THE GENTLE CHALLENGE 2025

I think I am going to try this next year. I thought I needed more "gentle" for 2025, but I really need inspiration, and this challenge seems inspirational. Check it out!

THE GENTLE CHALLENGE 

HOSTED BY SILVIA CACHIA & YOU MIGHT AS WELL READ

#1 home sweet home (a book whose writer is from your hometown or the place you live or have lived in)

Not all of us are from a place that has produced writers, or writers whose books we wish to read. Opening the category to a place you live or have lived opens the scope to finding good books. You can interprete this as your town, state, region, etc. “Extra points if the writer is from your hometown”.

#2 a book perceived as difficult by you

“It can be difficult in any way — style, subject matter, setting, length, whatever”

#3 a trip down memory lane

“A book from your youth that you’ve not previously revisited”. We are also curious to know what has changed and what’s still the same.

#4 you trust the word of others

“A book recommended by a friend, podcast, blogger, formal review or that little voice whispering in your ear “buy me, buy me, check me out.”

#5 shelf monster

“Shelf Monster” (unread, it’s been glaring at you from your shelves for at least five years”)  

#6 you’ve judged a book by its cover

“You’ve Judged a Book by Its Cover (‘fess up!  You bought this one because the cover was pretty, and you didn’t know a thing about its contents!  Extra points if you already had a copy!)

#7 a book by an author whose nationality you have never read

“Take a Trip! Read a book by an author from a nationality that would be a new reading experience for you”. In case you have read books from a lot of different nationalities and can’t find one totally unknown, chose one you’ve read very little from, or a second book by that author from your least explored nationality.

#8 re-reading makes the heart grow fonder!

Says it All!  For all of us who plan to participate in the Jane Austen 2025 challenge, for example, books for other challenges can count for this one as well.

#9 something old

“A classic, and we leave it to however you define that term“

#10 something new

“A work by a contemporary author, published within the last three years”

#11 something borrowed

“A work in translation, i.e., borrowed from another language; a book borrowed from a friend; a library book”

#12 something blue

“Blue can be from the title, the mood of the book, your mood after reading the book or anything else that strikes you as blue!“

#bonus/swap

“If you have a different category you love, swap it for one of the existing ones, or add it to the challenge”

gentle rules:

• Can one book be used to meet two categories? “no”, (although you can use a book from a different challenge to meet one of our categories)
  
• Do I need to sign up for the challenge, complete all the 12 categories, post about it? Not really. If I read 5 or more of these categories, I consider the challenge met. Of course, the more the merrier, but whichever ways you choose to interact with the challenge, or however it inspires you, it’s already been worth to propose it.

Janakay and I will, as time permits and inspiration dictates, participate in our own challenge by reading, writing, and/or commenting. Cheers to a fulfilling 2025!