M. Suzanne Terry

I don’t think I’ve ever finished the Girlxoxo Monthly Key Word Challenge any year that I’ve tried it. It may be time to retire this one. It’s a great idea, but it always gets relegated to the back of the line. 

Here are the ones I read (and also what I planned to read but didn’t). 

January

Keyword – all

Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves was fantastic. Whoever recommended it to me (I can’t remember, but if it was you – thank you so much!) told me to read it without knowing the premise, and I’m so glad I did. The book would have still been a decent story if I had read the jacket synopsis and the Goodreads blurb and then perused a few reviews, but I was really glad that certain elements were surprises. It made a good book even more enjoyable. So I’m giving you the same advice. Give it a read, but go into it as a blank slate.

February

Keyword – book

So…here’s what happened. 

I originally meant to read The Book Lover’s Cookbook for this prompt, but after a few months of choosing to read anything but this book, I finally just took it back to the library. Then, I decided to read The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. Have I even opened this one? No. No, I have not. I know exactly where it is in my apartment, though, so at least there’s that?

March

Keyword – friend

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante – I have owned this book for years, but when I put it on my March TBR I could not find it anywhere. So I ended up borrowing the library’s ebook copy. I love this exposition of lifelong friendship and how the dynamic changed as the two main characters got older, particularly as other people came in and out of their lives. I particularly enjoyed how well Ferrante wrote the perspective of the storyteller when she was an adolescent. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

April

Keyword – found (or some variation thereof)

I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer – This is a collection of erasure poetry. For the base of each poem, Baer takes an existing message, such as the ones she receives from social media or via DM, and lifts words out of it to form a response. It was a quick read but a good one. I want to read Baer’s other collections, too.

May

Keyword – dragon

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King was my plan. Even though I didn’t do so this year, technically, I have read this book. I read it for a book report in 6th grade. It was my first Stephen King book (and one of his milder ones, content-wise). My English teacher took one look at the author’s name and was scandalized, and my mom was like, “You said she could read anything as long as it was fiction. This is fiction. I don’t see the problem.” 

It’s still one of my favorite Stephen King novels. 

June

Keyword – wild

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly – Every time I read a book in which the characters go hiking, I grow more confident in my absolute lack of desire to do so myself. If any book was going to convince me, though, this one would. It made hiking sound fun and charming and adventurous and even romantic. As a person of faith, though, my favorite part was Alexei’s letters toward the end of the book in which he talked about what hiking the PCT reminded him/taught him about his own beliefs. I also adored watching his relationship with Ben unfold and how they navigated boundaries and the impact that their social circles had on them. Very sweet story.

July

Keyword – this

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone – I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Even if I hadn’t read anything else on this challenge, I would have posted this recap just so I could talk about this book. 5/5 stars, highly recommend, whether you like time travel, sci-fi, and romance or not. It’s so witty and beautiful and good. The audio is nice, but I also enjoyed reading along with the ebook. I am also probably going to buy a print copy, because I want it on my shelf and will probably read it again. The banter and the character development were fantastic, and the plot moved along at the perfect pace. 

August

Keyword – how

How Not To Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz – The reader of the audiobook is amazing. Definitely get this one on audio. The story is told as a first-person account of the main character’s meetings with her employment agency clerk. I loved this unique approach – it’s a fun way to let the reader get a sense of the character and how she presents herself. Parts of the story were sweet; other parts were sad. All of them made me root for her, even when she was wrong.

September

Keyword – lies

Big Little Lies by Liana Moriarty – I may still read this one before the year is over. I’ve started it, and I like it so far.

October

Keyword – darkness (or some variation thereof)

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham – I figured out the killer pretty early, but the story was still interesting and kept my attention. It was a quick read and sparked a good book club discussion, so I’m counting it as a win!

November

Keyword – two

When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky by Margaret Verble – The premise is a Cherokee horse diver suffers a terrible loss during her act, and the story unfolds from there. There are several magical realism elements to this historical fiction story that I particularly enjoyed. It’s a good mix of heavy, whimsical, funny, and dark. It’s told from different characters’ perspectives, and the audiobook is great.

December

Keyword – dance (or some variation thereof)

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon – This was a re-read for me, and it was just as amazing the second time. I especially liked reading my signed copy!

So I guess I finished most of the challenge this year, but I think my journey with it ends here. If you want to challenge yourself to read a book a month with a thriving community but want a lot of leeway in deciding what your specific book is, this one or their monthly motif reading challenge (now at chapteradventure.com) is a good place to start. They also have a round-up of all the 2024 reading challenges they know about, so that’s a good place to find one you like, too!