Litsy

New year, new chunk!! This is @Kelly326 and my first chunky buddy read of the year! Thank you for the inspiration, @Amiable 📚

Amiable I‘ve heard great things about it—plus, it‘s Chernow! I‘m excited, too. 1h

dabbe @Amiable I think I know why YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST was not your fave for GW. She HATES Chernow, doesn't she? 😳 39m

Amiable @dabbe I wrote a very detailed review of why I disliked that book if you want to scroll back on the book page. I think it was about 6 years ago. 26m

dabbe @Amiable Will do! 🤍❄️🩶 now

14 likes1 stack add4 comments

Amiable

Mark Twain | Ron Chernow

Also diving into this one today for #chunksterchallenge2026. It‘s the 15th year in a row I‘ve committed to reading a book of approximately 1,000+ pages and starting it on Jan. 1. It‘s been my own personal #chunksterchallenge all these years. I‘m thrilled that so many of you have embraced the chunkster love and come along for the journey! Remember: Don‘t be afraid of a chunkster. It‘s just one page at a time until the end. You can do it ! 👊🏼

GinaKButler @Kelly326 and I are reading this one, too! 2h

Amiable @GinaKButler Yay!! 1h

30 likes2 comments

Amiable

Mark Twain | Ron Chernow

I‘m ready for Jan. 1! I‘ve accumulated my stack of books for the following challenges:

#chunksterchallenge2026: “Mark Twain”
#auldlangspine: “The Story of a Heart”
#USPresidents: “George Washington”
IRL Library book club: “In the Garden of Beasts”

AnnCrystal 👏🏼🥳📚💝. 2w

Ruthiella Wow! You are so prepared! 😃 2w

Meshell1313 Yay! Can‘t wait to see what you think! 2w

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kspenmoll I loved

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

shortsarahrose I also loved In the Garden of Beasts. I read it in either 2015 or 2016 and it felt very appropriate at that time (as well as just being fascinating narrative nonfiction). 2w

Amiable @shortsarahrose @kspenmoll I have already read it —several years ago, I think. I love narrative nonfiction— and Larson is a master of it! I‘m doing a quick re-read to be able to discuss it at the book club meeting in late January. (edited) 2w

63 likes6 comments

Bookish_Thoughts

Mark Twain | Ron Chernow

pick

Finished this door stopper of a book. Overall, I liked it. MT was a complicated character. Terrific writer, lousy businessman, two daughters (out of three) and his wife died before him. There were parts that seemed to be more filler than anything else, and I find myself skimming those pages.
4/5 ⭐️
#bigbooks #biography #MarkTwain #RonChernow

27 likes1 stack add

bibliothecarivs

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mark Twain

Recent acquisition for our personal library.

We already had this title, but I replaced it with this fun Puffin Classics edition.

14 likes

Amiable

Mark Twain | Ron Chernow

Back again for the 6th annual #ChunksterChallenge! Is there a giant book you‘ve always wanted to read but have been intimidated by its size? Tackle it in 2026 and enjoy the bragging rights! Start gradually with stepped-up categories— or join me in diving right into a Colossal Chunkster! (Tagged is the book I‘ll be starting on Jan.1.)

#ChunksterChallenge2026

LitsyEvents

AnnCrystal 👏🏼🥳🪄📚💝...I managed to read two for 2025, so glad this challenge is continuing into 2026 🥳📚. 4w

Deblovestoread Yay! I‘ll be tackling this one with the #HashtagBrigade to start

The Count Of Monte Cristo

Ruthiella Fantastic! I will hopefully 🤞 finish my Junior Chunkster this month for a total of eight this year and I am stoked to continue with this challenge next year.

The Quincunx

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Jess861 I'm trying to get through my Junior Chunkster this year - but it is a slow go of it!

The Well of Ascension: Book Two of Mistborn

dabbe I have yet to figure out what my big chunkster will be for 2026, but I know what my one in 2025 will be by the end of the month: LES MIS. Finally. Thanks for hosting us again, m'dear! 💚♥️💙 4w

Amiable @dabbe Isn‘t it the best feeling to finally take down one of the biggies? 🙌🏼 Great job! 🎉 4w

Amiable @AnnCrystal I‘m always thrilled to share the chunkster love! ❤️ ❤️ 4w

Amiable @Deblovestoread That‘s a great read —you‘re going to love it ! 4w

Amiable @Ruthiella 8!! Fantastic work! 🎉👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 4w

Amiable @Jess861 One page at a time gets you to the end! You can do it. 🫶🏼 4w

dabbe @Amiable “Take down“ for sure! 💚♥️💙 4w

zezeki My goal is to read

Jonathan Strange et Mr Norrell: roman

Amiable @zezeki Yay! You can do it ! 🫶🏼 3w

Cuilin @amiable @dabbe I‘m also trying to figure out my next year‘s chunkster. I have a few on the list. What‘s on yours? (edited) 3w

Amiable @Cuilin Definitely “Mark Twain” as my Colossal Chunkster. I‘m thinking some of the books I have for the #USPresidents challenge may meet the page counts for the Mini and/or Junior categories. 3w

Cuilin @Amiable I‘m joining in for the #USPresidents challenge too but may read smaller books for those or mini chunksters. On my list I have A Suitable Boy, The Decameron, and Moby Dick among others. 🤨 3w

Amiable @Cuilin Oh, I really liked “A Suitable Boy”! If my opinion sways you in any way. 😀 3w

julieclair I‘m in! Thanks to the #HashtagBrigade, I‘m finally going to tackle

The Count of Monte Cristo

Amiable @julieclair Oh, yay! I enjoyed that book, and I hope you will too! 2w

julieclair @Amiable 💙💙💙 2w

TheEllieMo I overdosed on Challenges this year, so I wasn‘t going to do any in 2026, but I‘ve already got it in my head that there will be a few Ken Follet, SJ Parris and CJ Sansom books in my reading list next year, so I guess I‘m up for a #ChunskterChallenge2026! 2w

Amiable @TheEllieMo yay! I love it when the books I‘m already reading/planning to read fit neatly into a challenge, too. 😀 2w

45 likes22 comments

Cuilin

The Gilded Age: a tale of to-day, volume two | Mark Twain

#BookedInTime #BookedInTimeNovember2025

New York- The Gilded Age. So many great choices. What will you read?
@dabbe @desha @rachel52 @rubyslippersreads @chaoticmissadventures @barkingmadread
@megnews @sblbooks
@thebookgeekfrau @bookwormjillk @spellboundReader @deblovestoread @jenniferw88 @suet624 @texreader
@annececilie @JenlovesJT47

Cuilin @mollyanna @jess861 @kspenmoll @ncsufoxes @Bluebird @julieclair @majkia @karisimo
@tdrosebud @rwmg @pathfindernicole @debinhawaii @alldebooks @covertocover
@itchyfeetreader @thegreensofa @ann_reads @rookpools @lizpixie @amiable @Desha @Sapphire @deblovestoread @bookwormjillk @Mitch @SamAnne @alldebooks @lil1inblue @LitsyEvents
2mo

rubyslippersreads I have so many books on my list, it‘ll be hard to choose. The TV show has gotten me interested in this era. 2mo

Cuilin @rubyslippersreads same!!! Spoiled for choice with this one. 2mo

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Jess861 I was going to read The Personal Librarian for this but I guess it is a year to late, lol 2mo

Cuilin @Jess861 The dates are just guidelines. Read it, it‘s so good. 2mo

Bookwormjillk Oh my goodness I‘ve barely started last month‘s book. I need an extension on October. 2mo

rwmg I do have “Empire“ by Gore Vidal, which has been sitting on my TBR shelves for a while.

Empire: A Novel

2mo

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk Extension granted. 😆 I had to DNF one but picked up another and read it in two days

Our Man in Havana (Revised)

2mo

Cuilin @rwmg oh wow. Have you read others in the series? 2mo

sblbooks I bought this at a library sale a few months back. Perfect timing.

The Last Days of Night: A Novel

2mo

Cuilin @sblbooks Yes perfect!!! 2mo

Jess861 @Cuilin I've heard good things about the book! I'll read it either way. 2mo

ChaoticMissAdventures November I focus on nonfiction so looking for something there I think I might cheat and go to DC with

Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took On Washington

2mo

rwmg @cuilin Yes, but a long time ago so my memory is a little vague 2mo

kspenmoll @ChaoticMissAdventures Your book choice sounds fascinating. I think I will see if my library has it!

Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took On Washington

(edited) 2mo

Cuilin @ChaoticMissAdventures 👍 2mo

Cuilin @kspenmoll 👍 2mo

ChaoticMissAdventures @kspenmoll yay! I got a copy on Libby, hopefully we can chat about it. 2mo

44 likes18 comments

TieDyeDude

Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Collins Classics) | Mark Twain

pick

Classic. Gets a little bogged down at times by the exploration of the minutia of daily life (I remember, in previous readings, trying to pay attention to the poems that the students recite, but I'm never quite able to muster the interest 😋).

47 likes

Bookish_Thoughts

Mark Twain | Ron Chernow