Reading Challenges 2026 Introduction

I'm gong to be attempting several challenges again this year. I say "attempting" because last year I completely failed at most of my challenges because the majority of my reading was of ARCs for launch teams and NetGalley, and the books just didn't meet the challenge prompts.

The first challenge again comes from the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction Facebook Group I am in.

Tackle the TBR Pile is from Crystal Caudill's blog.

There is also the reading challenge from the Eating Our Words Facebook group. 

I'm joining in with The Posse again:

I'm again joining in with the Read Your Bookshelf Challenge from Chantel Reads All Day. 

One of the authors I follow, Malissa Chapin, is again doing a challenge on her FB page, Malissa Chapin's Merry Band of Book Lovers. I completely failed her challenge again last year, but I decided I could try again.

Here's the challenge from the Faith Filled Fiction FB group. I love that it is a bingo and not needing to read a specific book in each month.

 

I'm also going to try to read a book set in each of the 50 states with the Literary Escapes Challenge. Last year was the second year I attempted it. Unfortunately, I didn't get all 50 states. I'm actually not sure how many I did get.

A couple of years ago I decided I would try her Alphabet Soup Challenge. I'm not exactly how well I did last year, but I wanted to try again this year..

And seeing as I'm reading a bunch of books anyway, and reading many different authors, I figured I'd try the Alphabet Soup Author Edition this year. Just to see how many letters I can get with what I am already reading. 

I'm also going to try to read books set in as many European countries as possible with the 2026 European Reading Challenge from Rose City Reader. Last year I read books from only two different European countries. I'm hoping to increase that number this year. 

Additionally, she has the TBR 26 in '26 challenge. Last year I only got one book read off of my TBR pile. As I mentioned above, most of my books were ARCs.

Finally, I am joining in again with a  yearly challenge from the Scripture Literature-You Are What You Read FB group. I like this one because I can just fit the books in as I read them.

So, here it is:

1- Star Crossed Lovers

2- A Haunting

3- Author shares an initial with you

4- Biblical Relic

5- I can relate

6- A Social Contruct

7- Story of Survival

8- Comfort Zone

9- Spiritual Gifts

10- From Lore

11- Coming of Age

12- Starting over

13- Prodigal Family Member

14- Friendship

15- A Different World

16- Takes place in Europe

17- Favorite past category

18- Isolation

19- Redhead Protagonist

20. A Diagnosis

21. Elderly Protagonist

22. Number in the Title

23. Wrongly Accused

24. Book you got from a thrift store

25. Flowers on the cover

26. Choose your own Adventure  

My Goodreads goal is to read 100 books this year. Last year I had set it at 110 and I ended up only reading 80 books. 

Okay, so this looks like a lot again. However, a couple of them fit the fact that I want to read from my TBR shelf. And recording books that fit into the alphabet is just that, recording books I am already reading. I won't force myself to read a bunch of books JUST to get the letters I'm missing. And of course, I try to combine challenges when possible. And with the yearly challenges, I read books for the other challenges and then see where they fit in the yearly challenge lists. Also, when I pick books for the monthly challenges, I will try to choose books that take place in different states or countries. Also, I'll probably prioritize the challenges I've been doing longer if I start struggling with keeping up.

Reading Challenges 2025: February Update

Here is what I read for my challenges in February: 

For the challenge in the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group I needed to read a book that featured a fireplace, bonfire, or wood stove in the story or on the cover. I chose to read Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel and The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

For the Tackle the TBR Pile is from Crystal Caudill's blog I used Kiera by Kate Willis. I'm sure more of the books I read were written by authors of a different generation, but I wasn't sure how to figure out who.

For the challenge in the Eating Our Words FB group I was also able to use The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher for my February book. With this challenge, we can choose to read the book IN the month, or any time of the year, OR we can do both. So, like last year, I am choosing to try both. 

Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel works for March and Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer works for August.

For the challenge in the Posse FB group I read Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witmeyer.

For the Read Your Bookshelf Challenge from Chantel Reads All Day I used Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witmeyer

I really enjoyed Secondary Target by Angela Carlisle; however, I didn't read it this month. I was on the launch team for it last year.

I finished Kiera by Kate Willis at the beginning of this month for last month's challenge. And I read Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard for February.

 

A few of the books I read in February work for the Coffee House Specials challenge in the Faith Filled Fiction FB group I read Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemember, Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel, and Forgiving the Cowboy by Tabitha Bouldin. Even Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard had romance, though it is romantic suspense.

For the Literary Escapes Challenge here is what I read each month:

In January I read books set in the following states:

Colorado: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron

Minnesota: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Tenesee: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath and Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee

Texas: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

And I traveled to England with A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

In February I read books set in the following states (though I did also return to Texas):

Massachusetts: The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

North Carolina: Forgiving the Cowboy by Tabitha Bouldin
Washington: Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard 

And I traveled to Ireland with Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel 

and Israel with Dawn of Grace by Jill Eileen Smith 

Here is what I read for the Alphabet Soup Challenge.

January:

A: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee and Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

C: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron and Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (mini challenge)

D: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

F: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller
G: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath

February:

F: Forgiving the Cowboy by Tabitha Bouldin (for mini challenge)

H: Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel
K: Kiera by Kate Willis
S: Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer, Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard, and The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

And here is what I read for the Alphabet Soup Author Edition: 

January: 

D: Dulcie Dameron's Cross Check Crush

H: A.M. Heath's Grannies' Matches for Jake

K: Kristi Ann Hunter's A Defense of Honor

M: Gabrielle Meyer's Across the Ages

S: Michelle Shocklee's Appalachian Song

W: Karen Witemeyer's Cloaked in Beauty

Z: Penny Zeller's Forgotten Identity

February:

B: Tabitha Bouldin's Forgiving the Cowboy

E: Elizabeth Goddard's Storm Warning 
F: Suzanne Woods Fisher's The Sweet Life

J: Jennifer Deibel's Heart of the Glen and Jill Eileen Smith's Dawn of Grace

Here's what I read for the 2025 European Reading Challenge from Rose City Reader.

In January I read a book set in the following European country:

England: In Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

In February I read a book set in the following European country:

Ireland: Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel 

Here's what I read from my TBR pile for the TBR 25 in '25 challenge also over on the Rose City Reader blog. These books have to have been in my physical TBR pile at home or on my Kindle app prior to the start of 2025.

1- Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Also, someone in my Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group again came up with a yearly book challenge. This year we again have 50 prompts:

In January, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge
In February, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge

Read a book…

1. With a title that starts with L

2. Featuring a woman in STEM

3. With an unreliable narrator 

4. Featuring a stepparent: Kiera by Kate Willis (Feb)

5. With a red cover

6. By a new to you author: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter (Jan)

7. That is a 2025 debut novel 

8. Featuring an unsolved mystery: Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard (Feb)

9. By an author who has the same first and last initial: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron (Jan)

10. That is a fairytale spin off or retelling: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Jan)

11. That is considered a classic 

12. With a character you find relatable 

13. From a genre you don’t read often 

14. With an insect on the cover 

15. That is over 500 pages long

16. Set in the mountains 

17. Published in 2025: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller (Jan)

18. Written more than 20 years ago 

19. That includes a holiday you don’t celebrate 

20. Published by an Indie author

21. That contains illustrations 

22. Featuring a firefighter or other emergency responder

23. That has a second chance romance 

24. Recommend by a librarian 

25. With a green spine 

26. Set in a bakery or restaurant: The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Feb)

27. With four or more people on the cover

28. That has won an award

29. Written by a BIPOC author 

30. Set in a different country from you: Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel (Feb)

31. With a one word title 

32. That includes more than 2 POV: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath (Jan)

33. That is a dual or triple timeline: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer (Jan)

34. Set before the 1800s

35. With a bird on the cover 

36. That takes place on or around a train

37. With a blue dress on the cover: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee (Jan)

38. A book with the word at, in, or is in the title 

39. Set in Eastern Europe 

40. Set during WWII

41. That makes you laugh 

42. That features a historical event you remember 

43. With an illustrated or typography cover

44. Set in a cold climate

45. With a hat on the cover: Forgiving the Cowboy by Tabitha Bouldin (Feb)

46. Written by a male author

47. Written in first person pov

48. With little to no romance: Dawn of Grace by Jill Eileen Smith (Feb)

49. By an author with multiple award winning books: Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witmeyer (Feb)

50. That features a pet other than a dog 

Finally, I am joining in again with a second yearly challenge from the Scripture Literature-You Are What You Read FB group. 

In January, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge
In February, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge

1- You Can't Wait: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Jan)

2- Whodunit

3- Spin on a Classic

4- A Cardinal Sin: Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer (Feb)

5- Bibliophile

6- Succumb to Peer Pressure

7- Rom Com

8- Considered Controversial

9- Written by an Apologist

10- Return to a Favorite

11- Think Piece

12- Passage of Time 

13- Good vs Evil

14- Fruit of the Spirit

15- A Book that Mentions a Book

16- Multi-Generational POV: The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Smith (Feb)

17- Labor of Love: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee (Jan)

18- Far From Home

19- Child Narrator

20. Debut Novel

21. Small Town

22. Lighthouse

23. Animal on the Cover

24. Book you got for Free

25. An Epic Love Story

26. Amish

27. Features a Character from the Bible: Dawn of Grace by Jill Eileen Smith (Feb)

28. Location Starts with "I": Heart of the Glen by Jennifer Deibel (Feb)

29. A Spooky Read

30. Natural Disaster

31. Overcoming a Tragic Event

32. A Quest: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer (Jan)

33. Harmful Secrets: Forgiving the Cowboy by Tabitha Bouldin (Feb)

34. One Word Title: Kiera by Kate Willis (Feb)

35. Feud

36. A Sea Voyage

37. A Wedding or a Funeral

38. Significant Historical Event: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath (Jan)

39. Female Antagonist: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller (Jan)

40. Thriller

41. With a Yellow Cover

42. Missionaries

43. Indie Author

44. Daddy Issues: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron (Jan)

45. On the Run: Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard (Feb)

46. New Release

47. For a Good Cause: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter (Jan)

48. Showbiz

49. Favorite Time Period 

50. Fictional Land

51. Married Couple

52. Orphan

53. Choose your own Adventure  

My Goodreads goal is to read 110 books this year. Last year I had set it at 110 and I ended up reading 122. So far this year I have read 14 books.

Reading Challenges 2025: January Update

Here is what I read for my challenges in January: 

For the challenge in the Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group I needed to read a book that had winter sports in it. I chose to read Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron. 

For the Tackle the TBR Pile is from Crystal Caudill's blog I used Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron as it was the last book I put on my TBR list at the beginning of the month when I was choosing my books for the month.

For the challenge in the Eating Our Words FB group I was also able to use Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron for my January book. With this challenge, we can choose to read the book IN the month, or any time of the year, OR we can do both. So, like last year, I am choosing to try both. 

I read another book for January, Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller. And A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter works for April.

For the challenge in the Posse FB group I read Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witmeyer.

For the Read Your Bookshelf Challenge from Chantel Reads All Day I used Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witmeyer

I really enjoyed A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter, which was the January book in the Between the Pages FB group challenge/book discussion.

I haven't finished my book for this challenge yet. In fact, I only just started it. But I am reading Kiera by Kate Willis.

 

For the Coffee House Specials challenge in teh Faith Filled Fiction FB group I read Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee. I would also say A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter would work. One of the other reasons I was reading Kiera, mentioned above, for January is that it was mentioned it is also pro-life.

For the Literary Escapes Challenge here is what I read each month:

In January I read books set in the following states:

Colorado: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron

Minnesota: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Tenesee: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath and Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee

Texas: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer

And I traveled to England with A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

Here is what I read for the Alphabet Soup Challenge.

January:

A: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee and Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

C: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron and Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (mini challenge)

D: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

F: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller
G: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath

And here is what I read for the Alphabet Soup Author Edition: 

January: 

D: Dulcie Dameron's Cross Check Crush

H: A.M. Heath's Grannies' Matches for Jake

K: Kristi Ann Hunter's A Defense of Honor

M: Gabrielle Meyer's Across the Ages

S: Michelle Shocklee's Appalachian Song

W: Karen Witemeyer's Cloaked in Beauty

Z: Penny Zeller's Forgotten Identity

Here's what I read for the 2025 European Reading Challenge from Rose City Reader.

In January I read a book set in the following European country:

England: In Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

Here's what I read from my TBR pile for the TBR 25 in '25 challenge also over on the Rose City Reader blog. These books have to have been in my physical TBR pile at home or on my Kindle app prior to the start of 2025.

1- Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Also, someone in my Avid Readers of Christian Fiction group again came up with a yearly book challenge. This year we again have 50 prompts:

In January, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge

Read a book…

1. With a title that starts with L

2. Featuring a woman in STEM

3. With an unreliable narrator 

4. Featuring a stepparent 

5. With a red cover

6. By a new to you author: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter (Jan)

7. That is a 2025 debut novel 

8. Featuring an unsolved mystery 

9. By an author who has the same first and last initial: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron (Jan)

10. That is a fairytale spin off or retelling: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Jan)

11. That is considered a classic 

12. With a character you find relatable 

13. From a genre you don’t read often 

14. With an insect on the cover 

15. That is over 500 pages long

16. Set in the mountains 

17. Published in 2025: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller (Jan)

18. Written more than 20 years ago 

19. That includes a holiday you don’t celebrate 

20. Published by an Indie author

21. That contains illustrations 

22. Featuring a firefighter or other emergency responder

23. That has a second chance romance 

24. Recommend by a librarian 

25. With a green spine 

26. Set in a bakery or restaurant 

27. With four or more people on the cover

28. That has won an award

29. Written by a BIPOC author 

30. Set in a different country from you 

31. With a one word title 

32. That includes more than 2 POV: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath (Jan)

33. That is a dual or triple timeline: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer (Jan)

34. Set before the 1800s

35. With a bird on the cover 

36. That takes place on or around a train

37. With a blue dress on the cover: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee (Jan)

38. A book with the word at, in, or is in the title 

39. Set in Eastern Europe 

40. Set during WWII

41. That makes you laugh 

42. That features a historical event you remember 

43. With an illustrated or typography cover

44. Set in a cold climate

45. With a hat on the cover

46. Written by a male author

47. Written in first person pov

48. With little to no romance

49. By an author with multiple award winning books

50. That features a pet other than a dog 

Finally, I am joining in again with a second yearly challenge from the Scripture Literature-You Are What You Read FB group. 

In January, 7 of the books I read fit this challenge

1- You Can't Wait: Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Jan)

2- Whodunit

3- Spin on a Classic

4- A Cardinal Sin

5- Bibliophile

6- Succumb to Peer Pressure

7- Rom Com

8- Considered Controversial

9- Written by an Apologist

10- Return to a Favorite

11- Think Piece

12- Passage of Time 

13- Good vs Evil

14- Fruit of the Spirit

15- A Book that Mentions a Book

16- Multi-Generational POV

17- Labor of Love: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee (Jan)

18- Far From Home

19- Child Narrator

20. Debut Novel

21. Small Town

22. Lighthouse

23. Animal on the Cover

24. Book you got for Free

25. An Epic Love Story

26. Amish

27. Features a Character from the Bible

28. Location Starts with "I"

29. A Spooky Read

30. Natural Disaster

31. Overcoming a Tragic Event

32. A Quest: Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer (Jan)

33. Harmful Secrets

34. One Word Title

35. Feud

36. A Sea Voyage

37. A Wedding or a Funeral

38. Significant Historical Event: Grannies' Matches for Jake by A.M. Heath (Jan)

39. Female Antagonist: Forgotten Identity by Penny Zeller (Jan)

40. Thriller

41. With a Yellow Cover

42. Missionaries

43. Indie Author

44. Daddy Issues: Cross Check Crush by Dulcie Dameron (Jan)

45. On the Run

46. New Release

47. For a Good Cause: A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter (Jan)

48. Showbiz

49. Favorite Time Period 

50. Fictional Land

51. Married Couple

52. Orphan

53. Choose your own Adventure  

My Goodreads goal is to read 110 books this year. Last year I had set it at 110 and I ended up reading 122. So far this year I have read 7 books.