From the Old Front Porch: 2025

I did not finish my challenges this year. It is a plus I survived 2024. Grief is so much worse than I thought it would be. It does not get better or easier. I have so many bad days. I miss my best friend. That person who loved unconditionally. I feel so alone. I consider it an accomplishment that I survived this year. Now I must talk about my challenges.

POP SUGAR CHALLENGE 2024🫎

1. A book with the word “leap” in the title.🫎

Once Upon a Leap Year by Anna Bell

2. A Bildungsroman, coming-of-age story.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by James Boyne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/9/2024

3. A book about a 24 year old. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger 🎧Ariel Drum is 24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️12/16/24

4. A book about a writer/author. Tell Me a Story by Cassandra King Conroy 🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/24/24

5. A book about K-Pop. 🫎If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

6. A book about pirates-One Piece Pirates

by Eiichiro Oda⭐️⭐️⭐️ he 1/5/24

7. A book about women’s sports and/or by an athlete. Find a Way by Diana Nyad 🎧

⭐️⭐️⭐️9/9/24

8. A book by a blind or visually impaired author.🫎 The Music of Silence:A Memoir by Andrea Bocelli

9. A book by a deaf or hard of hearing author

Deaf Utopia by Nyle DeMarco🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️8/1/24

10. A book by a self published author🫎Mandsfield Park by Jane Austen

11. A book from a genre you typically avoid

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Fantasy/Sci-Fi 4/3/2024

12. A book from an animal’s POV-A Dog’s Courage by W Bruce Cameron ⭐️⭐️⭐️5/29/24

13. A book originally published under a pen name/pseudonym~Pansies by Alexis Hall⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/7/24

14. A book recommended by a bookseller~James by Percival Everett⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/30/24

“ I assume this is a recommend”

15. A book recommended by a librarian~The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/25/24

16. A book set 24 years before you were born.🫎 The Paris Hours by Alex George

17. A book set in a travel destination on your bucket list-A Room With a View by EM Forster—Florence, Italy 🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/21/24

18. A book set in space. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/25/2024

19. A book set in the future~The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/8/24

20. A book set in the snow🫎The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

21. A book that came out in a year that ends in”24” Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/6/2024 (net galley arc)

22. A book that centers on video games🫎

Tomorrow and Tommorrow and Tomorrow by

Gabrielle Zeven

23. A book that features dragons🫎 The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

24. A book that takes place over the course of 24 hours🫎 The Hours by Michael Cunningham

25. A book that was published 24 years ago/2000🫎A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers⭐️⭐️ 11/9/2024

26. A book that was turned into a musical🫎

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (musical-High Fidelity)

27. A book where someone dies in the first chapter~Yellowface by RF Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/23/24

28. A book with a main character who is 42 years old-The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie-Poirot is between 40-45 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️9/19/24

29. A book with a neurodivergent main character-The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️8/9/24

30. A book with a one word title you had to look up in the dictionary~Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (Greek -opportunity) translated from German by Michael Hofman, first man to win International Booker Prize translation. Kairos wins International Booker Prize for fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/13/24

31. A book with a title that is a complete sentence⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward 5/17/24

32. A book with an enemies-to-lovers plot~

Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️7/20/2024

33. A book with an unreliable narrator-The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/9/24

(Narrating the story is the Angel of Truth, whom according to a parable God had cast out of heaven)

34. A book with at least 3 POVs-The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty ⭐️⭐️⭐️2/14/24

35. A book with magical realism-Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/26/24 (Shades of magical realism)

36. A book written by an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated person~The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/22/2024

37. A book written during NA-NO-WRI-MO/National Novel Writing Month🫎The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

38. A cozy fantasy book-Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/14/2024

39. A fiction book by a trans or non-binary

author-For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/30/24

40. A horror book by a BIPOC author-

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephan Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/6/24

41. A memoir that explores queerness-

Becoming a Man: The Story of a Transition by PCarl⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/3/24

42. A non-fiction book about indigenous people~Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/12/24

43. A second chance romance-Happy Place by Emily Henry⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/19/24

44. An autobiography by a woman in rock ‘n’ roll🫎 No Walls and the Recurring Dream by Ani DeFranco

Read Harder 2024📚

1. Read a cozy fantasy book-Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis

Baldree⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/14/2024

2. Read a YA book by a trans author. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith 📚

3.Read a middle grade horror novel.

Coraline by Neil Gaimen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️2/15/24

4. Read a history book by a BIPOC author.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/6/2024l

5. Reads sci-fi novella. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/25/2024

6. Read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character. Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️9/26/24

7. Read an Indie published collection of poetry by a BIPOC author. Home Body by Rupi Kaur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/1/24

8. Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited~Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧 International Booker Prize for fiction+translation.

Translated from German by Michael Hofman 6/13/24

9. Read a book recomended by a librarian~James by Percival Everett⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/30/24

10. Read a historical fiction book by an indigenous author ~The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️10/25/24

11. Read a picture book published in the last five years. What Happened to You?

by James Catchpole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/4/2024

My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️6/23/24

12. Read a genre book (SFF, horror. mystery, romance) written by a disabled author. Seabisquit by Laura Hillenbrand📚

13. Read a comic that has been banned.

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️11/12/24

14. Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) then attend the event.📚The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell—Escanaba Public Library July 17 5:30 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️12/10/24

15. Read a YA nonfiction book.📚Solito by Javier Zamora (my kindle)

16. Read a book based solely on the title. The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/9/2024

17. Read a book about media literacy.📚 No…just no.

18. Read a book about drag or queer artistry~The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️7/24/24

19. Read a romance with neurodivergent characters. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2/18/24

20. Read a book about books, fiction or nonfiction.📚 the Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict

21. Read a book that went under the radar in 2023. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Hardcover/signed 1st Edition ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3/26/2024

22. Read manga or manwha.One Piece Pirates by Eiichiro Oda by ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/5/2024

23. Read a “howdunit”or “whydunit”-The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️⭐️8/9/24

24. Pick a challenge from any previous years’ challenges and repeat. Read Harder 2022–#19 Read a horror by novel by a BIPOC author-My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephan Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/6/24

45. An LBGTQ romance novel-Family Meal by Bryan Washington ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/2/2024

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️8/14/24

Short 13 books. Ugh! I am not happy with myself. My favorite read was James by Percival Everett. I also loved My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich and The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff also amazing. And my second challenge…

READ HARDER 2024📚