52 Book Challenge for 2025: How I Did

I had lots of fun with last year's 52 book Challenge so I decided to participate again this year. 


1. A pun in the title-- Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher



2. A character with red hair- A Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez



3. Title starts with the letter "M"-- Memory Man by David Baldacci



4. Title starts with the letter "N"- Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter



5. Plot includes a heist-- Camino Island by John Grisham


6. Genre one- set in Spring-- Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen


 

7. Genre two- set in Summer-- Passions in Death by J.D Robb



8. Genre three- set in Autumn-- The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee


 

9. Genre four- set in Winter -- Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney



10. Author's last name is also a first name--Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren

11. A Prequel- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins


 

12. Has a moon on the cover-- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 



13. Title is 10 letters or less-- Deep End by Ali Hazelwood



14. Climate fiction-- All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

 


15. Includes Latin American history-- Violetta by Isabel Allende


 

16. Author has won an Edgar award-- Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto


 

17.  Told in verse-- All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson



18. A character who can fly-- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros



19. Has short chapters-- We Solve Murders by Richard Osman



20. A fairy tale retelling-- Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto



21. Character's name is in the title-- Ferris by Kate DiCamillo



22. Found family trope --Happy After All by Maisey Yates



23. A sprayed edge-- Summer in the City by Alex Aster



24. Title is a spoiler-- The Happiness Project or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin


25. Breaks the fourth wall-- Grave Talk by Nick Spalding



26. More than a million copies sold-- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


27. Features a magician-- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling


28. A crossover (set in a shared universe)-- Alone by Megan E. Freeman


 

29. Shares universe with prompt 28-- Away by Megan E. Freeman


 

30. In the public domain-- The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

31. Audiobook has multiple narrators-- Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn



32. Includes a diary entry-- Madly Deeply by Alan Rickman 



33. A standalone novel-- Hillbilly Elegy by J.D Vance



34. Direction in the title Offbeat North America by Lonely Planet



35. Written in the 3rd person-- All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker 



36. Final sentence is less than 6 words long-- Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo



37. Genre chosen for you by someone else-- Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teacher Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki


 

38. An adventure story-- The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes


 

39. Has an epigraph --Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon


40. Stream of consciousness narrative-- Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi


 41. Cover font is in a primary color-- The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks



42. Non-human antagonist-- Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella


43. Explore social class-- Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber



44. A celebrity on the cover-- From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough


 

45. Author releases more than one book a year- If I Lost You by Sheila Norton



46. Read in a "-ber" month-- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

 


47. "I think it was blue"-- Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb



48. Related to the word "puzzle"-- The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Skeinkin



49. Set in a country with an active volcano-- The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren



50. Set in the 1940's-- Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff


 

51. 300-400 pages long-- Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan

52. Published in 2025-- Philly Barker &The Murder at Deverell Grange 



Linking up with: 


 

Comments

  1. Maria RineerDecember 10, 2025 at 5:11 AM

    Great job! The challenge seems ambitious but you nailed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 10, 2025 at 5:21 AM

      Aw, thank you! It definitely felt ambitious at first but I usually have no problem finishing it.

      Delete
  2. HollyDecember 10, 2025 at 6:27 AM

    Wow! You are such an amazing reader. Loved going through your list too and going to add some to mine- thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 10, 2025 at 12:30 PM

      Aw, thank you! I have definitely been able to up my game by adding audiobooks in.

      Delete
  3. Amy ScottDecember 10, 2025 at 6:36 AM

    This is pretty darn amazing! What a fun challenge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM

      It really is a fun challenge; it always pushes me outside my comfort zone to read a few books I would never have thought to pick up.

      Delete
  4. Lyssy in the CityDecember 10, 2025 at 7:09 AM

    Wow that is impressive!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kim CarberryDecember 10, 2025 at 7:25 AM

    Well done with the challenge and all of the reading!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dara @ Not In JerseyDecember 10, 2025 at 8:24 AM

    Great job on the challenge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM

      It's funny that it always feels like both a relief and a let down to finish.

      Delete
  7. Adrienne PatenaudeDecember 10, 2025 at 9:51 AM

    looks like a fun challenge

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnnDecember 10, 2025 at 10:17 AM

    What a fun challenge! I am putting lots of those titles on my TBR list. I am going to try and find a challenge like this for next year. This year I turned 70 and my goal is to read 70 books by the end of the year....I am at 67!

    ReplyDelete
  9. MelisDecember 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM

    Wow! What a wonderful year of reading you've had! Congratulations on completing every challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pat @ Mille Fiori FavoritiDecember 10, 2025 at 12:06 PM

    This challenge looks like an interesting way to chose a book to read and I'm sure you enjoyed many you would not have read otherwise. We chose Ina Garten's autobiography as one of our book club selections for this upcoming year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM

      That absolutely happens each year; it's one of the main reasons I keep it going from year to year. Plus I still have plenty of time to read "other" books just for fun that might not fit any prompt.

      Delete
  11. Jodie's Touch of StyleDecember 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM

    Man...that's the way to get you to read different books than your norm...love it
    OXOX
    Jodie

    ReplyDelete
  12. Min - Write of the MiddleDecember 10, 2025 at 7:03 PM

    Hi Joanne, what can I say except WOW! Great job reading all the books on the list! I particularly love No. 52 which is written by our very own aussie author and fellow blogger Joanne Tracey. Thanks for linking up & sharing with us at #WWWhimsy xo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Melynda@Scratch Made Food!December 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM

    Nice variety, and great accomplishment! #MMBC

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tanya December 10, 2025 at 9:18 PM

    You read such a wide variety of books this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 11, 2025 at 6:16 AM

      I really did! I definitely credit the challenge for pushing me to read a much wider variety than I typically would on my own.

      Delete
  15. MarshaDecember 10, 2025 at 11:07 PM

    Congrats on finishing...even though I know you did it way earlier! I saw several authors I like, too!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnnDecember 11, 2025 at 8:38 AM

    Great job! I didn't do the challenge, but I've read 65 books so far this year. I can see how this challenge gets you to try new genres though!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Julie's Creative LifestyleDecember 11, 2025 at 10:24 AM

    I'm amazed at how many books you read Joanne. I will add some to my list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 11, 2025 at 2:13 PM

      Aw, thank you! This is really only a small selection of the total books I've read so far.

      Delete
  18. DEZMONDDecember 11, 2025 at 2:11 PM

    So sad that Sophie Kinsella died yesterday.
    I actually translated some of the books from your list for the readers in my country. I haven't counted how many I read this year so far, but December and November probably about 15 LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM

      That is wonderful that you translate books for readers in your country!

      Delete
  19. nicole orriensDecember 12, 2025 at 3:26 AM

    Wow, you did it! I don't think I would be able to do this, even though I love reading and do read a lot.

    Wait a minute, now I see the message of Dezmond that Sophie Kinsella died yesterday... I'm getting chills. I loved her Shopaholic books. It's so sad she died so young.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 12, 2025 at 7:05 AM

      Yeah, I really enjoyed her books too. It is quite sad.

      Delete
  20. The Happy WhiskDecember 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM

    Impressive stack you read. Well done, you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lindsay's Sweet WorldDecember 19, 2025 at 1:40 PM

    I just love that you do this! I'm so impressed that you were able to do it again this year! You have so many great books on your list, too!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Tamar SBDecember 24, 2025 at 11:54 AM

    This is awesome!! I need to find something for 2026 like this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne December 25, 2025 at 4:23 AM

      If you're looking for one there is a 2026 Challenge by the same group:https://www.the52book.club/2026-reading-challenge/

      Delete

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