Saturday, January 3, 2026

2026 Reading Challenge

As has become tradition, K and I are again taking up an annual Reading Challenge.  After my middling performance last year, here's hoping I can show some improvement in 2026 with these titles:

January: a book you meant to read last year
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

February: something everyone has read but you
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain

March: a book with a possessive noun in the title
The Emperor's Last Island: A Journey to St. Helena, by Julia Blackburn

April: a book about marine life
Monsoon Seas: The Story of the Indian Ocean, by Alan Villiers

May: a book about botany or plant life
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

June: a book about or by a singer
I, Me, Mine, by George Harrison

July: a book involving a road trip
How to Win a Grand Prix: Pit Lane to Podium - the Inside Track, by Bernie Collins

August: something received as a gift
The River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb

September: a classic school assignment you somehow escaped durin gyour school years
The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

October: a book about or describing survival skills, or in which they play a critical role
Ice Bears and Kotick: Rowing on Top of the World, by Peter Webb

November: a play
King Lear, by William Shakespeare

December: a Nordic or Scandinavian book
The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life, by Anu Partanen

As has also become tradition, I am imposing some rules on myself: 

1. It has to be a book I already own.  My stash of ebooks has increased substantially of late, so I have a bigger "bookshelf" to peruse now;
2. It has to be a book I have not read yet (or at least haven't finished yet);
3. Though I can go out of order, some of the months are clearly themed (e.g., July, October), so I will try to read those books at least close to the month they are selected for; and
4. If I want to include a book I've already listed but didn't read, that's okay.

Wish me luck as I endeavor - yet again - to complete this relatively simple task!

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