End of Summer -- How I Did on Reading Challenges

I participated in four reading challenges this summer:

20 Books of Summer

Big Book Summer Challenge

Goodreads Summer Reading Challenges

Paris in July

Here is how I did on each of them:

20 Books of Summer

I was an overachiever, far exceeding my goal.

My list of books read (✔ were the books on my initial list which I read) :

Legend: A=Audiobook; C=Classic; P=Poetry; NF=Nonfiction; GN=Graphic Novel/Comic; MG-Middle Grades; CL=Children's Lit; YA=Young Adult; M=Memoir; E=Essays; SS=Short Stories; BC=Book Club; N=Novella

1. Abscond by Abraham Verghese  -- SS
2. The Antidote by Karen Russell ✔ A
3. Banned Together edited by Ashley Hope Perez -- M; E; SS; GN; NF
4. Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten ✔ M; NF
5. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel ✔ BC
6. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn -- BC
7. Bring the Magic Home by Sunny Chanel -- NF
8. Candide by Voltaire -- C; A
9. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller ✔ C; A
10. The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Osterman --GN
11. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami ✔ A
12. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong -- BC; A
13. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison -- A
14. Final Solution by Michael Chabon --   N
15. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson -- NF
16. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin ✔ C
17. Grimm's Fairy Tales -- C
18. The Hearing Test by Eliza B. Callahan
19. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood ✔ BC; A
20. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell --MG; A
21. The Imitation Game by Jim Ottaviani -- GN; NF
22. The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill
23. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson -- NF
24. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico 
25. The Names by Florence Knapp -- BC; A
26. North American Maps for Curious Minds by Matthew Bucklan -- NF
27. Now in November by Josephine W. Johnson -- C
28. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout ✔ A
29. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley -- A
30. Poems for Tortured Souls by Liz Ison ✔ P
31. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton -- M
32. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean -- A; N
33. Road Home by Rex Ogle -- M; A
34. Say Nothing: Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe -- NF
35. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- NF; A
36. So Long, and Thanks for the Fish by Douglas Adams -- A
37. Someone Builds a Dream by Lisa Wheeler -- CL
38. Song of the Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout -- GN
39. Teaching with Fire by Sam Intrator -- P; NF
40. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- C
41. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler ✔ BC; A
42. The Tie That Binds by Kent Haruf
43. The Vegetarian by Han Kang -- N
44. Watchmen by Alan Moore ✔ GN
45. Water, Water by Billy Collins ✔ P
46. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson -- N; A
47. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by Lesley N. Arimah -- SS
48. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

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Big Book Summer Challenge

Books over 400 pages

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -- 453 pages

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn -- 432 pages

The Antidote by Karen Russell --432 pages

Watchmen by Alan Moore -- 416 pages

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison -- 468 pages

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Osterman -- 480 pages

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong -- 416 pages

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- 508 pages

Say Nothing: Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe -- 560 pages

Whew!

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Goodreads hosted a summer challenge to read books nine categories. They didn't open up each challenge at the beginning of the summer, maybe two at a time, and then would close categories through the summer. I finished my last book today! Colorful bookmarks means I completed that category.

I kind of lost track of which books went with what challenges but these are what I think I read for each:

1. Page Turner: Collected 7/4/25 How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

2. Speed Reader: Collected 7/4/25 A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

3. Book Boss: Collected 7/11/25 Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

4. Challenges Favs: Collected 7/23/25 The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

5. Poolside Puzzler: Collected 7/9/25 The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

6. Chart Toppers: Collected 8/13/25 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

7. Acclaimed Toppers: Collected 8/3/25 What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky by L. Arimah

8. Debut Darlings: The Names by Florence Knapp, collected on 8/31/25

9. Lightning Round: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, collected on 8/16/25

A new set of challenges will open up in mid September, I think, if you want to join for the end of the year challenges.

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Paris in July
French-related activities

My first year with this challenge and I found lots of fun activities, including attempting to read a book in French. I baked, I listened to French music and made playlists, I watched the Tour du France.

Read about all my activities:

Paris in July --Books, Food , Music and More

and

Paris in July - Part Two

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Adult Summer Reading -- Book Bingo
King County Library System

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Goodbye Summer! I had a great time.

-Anne