Extreme Book Challenge

CHALLENGE CATEGORY #4 A CELEBRITY BOOK CLUB PICK Read like the stars with category #4 and pick up a book hand-selected by famous readers such as Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, and others who are trained in the art of spotting a great story. These books have earned their place on the shelves of some of Hollywood's most well-read celebs. Want to see what everyone's talking about? City of Night Birds  by Juhea Kim From international bestselling author Juhea Kim comes her beautiful 2024 novel City of Night Birds . Natalia Leonova used to be a prima ballerina, but a devastating accident took her dreams away from her two years ago. With evocative prose and a deeply emotional core, City of Night Birds is the kind of book that will stay with you look after you turn the final page. A perfect pick for those who crave both beauty and depth in their reading. Grab one of these notable picks and join the conversation! Crying in H Mart  by Michelle Zauner Anita de Monte Laughs Last  by Xochi...

  CHALLENGE CATEGORY #3 A CIRCADIAN NOVEL Perfect snow day recommendation incoming!! Have you ever spent an entire day reading a book from start to finish? A circadian novel is just perfect for days like that. By definition, a circadian novel is a novel that takes place over the course of a single day. Every bit of action takes place within a 24-hour period. These unique reads allow you to follow along with your protagonist all day long. Here's what I recommend! Anxious People  by Fredrik Backman Fredrik Backman's 2019 locked-room novel, Anxious People , joins a group of would-be strangers as they journey through a truly unique open-house experience. What would you do if a routine apartment viewing suddenly transformed into a hostage situation- and you were one of the hostages? Are you scared, angry, or just plain annoyed? Our group of hostages comes together feeling every human emotion imaginable. Fredrik Backman's books always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy, and Anxious...

  CHALLENGE CATEGORY #2 A DOORSTOPPER Happy week two of EBC 2025! Are you feeling challenged yet? Have you ever looked at a book and thought, "Woah! That book is so big it has got to weigh a million pounds!" That, dear reader, is a doorstopper. For category #2, I challenge you to read a book so big it could hold a door open! And it's only January, so you've got twelve months left to tackle that big read. Let's get started! Long Island Compromise  by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Taffy Brodesser-Akner's 2024 novel, Long Island Compromise , weighs in at a whopping 464 pages, but each exhilarating chapter will keep readers engaged from cover to cover. When Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his own driveway and returned a short while later, no one expects the family will return to normal quickly. Except- that's exactly what they must do. Picking up decades after the incident, the Fletchers must finally reckon with the events that left them changed forever. Check out th...

CHALLENGE CATEGORY #1 A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2024   It's time!! Welcome to the 2025 Challenge, and welcome to our shiny new blog! The first category of 2025 is to read a published in 2024! Only two weeks into the new year, there aren't a lot of books published in 2025 to choose from. Let's jump back and revisit some top releases from the last calendar year! Intermezzo  by Sally Rooney Sally Rooney is best known for her beautifully lyrical novels stuffed with complex relationships, and her 2024 novel certainly delivers as promised. Peter and Ivan are grieving, but shared grief does not mean they will be getting along. Roughly ten years apart, the brothers feel that they could not have less in common, but perhaps they share a lot more than they first understand. Check out these other books published in 2024 How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue Your Presence Is Mandatory by Sasha...

 CHALLENGE CATEGORY #20  ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR’S FAVORITE BOOKS I’m sure it comes as no surprise that your favorite author is a booklover too! That’s right, our literary heroes have literary heroes of their own! I always love to learn about the people who inspired my favorite people, so check out popular books recommended by popular media figures!  The Left Hand of Darkness  by Ursula K. Le Guin If we share a favorite author, you’re in luck, because Sci-Fi author Neil Gaiman has no shortage of recommendations. Whether formal interviews or informal on his Twitter account, Gaiman takes every opportunity to share books he loves with his readers. Originally published in 1969, Gaiman recommends the iconic The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin. He said; “It’s a giant thought experiment that’s also a cracking good read about gender... I remember reading it aged ten or eleven and it rewired me inside of my head." And if you’re looking for more Sci-Fi discussion...

CHALLENGE CATEGORY #19  A NARRATIVE NONFICTION BOOK Do you love to learn but get bored easily when it feels like books are just listing facts at you? You might be interested in narrative nonfiction! Nonfiction books are based around facts or true events, and narrative nonfiction means the book is written like a story! No boring lists here! The Library Book  by Susan Orlean Susan Orlean’s The Library Book is a love letter to libraries wrapped inside a historical mystery. When the Los Angeles Public Library caught fire in 1986, the community lost four hundred thousand stories, but they gained a new one. Orlean takes readers on a tour of the past and present to explore the questions that have long been left unanswered. Who set fire to the library and did they do so intentionally? How has the community been affected by this event and has the library recovered? Orlean leads this deeply researched discovery in her 2018 narrative-driven nonfiction exploration. Keep learning with more...

CHALLENGE CATEGORY #18  A BOOK BY AN ASIAN AMERICAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER AUTHOR In the month of May, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage! There have been so many fantastic new stories put out by AAPI authors that it was hard to pick just one to showcase, but lucky for us you can always refer back to our Goodreads list for more suggestions! The Laughter  by Sonora Jha Sonora Jha’s new psychological thriller, The Laughter , is a racially and politically charged satire on academia unlike anything I’ve read before. Jha puts readers to the test with an exceptionally unlikable narrator in Dr. Oliver Harding. Harding is confronted by his own shortcomings when he develops an obsession with his new Pakastani Muslim law colleague Ruhaba Khan. Rather than grow from his experiences, readers are dragged along for Harding’s journey as he shrinks into the shadows of himself, his memories, and the women of his past. Keep Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with more books fro...