- All books must have been written at least 50 years ago; therefore, books must have been written by 1976 to qualify for this challenge. The ONLY exceptions are books published posthumously.
- E-books and audiobooks are eligible! You may also count books that you read for other challenges.
- Books may NOT crossover within this challenge.
- You can change your list at any time. Books may also be read in any order.
1. A 19th century classic. Any book first published from 1800 to 1899.
2. A 20th century classic. Any book first published from 1900 to 1976. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books that were written before 1976 and posthumously published.
3. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery Award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. Any award is fine.
4. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination.
5. A classic by a woman author.
6. Humorous/satirical classic. Find the classic book that strikes you as funny.
7. Classic detective or mystery fiction. This list of books from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction is a great starting point if you're looking for ideas.
8. Classic children's book. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume.
Warrior Scarlet
9. Banned or censored classic. This has been a hot topic lately. Here's a list from the American Library Association to get you started.
10. A classic in translation. Any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
11. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category.
12. Free choice. Read any book you like.
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HOW IT WORKS
You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.
Choose a goal:
Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories
Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories
Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category
Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share the nonfiction you read through the year.
Memoir/Biography
True Crime
Science
Health
Food
South East Asia
Humour (Humor)
Lost or Found
Television
Subculture
Published in 2026
Welcome to the 2026 Leo Tolstoy Chapter-a-Day Read-Along. This will be the ninth year of our chapter-a-day tradition, and for the first time since our 2020 reading of War and Peace, we are returning to one of literature’s most powerful voices: Leo Tolstoy.
In past years we’ve read epics of American history, classic fantasy adventures, the swashbuckling novels of Dumas, and the works of George Eliot. But in 2026 we will focus our entire year on two masterpieces by a single author, Leo Tolstoy.
(I have already read Anna Karenina, so I have decided to sub in The Brothers Karamozov and Middlemarch for AK. AK has 239 chapters. Brothers Karamozov has 96. Middlemarch has 87. That totals 183, and it will still give me some extra time in case I need it before starting Resurrection.)
From January 1 through April 6, I'll read Brothers Karamozov. From April 7 to August 27, I'll pencil in Middlemarch. Then, from August 28 to December 31, we will turn to Tolstoy's later and more spiritually searching novel, Resurrection.
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Welcome to the inaugural
Shelleyrae at Book'd Out is using the broadest definition of speculative fiction for this challenge. It allows you to choose from the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, (though the focus is skewed towards the first two), and their myriad of subgenres.
HOW IT WORKS
Choose a goal and you can select, read and review a book from any of the categories listed below during the year; OR select, read and review any speculative fiction book. You can adjust your goal whenever you like. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.
Spectator: Read & review any speculative fiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share what you read through the year.
Squint: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories
Stare: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories
Survey: Read & review 12 books, one for each category
CATEGORIES:
Published in 2026
A speculative novella (less than 250pgs)
A translated speculative novel
The first book in a speculative fiction duology/trilogy/series
Romantic speculative fiction
Speculative fiction that features a creature (animal/monster)
A cozy fantasy novel
Dark Fantasy
A fantasy based on myth, legend or folklore
A scifi that takes place on a spaceship or space station
Dystopian
A scifi featuring conscious technology
* You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish. Use your best good faith judgement as to whether a book fits the category or not.
* Where a book is identified by more than one category, it may only count for one, not both.
* You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just aim to complete the challenge by December 31st 2026
For further details and to sign up,
please visit the
2026 Speccy Fiction Challenge (HOST)
HOW TO JOIN
Create a blog post committing to your participation in this challenge. * If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads, LibraryThing or Storygraph, or post via Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky etc. Just add your name and a link to your shelf/account in the sign-up.
The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2026. Participants may join at any time up until December 1st 2026.
*if you would like an email to remind you to add your posts to the Linky please ensure you include a valid email address when you sign up.
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Read a book, post a review, share your review with other challenge participants by including your name or blog name and the category with a direct link to your review in the Linky, below.
Please take the time to visit a few links and leave a comment after adding yours!
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Use the hashtag #SpeccyFicChal You can tag me on Twitter: @bookdout or Bluesky @shelleyrae.bsky.social or Instagram/Threads: @shelleyrae _bookdout or any of my other social media linked in my sidebar. Add me on Goodreads, LibraryThing or StoryGraph
Twelve Trees
Consolations of the Forest
Wildwood
Spirals in Time
Around World in 80 Plants
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This challenge is about reading books on creativity, art, crafts, writing, film making, photography, cosmetology, DIY, cooking, music and any other topic that helps you live a more creative life.
How It Works:
- Runs January 1 to December 31, 2026.
- Read as many books as you want.
- Books may be nonfiction, memoir, how-to, self help, coffee table books, instructional, picture books, and even fictional books if they are about people who are creative.
- You may include books of any format including traditional books, ebooks or audiobooks.You may reread books.
- Books may count towards other reading challenges in which you are participating.
- Ideas for books to include: 40 of the Best Books to Unlock Your Creativity; Goodreads Creativity List; and 20 Best Creativity Books of All Time.
Zen Bradbury
Art of Noticing
Art Before Breakfast
Practice of Poetry
Poemcrazy
War of Art
Working Caro
365 Days of Drawing
Photo a Day
How to Train a Wild Elephant
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Contemplative reading asks us not just what we’re learning about the book in our hands (or ears), but what we’re learning about ourselves through the experience of reading it. The aim is to create deeper awareness of ourselves and understanding of others. It is often described as “holistic,” but also as “heart-knowing.”
Heart-knowing. Doesn’t that sound nice?
I am not sure yet what books I want to read contemplatively. I'm still thinking about this.
Reading Challenge details
Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created where you can add the links for the books you have read. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:
Everyone can participate! If you don't have a blog you can post a link to your review if it's posted on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram or Amazon, or you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish.
Add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to the monthly post (please use the direct URL that will guide us directly to your review)
Any sub-genre of historical fiction is accepted (Historical Romance, Historical Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, History/Non-Fiction, etc.)
During the following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:
20th Century Reader - 2 books
Victorian Reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History - 25 books
Prehistoric - 50+ books
To join the challenge you only need to make a post about it, add your link in Mr. Linky below or just leave a link to your blog if you are not yet ready to post about it yet. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining, and link to your Facebook, Goodreads or other social media page where you will be sharing your reviews.
When Cathy of 746 books announced last year that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel of AnnaBookBel both volunteered to take it on. Summer reading IS the 20, 15 or 10 Books challenge to all of us! They couldn’t let Cathy’s wonderful challenge fall by the wayside.
- The #20BooksofSummer2026 challenge runs from Sunday June 1st to Sunday August 31st
- The first rule of 20 Books is that there are no real rules, other than signing up for 10, 15, or 20 books and trying to read from your TBR.
- Pick your list in advance, or nominate a bookcase to read from, or pick at whim from your TBR.
- If you do pick a list, you can change it at any time – swap books in/out.
- Don’t get panicked at not reaching your target.
- Just enjoy a summer of great reading and make a bit of space on your shelves!
They’ll have monthly summary posts where you can add progress reports and recommendations. The final one at the at the beginning of September will stay open for a while to catch all the last reviews.
The idea behind this reading challenge is simple: Use the ease of summer to tackle a Big Book (400+ pages) or two or ... however many you want! You set your own goals. And if it is the start of winter where you live, then it's your Big Book Winter Challenge. Everyone is welcome to participate.
The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!
- Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book.
- The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
- Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that? You only need to read 1 book with 400+ pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
- No sign-ups are necessary! All readers are welcome to participate.
- If you are a blogger or YouTuber and want to share your Big Book Summer plans, book reviews, or wrap-ups, you can add your link(s) to the links list here so others can find you.
That's it! Go check out your shelves and your TBR list for chunksters and get started!
What kind of books "count"? All kinds! Middle-grade, YA, graphic novels, classics, all genres, all types--as long as they are at least 400 pages. Yes, e-books and audio books count, too--just check online for the number of pages in the print edition.
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