Chase The Kangaroo

Updated: 07/22/2025

The website/app, Goodreads, setup a reading challenge at the beginning of each year, since 2016.  If you are unfamiliar with Goodreads, it is a social website centered around books and reading.  The idea is that you can upload your personal library of book titles and arrange lists by the books you’ve read, the books you want to read, etc.  If you have friends on the site, you can see what they are reading, what they want to read and how they’ve rated books.  As a result of all this data, you can see what books are trending on any given topic.

I find the site particularly useful in the case of creating lists of the books I want to read and remembering what I’ve read or purchased.

What are you reading?

2025 Challenge

1. Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul, by John Eldredge
2. Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You, by John Eldredge
3. Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive, by John Eldredge
4. The Road to Character, by David Brooks
5. Experience Jesus, Really: Finding Refuge, Strength, and Wonder through Everyday Encounters, by John Eldredge
6. Right Thing, Right Now, by Ryan Holiday

2023 Challenge

1. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis
2. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside, by Nick Offerman
3. The Iliad, by Homer

2022 Challenge

1. Absolute Surrender, by Andrew Murray
2. Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, by Charles Moore
3. The Loin Tracker’s Guide to Life, by Boyd Varty
4. Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success, by John C. Maxwell
5. Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave, Ryan Holiday
6. Hero on a Mission: A Path to a Meaningful Life, by Donald Miller
7. Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals, by Michael Hyatt
8. Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey
9. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, by Steve Martin
10. 40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast, by Alicia Britt Chole
11. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, by William Finnegan
12. The Magician’s Nephew, by C. S. Lewis
13. The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis
14. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis
15. The Horse and His Boy, by C. S. Lewis
16. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
17. Multiple Streams of Income: How to Generate a Lifetime of Unlimited Wealth, by Robert G. Allen
18. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
19. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis
20. Boone’s Lick, by Larry McMurtry
21. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, by Thomas J. Stanley

2021 Challenge

1. Issac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, by Erik Larson
2. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Stuart M. Brown Jr.
3. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing
4. Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl
5. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor
6. The Signature of Jesus: The Call to a Life Marked by Holy Passion and Relentless Faith, by Brennan Manning
7. Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character, by James G. Starvidis
8. My Life Among the Indians, by George Catlin
9. Run With the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best, by Eugene H. Peterson

2020 Challenge

1. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
2. Morning by Morning, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
3. You Can’t Know It All, by Wanda T. Wallace
4. Stillness Is the Key, by Ryan Holiday
5. Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought to Say): Reflections on Literature and Faith by Frederick Buechner
6. Wild Thoughts from Wild Places, by David Quammen
7. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, by Yvon Chouinard
8. Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives, by Daniel J. Levitin
9. Five Stars: The Communication Secrets to Get from Good to Great, by Carmine Gallo
10. The Wilderness Would of John Muir, by John Muir
11. The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
12. The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Emmuska Orczy
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

2019 Challenge

1. The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and Move Creative, by Florence Williams
2. Making Life a Masterpiece, by Orison Swett Marden
3. Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness, by Andrew Murray
4. The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a life of happiness and wellbeing by giving thanks, by Robert A. Emmons
5. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear
6. The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead, by Warren Berger
7. Ego Is the Enemy, by Ryan Holiday
8. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, by Jordan B. Peterson
9. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein
10. The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance, by Steven Kolter
11. Destined to Win: How to Embrace Your God-Given Identity and Realize Your Kingdom Purpose, by Kris Vallotton
12. Born to Win: Find Your Success Code, by Zig Ziglar
13. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
14. Discipline Equals Freedom: Feild Manual, by Jocko Willink
15. How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships, by Leil Lowndes
16. The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, by Rosamund Stone Zander

2018 Challenge

1. Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, by Frank Luntz
2. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Sill Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, by Scott Adams
3. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Trina, Train, and Thrive, by Jim Afremow
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Caildini
5. Experiencing the Holy Spirit, by Andrew Murray
6. The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton
7. Patton, by Martin Blumenson
8. The Gospel According to The Simpsons

2017 Challenge

I committed myself into a personal goal of reading 25 books in 2017.  I’m not intending to review every one of them, but will provide links to the ones I have reviewed, as time permits.

1. The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, by Melissa Hartwig
2. Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Meals in 45 Minutes or Less, by Melissa Joulwan
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling
5. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, by Edmund Morris
6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J. K. Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling
10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling
11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling
12. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
13. A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L’Engle
14. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L’Engle
15. Many Waters, by Madeleine L’Engle
16. An Acceptable Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
17. Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferris
18. Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues, by Brett McKay
19. Daring Greatly, by Brené Brown

2016 Challenge

Here is the list of books I’ve read over the year, with reviews on each.  Technically I’m three books off my goal, but we still have a couple of months left in the year.

1. The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen
2. A Higher Call: An Incredidible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War – Torn Skies of World War II, by Adam Makos
3. Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life, by Joe Friel
4. Saint Thomas Aquinas, by G.K. Chesterton
5. The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life, by Jeff Olson
6. Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
7. The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling
8. The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind: Access to a Life of Miracles, by Bill Johnson
9. As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen