Another year that went WAY too fast and here we are already over two weeks into 2026. What a year 2025 was, and while I'm trying to stay hopeful, I won't lie and say I'm not deeply distressed and downright scared about what is happening in our country. Who will save us, and at this point, are we even savable? As we approach the 250th birthday of our nation, I wonder what the Founding Fathers would make of all this. I have a feeling many of them are currently rolling in their graves (especially John Adams). But I digress...enough gloom and doom for now.
My first book of 2026, which I'm currently reading, is The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano. Sheila at Book Journey was my bookish secret Santa this year and it was part of my wonderful gifts she sent me. It's really good so far, but a difficult read because of the subject matter. When you're a witch yourself, reading about what happened to women in the past accused of being one is very hard indeed. I'm also reading Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann for my book group on Goodreads, True Book Talk, and I'm starting The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. We're reading Darwin for my 1000 Books Project this year. More on that below.
As I mentioned in my last post, I beat last year's goal by 10 books...I met my 2025 goal of 60 books read! I'm upping the ante again this year, but only by five. So my 2026 goal is 65 books. I can do it!
The new year for me always comes with a fresh start at reading challenges. This year I'll once again be doing Book Challenge by Erin (which is twice a year), in addition to the four challenges I host. I'm also going to do Horror Aficionados' (Goodreads) A to Z Challenge.
Challenges listed below:
Book Challenge by Erin 24.0
Book Challenge by Erin 24.0
2026 A to Z Challenge, Horror Aficionados on Goodreads
2026 I Read Horror Year-Round
2026 I Read Horror Year-Round
1000 Books Project 2026: Charles Darwin
2026 Book to Movie (and TV) Challenge
2026 Read Your Shelf Challenge
2026 Book to Movie (and TV) Challenge
2026 Read Your Shelf Challenge
First up...the twice a year challenge - Book Challenge by Erin 24.0
The first round of the year runs Jan 1 - April 30.
Freebie : A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
Book title beginning with A, B or C: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Epistolary: A People's History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal
Book with clock on the cover: The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher
Strong father figure: Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
Radio National Pick: Circe by Madeline Miller
Occupation in the book title: The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell
School or Academic setting: Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Reader's pick: White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Biography/Memoirs/Historical fiction: Chronicle of the Pharaohs by Peter A. Clayton
This is a private Facebook group. You can check it out and join here. You can join in at any time during the four months. Second challenge of the year starts July 1st. Categories announced in June.
I host this challenge at my sister blog, the horror blog, Castle Macabre.
I have some ideas on what I'll be reading, but not sure on all of them yet. I'm going for the Chilling level again this year. I completed the level in 2024 so I'll stick with it for now.
Here are the categories and levels...
Chilling: Read 12 Books from all 12 categories
Frightful: Read 2 books from each category for a total of 24 books
Horrifying: Read 3 books from each category for a total of 36 books
Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle
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My main level...
The Enthusiast: read 1-3 books being made into movies/series for release in 2026
Also, additional levels...
Not Ready to Let Go: read at least one (1) book made into a movie or series in 2025
vc iving in the Past: read at least one (1) book made into a movie in previous years
The Movie Was Better (What?!): watch the movie(s) for the book(s) you read.
My full list of books on my holds shelf are listed on my 2026 Reading Challenges page located in the blog menu above.
Full details on how this challenge works (you can adapt it to fit your needs too!) and sign up here.
Last, but not least, my independent project called Backlist Challenge. I'm keeping track on a separate page which you can see up in the blog menu. As always, there are also links in the menu to my long term challenges like the Classics Club, etc.
That's it! What is (was) your first book of the year? What are your reading plans? Doing any challenges, or perhaps thinking of joining one (or more) of mine?
Whatever your plans are, I'm wishing you a Happy New Year of escaping the world into reading.❤
Horror Challenges
2026 A to Z Challenge - Horror Aficionados on Goodreads
Look for book titles or author's last names that start with each letter of the alphabet but now we're including a fun change:
The A to Z can be all BOOK TITLES, all AUTHOR'S LAST NAMES or A COMBINATION OF BOTH.
That's right. You chose what you would like to include in your personal A to Z Challenge.
Some letters, such as Q, X, and Z, are a bit more difficult to find, so any title or author's name that includes those letters is acceptable.
The A to Z can be all BOOK TITLES, all AUTHOR'S LAST NAMES or A COMBINATION OF BOTH.
That's right. You chose what you would like to include in your personal A to Z Challenge.
Some letters, such as Q, X, and Z, are a bit more difficult to find, so any title or author's name that includes those letters is acceptable.
I host this challenge at my sister blog, the horror blog, Castle Macabre.
I have some ideas on what I'll be reading, but not sure on all of them yet. I'm going for the Chilling level again this year. I completed the level in 2024 so I'll stick with it for now.
Here are the categories and levels...
- Winter - set in winter or snow on the cover or winter in the title
- Epistolary horror - found footage, told in letters and/or diaries
- Cult and/or ritual
- Haunted house
- Full moon and/or woods on the cover
- Indigenous, Asian, or Latino author
- Pumpkins/Jack O' Lanterns on the cover
- Black author
- Book published in the 60's, 70's, or 80's
- Social justice horror
- Yule/Christmas holiday themed
- Whatever scares you the most
Levels:
Spooky: Read 6 books from 6 categoriesChilling: Read 12 Books from all 12 categories
Frightful: Read 2 books from each category for a total of 24 books
Horrifying: Read 3 books from each category for a total of 36 books
This year I added an optional bonus challenge - Complete the Word
Read a book with a title that starts with each letter of your chosen word. Complete as many as you want. One of your main challenge books can count for one of the letters.
The words
DREAD
FEAR
FRIGHT
HORROR
SCARED
TERROR
Read a book with a title that starts with each letter of your chosen word. Complete as many as you want. One of your main challenge books can count for one of the letters.
The words
DREAD
FEAR
FRIGHT
HORROR
SCARED
TERROR
I'm not sure what word (or words) I'm going to choose yet. TBD.
The next three challenges are hosted by me at Gather Together and Read, my reading community site.
Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle
Reading is Political - Follow the Science
We have already started reading. The reading schedules are posted here, along with all of the information about this year's project..jpg)
My main level...
The Enthusiast: read 1-3 books being made into movies/series for release in 2026
Also, additional levels...
Not Ready to Let Go: read at least one (1) book made into a movie or series in 2025
vc iving in the Past: read at least one (1) book made into a movie in previous years
The Movie Was Better (What?!): watch the movie(s) for the book(s) you read.
Potential books (including some I didn't get to last year):
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin (2026)
The Book of Magic (Practical Magic 2) by Alice Hoffman (2026)
Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin - House of the Dragon streaming series (2022, 2024, 2026)
Klara And The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (2026)
Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger (2026)
Remain, Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shymalan (I don't usually read Sparks, but I'll make an exception when Shymalan is involved.)
The Testaments, Margaret Atwood (2026)
Wicked, Gregory Maguire (2024, 2025))
Wicked, Gregory Maguire (2024, 2025))
The Witching Hour, Anne Rice (reread) Second season of streaming series (1/5/25)
The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann (2023) Currently reading
My Lady Jane, Cynthia Hand - streaming series (2024)
Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann (2023) Currently reading
My Lady Jane, Cynthia Hand - streaming series (2024)
Klara And The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (2025)
The Running Man, Stephen King (2025)
The Running Man, Stephen King (2025)
The Long Walk, Stephen King (2025)
Full details and sign up here.
Pretend your house is a library: A strategy for actually reading the books you own.
My "holds shelf"...
Pretend your house is a library: A strategy for actually reading the books you own.
My full list of books on my holds shelf are listed on my 2026 Reading Challenges page located in the blog menu above.
Full details on how this challenge works (you can adapt it to fit your needs too!) and sign up here.
Last, but not least, my independent project called Backlist Challenge. I'm keeping track on a separate page which you can see up in the blog menu. As always, there are also links in the menu to my long term challenges like the Classics Club, etc.
That's it! What is (was) your first book of the year? What are your reading plans? Doing any challenges, or perhaps thinking of joining one (or more) of mine?
Whatever your plans are, I'm wishing you a Happy New Year of escaping the world into reading.❤
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