My 2022 Reading Year in Review

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023 meltotheanyAside17 Comments

happy new year, friends! i cant believe it is actually 2023. i know everyone says this, but it is because it is true – i truly feel like its 2019 still. 2023? i can’t wrap my mind around it! but i am sending you so much love and i hope this year is really safe and happy for you and your loved ones.

since september, i feel like i have really fallen back into organically picking up books and adding reading to my nighttime routine and its felt so good. i am tempted to make a goals post but i am always so scared to jinx happy things, which is also something i hope i can work on this year. but i would love to read more books this year (not that i am not extremely happy and proud of the 48 i was able to read) and i would love to make more bookish content again on here, and goodreads, and on bookstagram. lots of baby steps while also juggling kpop content and a life that can get pretty busy! the only other goal i have in terms of reading this year, is that i would love to read more anthologies and short story collections again. i have been thinking about it these last few weeks (maybe craving one?) but i miss it and i want to fix that!

also, i am sure most of you know, but holly black is dropping a new book from faerie in TWO days and then the final last hours books by cassie clare? january is gonna start off and end very happily, i think! so i am extra excited for january reading! and again, not to jinx anything, but i am just excited for this new year, new opportunities, and so many new stories.

but let’s get into some reading statistics and the yearly book stack picture tradition!

Thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some 2022 reading statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet that I use every single year:

My Top Ten Favorite 2022 Publications:
➽ 10.) Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
➽ 9.) Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
➽ 8.) Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
➽ 7.) Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy #1) by Harley Laroux
➽ 6.) Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
➽ 5.) Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
➽ 4.) The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
➽ 3.) Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
➽ 2.) Misrule (Malice Duology #2) by Heather Walter
➽ 1.) Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang

okay, friends! happy new year! i really hope this new year is happy and healing for you. i hope you are able to be gentler on yourselves and more forgiving to yourselves as well. i am sending you and your loved ones my whole heart and i am wishing you so many blessings in this new year! and i hope so many stories make you feel seen and whole this year (and always)!

and thank you all for always being kind and being sweet friends while i have navigated these last few pandemic years. i know it’s still hard on everyone, but my blog has extra always felt so safe and happy and i appreciate all of your friendships more than you’ll ever know. also… please buddy read with me this year for extra happy motivations, hehe!

➽ My 2021 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2020 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2019 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2018 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2017 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge

My 2021 Reading Year in Review

January 1, 2022January 1, 2022 meltotheanyAside15 Comments

happy new year, friends! i can’t believe we are entering a brand new year, because time just keeps feeling more and more fake! but these are always my favorite posts to make, and i hope you enjoy reading it.

okay, let’s rip the metaphorical band-aid off right away – so i have read less books in 2021 than i ever have before. i remember a month or so ago, thinking about how i might be disappointed with myself when writing up this post, but today when i was updating my goodreads and saw that i “only” read 33 books, i actually was okay. maybe even better than okay, and i don’t really know the answer to why! maybe *gasp* good mental health right now? maybe because i read a lot of books that i absolutely loved, and have some memories attached to some that enhance everything about the story itself? maybe because at end of the day (or year), 33 still feels like an impressive number compared to what i felt like that i read with the lack of pressure and expectations i put on myself while leaving 2020.

2020 was a really hard year for everyone, but i think i left that year with just not wanting to put any extra pressure or expectations on myself in all regards, and that very much impacted my reading this year. i wanted to just throw myself creatively in other new places things that were bringing me happiness instead of reclaiming spaces and remembering my worth.

if i have one goal in 2022 it really is to stop being so hard on myself. i really am my own worst critic in every aspect of my life, and i just want to be braver in this new year, and trust in myself that everything will work out and be okay. because i honestly proved to myself in 2021 that everything was okay and that i was okay. (i mean, despite the very loud and obvious and still scary state of our world right now.) i still feel like i’m still struggling to find my place among book stuff again, but i know everything is a process, and i think pushing myself a little more in 2022 will be a really good thing for me and my reading! but i do find myself ✨ organically ✨ craving to read like before again, and i hope i am able to find that good balance and talk about it in 2022’s reading year in review. but first let’s look back at 2021, everything that i was able to read (and my favorites), and some cool reading graphs!

Thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some 2021 reading statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet that I use every single year:

My Top Ten Favorite 2021 Publications:
➽ 10.) Vespertine Margaret Rogerson
➽ 9.) Chain of Iron (The Last Hours, #2) by Cassandra Clare
➽ 8.) We Free the Stars Hafsah Faizal
➽ 7.) Honey Girl Morgan Rogers
➽ 6.) Ace of Spades Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
➽ 5.) One Last Stop Casey McQuiston
➽ 4.) Yolk Mary H.K. Choi
➽ 3.) The Anthropocene Reviewed John Green
➽ 2.) Iron Widow Xiran Jay Zhao
➽ 1.) She Who Became the Sun Shelley Parker-Chan

okay, friends! happy new year – i am sending you and your families love, luck, good health, and so much warmth in 2022 and always. i miss you all so much, and i hope that 2021 was gentle on you and that you were gentle on yourselves, too! i also absolutely cannot wait to read all of your end of year favorites posts and give my tbr a lot of love based on your book recommendations! i’m thankful for you all always, and i love you.

➽ My 2020 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2019 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2018 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2017 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge

My 2020 Reading Year in Review

January 1, 2021December 26, 2021 meltotheanyAside30 Comments

2020 is finally over, and somehow the year felt like it lasted a decade and a month at the very same time. I just want to wish you all (and all your families) the best in 2021, and I hope it is filled with love and happiness and good health and opportunities. I know 2020 was not only a hard year, but maybe the hardest year for a lot of us, and I will keep telling you that I love you, and that I see you, and that I’m proud of you. I promise, better days will come. But in the meantime, we can escape into some books, and blog posts, and reading statistics!

Thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some 2020 reading statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet that I use every single year:

━━━★ in 2019 contemporary was catching up, but 2020 fully said “never again”

━━━★ this chart truly looks close to this every year lol

━━━★ i have NEVER read this many audiobooks in my entire life

━━━★ i had a hard time with anthologies this year, sadly

━━━★ i feel like if you read mostly SFF, this chart will just automatically look like this too

━━━★ 1.) i didn’t leave my house 2.) audiobooks

━━━★ i forever will be very aware of the privilege that comes from being a US book reviewer

━━━★ that 27% purchase is mostly audiobooks !! and very thankful for my loved ones, edelweiss, & comfort rereads

━━━★ again, edelweiss & those comfort rereads (and cursed audible)

━━━★ hachette & penguin are the pub houses that were kindest to me this year, so i am very surprised by this graph. but i think in 2021 i’m going to focus on the publishing houses that want to work with me, instead of me begging for earcs that non-ownvoices booktubers get and don’t even read (fully looking at harper and macmillan lol). not being paid is fine, but not being appreciated or seen? i’m over it in 2021 fully and completely.

━━━★ why does this make me laugh? i truly couldn’t be bothered to read one classic this year? okay

━━━★ i truly found a sweet spot, i guess

━━━★ may was the 2nd worst month of my life and december was the busiest month of 2020 for me so math checks out, but can we bring july melanie back for all of 2021 please? i am begging

My Top Ten Favorite 2020 Publications:
➽ 10.) How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
➽ 9.) The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
➽ 8.) Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Eva Evergreen #1) by Julie Abe
➽ 7.) The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
➽ 6.) Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare
➽ 5.) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
➽ 4.) Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) by Brandon Sanderson
➽ 3.) You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
➽ 2.) Night Shine (Night Shine #1) by Tessa Gratton
➽ 1.) The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang

God, 2020 was such a weird year for my reading (and for falling in love with the publications from that year), but I am very thankful for this list, and these ten books, and the love and healing they made me feel for very different reasons at very different times throughout this year. I hope in 2021 I can be more confident and more unapologetic (with the book community and with other aspectS of my life) and I hope that I have an overflowing list of new favorite stories to pick from while I’m compiling that Year in Review blog post. What was your favorite read of the year? I feel like I switched between #1 and #2 many times before finally going with what felt more right. Okay friends, I’m sending each and everyone of you my whole heart and I hope 2021 feels lighter and brighter for you. I love you.

➽ My 2019 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2018 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2017 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge

My 2019 Reading Year in Review

July 26, 2020July 15, 2020 meltotheanyAside24 Comments

Hello, friends! Yes, I am 100% aware that we are seven months in 2020, but I have decided to just embrace the chaos and do a blog post that I love doing ever year. And honestly? I was sad that I never got around to posting this in January this year. I want to do this every year that I blog, because it brings me so much joy and comfort to just look back on everything bookish that I consumed that year, and right now I am all about doing any and everything that brings me extra comfort. So here we are, six months late, but we are truly just going to vibe, enjoy this, and get excited to do a 2020 comparison in another six months! 💕💕

➽ Thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some 2019 reading statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet:

My Top Ten Favorite 2019 Publications:
➽ 10.) Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
➽ 9.) The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
➽ 8.) Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3) by Jay Kristoff
➽ 7.) Holy Sister (Book of the Ancestor #3) by Mark Lawrence
➽ 6.) The Hod King (The Books of Babel #3) by Josiah Bancroft
➽ 5.) The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch #3) by Rin Chupeco
➽ 4.) Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
➽ 3.) The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden
➽ 2.) Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi
➽ 1.) The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

My Favorite 2019 Publications that ALMOST made my Top 10 (Books 11-15):
➽ 15.) In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children #4) by Seanan McGuire
➽ 14.) If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
➽ 13.) The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu
➽ 12.) Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1) by Kat Cho
➽ 11.) Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert

Extra End of the Year Things:
➽ Best Books of 2019
➽ Best Books I’ve Read this Decade on Goodreads
➽ Dragons & Tea Book Club Wrap Up
➽ Holiday Book Haul | Unboxing Bookish Amazon Packages
➽ My Reading Statistic & Year in Review

➽ My 2018 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2017 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge

My 2018 Reading Year in Review

December 31, 2018January 17, 2019 meltotheanyAside48 Comments

2018 was actually a really good year for me; reading wise and life wise. This was the first year I’ve read 200 books and I really can’t believe it! But more importantly, I have made so many more friendships and connections and I truly feel so blessed that I get to gush about books with so many people! Thank you so much to everyone who interacts with me and takes the time to read my reviews. It means more to me than you’ll ever know! And I’m wishing you all pure happiness, unconditional love, good health, and all the good reads in 2019! But let’s talk about some stats now!

➽ And thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some other statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet:

➽ And if you’re interested, here is his spreadsheet for 2019!
(File>make a copy for your use)

My Top Ten Favorite 2018 Publications:
➽ 10.) Sadie by Courtney Summers
➽ 9.) Bloody Rose (The Band #2) by Nicholas Eames
➽ 8.) The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco
➽ 7.) The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
➽ 6.) Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence
➽ 5.) Blanca y Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore
➽ 4.) Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1) by Natasha Ngan
➽ 3.) Circe by Madeline Miller
➽ 2.) Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton
➽ 1.) The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

My Favorite 2018 Publications that ALMOST made my Top 10 (Books 11-15):
➽ Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
➽ Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
➽ Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
➽ Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) by Julie Kagawa
➽ Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor

My Five Favorite Books NOT Published in 2018:
➽ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
➽ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
➽ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
➽ Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare
➽ The Traitor Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade #1) by Seth Dickinson

But The VERY Best Book I Read all Year?
➽ The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

Extra End of the Year Things:
➽ Most Disappointing Reads of 2018
➽ My Ten Favorite 2018 Author Debuts
➽ My Favorite Book Quotes of 2018
➽ Ten Things I’ve Loved in 2018 that weren’t Books
➽ I Read My “Top 12 Books I Must Read in 2018” List

➽ My 2017 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge

PS – If you’ve made it this far: I love you!
And my very first Booktube video goes live tomorrow and 9AM PST!
Happy New Year! 💖

My 2017 Reading Year in Review

January 2, 2018December 31, 2017 meltotheanyAside29 Comments

Let’s be real, 2017 was kind of a garbage fire year for our world, but at least we had some good books! I had a pretty good reading year! I’m very happy with the 130 books that I read, and I feel like with each year I get better and better at picking out books, and requesting ARCs, that I am confident I will at least enjoy, therefore, my average rating tends to get higher and higher.

➽ And thanks to the amazing Brock at Let’s Read, here are some other statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet:

And if you’re interested, here is his spreadsheet for 2018! (File>make a copy for your use)

➽These are the five books that were published this year that were a tier above the rest. These five blew my mind, and expectations, out of the water. I truly believe these five are perfect books in every single way. And I personally recommend them with my entire heart, body, and soul.

#5.) The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden

“Before the end, you will pluck snowdrops at midwinter, die by your own choosing, and weep for a nightingale.”

This book taught me that girls can be anything they wish to be, no matter the expectations society, family, and everything else in this world puts on them. And to always surround yourself with people that accept you and believe in you.

#4.) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”

This book taught the world that we want black stories, from black authors, with black casts, with black people on the covers… no matter how many old, racist, white dudes continue to get published. But this book taught me how much more work needs to be done, and how I need to do more to boost marginalized voices, and how the world needs to change and it can begin with me and our generation.

#3.) Tyrant’s Throne (Greatcoats #4) by Sebastien de Castell

“From nothing we become men and women who write poems and wage wars and conceive of futures both wondrous and terrifying.”

This book taught me that found families with unconditional love is the most powerful force in any world. And that friendship can heal wounds you never thought would stop bleeding. And that your past will never define you, or hinder you, from being good and kind and ultimately becoming the person you want to be.

#2.) The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by N.K. Jemisin

“But for a society built on exploitation, there is no greater threat than having no one left to oppress.”

This book taught me to never stop moving forward, to always speak up, and help marginalized voices that need to be heard. And that we don’t get to choose how people love us. And how one voice can change the world. And that blood is only blood, and that we should spend our days with people who love us! And that we are always deserving of love. Always. No matter what.

#1.) Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

“Sarai was seventeen years old, a goddess and a girl. Half her blood was human, but it counted for nothing. She was blue. She was godspawn. She was anathema. She was young. She was lovely. She was afraid.”

This book reminded me why I love reading, and that books are magical, healing vessels. This book taught me that everyone has the right to change their future, and that we will never be our parent’s mistakes. And that we can rise up, and become so much more, and that all of our stories deserve to be told. And ultimately, you get to choose who is in your story.

These books mean a lot to me, and I feel so very thankful, privileged, and blessed that I was able to read them all this year. These books have all changed who I am as a person, and I will carry, pass them down, and sing their praises for my entire life. Books like this render me speechless to be honest, but I hope I did a decent job letting you guys know how much they mean, and will continue to mean, to me.

➽ And the rest of my favorite books published in 2017:

✨The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

✨Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2) by Seanan McGuire

✨Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) by Mark Lawrence

✨Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1) by Nicholas Eames

✨Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

✨Skullsworn (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne 0.5) by Brian Staveley

✨Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle, #2) by Jay Kristoff

✨Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

➽ But my favorite book that I read in 2017 happened to be a 2018 title:

⚔The Cruel Prince by Holly Black!

➽ My Top Five Least Favorite Books Published in 2017:

🙃 Into the Fire (Night Prince #4) by Jeaniene Frost

🙃 Raven’s Mark: (The Raven Queen’s Harem #1) by Angel Lawson

🙃 Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1) by Rosalyn Eves

🙃 The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

🙃 Bad Habit (Bad Love #1) by Charleigh Rose

➽ My Top 18 Most Anticipated Releases of 2018:

🌟The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black – January 2nd, 2018 ★★★★★

🌟Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) by Seanan McGuire – January 9th, 2018 ★★★★★

🌟Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) by Pierce Brown – January 16th, 2018

🌟The Armored Saint (The Sacred Throne #1) by Myke Cole – February 20th, 2018 ★★★★★

🌟Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston – February 27th, 2018 (I have an ARC!)

🌟Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi – March 6th, 2018 (I have an ARC!)

🌟High Voltage (Fever #10) by Karen Marie Moning – March 6th, 2018

🌟The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco – March 20th, 2018 (I have an ARC!)

🌟Dread Nation by Justina Ireland – April 3rd, 2018 ★★★★★

🌟Circe by Madeline Miller – April 10th, 2018

🌟The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood #16) by J.R. Ward – April 10th, 2017

🌟Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence April 19th, 2018 (I have an ARC!)

🌟Bloody Rose (The Band #2) by Nicholas Eames – April 26th, 2018

🌟Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews – May 8th, 2018

🌟The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden – August 14th, 2018

🌟Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edit by Tess Sharpe – August 28th, 2018

🌟Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore – October 9th, 2018

🌟The Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor – No Date (If this gets pushed back until 2019 I’m actually going to be WEEPING for the rest of the new year!)

➽ And the highlight of my year on Goodreads and my blog was just connecting with so many amazing people who love to celebrate their love for reading. I love you all, but these people truly changed my life this year, and I just wanted to give them a special shout out and you should all follow them (if you’re not) to start your 2018 off right!

💗 Paloma became like my best friend this year, and our Snapchat streak is getting pretty intense. She’s beautiful, funny, my book twin, and gives me the best romance recommendations in the world.

💗 Destiny became not only a huge part of my reading life, because we buddy read like 50 ARCs together, but she became a staple in my real life, too, and I love her more than words. She’s also brought me into her bookish community on FB and helped introduce me to so many wonderful people. I have no words to describe how much she has changed my life, but I truly think we will be friends for life.

💗 Elise was totally along for the ride with me and Destiny’s buddy reads, too! She’s my spider queen, my sapphic book recommender, my theater star, and I love her so much!

💗 Em is like becoming the biggest reviewer on Goodreads, so I hope she remembers me and my love for her when she’s famous. Also, she’s the number one person I go to when I gush over any book and we leave each other 100 messages back to back when we love a book, and she makes every book I read that she has already read 100 times better.

💗 Petrik completely buried himself inside my heart and my only wish is for him to move to the US immediately. Not only does he write the best reviews, read the best books, and shows me so much kindness, he also is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.

💗 Mary completely just blatantly stole my heart and I hope she relocates to Vegas soon so we can be wed. Mary has helped me with so many reviews this year, while also doing some amazing buddy reads with me. She’s also the most beautiful person on Goodreads, but she’s also passionate, and intelligent, and honestly goals in every single way.

💗 Jules was honestly my buddy reading queen in 2017. I read so many books with her, and she made each and every one so much better. Also, we bonded over Nevernight and Godsgrave and now she can never leave me and she must read just as much with me in 2018! I don’t make the rules.

💗 Alexis is my newest book friend of 2017, but I’m completely obsessed with her opinions and content and her BookTube channel. I feel like I’ve known her way longer than I have, but I can’t wait to get to know her even more in 2018. Also, she’s adorable, funny, has amazing taste in everything, and is such a good kitty mom.

💗 Lilly is also a newer friend of mine this year, but I honestly can’t picture blogging without her now. Also, me and her have like every book in common and if my 2018 isn’t filled with buddy reads with her I’m just going to cry the entire year away.

💗 Chelsea is a confirmed angel that I was able to meet this year in person and it was honestly one if the highlights of 2017 for me. Not only is she gorgeous; she’s smart, funny, so kind, and is 100% my go-to for anything and everything Thriller!

💗 Sue completely makes Goodreads for me. She puts in more work than anyone else I know on this site, and is always so kind and giving. I couldn’t possibly make a list without giving her a shout out, because she does so much, and I can’t picture Goodreads without her.

And thank you all for making my 2017 so great! I hope 2018 is filled with unconditional love and good health and happiness for you all! Oh, and a good book always! I’m so very grateful for each and every one of you who gush over books with me and show me so much kindness and friendship. From every molecule of my body, thank you. 💖

➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge
➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge