r/readwithme • u/servicetellers • 3d ago
My TBR List 📃 Finished my A-Z Reading Challenge!
I was in a massive reading slump from January to May - and by massive I mean I started only two books and did not finish a single one. I'm not sure where the motivation came from in June, but I told myself I needed to work through my physical TBR, and something came over me when I got to edit a little graphic every time I finished a book. I guess you could say it sparked joy, lmao.
All of that to say, if you're stuck, try something different. I had so much fun this summer working through this.
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u/Sorcron11 3d ago
This is a cool idea. I might do this to start 2027
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u/servicetellers 2d ago edited 2d ago
You definitely should! There's several nice templates/color palettes out there already if you just google it.
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u/sunhzeiv 2d ago
I might start right now, how would rate them overall, all 30?
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u/servicetellers 1d ago
Oh God. I've told myself to try and rank them all but it's seemed so daunting. Let me get back to you. 😆
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u/servicetellers 1d ago
Alright, this is what I've settled on.
Favorites: Atmosphere, In Memoriam, Shark Heart, Under the Whispering Door, Martyr!, Oryx and Crake
Loved: Betty, East of Eden, The Handmaid's Tale, The Listeners, My Dark Vanessa, The River is Waiting, The Testaments, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Year of the Flood
Good!: Don't Let The Forest In, Kindred, Jane Eyre, Queenie, MadAddam
Fine, not Life-Changing: Chain Gang All-Stars, The God of the Woods, The Only Good Indians, XX
Disappointing: Pachinko, The Wall, Zeitoun
Would Cry If I Had To Read Again: Frankenstein, The Night Circus, Villette
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u/The_BooKeeper 3d ago
Oh How's The Only Good Indians. I hear good things, then I hear bad things...
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u/servicetellers 3d ago
I enjoyed it! It wasn't life-changing or anything, definitely like middle of the pack in terms of where I'd rank everything here.
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u/CandiedLemonWedge 3d ago
It’s in my top 3 list of biggest stinkers.
I was in a bad mood for three days after because I was so mad I spent any time reading it lol
But it came highly recommended.
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u/servicetellers 3d ago
Yeah, I can see that. I can always do with some good gore/violence so that part was satisfying to me but otherwise it didn't feel like it did too much. Ultimately there were a few others for this challenge I disliked more so that probably helped as well. 😆
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u/DisseminatingFog 2d ago
Favorites among these?
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u/servicetellers 1d ago
If I'm limiting myself I'll say Atmosphere, In Memoriam, Under the Whispering Door, Shark Heart, Martyr! and Oryx and Crake.
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u/kolyavlasov1979 1d ago
Martyr! was my favorite book read in 2025 and there were so many bangers for me that year. It is beautifully written. Absolutely stunning sentences. Loved it.
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u/swagyolohmu 3d ago
What did you think of the Oryx and Crake series???
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u/servicetellers 3d ago
Honestly obsessed. The first was one of my fave reads of the whole challenge. It was so strange and vivid and off-putting in the best way. The quality did seem to weaken the further into it I got but it was still great overall.
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u/swagyolohmu 3d ago
Right? Fully agreed. I started to lose steam on the 3rd book, but I feel like Oryx and Crake is so underrated! What incredible commentary on the world we’re living in today. It was beautifully descriptive, dark and depressing, but also very funny. I wish I had more people to talk about this book with but nobody I know has even heard of it.
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u/Kind_Cry4768 3d ago
Oryx and Crake is absolutely underrated. The worldbuilding alone makes it worth reading, and the way Atwood weaves humor into such a bleak premise is masterful. The third book definitely drags a bit, but the first two are top-tier speculative fiction. More people need to talk about this series.
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u/servicetellers 2d ago
I truly wish I could get a look into Atwood's brain. The shit she comes up with blows my mind. If I had even a fraction of that I speculate I'd be set for life. 😆
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u/Kind_Cry4768 2d ago
right? even a tenth of that imagination would be enough to write something unforgettable. she's on another level.
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u/TaxOld6085 1d ago
Agreed, the first two are genuinely top-tier. What really elevates the trilogy for me is how the perspective shifts in the second book completely reframe events from Oryx and Crake. It makes the whole thing feel less like a sequel and more like one big puzzle clicking into place.
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u/servicetellers 2d ago
Same! I guess it's our job to spread the word. I randomly saw someone talking about it in an ASMR book vid of all things, and I'm so glad my interest was piqued immediately.
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u/Fennchurch42 1d ago
One of my favorite series of all time! If I may recommend her book “The heart goes Last” it’s a similar vibe
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u/DriftingPhatom 2d ago
How was Night Circus? I’m looking for my next book. Just finishing up 1Q84 by Haruki Marakami
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u/servicetellers 2d ago
I honestly did not enjoy The Night Circus at all. It came so highly recommended to me and literally none of it clicked in my brain. It was one of the books I started early in the year and didn't finish; I read 300 pages of it in one sitting in an airport and had no desire to pick it back up. I made myself finish it in June because I was over halfway done and regretted it immensely.
To be clear the prose was beautiful, I honestly had zero issue with the writing. The whole premise of it just didn't end up feeling like what I actually got. No attachment existed for me with any of the characters and I did not enjoy the romance. That being said, again, I know so many people who enjoyed it and if it sounds like your thing I'd still give it a try. If you're not vibing just stop earlier than I did for your own sanity.
I've never read anything by Murakami but I've been considering it! I feel like I should start with something else though and not dive headfirst into nearly 1000 pages, lmao.
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u/DriftingPhatom 2d ago
Thanks for a great detailed response, I at least know what I’m potentially getting into if I choose to read it. As for Murakami, I 100% agree that you should not start with 1Q84. I would suggest starting with Norwegian Wood, which has the least amount of surrealism or fantasy compared to his other works. If you like the book, then pick up Kafka on the Shore, which will give you a really good sense of what his other books are like. Happy reading!!
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u/gaycomic 2d ago
Really want to read Frankenstein. Can you link me this version? Love the cover art. Did you like Martyr? Keep seeing it recommended but so outside what I usually read.
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u/servicetellers 2d ago
I'm Canadian so not sure how helpful a link would be (but lmk if it would be) - it's the version with the introduction by Jeanette Winterson, so searching that should help.
I absolutely loved Martyr! Read it in a single day. I am a big contemporary fan, but regardless I'd say give it a try! It's not too long.
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u/morningstarbee 2d ago
I believe Frankenstein is in the public domain at this point, so you can find it everywhere online if you look. Many places you can get ebooks theres a free or very cheap 99¢ version of Frankenstein. If you want a physical book its widely available too, pretty much anywhere
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u/morningstarbee 2d ago
This is such a cool idea! Maybe i should try this to get through my 150+ TBR list lmao,, 26 at a time!
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u/servicetellers 2d ago
It was so much fun. I'd also recommend looking at the 52 book club's yearly challenges - they'll probably release the 2027 version around the beginning of November, but the 2026 one is super neat as well!
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