Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

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2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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On January 7, 2026

In New Year, Reading Challenge

The goal for the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge was 12 books. I completed the challenge with about a week to spare. However, I didn’t do as well as last year, so I may need to make a tweak for 2026 to push myself (more on that in a separate post). Here is the list of books I read in 2025 (* indicates a book from my “read again” list).

2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge Completed Badge
  • Fate of the Jedi: Vortex by Troy Denning
  • Fate of the Jedi: Conviction by Aaron Allston
  • Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
  • Fate of the Jedi: Ascension by Christie Golden
  • *Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
  • Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
  • Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse by Troy Denning
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • The Martian by Andy Weir
  • Crucible by Troy Denning
  • Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
  • Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

Reading Challenge Statistics

As I said, I read 12 books, which was the same goal as 2024; however, I managed to get one more in. Obviously, that did not happen in 2025, so I guess I should push myself to read at least 13 in 2026. You’ll also notice that I finished the Fate of the Jedi series, which is a nine-book commitment. I did enjoy them, but they are considered Legends and not canon.

In the summary I received, it said I read 5,284 pages, which is about four hundred less than last year. The longest book I read was Murtagh at 688 pages.

My favorite book from the year is undoubtedly Project Hail Mary. In fact, it was one of the most read books of 2025. I’m sure the upcoming movie probably has something to do with that. I’m even considering trying to read it again before I see the movie.

Only one book is from my “read again” list, which is Fool Moon, the second book of the Dresden Files. I’m excited for the release of book 18 later this month, titled “Twelve Months”.

How well did you do with your 2025 reading goals?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 
– Dr. Seuss

2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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On January 1, 2025

In New Year, Reading Challenge

I did much better on my Goodreads reading challenge this year. The goal was set at 12 books and I finished 13 books this year. I finished the last book a mere 4 hours before midnight on New Year’s Eve. However, I did not knock any more books off my “read again” list primarily because I spent most of the year reading several series, as you will see in the list below.

2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge
  • A Killer’s Mind by Mike Omer
  • The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
  • The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen
  • Empire of Storms by Sarah Maas
  • Fate of the Jedi: Outcast by Aaron Allston
  • Fate of the Jedi: Omen by Christie Golden
  • Kingdom of Ash by Sarah Maas
  • Fate of the Jedi: Abyss by Troy Denning
  • Fate of the Jedi: Backlash by Aaron Allston
  • The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah Maas
  • The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
  • Fate of the Jedi: Allies by Christie Golden
  • Forever Free by Joe Haldeman

Reading Challenge Statistics

As I said earlier, I read 13 books in 2024; of those 13 books, only 1 is not part of a series. The other 12 books are part of The Merciful Crow, Fate of the Jedi, Throne of Glass, and The Forever Free series. A Killer’s Mind is a crime novel that is outside my normal genre of books. The rest of the books are all in the fantasy and/or sci-fi genres.

Goodreads sent me a summary of the books I read in 2024 and I thought the data was pretty interesting. I read 5,473 pages excluding the book I’m already reading. The longest book I read was Kingdom of Ash at 980 pages and the shortest book was The Forever War at 254 pages.

If you like science fiction then I recommend The Forever War and Forever Free. The Throne of Glass books are really good but it’s an eight-book commitment and many of the books are pretty long.

The Fate of the Jedi series consists of nine books and they are considered Legends (i.e. it is not considered canon). The books take place about 40 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. I am really enjoying these books and I look forward to finishing the series in early 2025. I’ll get into the 2025 goals in an upcoming post.

How did you do with your 2024 reading goals?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 
– Dr. Seuss

2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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On January 3, 2024

In New Year, Reading Challenge

The reading challenge goal was 12 books and I missed it by about 150 pages. If I hadn’t decided to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve I might have finished the last few pages. Oh well, it’s close enough for me to let it go. Be that as it may, here are the eleven books I did manage to finish for the 2023 Goodreads reading challenge (** indicates a book I’ve read before).

2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge badge
  • Storm Front** by Jim Butcher
  • Winter** by Marissa Meyer
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas
  • Eragon** by Christopher Paolini
  • Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas
  • Eldest** by Christopher Paolini
  • Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas
  • Brisingr** by Christopher Paolini
  • Queen of Shadows by Sarah Maas
  • Inheritance** by Christopher Paolini
  • Tower of Dawn by Sarah Maas

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2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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On January 3, 2023

In Reading Challenge

I just came in under the wire for my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge (I literally read the last page of the last book 2 hours before midnight). If you happened to read my 2021 reading challenge recap I read 16 books that year. You will notice the list below only has 12 books. Why so few? Two of the books on the list combined for a total of almost 2,000 pages. I knew, by reading those books, it was going to affect my total for the year. Therefore I decided to be a little more reasonable with my goal.

Here is my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge list (** indicates a book I’ve read before):

  • Traitor by Clare Farrell
  • Kubrick’s Game** by Derek Taylor Kent
  • To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
  • Skin Game by Jim Butcher
  • The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
  • Cinder** by Marissa Meyer
  • Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
  • Scarlet** by Marissa Meyer
  • The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz
  • Cress** by Marissa Meyer
  • Empire Strikes Back From A Certain Point of View by various authors

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2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge

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On January 4, 2022

In Reading Challenge

I belong to something of an online book club called Goodreads for about 8 years. It’s now owned by Amazon but the essence of Goodreads hasn’t gone away. Every year the websites offers members to commit to a yearly reading challenge. My 2021 reading challenge was to read 15 books. Here are the books I completed.

2021 Reading Challenge - Harry Dresden

Cloak of Deception by James Luceno
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
Changes by Jim Butcher
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Redshirts by John Scalzi
Fire & Sword by Dylan Doose
Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston
Thirst by Claire Farrell
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
Taunt by Claire Farrell
Tempt by Claire Farrell
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by Rae Carson
Taken by Claire Farrell
Taste by Claire Farrell

Sweet Sixteen

If you’re keeping track at home, that list contains 16 books. I finished my reading challenge, exceeded it by one, and all before December 31st. Also, if you have a keen eye, I’m sure you noticed several books by Jim Butcher and Claire Farrell. The books by Jim Butcher shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m still working my way through The Dresden Files; but who is Claire Farrell.

My wife and I each have a Kindle and they connect to the same Kindle library. My wife added several books by Claire Farrell, and six of those books are the Ava Delaney series. Thirst, Taunt, Tempt, Taken, Taste and Traitor make up the series. As you can probably guess, I’m currently reading the last book, Traitor. Ava Delaney is a hybrid; she’s part human, part vampire. If you’re interested in a slightly different perspective on vampire lore, put aside what you know and check out these books. They are decent fantasy.

I read two books I’ve been wanting to read for a while: Redshirts and the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker. I always enjoy reading the books that accompany the films because they help provide more details and answer some questions. If you are a Star Trek fan then I would encourage reading Redshirts. I was pretty lazy this year and did not review all of these books, but I did write one for this book. If you’re trying to decide, I encourage you to check out my review.

That’s all for now. I will discuss my 2022 reading challenge plans in another post.

/cheers

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 
– Dr. Seuss

Book Review: Force Collector

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On July 30, 2020

In Book Review, Science Fiction, Star Wars

Book Review of Force CollectorForce Collector by Kevin Shinick
My rating: [rating=5]

In my last book review I talked a bit about the young adult genre and I hardly qualify as a “young adult” (however I’m not exactly “old” either) but I digress. I won’t turn down a good young adult novel but, I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about this book. This is another book in the “Journey to Rise of Skywalker” series and I’m eager to learn more about the lore that brought us to that epic conclusion. Therefore, regardless of my age and how it corresponds to “young adult”, I read it and I was not disappointed. This is my book review of Force Collector.

Brief Synopsis and Biggs’ Review

Karr is a thirteen year old child on Merokia who suddenly discovers he’s Force sensitive. The Force allows him to see the history of the Jedi whenever he touches an artifact that, at some point in the past, encountered the Force. Now he’s determined to discover the truth about the Jedi. His journey will take him across the galaxy, to many familiar places and faces. He will learn not only about the Jedi but about his own past and his destiny.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this book is the different ways it links all the movies together. I’m a sucker for subtle references and Easter eggs. They are like the Force itself, binding the galaxy together. I know, that was corny. I’ll be honest, when I first started reading I was confused about where it occurred in the timeline. The last book I read, in this series, takes place just a few months after The Last Jedi. Naturally I assumed this book would be somewhere in the same time period. It is not. So, for future readers, it takes place BEFORE The Force Awakens; that is extremely relevant to the events of this book.

Unlike Spark of the Resistance, this book doesn’t add any context to Rise of Skywalker. It’s a fun stroll down memory lane. It’s sole purpose, in my opinion, is to advance the lore of the Jedi. It provides an idea of how and why the Jedi may have become so mythical and elusive after Return of the Jedi.

I definitely recommend this book for Star Wars fans. I had a hard time putting it down.

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

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