Have you ever set yourself a reading goal that sounded great in your head but maybe a little wild in practice? That was me last weekend when I decided to tackle 1000 pages between Friday and Sunday. Spoiler: I didn’t quite get there — but I did read 696 pages, finished two books, started another, and wrapped up my Goodreads Summer Challenges with six shiny achievements. Not a bad way to close out the season!
And here’s the cherry on top: this push also helped me breeze past my 2025 Reading Challenge goal of 25 books. I’m currently sitting at 29 books and counting — which honestly feels amazing.
📚 What I Read
Atticus Arnott’s Great Adventure — Caroline James
I started the weekend strong by finishing this one, clocking 132 pages. It’s light-hearted, a little mischievous, and exactly the kind of book that makes you smile. Full review will be posted next week, so watch this space!
Buy now on Amazon
Hamnet — Maggie O’Farrell
This was the crown jewel of the weekend. I absolutely devoured all 372 pages, and honestly? O’Farrell’s prose is stunning. It’s lyrical, heartbreaking, and a book I know will stay with me for a long time. If you’re looking for something powerful and poetic, this is it.
Full review here
Yellowface — Rebecca F. Kuang (finished today)
By Sunday night I’d made it 192 pages in. This one is razor-sharp, darkly funny, and a little uncomfortably accurate about the publishing world. I didn’t quite finish before Monday rolled around, but I set an alarm for 6am to get it done before my working day began. It didn’t quite live up to the hype, but there’s a full lowdown on this incoming later this week.
📊 By the Numbers
- Total read: 696 pages
- Target: 1000 pages
- Progress: 69.6% (rounding up, let’s call it 70%!)
- Books finished: 2
- Books started: 1
- Daily average: ~230 pages
That’s about the equivalent of reading one full novel per day, how many blinks is that per minute?
🎉 Goodreads Summer Challenge Achievements
This wasn’t just about hitting a random number, it was also about closing out the Goodreads Summer Challenges (July–September). Normally, I dip in and out of these without much thought, but this time I stayed focused. The result? Six achievements unlocked! I was being a bit adventurous by thinking I could complete them all, but I’ll save the gold medal for the Fall Challenge.
- 🏆 Page Turner — finished 2 books during the challenge
- ⚡ Speed Reader — finished 3 books during the challenge
- 👑 Book Boss — finished 5 books during the challenge
- ⭐ Challenge Faves — read one of the most popular books of the 2025 challenge link
- 🔍 Poolside Puzzlers — completed one of the beach-ready thrillers link
- 🏅 Acclaimed Titles — read an award-winning book link
📅 Crushing My 2025 Reading Challenge
Here’s the part I’m most proud of: my original Goodreads goal for 2025 was 25 books. This weekend’s marathon helped push me past that target — I’m now just starting my 30th book of the year! Officially well ahead of schedule (not like me), and still plenty of time left in the year for more favourites – Yay!
☕ Tips for Surviving a Reading Marathon
If you’re tempted to try a “1000-page weekend” yourself, here are a few things I learned along the way:
- Mix your genres — jumping from something light (Atticus Arnott) to something deep (Hamnet) to something sharp (Yellowface) kept me from burning out.
- Set up your reading space — snacks, tea, blanket, done. The less time you spend hunting for comfort, the more time you spend with your book.
- Don’t beat yourself up — whether you read 100 pages or 1,000, you’re still further along than you were on Friday.
📖 What’s Next on My TBR?
Even though the weekend is over, my reading streak isn’t. I finally finished Yellowface today and am heading straight into another ARC for Love Books Tours, which I’ll also be reviewing next week.
After that, I think I’m going to dive back into Throne of Glass for the daunting tandem read — and I absolutely CAN’T WAIT!!
✨ Want to See What Else I’ve Read in 2025?
29 books down already in 2025, and yes, I’ve got receipts. Want to see what made me swoon, what broke my heart, and what I couldn’t stop talking about? It’s all here: My 2025 Reads.
👉 Now it’s your turn — what’s the last book that earned a full 5 stars from you? Drop it in the comments, because I’m always looking for my next obsession.
Until next time…
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