Reading Challenge 2021

2025 Reading Challenge Recap

| C.E. Flores

Every year, I approach my reading challenge with equal parts ambition and realism. Some books are carefully planned; others show up unexpectedly and end up checking off multiple prompts at once. This year was no exception. As I look back at my 2025 reading challenge so far, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much ground I covered—and how flexible this challenge allowed me to be.

Here’s a breakdown of where I landed.

🏛️ Ancient Worlds, Retellings, and Folklore

One book managed to do a lot of heavy lifting here:

  • Set in ancient times
  • Retelling
  • Set in a different country/continent (or world)
  • Includes folklore and legends

👉 Circe by Madeline Miller

A beautifully written retelling that immerses you in myth while still feeling deeply human. This one checked multiple boxes effortlessly.

🤖 Robots & AI

  • Includes robots or AI

👉 Unlocked: The Dawn of Unlocking Superhuman Abilities (Book One of the Thrilling E-Labs Trilogy) by Peter Kraft

A futuristic, fast-paced read that brought speculative tech and human potential together in an engaging way.

🏴‍☠️ Pirates—and Then Some

This entry deserves special recognition for its range:

  • Involves pirates
  • Set in ancient times
  • Retelling
  • Set in a different country/continent (or world)
  • Includes folklore and legends
  • Set in more than one time period

👉 The Pirate Queen Trilogy, Books 1–3 by Jennifer Rose McMahon

Swashbuckling, layered, and surprisingly expansive, this trilogy covered more prompts than I initially expected.

🦠 Plague or Virus

  • Plague or virus

👉 The Defectors by Tarah Benner

Timely and unsettling, this read explored societal fracture through the lens of illness and survival.

📘 Non-Fiction (An Experience, Not Just an Interest)

  • Non-fiction about an interest (or, in this case, an experience)

👉 From Rollercoasters to Carousels: An Emotional Support Guide to Healing for NICU, Bereaved, and Special Needs Parents by Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez

Not an easy read emotionally, but an important and compassionate one.

👻 Ghostly Reads

  • Includes a ghost

👉 Arcane Souls World: Grave Talker (Complete Series) by Annie Anderson

A paranormal series that delivered atmosphere, heart, and just enough humor.

📖 A Classic (and a Banned Book)

  • A classic novel / A banned book

👉 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
https://ceflores.com/2025/10/09/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/

❄️ Polar Settings

  • Set in the Arctic/Antarctic

👉 Diving into Dreams: Navigating Life’s Deepest Waters to Discover the Secret of Having Enough by Szilvia Gogh

A reflective, metaphor-rich read that leaned into emotional landscapes as much as physical ones.

Still Open Prompts

These are the categories I still have room to explore:

  • An animal protagonist
  • Set in a favorite season
  • About Black history
  • Book on my shelf (carry over from 2024)
  • Hardcover book (carry over from 2024)

And that’s okay. A reading challenge isn’t about perfection—it’s about direction.

Final Thoughts

So, how did I do?

Honestly? Pretty well. I stretched across genres, formats, and emotional registers. I revisited classics, took risks on new voices, and allowed some books to pull double (or triple) duty. There’s still room to grow, but that’s part of the fun.

📚 Want to take a look at my previous reading challenge roundups?

2020

2021

2022

2024

2025 Reading Challenge

| C.E. Flores

I really enjoyed my reading challenge last year. I think it made a difference that I didn’t try and pick a certain category for each month, but had options to choose from. So yep, I’m going to do a reading challenge this year.

I’m starting with two categories that I did not complete in prior challenges, a book on my shelf already, and a hardcover book. I think those will be easy to incorporate in the reads for the year.

I found this 2025 reading challenge list and since it seems like it covers a broad spectrum (and has 16 categories), I’m going to use it myself.

What are you reading?

2024 Reading Challenge Roundup

| C.E. Flores

So, how did I do? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?

So carrying over to 2025, I have a book on my shelf and a hardcover book. Not too shabby, I think. How did your reading go this year?

Want to take a look at my previous reading challenge roundups?

2020

2021

2022

Reading Challenge 2024

| C.E. Flores

I had planned to take 2023 off from doing a reading challenge and then I signed up and successfully completed Bookshop’s Fall Reading Challenge. I had so much fun with that I decided to try and complete the reading challenges I FAILED in 2020, 2021, and 2022 this year. 

So, in addition to the Writing Challenge I’m setting up for myself, here are my reading goals for 2024.

In 2020, the one category I did not complete was to read a book that I had bought and was on my shelf but had not read yet. I have a few of those to choose from.

In 2021, I didn’t read a fantasy/fairy tale. Can’t wait to find one for this category!

In December 2022, I still needed to read a book by a favorite author, a paperback book, a classic, and a hardcover book. Oh BOY!

So that leaves six months open. Here’s what I propose to read in addition to those mentioned above. 

  • Mystery/Thriller
  • Environmental/Nature Writing
  • Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Fiction
  • Self-Help/Personal Development
  • Poetry Collection
  • Culinary/Food-Related Book

As you can see, I’m not making this an impossible task for myself, but rather something to look forward to each time I choose a book. 

Got any suggestions for me? What are you reading?

How to Be A Necromancer:The Complete Series by D.D. Miers and Graceley Knox

| C.E. Flores

The How to Be A Necromancer series by D.D. Miers and Graceley Knox contains five novels: Grave Promise, Grave Debt, Grave Mistake, Grave Magic and Grave Chance. Vexa Tzarnavaras’s life changes drastically at her great-uncle Ptolemy’s funeral. An enchanted candle activates her long-buried necromancer powers and she accidently raises all the dead bodies in the funeral home, including her great-uncle. An immortal ancestor tracks her down and the quest begins.

Vexa’s efforts to stay alive while defeating the undead take her to the fae world, the dwarven underworld, and the world in between. She’s joined by a self-cursed werewolf, a derelict demon dabbling necromancer vagabond, a resurrected mutt in need of regular taxidermy services, an exiled fairie, and her great-aunt Persephona. 

The steamy romance that blossoms between more than one of the team adds a nice touch to a paranormal adventure series. The only issue I really had was that Vexa is described as having long, curly black hair in the book, but the cover shows a blonde bombshell. 

How to Be A Necromancer:The Complete Series by D.D. Miers and Graceley Knox is a fun read with lively escapades and a likeable bad-ass necromancer heroine. 

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

| C.E. Flores

Claude is the youngest of five in a loving family. Claude knows what he wants to be when he grows up. He wants to be a girl. This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel follows this family as they try to support Claude’s life as Poppy. 

While I didn’t personally agree with the decisions the family made (often even the individual members of the family couldn’t agree), I could totally understand the parents’ wish to do whatever it took to make their child(ren) happy. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a fairy tale world. Gender dysphoria is trendy right now, but the reality of transgender is far from life at Disney.

The story is told through the parents’ perspective and at times is rambling and incoherent. The magical trip to Thailand that “resolves” the gender issue isn’t very effective. Yes, there are lady boys in many cultures, but how does that knowledge help a child born in middle-class America cope with the situation on an everyday basis? It doesn’t. 

Despite some blatantly unrealistic aspects of the story, reading about Poppy’s experiences was both poignant and frustrating. As parents, we really want the best for our children. But who’s to say what that really means? For that reason alone, This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel is worth your time.

Saving Cassie by by L.A. Remenicky

| C.E. Flores

April’s 2021 Reading Challenge was a paranormal romance. While I expect those Vampire/Mortal romances would fall into this category, I went with Saving Cassie by by L.A. Remenicky. There are no vampires, shapeshifters, or witches in this small-town romance. On the other hand, there are demons, ghosts, and a seer or two. 

Cassie Holt returns to Fairfield Corners, where everyone, except the new Deputy, knows her. Strange things are happening in the house she grew up in and inherited from her grandmother. Her best friend, the Chief of Police, lives next door with his family, but even he is unable to protect her from supernatural death threats. All of the current problems stem from a cult leader that killed Cassie’s parents when she was just six years old. Even though that man is dead, a demon has been unleashed and is stalking her. A romance blossoms between Cassie and the new Deputy, but will he be strong enough to save the woman that he loves?

I appreciated that this book was a romance, rather than just a paranormal book. It kept the gore to a minimum. Without the supernatural element, the book follows the girl returning to her hometown and falls in love plot. There were a few lurid sex scenes and some tense paranormal interactions. Overall, it was a light and easy read.

I would have liked more descriptions of the town, grandma’s house, and the bookstore. The action moved along quickly, perhaps a little too quickly in parts. Some sections seemed a bit rushed. But, for a small town romance with a twist, you can’t go wrong with Saving Cassie by by L.A. Remenicky.

How to Write a Book That Doesn’t Suck and Will Actually Sell: Your No B.S. Guide to Learning How to Write a Nonfiction Book by Michael Rogan

| C.E. Flores

You have to admit, How to Write a Book That Doesn’t Suck and Will Actually Sell: Your No B.S. Guide to Learning How to Write a Nonfiction Book by Michael Rogan has a catchy title. What author doesn’t want to write a book that doesn’t suck?

The tricks and tips author Michael Rogan presents are simple but effective strategies. Basically, they boil down to picking a topic, doing some research and writing the book. Keep in mind, your niche may be so well, nichey, that only a handful of people will ever read it. BUT… if you present your material well, you’ll be the expert in your niche and might even sell some books.

So if you are ready to actually get a non-fiction book written, then How to Write a Book That Doesn’t Suck and Will Actually Sell: Your No B.S. Guide to Learning How to Write a Nonfiction Book by Michael Rogan will jump start your process. It’s a quick read with useful pointers that you can take advantage of immediately. If non-fiction is your thing, then it couldn’t hurt to pick up a copy of this book.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

| C.E. Flores

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a bit of a study in behavior with a bit of a mystery. It’s set in Sweden and there’s a sort of running joke about people from Stockholm throughout the book. I guess maybe it would have been funnier if I were Swedish. 

The story begins with some general commentary on life. Eventually the author gets to the point that everything that follows was the result of one single really bad idea. A desperate parent tries to hold up a cashless bank, ends up taking hostages accidently, and well, everything just goes downhill from there. 

The hostages and police officers trying to negotiate their release each have their own backstory, some of which end up overlapping before all is said and done. The mystery is how this messy situation resolves itself (or doesn’t) and what it all has to do with the man on the bridge ten years previously. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a quirky, light read that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.