Psychic Dreamwalking - Michelle Belanger
gaia_moon Circe - Madeline Miller
gaia_crown Royal Witches - Gemma Hollman

April
gaia_moon gaia_contract Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig
emotion_skull Leo Witch - Ivo Dominguez; Coby Michael
gaia_moon Ordinary Monsters - J.M. Miro
gaia_crown Persian Fire - Tom Holland


Key:
gaia_zurg = science fiction
gaia_moon = fantasy
gaia_diamond = historical fiction
gaia_sakura :merduk: gaia_contract = duologies
gaia_crown = history
emotion_skull = magick/occult/etc



To-read/Incompletes:

These are books either in my possession or weren’t finished for whatever reason last year
(I still have to transfer my list from last year)

The Accidental Empress - Allison Pataki
Inanna - Emily H. Wilson
Fires of Vesuvius - Mary Beard
The Black Locomotive - Rian Hughes
The Faded Sun Trilogy - C. J. Cherryh
Royal Witches - Gemma Hollman
Parable of the Talents - Octavia Butler
She is the Darkness - Glen Cook (Black Company 7)
Water Sleeps - Glen Cook (Black Company 8 )
Soldiers Live - Glen Cook (Black Company 9)

Incompletes:



last updated: 14 April 2024

Unstoppable Trash

Name: Em

Goal: 100

Specific Challenges: Read some more fantasy. I'm stuck in a contemporary loop.

Current Read(s): Clipped Wings by Helena Hunting

Completed: 2
Name: Star

Goal: 200 books

Specific Challenges: Read the books I HAVE, instead of buying new ones.

Current Reads: Witcher: Seasons of Storms; an arc of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods; the Something's Wrong with Us manga series

Completed: 19

Hi, everyone! I'm Star! Besides reading I love to write and roleplay, study languages, and play video and tabletop games. I'm playing a Drow rogue assassin/fighter build in my current D&D campaign, and I'm replaying the Final Fantasy VII Remake in preparation for the next installment in that series. I'm also at the end of Act II in Baldur's Gate 3, playing a Drow paladin.

As far as reading goes, I would say I read primarily fantasy, though my favorite genre is dystopian/post-apocalyptic. I enjoy science fiction and thrillers, too.

It was too much work last year to keep track of the title of every book I read in the reading challenge thread, so I'll just make note of honorable mentions this time.

I'm on Volume 12 of a manga series called Something's Wrong with Us and I'm loving it. I'm finishing a volume a day, pretty much, and just over halfway through the series. Volume 19 has not yet been released but I believe it's the last one. It's basically a soap opera with illegitimate children, love affairs, fighting to be in Grandfather's will, fake pregnancies, lost pregnancies, love triangles, childhood sweethearts and dramatic breakups. I'm really hooked on it. XD

I'm in a book club and our January pick (my suggestion) was Witcher: The Last Wish. I loved it so then moved on to read Season of Storms because Goodreads said it's Witcher #0. But it clearly takes place after Witcher #0.5 The Last Wish so...I guess a lot of them go in whatever order.

This week I'm going to join a Silent Book Club. The idea is to go in and sit down to read for an uninterrupted hour, in a group. You read whatever you want, then at the end of the hour you discuss what you're reading. I am NOT enjoying my advance copy of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, so I thought if I took that, I might be able to force myself to get through a chunk of it. On the other hand, maybe I should take a book I'm actually enjoying, like Season of Storms? Maybe I'll take both and read whichever sounds better. My only hesitation about this book club is that 271 people on FB said they're interested. lol I know that store doesn't have the capacity for 300 people, but I'd like to check it out.

Okay, that's enough of an intro. Happy reading!

Dapper Bookworm

9,150 Points
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  • Happy 13th, Gaia Online! 50
  • Bookworm 100
Name: Penny Whistle

Goal: 20

Specific Challenges: Read some more nonfiction books.

Current Read(s):

Sphere : Michael Crichton
Nestlings : Nat Cassidy

Completed:

Madman : Tracy Groot
Icefield : Thomas Wharton

Asechii's Wife

Name: Kiarra the Bard

Goal: 30

Specific Challenges: read more manga

Current Read(s): The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

Completed:
1. Demon Slayer volume 1
2. Demon Slayer volume 2
3. Demon Slayer volume 3

Anxious Egg

Name: uwu bambii

Goal: 20

Specific Challenges:read more bipoc and lgbt authors and get through some tbr from last year

Current Read(s):
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak User Image
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas User Image

Completed: Sorted from most recent to oldest

Hi everyone! This looks like fun! I mostly read mystery thriller novels, they tend to be my comfort zone, I wont stop reading them but I think I should incorporate a little bit of variety this year. Hope everyone has fun!

Note:
    User Image = physical book/e-book
    User Image = audiobook

Music note idea for audio book from Elda-Kun
Last Edit: 3/10/2024


pixels by me!

Interesting Gekko

Name: Greens

Goal: um...let's say....30-50 seems doable.

Specific Challenges: hmm...just...read more I suppose

Current Read(s): Right now, I'm in Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

Completed: None, so far.

Interesting Gekko

Mystery Ceres
Name: Mystery Ceres

Goal: 2/30
Well exceeded my original goal of 25 last year and surpassed 35, so how about starting with 30 and upping to 40 maybe?

I’d like to also diversify (or keep diversified) the kinds of authors I read from. Sometimes this is a little difficult if I get on a particular kick reading a few in particular, but I do try to vary it up when/where I can to keep perspectives different. Not always easy when I like fantasy, sci-fi, and weird fiction the most sweatdrop (I am very open to recs!)

Specific Challenges:
-finish all of my unfinisheds from last year
-read as much fiction as non-fiction

Current Read(s):
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany

Completed:
gaia_zurg XX - Rian Hughes
gaia_zurg Babel-17/Empire Star - Samuel R. Delany

To-read/Incompletes:

These are books either in my possession or weren’t finished for whatever reason last year
(I still have to transfer my list from last year)

The Black Locomotive - Rian Hughes
The Faded Sun Trilogy - C. J. Cherryh
A bunch of the Black Company books - Glen Cook
Dhalgren - Samuel R. Delany


Incompletes:
Moby d**k - Herman Melville




I've got a series of fiction books for ya if you want it! and a couple others.

Shirtless Lunatic

14,650 Points
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Green_crayon42


I've got a series of fiction books for ya if you want it! and a couple others.


That would be awesome, thank you!

Curious about your thoughts on Sun Warrior since you’re reading that, more so the book prior since that one’s first. I thought it looked interesting but wasn’t sure if it was too YA? I don’t mind some YA leaning every now and then, but I def prefer reading longer or more “adult” works. I blitz though books way too fast otherwise lol

Interesting Gekko

Mystery Ceres
Green_crayon42


I've got a series of fiction books for ya if you want it! and a couple others.


That would be awesome, thank you!

Curious about your thoughts on Sun Warrior since you’re reading that, more so the book prior since that one’s first. I thought it looked interesting but wasn’t sure if it was too YA? I don’t mind some YA leaning every now and then, but I def prefer reading longer or more “adult” works. I blitz though books way too fast otherwise lol

The Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior are both extremely good. Loooove them! A bit complex for me, but you should totally read them. It took some serious focus, but I understood it all and loved it so much.

Ok. let's see.
Redwall by Brian Jaques is a series of 21 books+cookbook. It is true that they are, indeed, for children. Mice with swords. Bravery, honor, adventure, puzzles, and riddles all the way dude. Some very good lessons in there. Incredibly well done. Totally awesome for kids and adults. All are available on Amazon, but I found nearly all in used book stores. You can read them in timeline or publishing order. or just start with whatever one you find first. There are past characters, but they all stand alone. Soooo many great characters to love and voice aloud.
There's one book that the fans don't like so much, Outcast of Redwall, and I'm totally one of those fans. but everything about this series is absolute PERFECTION.
Fan favorites are Mossflower, Mattimeo, Martin the Warrior and The Long Patrol. Martin starts out in a very tragic beginning, but oh man, soooo good!! You'll cry and laugh. They're all so wholesome. It's my home.

Another one is Bravely by uhh...Maggie Stiefvater. Set after Disney's Brave. Marida has to kindof work with/against some gods. WELL written. I loved it.

Little Thieves and Painted Devils by Margaret Owen. Great imagination and plot!! Oh man I loved these two! Has some romance, but not overwhelming.

And... The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer(??) is girl power all the way man. Good for teens. but I loved it anyway. Retold fairytales in a sci-fi world. Cinder is BADASS man. Loved her.


I'm not against adult books, but YA is just....what I understand for the most part. They make sense to me.
I also tried The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, but it didn't hold me to it. I wanted to like it, but meeeh.


ok I'll be quiet now.

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