Rainbow Reading Challenge - Completed

I finished the Rainbow Reading Challenge a few months ago. I did a mixture of Fiction and Non-Fiction. 

Rainbow Reading Challenge 

Red -- Radiant Rebellion - Karen Walrond 

Orange -- The Diary of a Young Girl (75th Anniversary - The Definitive Edition) - Anne Franke * ‡

Yellow -- Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Green -- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) - Suzanne Collins

Dark Blue -- Somebody's Daughter - Ashley C. Ford

Light Blue -- Summer Sisters - Judy Blume

Purple -- Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) - Suzanne Collins 

Pink -- Let's Call Her Barbie - Renee Olson

White -- The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas ‡

Black -- Newtown: An American Tragedy - Matthew Lysiak 

Brown -- Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey

Grey -- Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty

Template can be found on Pinterest via @emilyreads15

* Books that have been read 2 times

† Books that have been read 3 times

‡ Books that are Banned

Goodreads Review - "Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 5"

Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 5: The Magic of Oz; Glinda of Oz; The Royal Book of Oz by L. Frank Baum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Magic of Oz (4 stars)

This story follows Kiki Art and the Nome King traveling around Oz. Kiki wants to get away from his home and takes some magic from his father which just happens to be a word that needs to be said in order to transform anyone into anything. It also follows the adventure of Captain Bill and Trot out on a search for a birthday present for Ozma and then Dorothy and the Wizard have to come and rescue them. At some point the two groups meet up. It wasn’t my favorite of this volume but it was still fill with creativity. The Lonesome Duck is my favorite character from this story. Here’s a quote from him about his home when it was questioned as to why it was the best in all the world, “a home of any sort should be beautiful to those who live in it, and should not be intended to please strangers. The Diamond Palace is my home, and I like it. So I don’t care a quack whether you like it or not.”

*Side note: It's important to remember that this book was published in 1919 which means that some words are used in a different context like the word ‘f*ggot which was used as “bundle of f*ggots”. I looked up the definition and the older use for the word was: “a bundle of sticks”.

Glinda of Oz (4 stars)

Another adventure in Oz where Dorothy and Ozma have to help prevent a war between the Flatheads and the Skeezers. This book was my favorite of this volume because the but creativity was really good even with it being the 14th book in the series. There was a part where both of them were in the tent and Dorothy was thinking “how she wished that all men and women could be fairies with silver wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be happy in.” and Ozma—reading her mind—responded with, "No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of happiness your plan would bring weariness to the world. If every one could wave a wand and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish for. There would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed for, and only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be utterly lost. There would be nothing to do you see, and no interest in life and in our fellow creatures. That is all that makes life worth our while-to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than ourselves."


The Royal Book of Oz (3 stars)

This book was okay but it was the first of the series to be written after L. Frank Baum’s death by Ruth Plumly Thompson. The adventure wasn't too exciting but the creativity was good. This story follows the origin of the Scarecrow where he goes looking for his family. After a while, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion get worried and go looking for him and bring him back to Oz.

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Goodreads Review - "Atmosphere"

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Atmosphere is a beautifully emotional and deeply engaging read that I absolutely loved. As a NASA and space enthusiast, I was instantly drawn in by how thoughtfully the author blends real history with fiction. The book stays impressively true to NASA’s historical facts, especially in its acknowledgment of Group 8 as the first class to include women, Black, and Asian astronauts. From there, it follows a fictional group of astronauts in the summer of 1980, alongside imagined missions set in December 1984. The dual timeline is handled exceptionally well, flowing smoothly and adding depth to the story.

I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Joan’s story and Sally Ride’s, which added an extra layer of meaning for me. While I’m not usually drawn to love stories, this one felt different. It wasn’t overly romantic or heavy-handed; instead, it focused more on the powerful human connections that form under extraordinary circumstances, and that made it feel authentic and moving.

I was captivated from beginning to end, and the final section truly is an emotional roller coaster. One quote that perfectly captured the heart of the story was:
“Just the act of falling in love was to agree to a broken heart.”
There were so many other beautiful lines as well, and I found myself saving several to revisit later.

This was an easy five-star read for me—emotional, thoughtful, and unforgettable.

----------------

"But as Joan watched the Earth through the window now, it struck her as monumentally absurd that any of this had been a race with any opponent. Whatever the stated or unstated goals of the Apollo program, the achievements of everyone in space were shared, she thought, among us all. Humans had figured out how to put a satellite up there. Humans had gone to the moon. And sure, they were all Americans in that shuttle at that very moment. But for the space shuttle program to be an American victory felt so small compared to the victory that it could be, should be. Look what we humans had done.

“Because the world had decided that to be soft was to be weak, even though in Joan's experience being soft and flexible was always more durable than being hard and brittle. Admitting you were afraid always took more guts than pretending you weren't. Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying. The world had decided that to be fallible was weak. But we are all fallible. The strong ones are the ones who accept it.”

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2025 Reading Wrap Up - Ratings

★★★★★

A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #4) - Ransom Riggs

All the Broken Places (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, #2) - John Boyne

And How Does That Make You Feel? - Joshua Fletcher

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon - Jeffrey Kruger

Atmosphere - Taylor Reid Jenkins

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space - Adam Higginbotham

Emotional Intelligence: Good Habits - Harvard Business Review

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert - Bob the Drag Queen

Harry Styles is Life - Kathleen Perricone

In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur - Karen Walrond

Lady Gaga is Life - Kathleen Perricone 

Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Poems & Prayers - Matthew McConaughey

Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell - Karen Walrond 

Rihanna is Life - Kathleen Perricone

Room - Emma Donoghue

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2) - T.J. Klune

Summer Sisters - Judy Blume 

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5) - Suzanne Collins

The Astronaut Wives Club - Lily Koppel

The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit - Karen Walrond 

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath ‡

The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding - Sarah Burns

The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty - Valerie Bauerlein

The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom - Shari Franke

The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton * ‡

Wolly Olly Olly the Terrible Cow - Lindsey L. Brooks

Women Don't Owe You Pretty - Florence Given

★★★★☆ 

A Bear Called Paddington - Michael Bond

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr ‡

Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty

Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door - Roy Wenzl

Brave Enough - Cheryl Strayed

Cold Hearted (Villains, #8) - Serena Valentino

Drag Queen of Scots - Lawrence Chaney

Emotional Intelligence: Inclusion - Harvard Business Review

Evil Things (Villains, #7) - Serena Valentino

Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches, #3) - Rebecca Roanhorse

Glinda of Oz (Oz, #14) - L. Frank Baum

How Poetry Can Change Your Heart - Megan Falley & Andrea Gibson

How to Be More Paddington: A Book of Kindness - Michael Bond

How We Sleep at Night - Sara Cunningham

I Don't Need Therapy: and other lies I've told myself - Toni Lodge

I See You Seeing Me (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #4) - Issa Rae

Let's Call Her Barbie - Renée Rosen

Mother Knows Best (Villains, #5) - Serena Valentino

Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 4 - L. Frank Baum

Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 5 - L. Frank Baum

Parkland: A Birth of a Movement - Dave Cullen

Playing Well with Others (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #2) - Issa Rae

Rinkitink in Oz (Oz, #10) - L. Frank Baum

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King

The Big Cheese (The Food Group, #7) - Jory John & Pete Oswald

The Dogs of Venice - Steven Rowley

The Fall Risk - Abby Jimenez

The Geography of Creativity (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #3) - Issa Rae

The Lost Princess of Oz (Oz, #11) - L. Frank Baum 

The Magic of Oz, (Oz, #13) - L. Frank Baum

The Odd Sisters (Villains, #6) - Serena Valentino

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky ‡

The Tin Woodman of Oz (Oz, #12) - L. Frank Baum

Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Temple

The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, #1) - Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2) - Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot, #3) - Peter Brown

Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne ‡

★★★☆☆ 

Abscond - Abraham Verghese

Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel - Amy Price

Death Row (Alibis Collection, #1) - Freida McFadden

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #4) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #1) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #3) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Potions and Herbology (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #2) - Pottermore Publishing

How to Be Loved Like Paddington - Michael Bond

I Almost Know What I'm Doing (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #6) - Issa Rae

Just Out of Jupiter's Reach (The Far Reaches, #5) - Nnedi Okorafor 

Mistress of All Evil (Villains, #4) - Serena Valentino

Oh. What. Fun. - Chandler Baker

Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed--and Why It Still Matters - Andrew Gumbel

The Art of Letting Go - Rain Naim

The Art of Strategic Procrastination (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #5) - Issa Rae

The Business of Being Me (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #1) - Issa Rae

The Last Father-Daughter Dance - Lisa Wingate

The Royal Book of Oz (Oz, #15) - Ruth Plumly Thompson

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Sublet - Greer Hendricks

Void (The Far Reaches, #2) - Veronica Roth

★★☆☆☆

How It Unfolds (The Far Reaches, #1) - James S.A. Corey

The Great Eggscape! (The Food Group, #2.1) - Jory John & Pete Oswald

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald ‡

★☆☆☆☆ 

Falling Down (The Boy in the Iron Box, #1) - Guillermo del Toro

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare 

Slow Time Between Stars (The Far Reaches, #6) - John Scalzi 

The Long Game (The Far Reaches, #4) - Ann Leckie 

* Books that have been read 2 times

† Books that have been read 3 times

‡ Books that are Banned

2025 Reading Wrap Up

My 2025 Reading Wrap Up. This year I read 94 books and exceeded my goal of 85 books.

“The House of My Mother” by Shari Franke was the overall winner and the non-fiction winner with “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” by Adam Higginbotham coming in second. On the fiction side I had “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid as the winner with “All the Broken Places (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, #2)” by John Boyne coming in second.

2025 Books Read 

Non-Fiction - Memoirs:

How We Sleep at Night - Sara Cunningham

The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom - Shari Franke

Non-Fiction - Audiobooks: 

Behind the Door: The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel - Amy Price

Drag Queen of Scots - Lawrence Chaney

I Don't Need Therapy: and other lies I've told myself - Toni Lodge

Non-Fiction - Mental Health | Personal Growth:

And How Does That Make You Feel? - Joshua Fletcher

In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur - Karen Walrond

Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell - Karen Walrond 

Women Don't Owe You Pretty - Florence Given

Non-Fiction - Leadership | Business:

Emotional Intelligence: Good Habits - Harvard Business Review

Emotional Intelligence: Inclusion - Harvard Business Review

Non-Fiction - History: 

Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon - Jeffrey Kruger

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space - Adam Higginbotham

The Astronaut Wives Club - Lily Koppel

Non-Fiction - True Crime: 

Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door - Roy Wenzl

Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed--and Why It Still Matters - Andrew Gumbel

Parkland: A Birth of a Movement - Dave Cullen

The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding - Sarah Burns

The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty - Valerie Bauerlein

Non-Fiction: 

Brave Enough - Cheryl Strayed

Harry Styles is Life - Kathleen Perricone

Lady Gaga is Life - Kathleen Perricone 

Rihanna is Life - Kathleen Perricone

The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit - Karen Walrond 

Fiction: 

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr ‡

Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty

Atmosphere - Taylor Reid Jenkins

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert - Bob the Drag Queen

Let's Call Her Barbie - Renée Rosen

Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Room - Emma Donoghue

Summer Sisters - Judy Blume 

Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Temple

Fiction - Audiobooks:

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King

Fiction - Classics:

Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare 

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath ‡

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald ‡

The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton * ‡

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky ‡

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

Fiction - Series: 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #2) - T.J. Klune

A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #4) - Ransom Riggs

Rinkitink in Oz (Oz, #10) - L. Frank Baum

The Lost Princess of Oz (Oz, #11) - L. Frank Baum 

The Tin Woodman of Oz (Oz, #12) - L. Frank Baum

The Magic of Oz, (Oz, #13) - L. Frank Baum

Glinda of Oz (Oz, #14) - L. Frank Baum

The Royal Book of Oz (Oz, #15) - Ruth Plumly Thompson

Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 4 - L. Frank Baum

Oz, the Complete Collection, Volume 5 - L. Frank Baum

All the Broken Places (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, #2) - John Boyne

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5) - Suzanne Collins

Mistress of All Evil (Villains, #4) - Serena Valentino

Mother Knows Best (Villains, #5) - Serena Valentino

The Odd Sisters (Villains, #6) - Serena Valentino

Evil Things (Villains, #7) - Serena Valentino

Cold Hearted (Villains, #8) - Serena Valentino

The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, #1) - Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2) - Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot, #3) - Peter Brown

Poetry: 

How Poetry Can Change Your Heart - Megan Falley & Andrea Gibson

Poems & Prayers - Matthew McConaughey

Short Stories - Fiction:

Abscond - Abraham Verghese

Oh. What. Fun. - Chandler Baker

The Dogs of Venice - Steven Rowley

The Last Father-Daughter Dance - Lisa Wingate

The Fall Risk - Abby Jimenez

The Sublet - Greer Hendricks

Short Stories - Fiction - Series: 

Death Row (Alibis Collection, #1) - Freida McFadden

How It Unfolds (The Far Reaches, #1) - James S.A. Corey

Void (The Far Reaches, #2) - Veronica Roth

Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches, #3) - Rebecca Roanhorse

The Long Game (The Far Reaches, #4) - Ann Leckie 

Just Out of Jupiter's Reach (The Far Reaches, #5) - Nnedi Okorafor 

Slow Time Between Stars (The Far Reaches, #6) - John Scalzi 

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #1) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Potions and Herbology (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #2) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #3) - Pottermore Publishing

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures (Harry Potter: A Journey Through, #4) - Pottermore Publishing

Falling Down (The Boy in the Iron Box, #1) - Guillermo del Toro

Short Stories - Non Fiction:

The Art of Letting Go - Rain Naim

The Business of Being Me (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #1) - Issa Rae

Playing Well with Others (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #2) - Issa Rae

The Geography of Creativity (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #3) - Issa Rae

I See You Seeing Me (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #4) - Issa Rae

The Art of Strategic Procrastination (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #5) - Issa Rae

I Almost Know What I'm Doing (I Should Be Smarter By Now, #6) - Issa Rae

Children's Books:

A Bear Called Paddington - Michael Bond

How to Be Loved Like Paddington - Michael Bond

How to Be More Paddington: A Book of Kindness - Michael Bond

The Big Cheese (The Food Group, #7) - Jory John & Pete Oswald

The Great Eggscape! (The Food Group, #2.1) - Jory John & Pete Oswald

Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne ‡

Wolly Olly Olly the Terrible Cow - Lindsey L. Brooks

* Books that have been read 2 times

† Books that have been read 3 times

‡ Books that are Banned