I hadn't meant to consciously participate, but I've read a fair number of books in 2025 (64 so far, plus 9 graphic novels), so I'm wondering if I've already managed to accomplish this challenge. (And forgive me if I don't italicize all of the titles or keep a 100% consistent format when listing these. There are a bunch, after all.)
Since the post will be very long, the tl;dr version is that I hit 31 of the criteria (to an extent reasonable enough extent where I feel comfortable mentioning it) and then I maybe kinda hit a few of the remaining 19, but there were a bunch that I clearly didn't
[EDIT: Actually, if it's one book per category, I might need to go back and switch them around so each book is only represented once (and then pick other books in some cases).]
1.
Year of the Snake: So far I've read 4 novels (and 1 novella) released in 2025. The most recent was Kiersten White's
The House of Quiet. [EDIT: I'll also add Lauren Magaziner’s MG fantasy The Incorruptibles since I mention The House of Quiet again later.]
2.
Animal house: Let's see.. Rajani LaRocca's MG Fantasy
Sona and the Golden Beasts is one. However, Nick Lake's MG Fantasy Lily and the Night Creatures might be a more relevant one (all of the animals were ordinary... other than being able to talk). I could also maybe include Graci Kim's MG fantasy Dreamslinger, but that centered around fantastical creatures.
3.
Behind the desk and under the table: A book taking place in a business setting (corporate intrigue, office romance, industrial espionage, whacky hijinks of a start-up). --> One of the Darcy Coates anthologies has a story that centers around an office building (and going down to a subbasement, which several other employees mysteriously quit after visiting). There might be others, but... that's the one that sticks out.
And it turns out that the MC, and at least one previous employee, never made it out but the company covered it up for whatever reason.. iirc, it was to retrieve old tax files or something (
and the reason the MC couldn't find it is the dead co-worker took it deeper into the tunnels where she was trapped before starving or dehydrating to dath or something)
4.
Bits and pieces: I think I have 2-4 examples, not counting a graphic novel. I'll go with Anica Mrose Rissi's lower-MG (or JF?) horror anthology Hide and Don't Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories. I think I also had 2 Darcy Coates collections
5.
Breaking ground: A book about exploration or discovery, fiction or non-fiction. --> I guess Kekla Magoon's MG fantasy The Secret Library, which involves a girl who finds directions to a library of secrets, which allows her to travel to various points in history (which turns out
to all be points in her family's history, with each moment relating to an ancestor, some of whose lives she helps)
6.
Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture or TV series. --> I was going to stay I don't remember one and it's unlikely since most of my list is recent, but then I remembered
Clown in a Cornfield, which literally had a movie this year
7.
Continuing on: I read a lot of sequels, but I was probably most pleased by Heidi Lang's Whispering Pines books (3 sequels, the 4th (Extinction) being my favorite). Jessica Townsend's Wundersmith was also great. Oh, plus James Ponti's City Spies: Golden Gate (I think that was the second book) was really fun. (Granted, I read the first book in these series in the same year. Not sure if that counts against it.)
8.
Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a BIPoC, any variety, written by an author of the same variety. ---> I don't really keep track of something like this, but I read Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong series (although I'm not sure whether he was the author or a ghost writer was involved since that MIGHT have been one where the copyright was held by Cake Creative instead of the author. I learned about Cake Creative iirc via one of the Rick Riordan Presents books and they have a submissions form for writers that strongly implies ghostwriting jobs.) To play it safe, I'll also list Emi Watanabe Cohen's MG contemporary fantasy Golem Crafters. The author iirc is half-Asian, half-Jewish, like her character.
10.
Do you read about the land down under?: A book about or taking place in Australia, New Zealand or Pacific Islands. -- Sarah Epstein's YA Thriller Small Spaces, which I discovered while checking if Hoopla had Katherine Arden's Small Spaces.
12.
Earth, wind, & fire: A book related to the Earth sciences (geography, oceanography, climate, etc.) --> Maybe this one is a stretch, but Bruce Coville's MG fantasy The Thief of Worlds involves a kid trying to recording a horn responsible for creating the Earth's winds (where the absence of wind makes even low of pollution unbearable and means that rainclouds can't travel, ensuring drought) and along the way discovers objects related to "Earth" (specifically ground, because it's another world), "fire" (actually heat), and water were stolen from other worlds.
13.
East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam). --> Graci Kim's MG fantasy Dreamslinger which iirc is set in a portion of... either North or South Korea? Drawing a blank. But the character is American
14.
Enabled: A book with a differently abled main character (blind, deaf, physically impaired, etc.). -- Elle McNicoll's MG contemporary fantasy Like a Charm and, depending on whether you count it, Sarah Hollowell's YA Horror What Stalks Among Us
15.
Face your fears: A book that intimidates you, for any reason. -- I mean, I mostly read horror, so... idk. Darcy Coates's Quarter to Midnight: Fifteen Tales of Horror and Suspense had two mannequin stories and mannequins will occasionlly freak me out (which is naturally why I wrote a horror novel about mannequins), so maybe that. Actually, Ben Farthing's I Found Puppets Living in my Apartment Walls would also qualify since I was spooked by puppets, too (so I naturally wrote a few novels featuring them)
16.
Family of choice: A book about adoption or blended families. -- The first thing to jump to mind is James Ponti's City Spies series since a group of orphaned kids become a found family (
and are legally adopted by their spymaster and mentor at the end of the second book... which, when phrased like that, sounds exploitive)
19.
Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. --> Easy. The Mary Shelley Club has been on my radar for a long while (I think it's been at least a year since I checked if my local library had it at one point). As a second choice, I could say Clown in a Cornfield although I'd gone back and forth over whether to read it.
20.
Getting started: Read the first book of a series. --> I'll go with Heidi Lang's Whispering Pines since I read all 4 of them... although I also read Katherine Arden's Small Spaces quartet this year. That's not counting duologies (Winston Chu, Eva Evergreen, etc) and series that I haven't read everything for yet or are ongoing (Nevermoor, Like a Charm, City Spies)
21.
Getting’ buggy with it: A book with an insect or spider on the cover. --> I feel like I probably have because I read a lot of horror, but I don't remember that much about covers. If nothing else, Heidi Lang's MG horor Whispering Pines: Extinction features an alien centipede on the cover.
24.
Heavy is the head: A book about a king or queen --> Kinda iffy on this one. However, Tamzin Merchant's MG fantasy The Hatmakers centers around making magical clothing for royalty. Actually, the fact it's about hats is oddly fitting.
29.
Literary literal alliteration: A book whose title or author’s name is an alliteration. --> Depends on what counts for the title.
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch has an alliterative character name, but isn't fully alliterative. idk, I guess I can do an author, although that feels like a cop-out. However, I read four of Lorien Lawrence's books this year (her whole catalog so far?) -- Fright Watch 1-3, plus The Many Hauntings of the Manning Family.
30.
Mind, body, and soul: A book where mental health or illness figures prominently. --> iirc, I think Ben Farthing's A Horror I Found a Lost Hallway in a Dying Mall prominently featured dementia (where either the MC or her husband was starting to suffer from it). Elle McNicoll's MG contemporary fantasy Like a Charm might've featured a mental health issue besides a physical one... or maybe it was partly based on how the MC's brain functioned? I can't remember.
37.
Out of this world: A book taking place in space or on another planet. --> I mean, technically any high fantasy might qualify. However, Bruce Coville's MG fantasy The Thief of Worlds is specifically about traveling through worlds. And a character winds up in space for a little bit in
Heidi Lang's Whispering Pines series
38.
Pulp up the jam: A pulp fiction book. --> I'm not sure what really qualifies, but I'm pretty sure something I've read would qualify.
39.
Revenge of the nerds: A novel with scientist main characters, or a science plot. --> I mean, technically the kids in Heidi Lang's Whispering Pines series end up in a science internship with a company, although the elements are more scifi / horror
41.
So that’s what they think of us: A book about your country by someone from another country. --> afaik, Bill Wood has only lived in the UK but Let's Split Up is set in California. Other than, I'll sometimes notice things like this in the acknowedgments section, but I don't pay much attention to it.
42.
Succinct: A book with a one-word title. --> Looks like VE Schwab's Gallant, RL Stine's Stinetinglers, and Trevor Henderson's Scarewaves
43.
Take note: A book where music features prominently, or about musicians. -- Sona and the Golden Beasts where music is used in magic, which led to it widely being being banned by the colonizing force.
44.
Three-color mythology: A graphic novel, manga, or comic book. --> I've read at least 9, probably a lot more because I didn't mark all of them at first.
45.
Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. --> It depends. Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery has a half-siren as the main character, but she's also half-human.
46.
Upstaged: A play. --> It depends. Anica Mrose Rissi's lower-MG (or JF?) horror anthology Hide and Don't Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories has a story featuring a play
48.
We were here first!: Not sure if it counts, but Rajani LaRocca's MG Fantasy
Sona and the Golden Beasts
was about colonization in a fantastic setting (and
the MC turns out to be half-indigenous despite being led to believe she was of the colonizing race, whereas her colonizer-hating companion turns out to be her cousin, who's also mixed-race)
49.
Witching time of night: A gothic novel --> I'm never sure what qualifies. Kiersten White's The House of Quiet has a gothic vibe. VE Schwab's Gallant (which includes a very, very old house and a lot of family history) might also be there. And then maybe some of the stories in a short story collection? idk.
...also, I realized how long it took me to fill that in. I, um, probably should've stopped after 12. Or 20.
The ones I didn't do:
9.
Daguerreotype vibes: A book authored in the 19th century -- since I'm reading for research/comps for the most part, I know I didn't get this one.
11.
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. -- Nope. I've mostly been reading MG and YA. Something that length is reserved more for adult fantasy or generational stories
17.
Folks, Farces, and Fables: A collection or analysis of folk tales, practices, and oral histories of any culture. --> I kinda started but didn't finish a YA anthology that was kinda themed after folk tales.
18.
Get Lost: A book authored by someone of the Lost Generation --> I don't think I have since the books I've read
22.
Gonzo the Great: A counter-culture book from the 1960s (
The Counter-Culture of the 1960s (fiction and nonfiction) (410 books))
23.
Happy days are here again: A book published between 1945 and 1960 and about that time period.
25.
Howdy, stranger: A book about immigrants or immigration, or with an immigrant main character. --> I can't think of an example offhand. It's possible I haven't read one this year.
26.
I know kung fu: A book about martial arts --> Offhand, the closest I get is the Tristan Strong series where the MC comes from a family of boxers and boxing is a big part of the book... but it's "about" other things. The MC is trying to save a fantasy world from an evil boat monster and his forces (using his boxing to do it) while coming to terms with his best friend's death.
27.
I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime. --> Although something I've read has likely incorporated a historical event from my lifetime, I'm not sure any has solely been about one.
28.
Let’s go clubbing!: A book in a celebrity’s book club --> I can't say that I haven't, but I don't know that I have. I don't keep track of stuff like that.
31.
Name droppings: Fiction where a real-life person is a character with their own lines. --> Although I might've read one that fits, I can't remember anything
32.
New horizons: A book in a new-to-you genre. --> I feel ike I've read pretty much every genre at some point or another (although not every subgenre). However, I'm not sure anything I read in 2025 comes close to this one.
33.
No Cliff Notes this time: A book that’s required reading in most high schools or universities. --> Given most of the stuff I've read is recent, it's unlikely.
34.
No hablo: A book originally written in another language (either a translation or in the original if you’d like!). --> Probably not?
35.
Old enough to know better: Any of the best books of 2007 (18 years ago)
Best Books of 2007 (1100 books) --> Unlikely. I'm not sure I read anything from 2007 this year.
36.
One more try: A book from a genre you have given up on. --> First, I'm not sure I've given up on any genres. Second, I'm not sure I have anything that would fit. However, technically I'd written off Clown in a Cornfield (since I read the sample chapter on Amazon (?) and disliked the style) before ultimately reading it, so... does that count? Probably not, but whatever.
40.
Ripped from the headlines: A true crime book. --> Can't think of anything
47.
Waxing lyrical: A book with the same title as a popular song (or well-known lyric). -- I can't think of one offhand
50.
You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift. -- I haven't been given a book as a gift in many years.
