The quarterly challenge check-in worked quite well for me in 2024, so I decided to stick with it. In these posts, I do a quick recap of the reading I did, pick 5 of my favorite reads, and also report on how I progressed with my different reading challenges. All of these are based on my reading goals for 2025 post, which you are welcome to check out! That said, it’s time for the first challenge check-in for 2025 Q1.
I had a better start to the year than in 2024. I mean, I did have another slump, but audiobooks saved my ass. And the need to get on with my reading, because deadlines 😬
Until April 1st I opened 22 books (3 more than in 2024). I DNFd 2 of them and set 1 aside for later. Out of the 22 books, 4 were rereads. As for format, 12 were audiobooks and 10 were ebooks. See, audiobooks are totally saving my ass. Maybe because that’s where I get my choice of freedom, especially in the first quarter of the year when we are reading the SPFBO finalists and have some early year ARCs as well on the go.
So all that means is that I’m 45% done with my GR goal – I once again set the number to 40.
Out of the 22 books, 13 were on the list I set up as my shortened TBR in my Reading Goals for 2024 post, so I did really well there. Yay! Let’s hope I’ll keep this up, lol. Last year started the same way, and then things died down…
The books I loved the most in 2025 Q1
Out of the 22 books, I gave 5👑 to 6. 3 of those were rereads. I decided that this year I’ll be a bit stricter with my ratings, and also, to be honest, I didn’t read a book that completely wowed me. Yet. Often I find that not necessarily the books I 5 starred stay with me until the end of the year, but those I might rated lower for some reason. So, in these mini-lists, I’ll focus on highlighting those that I think have the potential to end up on my top 10 reads of 2025 list. I will not pick rereads, because I obviously loved them previously, so I’d like to give the spotlight to newcomers. The books are listed in the order I’ve read them.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is one very uncomfortable read, but I pretty much expected that, as this is not my first Hendrix book. It’s set in a home for girls who became pregnant before marriage, where they carry them out and make decisions they shouldn’t be allowed to make. This book definitely gives a lot of food for thought.
Heir of Uncertain Magic by Charlie N. Holmberg is the second book in the Whimbrel House series. I also loved book 3 and 4, but I only wanted to pick one. This mystery/romance series is a fun one, and I’m looking forward to find out how the story ends. Unfortunately, I need to wait until next year.
The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer is the 8th book in the Daniel Faust series. I’ve been raving about it pretty much since I started blogging, so it’s probably nothing new. Daniel, Caitlin and the rest of their close-knit family get in trouble as always. Also, there is a huge ass cockroach involved, that’s pure nightmare fuel.
Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams is a standalone thriller, the second I read from her. I think I liked The Houngry Dreaming a touch more, but Dog Rose Dirt is just as chilling. There is a serial killer, family secrets and decisions that changed lives. Absolutely worth the read.
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski is one of the first ARCs I’ve read this year, and yet again, another thriller. Looks like my trend of enjoying thrillers more than fantasy continues this year. This one takes us to the darker side of Hollywood as Dash tries to find out what happened to the remains found in a drying lake.
I’m off to a decent start with Womble’s reading challenge this year. In 2025 Q1, out of the 3 prompts, I finished 2, but to be fair, I didn’t have the chance for all three.
January – First Steps: Heir of Uncertain Magic by Charlie N. Holmberg. We had to read the last book we added to the TBR, and well, I kind of did. It totally counts.
February – Short and Sweet: I should have read 28 short stories, but that was quite impossible with SPFBO and my ARCs. I might come back to this prompt later in the year, though.
March – Ready Steady Go!: The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer. Strictly speaking, I read this in February, but Womble gave us permission to finish the prompts any time, so I’m only cheating a little bit. So the prompt was to read the first book of a series, or the next one, that has been lingering on our shelves. Well, this is the 8th Daniel Faust book, and I’ve been meaning to catch up with the series for years. This might be my year. Only 3 more to go, until she decides to surprise launch another one on me this year – which is a very high possibility.
I had a lot of fun with Book Roast’s Year in Aeldia reading challenge in 2024, so there was no question that I’ll be back. This year she created a board game-like board! How cool is that? We had to make some important choices to begin with that could influence our later choices. It was stressful, and so I decided to cheat a bit and look ahead to be able to make a decision that would allow me to actually finish the challenge. We weren’t supposed to peak, though. I won’t tell if you don’t. 2025 Q1 had the following choices:
January – 1A (book published in 2024): Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson. We had the same prompt for all of the 1st steps, which was easy enough. And it aligned nicely with my already planned reading list.
February – 2A – North (book from the top shelf): We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. I had to be creative with this prompt, because on my physical top shelf are books I already read and loved and I wanted to go with this route. So I went to my spreadsheet where I have my shortened TBR listed, sectioned it according to the prompts, and picked one from the upper section. I did keep the spirit of the prompt, so I’m good. As was the book, btw.
March – 3D – Inspect well (read a thriller): Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski. Going this route was not a brainer, because I already planned to read at least one thriller, so it all worked out nicely.
In 2025 Q1, I decided to add 4 books (tentatively) to The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge card. It’s always a slow start, as I’m never quite sure if something better would come along. Anyway, for now I decided to put 4 on the board, which I might or might not chance later on. Here they are:
- Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix for STRANGE GIRL
- The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer for ADRENALINE
- By a Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron for NEW KINGS
- Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams for MOTHER NATURE
Here is what my card looks like right now:
And that concludes my Challenge Check-In for 2025 Q1. On the whole, I’m doing well with my different challenges, so for now, I’m happy with my progress. Let’s hope I can keep it up for Q2 as well! I’d love to hear about how you are doing with your challenges so far, so feel free to comment below!
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