This year feels like a weird one already – on the one hand, I can’t believe it’s March. On the other…it’s only March? Things feel very up and down, but all I can do right now is keep pushing forward. And books are such a great source of joy and escape in difficult times.
2025 Reading Challenges
Update #1
Goal: 10/70 (+6)
Musicals Reading Challenge 2025
2/24 (0) Prompts Completed
No progress on this one for this month, but I’m not too worried about that for the time being as I’m doing smaller challenges, so the reading is spread out a little more across all of them. I am hoping to get to some more books on this challenge in March, though.
Books to Read: The Hemlock Queen, The Fairy Tellers, The Story of Cardiff
2025 TV Shows Reading Challenge
2/12 (+1) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
AGATHA All ALONG – A sequel or the next book in a series
For some reason, Garth Marenghi’s Incarcerat is taking me quite a long while to read – I am listening to it as an audiobook though, and haven’t been able to listen to stuff as much as usual recently so that’s definitely had an impact. I’m really hoping I can finish this in March.
Read
BLACK-ISH – A book where the main character is a POC
I really enjoyed Ace of Spades – it’s a strong YA Thriller that I think the target audience will get even more out of than I did.
Books to Read: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, The Girl With No Reflection, Scales and Sensibility
Be Curious – Non-Fiction Challenge 2025
2/12 (+2) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
Anthropology – People long dead still have to tell interesting stories
I’m not too far off finishing The Celts: Search for a Civilization, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s written well and in an engaging manner, though as the focus is on the Celts, there’s not much concrete information here! Still, Roberts manages to pull things together very well.
Read
Medicine – Saving lives – or doing harm?
Madness: Stories of Uncertainty and Hope was an enlightening though at times difficult read. Sean Baumann writes here with compassion and an element of frustration at working in a system that can’t do more.
Politics – Politics is everywhere. In Government, in Sports, in Corporations. How does it effect us personally?
It took me a while to get through Uncontrollable Women, but it was worth it. Nan Sloane details the lives and achievements of many overlooked women, and it was great to see a wider spotlight on women between 1789 and 1832.
Books to Read: Under the Banner of Heaven, We Can Be Heroes, Enchanted Wales
Romance Readers Diversity Challenge 2025
1/12 (+1) Prompts Completed
Currently Reading
A book written by an Asian author
I’m not far into The Governess Affair, but I’m really enjoying it! It’s definitely got me hooked already.
Read
A book written by a trans or non-binary author
For this, I went with a book that’s been sitting on my TBR for a while – Cinder Ella, by S.T. Lynn. Short and sweet, and I’ll definitely check out more from this author in the future.
Books to Read: Get a Life, Chloe Brown, In Memoriam, Unladylike Lessons in Love
2025 SFF Title Challenge
1/16 (+1) Prompts Completed
Read
king(dom)
Molly Ringle’s Sage and King was a fun, light fantasy that had me hooked throughout. It’s loosely based on the relationship between Arthur and Merlin in the BBC TV series Merlin, but it stands on its own as a sweet mlm fantasy romance.
Books to Read: Voyage of the Damned, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, The Art of Space Travel
Netflix Movies & TV Shows
14/24 (0) Prompts Completed
This one is at a standstill, but I keep it here to remind myself of it and so I can keep an eye on how I’m doing overall. I’m definitely going to be taking a close look at where I am when we’re halfway through the year, and whether or not it’s likely I’ll actually make more progress with this in the second half! We’ll see.
Books to Read: So You Want to Talk About Race, Daisy Jones & The Six, All That Remains
Overall, I do feel like this has been a good reading month! In January I feel like I ended up reading a few longer books, but I’ve balanced that out with some shorter ones here. I’m quite happy with a total of 6 read, and not displeased with the progress on the reading challenges, either.
Unwrapping Words 