Thursday 13--Christmas Fun

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. 🙂   

 

It's now December, and Christmas cartoons are appearing everywhere. Some even before December. Here are some to get the season started.

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

The Build Your Library hosts have chosen the theme "A Year of Cozy and Whimsy"  for their 2026 reading challenge.

1. Coffee or tea in the title: Plum Tea Crazy--Laura Childs
2. Your favorite:
3. Cover that includes your favorite color: An Offer From a Gentleman--Julia Quinn
4. Set during a holiday: Star Spangled Murder--Leslie Meier
5. You are excited to read:Made You Up--Francesca Zappia
6. About friendship: The Reading Group--Elizabeth Noble
7. By a favorite author: 311 Pelican Court--Debbie Macomber
8. A childhood favorite:
9. Cozy fantasy: Tress of the Emerald Sea--Brandon Sanderson
10. Choose based on the smell: My Rainbow--Trinity Neal
11. About a person who inspires you: 107 Days--Kamala Harris
12. Middle grade: Apple Crush--Lucy Knisely
13. With a happy word in the title: This Close to Happy--Daphne Merkin
14. About a game: Us Against You--Frederik Backman
15. Romantic comedy: The Accidental Bestseller--Wendy Wax
16. Where the dog does NOT die: A Cat Was Involved--Spencer Quinn
17. Published in 2026: The Night We Met--Abby Jimenez
18. Set in a library or bookstore: The Paris Library--Janet Skeslien Charles
19. That is illustrated: First Job--Jane Sorenson
20. With a cover so pretty, so want to have it on the wall: Say You'll Remember Me--Abby Jimenez
21. About Jewish joy: Color Me In--Natasha Diaz
22. Pet on the cover: Moss Hysteria--Kate Collins
23. Animal protagonist: The Black Stallion--Walter Farley
24. Involving travel: One Italian Summer--Rebecca Serle
25. Recommended by a friend: Little Pieces of Hope--Todd Doughty & Josie Portillo
26. Involving one of your hobbies: Lemon Zest--Lori Longbotham
27. About mothers or fathers: Empire Falls--Richard Russo
28. Set in your state: Happily Ever Afters--Elise Bryant
29. Food or drink on the cover: The Year of Pleasures--Elizabeth Berg
30. About a topic that interests you: The Cracker Factory--Joyce Rebeta-Burditt
31. With a Hero's Journey: The Raven Boys--Maggie Stiefvater
32. POC protagonist: Pachinko--Min Jin Lee
33. Retelling: Snow White Learns Witchcraft--Theodora Goss
34. Cozy science fiction: The Dream Thieves--Maggie Stiefvater
35. Makes you laugh: Lumberjanes Vol 5--N.D. Stevenson
36. Something cozy on the cover: The Last Kashmiri Rose--Barbara Cleverly
37. In the sunshine: The Orange Blossom Special--Betsy Carter
38. About queer joy: Brown Neon--Raquel Gutierrez
39. About a road trip: The Goodbye Quilt--Susan Wiggs
40. Set in a country you'd like to visit: Palazzo--Danielle Steel

December Bookish Bingo

 Here is the new card.

My Books:

1. Borderline--Lawrence Block (4 squares): Library Book, Physical Book, In a Series, Not Finished Previous Month 
2. None of This is True--Lisa Jewell (4 squares): Not in a Series, Book Club Read, Not a New Release, Free Space
3. Santa Claus and the Three Bears--Maria Modugno (2 squares): Animals, Gift-Giving
4. How to Catch an Elf--Adam Wallace (1 square): Elf
5. Christina's Carol--Christina Rossetti (1 square): Angels
6. The Queen's Fool--Philippa Gregory (2 squares): Royalty/Court, Marriage of Convenience
7. Secret Santa--Fern Michaels (5 squares): E-Book, Holiday Romance, Multi POV, Unlikely Couple, Cold Weather
8. Good Dirt--Charmaine Wilkerson (1 square): Eagerly Anticipated
9. I Believe I Can--Grace Byers (1 square): Audiobook
10. The Gingerbread Bakery--Laurie Gilmore (1 square): Free Book
11. The Bookshop on the Corner--Jenny Colgan (1 square): Shelf Love

24 squares completed on December 25

2026 NoveList Reading Challenge

 Another I have been doing for four years now.

JAN: Snow White Learns Witchcraft--Theodora Goss
FEB: The Viscount Who Loved Me--Julia Quinn

MARCH: The Zig Zag Girl--Elly Griffiths

APRIL: Maybe an Artist--Liz Montague

MAY: Color Me In--Natasha Diaz

JUNE: Her Renegade Rancher--Jennifer Ryan

JULY: The Dream Thieves--Maggie Stiefvater

AUG: Blue Lily, Lily Blue--Maggie Stiefvater

SEPT: Sense and Sensibility--Jane Austen

OCT:

NOV:

DEC:

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2026

 Another I have done for years is now up! I will, as always, get as many books as possible.

20th Century Reader - 2 books

Victorian Reader - 5 books

Renaissance Reader - 10 books

Medieval - 15 books

Ancient History - 25 books

Prehistoric - 50+ books

My Books:

1. The Odious Duke--Barbara Cartland
2. The Indigo Girl--Natasha Boyd
3. Devil in Winter--Lisa Kleypas
4. The Librarian of Auschwitz--Antonio Iturbe
5. Pachinko--Min Jin Lee
6. Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson
7. The Viscount Who Loved Me--Julia Quinn
8. A Fall of Marigolds--Susan Meissner
9. Carter Beats the Devil--Glen David Gold
10. The Orange Blossom Special--Betsy Carter
11. Cousins--Virginia Hamilton
12. The Zig Zag Girl--Elly Griffiths
13. Empire Falls--Richard Russo
14. Sang Spell-Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. The Lady Has a Past--Amanda Quick
16. The Black Stallion--Walter Farley
17. The Year of Pleasures--Elizabeth Berg
18. Atmosphere--Taylor Jenkins Reid
19. The Last Telegram--Liz Trenow
20. Master Harold...and the Boys--Athol Fugard
21. Taiwan Travelogue--Yang Shuang-Zi
22. Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunnit--Lilliam Rivera
23. The Last Kashmiri Rose--Barbara Cleverly
24. An Offer From a Gentleman--Julia Quinn
25. The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy--Mary Lydon Simonsen
26. Hamnet--Maggie O'Farrell
27. The Storm--Rachel Hawkins
28. Code Name Butterfly--Embassie Susberry
29. Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady--Nancy Springer
30. Five Quarters of the Orange--Joanne Harris
31. Sense and Sensibility--Jane Austen
32. The Italian Teacher--Tom Rachman
33. The Paris Library--Janet Skeslien Charles

Reading With Wrigs Challenge

 This one is hosted a private Facebook group.

1. An author with a Z in their name: Made You Up--Francesca Zappia
2. About siblings: Apple Crush--Lucy Knisely
3. Tree on the cover: Moss Hysteria--Kate Collins
4. About a road trip: The Goodbye Quilt--Susan Wiggs
5. Set in a Nordic country: Us Against You--Frederik Backman
6. Body part in the title: Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson
7. Book to screen adaptation: The Bodyguard--Katherine Center
8. Animal main character: The Black Stallion--Walter Farley
9. Building or cityscape on the cover: Heart & Seoul--Jen Frederick
10. Featuring music or a musician: Sounds Like Love--Ashley Poston
11. Color in the title: The Indigo Girl--Natasha Boyd
12. Book with a recipe in it: The Endless Beach--Jenny Colgan

Challenge completed on July 30

2026 Color Coded Reading Challenge

Another I always look forward to. Even though it's getting harder to find color titles, especially, yellow and brown. But I still love doing it.

Color Coded Reading Challenge

 

I've opened the possibilities up just a bit further--the color may be named in the title, in the author's name, or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover of the book. For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover--for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter. Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2026. 

General Rules:

~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2026 and any book read after January 1 may count regardless of when you sign up. You may sign-up any time.

~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/author name/on the cover: The Indigo Girl--Natasha Boyd

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/author name/on the cover: Red at the Bone--Jacqueline Woodson

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/author name/on the cover: A Fall of Marigolds--Susan Meissner

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/author name/on the cover: Tress of the Emerald Sea--Brandon Sanderson

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/author name/on the cover: Brown Neon--Raquel Gutierrez 

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/author name/on the cover: The Black Stallion--Walter Farley

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/author name/on the cover: Snow White Learns Witchcraft--Theodora Goss

8. A book with any other color in the title/author name/on the cover.title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc): The Orange Blossom Special--Betsy Carter

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/author name/on the cover. (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc): Color Me In--Natasha Diaz

Challenge completed on June 2