Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2025 - September Update: Annie On My Mind & Even The Darkest Stars

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope everyone's been doing well this month.  I've now completed 16 total tasks for Book Riot's 2025 Read Harder Challenge.  I completed two tasks in September which required me to read a banned book and complete a task on Book Riot’s How to Fight Book Bans guides and the first book in a completed young adult or middle grade duology and I selected Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden (my task was working on planning my library display for the upcoming Banned Books Week) and Even the Darkest Stars (Even the Darkest Stars #1) by Heather Fawcett,  Read on to see my mini review and my plans for next month:

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Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden is a book I should have read years ago. I will admit that parts of it made me so mad and sad, but I'm very glad for the sense of hope. That was much needed. But, you know what I wanted to see? Sally getting her teeth punched in!

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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Even the Darkest Stars (Even the Darkest Stars #1) by Heather Fawcett  is a solid read and setting is pretty great, but I wasn't a fan of the romance love triangle at all. This duology series opener is also much too long for me given how much happens.  The whole thing was just dragged out for to long.  I don't think I'll be back to see how it all ends.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

Next Up For October:

Read a work of weird horror.

My choice: The Fisherman by John Langan - Well, I'm not really into fishing, but this sounds like it has a lot of potential.  Plus, the cover looks so atmospheric!

Read a book about a moral panic.

My choice: Digging Up Devils: The Search For A Satanic Murder Cult in Rural Ohio by Jack Legg - Reading about the Satanic Panic in October sounds like a perfect choice.  Plus, I also live in rural Ohio even if in a different part of the state, so this should definitely be interesting.

Are you taking part in this challenge?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!