#mustread

Kellee’s 2024 Reading Recap & Stats

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And just for fun: here is Trent’s 2024 Year in Books!

Here are my five star reads from 2024 (in order of date read)!

Picture Books

Middle Grade

Young Adult

Happy reading in 2025, friends!!!
To see all the books I’m reading, visit my READ Goodreads shelf and feel free to follow 📖💙

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Kellee’s 2023 Reading Round Up: Statistics, Favorite Reads, #mustreadin2023 End-of-Year Check In, & 2024 Reading Goals

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Here is my 2023 Reading Round Up!

And just for fun: here is Trent’s 2023 Year in Books!

Here are my five star reads from 2023!

I also did a 2023 Reading Bracket!

I introduced my #mustreadin2023 list last January–here is my end-of-year summary:

I am not sure if there is going to be a #mustreadin2024 challenge, but if there is, I am setting my goal to read the 29 2024 Project Lit books that I haven’t read (red checkmarks = I’ve already read).

Happy reading in 2024, friends!!!
To see all the books I’m reading, visit my READ Goodreads shelf and feel free to follow 📖💙

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Kellee’s 2022 Reading Round Up: Statistics, Favorite Reads, #mustreadin2022 End-of-Year Check In, #mustreadin2023 List

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Here is my 2022 Reading Round Up!

And just for fun: here is Trent’s 2022 Year in Books!
(It was my first year we tracked his independent reading on Goodreads; it was so much fun to get this data at the end of the year!)

Here are my favorite books read in 2022! Although not all of them are 2022 published books, 43 of them are (and 1 is even 2023). If you want to learn about these books visit my FAVORITE READS IN 2022 Goodreads shelf. 

I introduced my #mustreadin2022 list last January (<– visit that link to see the list in its entirety), and I will say that I was quite successful! I read 36 out of 42 books on my list!

I love the Must Read challenge! I took part in 2015-2019 & 2021-2022, so I am happy to join again! It helps me remember to read certain books!

Thank you to Carrie at There’s A Book for That for starting this challenge and to Leigh Ann of A Day in the Life and Cheriee of Library Matters for reviving it in 2022.

For those of you new to the challenge, it has you take a look at the books you wanted to read, but for whatever reason, you have not gotten to them. You then make your own personal list of books you want to commit to (trying to) read.

There is no set number of books and books can be published from any year, in any genre or format, and in any category. These books will not be the only ones you read this year but will be the ones included in your personal challenge.

This year, I may have gone a bit wild with my lists. I just couldn’t choose! (If you follow here, you know that is a trend of mine…) This means, I ended up with 64 titles on my #mustreadin2023 list which I’ve separated into middle grade and young adult. (And to be honest, I am tempted to make an adult and graphic novel/manga list because I love having these lists as reminders!)

Middle Grade

  1. 12 to 22 by Jen Calonita
  2. The Accidental Apprentice (Wildlore #1) by Amanda Foody
  3. Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling
  4. Answers in the Pages by David Levithan
  5. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray & Carsen Smith
  6. Astrid the Unstoppable by Majia Parr
  7. Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron
  8. The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
  9. The Mystery of Clockwork Sparrow (Sinclair’s Mysteries #1) by Katherine Woodfine
    *Oops! I thought it was just named The Clockwork Sparrow but it isn’t, so it is out of order alphabetically…
  10. Consider the Octopus by Nora Raleigh Baskin & Gae Polisner
  11. Cuba in my Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas
  12. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat (Emmy #1) by Lynne Jonell
  13. Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Brooks by Caela Carter
  14. The First Rule of Climate Club by Carrie Firestone
  15. H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education (HIVE #1) by Mark Walden
  16. Troublemaker by John Cho
    *Oops! I thought it was named John Cho Troublemaker but it isn’t, so it is out of order alphabetically
  17. Love Like Sky #1 by Leslie C. Youngblood
  18. Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee
  19. The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart
  20. My Own Lightning by Lauren Wolk
  21. New From Here by Kelly Yang
  22. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (Wingfeather Saga #1) by Andrew Peterson
  23. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (Penderwicks #1) by Jeanne Birdsall
  24. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
  25. The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey #1) by Richard Paul Evans
  26. Race to the End of the World (Mapmaker Chronicles #1) by A.L. Tait
  27. Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
  28. A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
  29. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj
  30. The Tornado by Jake Burt
  31. Tuesdays at the Castle (Castle Glower #1) by Jessica Day George
  32. Tumble by Celia Pérez
  33. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (The Vanderbeekers #1) by Karina Yan Glaser
  34. Worser by Jennifer Ziegler

Young Adult

  1. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
  2. All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
  3. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
    *This is a reread. I want to read the sequels, so I am starting at the beginning.
  4. The Extraordinaries (Extraordinaries #1) by T.J. Klune
    *This is a reread. I want to read the sequels, so I am starting at the beginning.
  5. Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All by Candace Fleming, M.T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Linda Sue Park, and Lisa Ann Sandell
  6. The First to Die at the End (Death Cast #0) by Adam Silvera
  7. Five Survive by Holly Jackson
  8. Flight 171 by Amy Christine Parker
  9. Furia by Yamila Saied Méndez
  10. Gamechanger by Neal Shusterman
  11. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
  12. Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
  13. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
  14. The Ivies by Alexa Donne
  15. Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn
  16. The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
  17. Me: Moth by Amber McBride
  18. Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime by Candance Fleming
  19. The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle
  20. The Naturals (The Naturals #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  21. Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus
  22. Queer Ducks (And Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer
  23. The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
  24. The Selection (Selection #1) by Keira Cass
  25. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
  26. Simone Breaks All the Rules (Simone Breaks All the Rules #1) by Debbie Rigaud
  27. So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Remixed Classics #2) by Bethany C. Morrow
  28. Steelheart (The Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  29. Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson
  30. Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson
  31. We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
  32. We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
  33. We Were Kings by Court Stevens
  34. What the Fact?: Debunking Disinformation to Detangle the Truth by Seema Yasmin

Happy reading in 2023, friends!!!
To see all the books I’m reading, visit my READ Goodreads shelf and feel free to follow 📖💙

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Kellee’s #MustReadin2021 Recap & #MustReadin2022 Intro

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I love the Must Read challenge! I took part in 2015-2019 & 2021, so I am happy to join again! It helps me remember to read certain books!

Thank you to Carrie at There’s A Book for That for starting this challenge and to Leigh Ann of A Day in the Life and Cheriee of Library Matters for co-hosting the revival.

For those of you new to the challenge, it has you take a look at the books you wanted to read, but for whatever reason, you have not gotten to them. You then make your own personal list of books you want to commit to (trying to) read.

There is no set number of books and books can be published from any year, in any genre or format, and in any category. These books will not be the only ones you read this year but will be the ones included in your personal challenge.

Visit HERE to see the #MustReadin2021 year end updates!

Visit HERE to see the #MustReadin2022 Roundup!

2021 was my most successful #MustRead challenge I’ve had so far! I finished all but 2 books (40/42)!

For my #MustReadin2022 I let my students choose some titles for me! The ones marked * below are the ones they chose for me; the rest were chosen by me 🙂

  1. The Accidental Hero by Matt Myklusch*
  2. Alice in the Country of Hearts by Quin Rose
  3. All Four Stars by Tara Dairman*
  4. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
  5. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
  6. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
  7. Brave Enough by Kati Gardner*
  8. Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester*
  9. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller*
  10. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik*
  11. Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly*
  12. Delirium (and sequels) by Lauren Oliver*
  13. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon
  14. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
  15. Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie*
  16. The Fire Within by Chris d’Lacey*
  17. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart*
  18. Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy
  19. Hunter X Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi
  20. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  21. The Inheritance Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes*
  22. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover*
  23. The Magi by Kevin M. Turner*
  24. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
  25. The Million Dollar Race by Matthew Ross Smith*
  26. Moving Target by Christina Diaz Gonzalez*
  27. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart*
  28. The Nerdy Dozen by Jeff Miller*
  29. #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leaderdale
  30. Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith
  31. Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes*
  32. Randoms by David Liss*
  33. The Resolutions by Mia Garcia*
  34. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid*
  35. A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams Garcia
  36. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
  37. That’s Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger*
  38. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo*
  39. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart*
  40. When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris
  41. The Whisperer by Fiona McIntosh*
  42. Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak

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Kellee’s #MustReadIn2021 Fall Update!

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First, thank you to Carrie at There’s A Book for That for starting this challenge and to Leigh Ann of A Day in the Life and Cheriee of Library Matters for co-hosting the revival. Check out others’ fall updates on Library Matters.

In January, I shared about the #MustReadin2021 challenge and my plans. In April and June, I updated you all and it is time for the Fall update!

I chose 42 novels for my #MustReadin2021 challenge, and thus far, as of April I had read 13 of them, in June I was up to 20, and now I am at 25! (16 left to go!) I have linked each title to the IMWAYR post where I shared my thoughts on the books.

I also finished my #BitAbout Books Summer 2021 Reading Challenge!

I also challenged myself to the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge: 30 Books in 3 Months! I separated my challenge, and I aimed to complete 30 prose books and 30 graphic books from June to Labor Day. And I didn’t exactly meet my challenge, but I did finish reading 60 books in 3 months!

I finished my prose YA & MG books challenge and have moved into my second 30.

I almost finished my graphic novel/manga challenge, but if I add in the prose YA & MG novels I’ve read in addition to the 30 above, it perfectly finishes it!

I’m having so much fun doing these challenges!! Check out my Goodreads 2021 Challenge or my Goodreads Read Bookshelf to learn more about any of these books as well 😊
What are you reading? 

Kellee’s #MustReadIn2021 Summer Update!

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In January, I shared about the #MustReadin2021 challenge and my plans. In April, I updated you all and today I am happy to update my progress!

I chose 42 novels for my #MustReadin2021 challenge, and thus far, as of April I had read 13 of them and now I am up to 20 of them! I have linked each title to the IMWAYR post where I shared my thoughts on the book.

I also finished the Spring #BitAboutBooks Challenge!

I also challenged myself to read all of the 2021-2022 Sunshine State Young Readers Award titles for grades 6-8, and my recovery was perfect time to tackle it. 

And finally, I have started the Summer #BitAboutBooks Challenge!

  • Book on Your Shelf: Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, & Nicola Yoon
  • Sunset/Sunrise/Nature Picture: ????
  • Nonfiction Book: ????
  • Share a Summer Recipe: ????
  • Book Highlighting a Summer Activity: ????
  • Share a MG Blog or Twitter: ????
  • Book Related to Gardening: Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
  • Book Purchased: Hatched by Kenneth Oppel
  • Favourite Summer Treat: ????
  • Different Format: The Promised Neverland Volume 20 by Kaiu Shirai, Illustrated by Posuka Demizu
  • Book Cover You Love: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
  • Different Genre: ????
  • Book of Your Choice: Thrive by Kenneth Oppel
  • Summer Activity You Enjoy: ????
  • Place You Read in the Summer: ????
  • Book You Want to Buy: ????
  • Backlist Book: ????
  • Recommended Book: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
  • Picture of a Colour You See in Summer: ????
  • A Favourite: ????
  • Adult: ????
  • Favourite Drink in the Summer: ????
  • Book with a Summer Setting: ????
  • Book from the Library: ????

I’m having so much fun doing these challenges!!
What are you reading? 

Kellee’s #MustReadIn2021 Spring Update!

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In January, I shared about the #MustReadin2021 challenge and my plans. Today, I am happy to share my progress!

(And make sure to check out Library Matters to see others’ updates!)

I chose 42 novels for my #MustReadin2021 challenge, and thus far, I have read 13 of them! I have linked each title to the IMWAYR post where I shared my thoughts on the book.

I also finished the Winter #BitAboutBooks challenge!

I have now started the Spring #BitAboutBooks Challenge and am almost done:

I’m having so much fun doing these challenges!
What are you reading? 

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