2025 Reading Challenge
- Thread starter Selaws
- Start date
WhiteDahlias
Active Member
I'm back!
February wasn't quite as productive of a reading month as January had been. I blame the fact that I started playing Hades on my Steam Deck and got kinda sucked in. This month was very mixed for me.
6. Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors
I loved this one. A great exploration of grief, addiction, and family relationships. All of the sisters were both lovable and flawed and I loved reading about the nuance in their relationships with each other. I had been meaning to pick up this author's first book and I'll make a point to do that sooner rather than later.
7. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
I enjoyed this, but I think it would have made more of an impact on me if I had waited until Christmas time to read it. I feel like I might have rushed through it and didn't think much about it after I finished it. I liked it, but I will probably watch the film at some point to refresh myself.
8. A Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan
This was definitely a palate cleanser compared to some of the heavier stuff I had been reading. I'd classify this as "cozy" fantasy; it's an adventure story about a woman going on a science expedition to study dragons. The fantasy elements are very light, it's basically Regency-era England but with dragons. I enjoyed this enough that I might pick up the next one if I need something light. Also I love the covers of these.
9. Ariadne - Jennifer Saint
I actually started this on last year on my flight to Greece, but I didn't get too far. At the time I thought it was because I was tired and it was kind of a rough flight, but when I picked it back up again it proved to be a slog. I was already familiar with the myths and I feel like it followed them closely enough that there wasn't a whole lot to keep me invested. It felt like the whole theme of the book is that in most Greek mythology stories, women didn't have a lot of agency... but then most of the book is just Ariadne reacting to things that happen to her instead of the author giving her agency. I also felt that the pacing was painfully slow for a book that was relatively short. I thought I would like this one a lot since I loved Circe by Madeline Miller and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker but this was a disappointment.
Last night I started reading After Dark by Haruki Murakami since I haven't read one of his in a while and it was one I wasn't familiar with, but after that I think I'm in the mood for some classics. I have a couple Jane Austens, and I just picked up a very pretty copy of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, who is the only Bronte sister I haven't read before. Hopefully March will be a better reading month overall.
February wasn't quite as productive of a reading month as January had been. I blame the fact that I started playing Hades on my Steam Deck and got kinda sucked in. This month was very mixed for me.
6. Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors
I loved this one. A great exploration of grief, addiction, and family relationships. All of the sisters were both lovable and flawed and I loved reading about the nuance in their relationships with each other. I had been meaning to pick up this author's first book and I'll make a point to do that sooner rather than later.
7. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
I enjoyed this, but I think it would have made more of an impact on me if I had waited until Christmas time to read it. I feel like I might have rushed through it and didn't think much about it after I finished it. I liked it, but I will probably watch the film at some point to refresh myself.
8. A Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan
This was definitely a palate cleanser compared to some of the heavier stuff I had been reading. I'd classify this as "cozy" fantasy; it's an adventure story about a woman going on a science expedition to study dragons. The fantasy elements are very light, it's basically Regency-era England but with dragons. I enjoyed this enough that I might pick up the next one if I need something light. Also I love the covers of these.
9. Ariadne - Jennifer Saint
I actually started this on last year on my flight to Greece, but I didn't get too far. At the time I thought it was because I was tired and it was kind of a rough flight, but when I picked it back up again it proved to be a slog. I was already familiar with the myths and I feel like it followed them closely enough that there wasn't a whole lot to keep me invested. It felt like the whole theme of the book is that in most Greek mythology stories, women didn't have a lot of agency... but then most of the book is just Ariadne reacting to things that happen to her instead of the author giving her agency. I also felt that the pacing was painfully slow for a book that was relatively short. I thought I would like this one a lot since I loved Circe by Madeline Miller and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker but this was a disappointment.
Last night I started reading After Dark by Haruki Murakami since I haven't read one of his in a while and it was one I wasn't familiar with, but after that I think I'm in the mood for some classics. I have a couple Jane Austens, and I just picked up a very pretty copy of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, who is the only Bronte sister I haven't read before. Hopefully March will be a better reading month overall.
