Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge

This sounds too great to pass on! It is hosted here. For those with more than one prompt, I may do one or both, depending on how much I can squeeze in.

1. NERDS: A book with a STEM character (a character who loves science, technology, engineering, or math)

2. REESE’S/ REESE’S FAST BREAK:

   Kid: a book with a car on the cover

   Adult: a book from Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club

3. TWIX: A book with twins

4. SKITTLES: A book with a character whose name is a color

5. MM’S: A book by an author with the initials MM

6. WHATCHAMACALLIT: A book with words not in a standard dictionary (like nonsense words or words from a made-up language or fictional world)

7. PAYDAY:

   Kid: A book where a character earns/wins a lot of money

   Adult: A nonfiction book about work

8. SOUR PATCH: A book with a character who starts off sour but then turns sweet

9. LAFFY TAFFY: A book with a title that has rhyming words

10. HERSHEY’S:

    Kid: A book with a main character who is a girl

    Adult: A book set in Pennsylvania (the location of Hershey’s)

11. NOW & LATER:

    Kid: A book with a character who undergoes a transformation

    Adult: A book with a dual timeline

12. GUMMY WORMS:

    Kid: A book with something gross in it

    Adult: A book where a character goes underground (other than just basement)

13. KIT KAT: A book with the word ‘break’ in the title (‘Give me a break… break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar’)

14. JOLLY RANCHER: A book set on a farm

15. MILKY WAY: A book that takes place in space

16. THREE MUSKETEERS: A book about three friends

17. MILKY WAY MIDNIGHT: A book with a clock on the cover

18. STARBURST:

    Kid: A book with star/s on the cover

    Adult: A book featuring a character’s fall from fame

19. 100 GRAND: A book with a number in the title

20. SWEDISH FISH: A book that takes place near a river

21. MAMBA: A book with a snake on the cover

22. MIKE & IKE: A book written by two authors

23. SOUR PUNCH: A book with a showdown

24. BABY RUTH:

    Kid: A book with baseball/softball in it

    Adult: A book with a new mom

25. YORK PATTY: A book set in New York

26. FUDGE

    Kids: A book with a character who has to figure out the truth

    Adult: A book with the word ‘lie’ in the title

27. GOOD & PLENTY: A book with two adjectives in the title

28. MOUNDS: A book set in the mountains

29. REESE’S PIECES: A book with something broken on the cover

30. MR. GOODBAR:

    Kids: A book with ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in the title

    Adults: A book with ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ in the title

31. PIXY STIX: A book with imaginary creatures

32. RUNTS: A book with a character who is an outcast

33. SYMPHONY: A book where music is a main theme

34. TOBLERONE:

    Kids: A book with a triangle on the cover

    Adults: A book set in Switzerland

35. WONDERBALL: A book with a mysterious character whose identity is not revealed until later in the book

36. CANDY CANE: A Christmas book

37. HOT TAMALES: A book written by a Latinx author

38. ICE BREAKERS:

    Kids: A book set in the snow

    Adults: An enemies to lovers story

39. MARSHMALLOWS:

    Kid: A book with a character who is in danger

    Adult: A book with a character who survives fire

40. RING POP:

    Kid: A book where a character goes on a quest (Lord of the Rings)

    Adult: A book with a wedding or proposal

BONUS PROMPTS:

(Some of these may be more for older kids or adults, but I couldn’t leave out these candies!)

BUTTERFINGER: A book with a clumsy character

BAZOOKA BUBBLE GUM: A book with a weapon on the cover

DOVE CHOCOLATES: A book with a character who has a pet bird

WARHEADS: A book with a war

LIFESAVERS: A book with a rescue mission

AIRHEADS: A book about a character who has to fix a mistake

CRUNCH: A book about/with a bodily injury

JELLY BEANS: A book with multiple stories in it

SPREE: A book about an obsession

COOKIES ‘N CREAM HERSHEY’S: A book with a black and white cover

HERSHEY’S MINIATURES: A book about a group of kids

JOYRIDE: A book with an amusement park or carnival

2026 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

 Another I have been doing for some time.

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2026, until December 31st, 2026.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

Children’s Books and Novellas are acceptable, but they need to be over 50 Pages. 

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Grab a notebook, make a page, a post, or a GoodReads shelf to keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Reading Challenges Page. 

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged! 

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book with a title that starts with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

The First Main Word Needs To Be
The Letter You Are Counting 

Except for that pesky Q, X, AND Z titles, then the word that starts with the challenge letter can be the first letter of any word in the title. This year, I will continue to allow book titles starting with EX for the X prompt.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Thursday 13 for Thanksgiving

Colleen at The Thursday 13 holds a weekly blogging prompt where bloggers make a list of 13 things on Thursdays. The topic is for you to choose. The blog host doesn't have any official graphics to display on the Thursday 13 posts, so I decided to whip one up myself. 🙂   

Sharing some fun for today. Hope everyone has a great holiday.

Booklist Queen’s 2026 Reading Challenge

 Another of my favorites has posted for 2026. 

1. Meant to read last year:
2. Goodreads Winner in 2025:
3. Becoming movie/TV show in 2026:
4. Odd cover:
5. Longer than 400 pages:
6. Historical romance:
7. Audiobook read by the author:
8. Five-star read:
9. About injustice:
10. Book everyone is talking about:
11. Set in the spring:
12. Animal narrator or protagonist:
13. Time in the title:
14. About a musician:
15. Alternate history:
16. About female friendship:
17. Yellow cover:
18. About Artificial Intelligence:
19. Book that makes you happy:
20. 2025 Bestseller:
21. Set in a major city:
22. First-person POV:
23. Popular book you've never read:
24. Two authors:
25. About dragons:
26. Set in the 1970s:
27. Title starts with "D":
28. 2026 new release:
29. Crazy premise:
30. Classic you've meant to read:
31. Fiction written by a celebrity:
32. Set in India:
33. Debut novel:
34. Bottom of TBR:
35. Set at a school:
36. Next book in a series:
37. Underdog story:
38. Biography:
39. Children's book:
40. Author you love:
41. Loved-room mystery:
42. Two books with similar titles (1):
43. Two books with similar titles (2):
44. Published in 2016:
45. Nonfiction bestseller:
46. European author:
47. Out of your comfort zone:
48. Discussion-worthy read:
49. Map on the inside cover:
50. Alliterative title:
51. Own but haven't read:
52. Reread a favorite:

Book Discussion: Joining Challenges

 

As you can see, it is the time of year when various reading challenges begin popping up. Some will not appear until December or January. I'm seeing new ones I want to join but am not sure about yet. I was sad to learn that this was the last year of the Pick Your Poison challenge. That one was such fun. I have not seen the Reader Haven Challenge posted, but I may not do that one again, as the topics seem to be repeated every year. And there are many others that I have been doing for years now--waiting for those to come up for next year. The ones I post on my blog are the one I participate in. I am also a moderator for a Facebook group that collects such challenges, so I am always searching for them, even ones I don't plan on joining. I also host five challenges that you can see on my blog. Some I was not sure about hosting again, but decided to do them all.

I'm still trying to decide what to read to finish my challenges for this year, and how many holiday books I'm going to read next month. I've already decided on one. 

Those who join challenges: About how many do you join a year, and what re some of your favorites? And those who host challenges--about how many participants to do get a year?

In some past years, some blogs hosting challenges I have joined get deleted before the year is over. How many of you have had that happen?

What An Animal Reading Challenge 2026

 Another I have been doing for years now.

The challenge will begin on January 1, 2026 and end on December 31, 2026.

The rules are really simple. 

1. Any book read for this challenge has to have an animal that plays a major role in the book (which could be fiction or non-fiction.) It also counts if a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like). In the past, books would qualify if an animal is in the title or on the cover, but that alone no longer qualifies. This challenge is for books related to animals and just because they are in the title or on the cover, doesn't mean it's about an animal. 

These are the levels.

Level 1 - Read 6 books

Level 2 - Read 7-12

Level 3 - Read 13-20 

Level 4 - Read 21 or more

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...

3. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

4. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.

5. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).

6. Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.

7. You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to. If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there. Or you can sign up by joining my group on Goodreads for this challenge by clicking here.

8. Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks)

My Books:

1. 
   

2025 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon

A seasonal favorite. As always, I will get as many books as possible during the time indicated.

 

Here we are at the holiday season again! I apologize for being so late! It's finally time to sign up for the Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon co-event!

Dates: Monday, November 24 through Wednesday, December 31

Three ways to participate:

1. Challenge - Pick a level
2. Readathon - read as much (or as little) as you want
3. Participate in both!

We're also having a 24 in 48 hours Readathon the weekend of December 26 - 28. We start at 8:00 pm eastern time on Friday and it ends at 8:00 pm eastern time on Sunday. The idea is the try to read for 24 hours during that 48 hour period, but there are no rules. Read as much or as little as you want. It's all for fun. I thought the weekend after Christmas would be the perfect time, since the week between Christmas and the new year always seems like a weird limbo period. What better time? A nice relaxing weekend of reading. I'm all for it!

Regarding the reading of Christmas books, for the readathon, you do not have to read only Christmas books. I am always reading regular genres along with Christmas books during the season. Please do try to read at least one though.

For the reading challenge, these must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, children's books (we even have a level for them!), etc.

Reading Challenge Levels:
--Candy Cane: read 1 book
--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books, or more (this is the fanatic level!)

Additional levels:

--Fa La La La Films: watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
--Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above

My Books:

1. For Never & Always--Helena Greer

13 Penny Phrases

Colleen at The Thursday 13 holds a weekly blogging prompt where bloggers make a list of 13 things on Thursdays. The topic is for you to choose. The blog host doesn't have any official graphics to display on the Thursday 13 posts, so I decided to whip one up myself. 🙂  

With the last penny having been minted more than a week ago, I got to thinking of phrases that contain the word "penny" and what might become of them. Some of those phrases include (from this link and this one):

1. A bad penny always turns up
2. A penny for your thoughts
3. A penny saved is a penny earned
4. A pretty penny
5. Cut off without a penny
6. Pennies from heaven
7. Penny-pinching
8. Worth every penny
9. Find a penny pick up and all day long you'll have good luck
10. Penny wise and pound foolish
11. Penny dreadful
12. Spend a penny
13. The penny drops

Another thing that came to mind was the traditional Christmas rhyme that goes:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Please [do] put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, [then] a ha'penny will do

If you haven't got a ha'penny, [then] God bless you!

How many people have had to explain what a half-penny was? Yes, it was half a penny, and it was British. The US had a similar coin called the half-cent. Half-cents were the last coins discontinued by the US mint, in 1857. There also used to be large cents, which were replaced by the familiar cent that has now been discontinued.

The other day at work we played Pictionary, and on one of my turns, I picked a card that included the phrase "penny candy" as one of the options. I chose this one and drew an image of a coin with the 1¢ sign, followed by a drawing of a candy, but somehow no one guessed "penny" at first. "Cent" and "one cent" somehow did come to some people's minds, however.  The phrase "penny candy" went out years ago, because of the penny's loss of value.

This also brought to mind the dated lyrics of The Turtles' hit, "Happy Together," and the line "If I should call you up, invest a dime." How many people today have had to explain this to younger people who have no idea about pay phones and how they cost a dime? (Not mention what a pay phone even was, but that's a whole other topic) Even the pay phone cost went up with inflation. Are we going to now say "a nickel for your thoughts" or "put a nickel in the old man's hat" (from the aforementioned Christmas rhyme? This could easily be a topic for another time, songs with dated lyrics about technology or costs.

Decades Reading Challenge: 2026 Edition

 Once again, doing this one, at Book Girls' Guide.

January--1880s--1890s*:

February--1900s--1910s*:

March--1920s:

April--1930s:

May--1940s:

June--1950s:

July--1960s:

August--1970s:

September--1980s:

October--1990s:

November--200s--2010s*:

December--Spanning Decades:

* For the months that cover two decades, you only need to read one book from that time period.

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2026

Another I have been doing for years. Even though I didn't make a lot of progress on this one this year, I plan to going again, getting as many books as possible.

Welcome to the 16th annual Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge! We're off to another year of cozy mystery reading! Once again, I'm giving challengers two options - one is to read only sub-genres and the other is to read cozy mysteries of your choice.

To find out exactly what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

This cozy mystery reading challenge has two ways to participate and you can choose whichever suits you the best:
A) Read only cozy mysteries of your choice.

My Books:

1. 
   

Creativity Reading Challenge 2026

My last one for 2026. I wasn't too sure about bring this one back. I've made less progress on it this year than on the others I host.  I now will see how I do next year, and see if I want to keep this one going after next year.

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. 

Challenge Guidelines

• Runs January 1 to December 31, 2026. 
• I won't be creating different levels. 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.
• Sign up below in the comments. 

Need ideas for reading? Here are some links to get started:

40 of the Best Books to Unlock Your Creativity

Fiction Books Involving Art

11 Essential Art History Books

2026 Key Word Reading Challenge

 Another favorite, from the same hosts as the Motif Challenge.

Read a book each month with one (or more) of the key words in the title. Variations of key words are allowed. For example: Drown, Drowning, Drowned are all okay for the key word ‘drown’.

JANUARY Weekend, Keep, Ground, Door, Among, Midnight, Glitter, Highway:

FEBRUARY Lying, Ruin, Alchemy, Hoax, Blind, Chance, Flower, Sound:

MARCH Favorite, Orange, Picture, Broken, Sister, Look, Forget, Fortune:

APRIL  Mirror, Mist, Party, Stray, Light, People, Everlasting, Spell:

MAY Bright, Creek, Letter, Empire, Forever, Emerald, Wreck, Eye:

JUNE Box, Apple, Castle, Fool, Middle, Cold, Flight, Become:  

JULY Fall, Sun, Boyfriend, Thousand, Shores, Country, Confession, Society:

AUGUST Matter, Spy, Roof, Missed, Zero, Enchant, Water, Point:

SEPTEMBER Orbit, Hot, Daydream, Endure, Curse, Ice, Decay, Smile:

OCTOBER Prey, Crypt, Hollow, Dreadful, Killer, Hex, Wolf, Lore:

NOVEMBER Whistle, Quiet, Bitter, Rising, Strings, Lands, Seven, Song:   

DECEMBER Lemon, Welcome, Bake, Crush, Cafe, Taste, Cat, Kind:

2026 Motif Reading Challenge

 One of my favorites is now up for 2026.

JANUARY- Read Around the Clock  Read a book with a clock on the cover:

FEBRUARY- Secrets, Lies, & Schemes Read a book in which the characters are telling lies, keeping secrets, or involved in schemes: 

MARCH- Books on the Brain Read a fiction or non-fiction book with a brain-function related theme. This could be memory, processing, mental health, dementia, dreaming, subconsciousness, thinking patterns, intelligence, brain injuries, etc.:

APRIL- Alliteration Appreciation Read a book with repeating sounds or letters in the title:

MAY- Debut Novels Read an author’s first career published novel:

JUNE- Under the Neon Lights Read a book with neon, electric, and fluorescent colors or typography on the cover:

JULY- Literary Road Trip Read a book that takes place somewhere that is at least 5000 miles from where you currently live: 

AUGUST-  Celestial Covers Read a book with celestial beings on the cover, or as part of the title (stars, comets, planets, galaxies, etc):

SEPTEMBER- Based in Truth Read a book that is based on real-life events:

OCTOBER- Otherworldly Read a book with otherworldly elements or entities in it. This can range from angels and demons to aliens, mythical creatures like elves and dragons, ghosts, magical characters, or any unexplained phenomena:

NOVEMBER- Indie Imprints Read a book published by an independent publisher:

DECEMBER- Eats, Treats, & Sweets Read a book with food, candy, or pastries on the cover, or as an integral part of the story: 

Read With Allison’s 2026 Reading Challenge

 Another favorite is now up.

1. Book Released in January (Any Year):
2. Five Star Prediction:
3. Received as a Gift:
4. 2025 Bestseller:
5. Book Released in February (Any Year):
6. Bought Over a Year Ago:
7. Genre: Romance:
8. Sweet Treat on the Cover:
9. Released in March (Any Year):
10. From a Subscription Box:
11. Genre: Fantasy:
12. Recommended by a Friend or Family Member:
13. Features Fresh Beginnings:
14. Released in April (Any Year):
15. Has a Cover You Love:
16. Set in a Country You’ve Never Visited:
17. Genre: Contemporary Fiction:
18. Released in May (Any Year):
19. Book You’ve Seen Someone With in Public:
20. Number in the Title:
21. Book You Own Multiple Copies of:
22. Released in June (Any Year):
23. Genre: Thriller:
24. Book With Travel in the Plot:
25. Cover With No People On It:
26. Author Shares Your Initials:
27. Released in July (Any Year):
28. Book With Multiple POVs:
29. Genre: Sci-Fi:
30. Reread a Favorite Book:
31. Released in August (Any Year):
32. Six Words in Title:
33. Next Book in a Series You Need to Continue:
34. By a 2026 Debut Author:
35. Released in September (Any Year):
36. Genre: Young Adult:
37. Set on an Island:
38. Book That Feels Cinematic:
39. Book With a Blue Spine:
40. Released in October (Any Year):
41. Genre: Horror:
42. Book You Bought on Vacation:
43. Book That Makes You Feel Cozy:
44. Released in November (Any Year):
45. Title Starts With The Letter ‘F’:
46. Book You’ve Been Saving For “The Right Time”:
47. Book From Your Most Anticipated List:
48. Released in December (Any Year):
49. 2026 New Release:
50. Genre: Dystopian Fiction:
51. Book With a Positive Message:
52. Book That Doesn’t Fit The Other 51 Prompts:

Humor Reading Challenge 2026

 Another I am bringing back. 

Choose a level from below.  You may go up a level, but not down.

Cartoonist: 1-5 books

Humor Columnist: 6-10 books 

Comedy Writer:  11-15 books

Stand Up Comedian: More than 15 books 

Guidelines for the Challenge:

Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026. Books must be started on or after January 1 to count. Re-reads are allowed as long as they are read during the specified time frame.

Books may cross over to other challenges in which you are participating.

Any book (fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, graphic novels, poetry collections, plays, picture books) labeled as humor counts. As such, all book formats (paper, audio, electronic) may be read.

You do not need a blog to sign up. You may keep tract of your progress on Goodreads, Amazon or other similar sites with a shelf dedicated to this challenge. Or sign up on Facebook, Bluesky, Youtube, etc. 

There will be no checkins, nor do you need to post reviews.

Sign up below in the comments. 

 

Need ideas? Here are some links to get started:

Goodreads: Funniest Books Ever

Goodreads: Books that Made Me Laugh Out Loud

Goodreads: Humor Books

B&N: 50 of the Funniest Books Ever Written

Amazon Best Sellers: Best Humor