2026 Mystery Marathon: My Sign-Up

 

Two years ago Rick over at the Mystillery decided that we needed to stretch our mystery-reading muscles and start training for a Mystery Marathon. [Full disclosure: I've been in training for this since my mom introduced me to Nancy Drew.] For each marathon we need to read at least 26 mystery books. I finished five marathons in 2024, but last year our trainer Rick has told us not to overdo. So one marathon and we can head to the refreshments tent and relax.

Marathon 2026

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2026 Six Shooter Challenge: My Sign-Up

 

I'm heading out to the shooting range again with Rick and his Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge in 2026. The goal is pretty straight-forward--read six books on the same target (by the same author) to complete your round. Any targets started in 2025 but not yet complete will carry over to the new year, so Rick's page won't be fully ready to go for a while. But you can check out the current details at the link above.

As with his other challenges, Rick doesn't ask for a commitment. But I will set a personal goal in order to claim the challenge complete for 2026. I've been setting it at four targets--and I will be aiming for the same in the new year.  Likely targets will include Agatha Christie, the Lockridges, and Carolyn Keene. Other authors TBD.

Target 1

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Target 2

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Target 3

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Target 4

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2026 Medical Examiner Challenge

 

Once again Rick at the Rick Mills Project will be offering up the Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge as well as the Six Shooter Challenge and the Mystery Marathon. I, having no self-control when it comes to challenges--especially mystery-related challenges, will--of course--sign up for all three. For full details, check out the link above after the new year starts. Basically, just read mysteries and log the number of named corpses on his handy form.

Rick doesn't require a sign-up post, but in order to claim this one as complete on my own personal challenge tally sheet, I must submit at least 20 death certificate reports. With the number of mysteries I read per year, this doesn't prove too difficult--so, there should be plenty of toe tags signed by "Quincy" Hankins at the Mystillery Morgue.

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Commitment met

2026 Calendar of Crime: My Sign-Up

 

As I mention elsewhere, mysteries are my genre of choice. So, I have little difficulty filling up my calendar with all sorts of mysterious dates and dastardly deeds. The goal--to read one month-related mystery book per month for a total of twelve books. See link at the Calendar of Crime for details and a link to the monthly prompts.

January: 

February: 

March: 

April: 

May: 

June: 

July: 

August: 

September: 

October: 

November: 

December:

2026 Read It Again, Sam Challenge: My Sign-Up

 

I don't do a lot of re-reading, but it does seem that I wind up with at least a handful each year. So, I'm going to sign up for my Read It Again, Sam Challenge again.
 
There are several levels (below) and the full rules may be found at the link above.
Déjà vu: Reread 4 books  
Feeling Nostalgic: Reread 8 books
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Reread 12 books  
Living in the Past: Reread 16+ books

I'm just going to go for Déjà vu: Reread 4 books. If I find myself doing more rereads, then I'll level up.

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2026 Color Coded Reading Challenge

 

Every year I think I've used up my last title with "Brown" (or a shade of brown) for the Color Coded Reading Challenge and every year I prove myself wrong (or buy more books with suitable titles). I'll keep signing up as long as I have suitable titles or author's name (I don't plan on ever using cover color...).

Here's the basic rule: read nine books with the various colors listed below in their titles, the author's name, or as a dominant color/image on their covers. For full details, click the link above. I'll list my books and date read as they come.

1. Read book with "Blue" (or a shade of blue):

2. Read a book with "Red" (or a shade of red):

3. Read a book with "Yellow" (or a shade of yellow):

 
4. Read a book with "Green" (or a shade of green):

5. Read a book with "Brown" (or a shade of brown):

6. Read a book with "Black" (or a shade of black):

7. Read a book with "White" (or a shade of white): 

8. Read a book with any other color:

9. Read a book a word/image that implies color (rainbow, polka dot, etc): 

2026 Reading by the Numbers: My Sign-Up

 

The Reading by the Numbers Challenge is the reading challenge at its most basic--just track everything you read. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. And although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you. Just set a goal and when January 1 comes around, start reading.

For the last two years, I've set my goal at 150, but in 2025 life went off the rails and there's no way I'm making 150. So, I'm dialing it back and setting my goal at 100. Hopefully, I'll rack up more than that. But with 100 I can claim the challenge complete.

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2026 Virtual Mount TBR: My Sign-Up

 

Every year my goal is to read from my own stacks (hence the original Mount TBR Challenge). And every year I decide that there are TBR books that I don't own that I just have to Read. So--with my Virtual Mount TBR Challenge, I get to count that mountain too. As per usual, I'm starting with Rum Doodle and, hopefully, I won't get too carried away with library books. Though it would be nice to say that I've climbed the steps to Vulcan's Mount Seleya....

Click to enlarge

If you have tons of books on your want to read list that you don't own, then please join me as we tackle fictional mountains in the TBR world. Just click on the link above.

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Rum Doodle

Book Challenge by Erin 24.0

 

Book Challenge by Erin 24.0

First and foremost, have fun. Don't stress. No one is being judged, graded, or penalized. Even if you finish only one book the entire challenge, if you enjoy it and it's an accomplishment for you, then that's awesome.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2026 - April 30, 2026. You submit your book list prior to beginning the challenge. Exchanges are accepted for the first round, but not in the bonus round (announced later). No books started before 12 a.m. on January 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on April 30 will count. (We live in different time zones--follow according to your own time zone.) Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audio books are fine too. Read one book for each category. For full details see Erin's page on Facebook (link above). You will need to join the private group to view.

Freebie: Death on the Slopes by Norma Schier (204 pages)

A Book That Begins With A, B, or C: 

Aristotle, Detective by Margaret Doody (278 pages)

An Epistolary Book: 

Don Among the Dead Men by C. E. Vulliamy (224 pages)

A Book With a Clock on Cover OR "Clock" in Title: 

The Division Bell Mystery by Ellen Wilkinson (256 pages)

Book With a Strong Father Figure: 

Frederica by Georgette Heyer (384 pages)

Book from List Curated by Australian Readers: 

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (235 pages)

Book With Occupation in Title: 

The Fourth Postman by Craig Rice (228 pages)

Book Set in a School or an Academic Setting: 

High Marks for Murder by Rebecca Kent (200 pages)

Book Added to Your List Because of the BCBE group: 

A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys (selected by Olga Michelle Gladtskov Ball) for "Takes Place on a Mode of Transportation 8.0")

Biography/Memoir/Historical Fiction About Someone You Know Little About: 

An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Story of Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy by Christopher Anderson (315 pages)

2026 Mount TBR: My Sign-Up

 

I'm ready to kick off my fourteenth climb up Mount TBR as well as the fourteenth year I've sponsored the challenge. It will come as a surprise to no one that my TBR mountain range is no smaller than when I started. I just seem to trade one mountain for another, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep trying to read more than I take in. Once more the goal is to climb Mount Everest (100 of my own books) with the hopes of planting a flag atop Mount Olympus on Mars. I've managed that feat in two of the past years--but it's unlikely that I'll get very far on Mars this year. Grab your hiking boots and come join me on a TBR trek in 2026!

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2026 Vintage Scavenger Hunt: My Sign-Up

 

My own Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge is near and dear to my heart. It's the first challenge I sponsored here on the Block and mysteries are my genre of choice--if I'm forced to choose. We're back again for another round of the Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt. The mission is to find as many objects on the scavenger hunt list as possible, although finding a total of eight on either card will technically fulfill the challenge. You can play along in either the Golden or Silver (or, for the more adventurous, both) and all the rules may be found at the link above. I will be searching for both gold and silver treasure--eight on each card will allow me to count my challenge complete, but I will definitely be trying to find them all. Hope you will join me!

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Commitment Met

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2026 Color Coded & Read It Again, Sam Challenges

 

There continues to be a lot of love out there for both the Color Coded and Read It Again, Sam Challenges. Since I don't monitor these quite as closely as my other challenges and my linky provider limits the number of linky "parties" I can provide, I am setting these up on the same sign-up and headquarters sites again this year. The Headquarters with review links and wrap-up links will be updated on the sidebar at the beginning of the year. Here are the challenge descriptions and sign-up links:

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.

~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.

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/author name/on the cover.

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/author name/on the cover.

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/author name/on the cover.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/author name/on the cover.

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/author name/on the cover.

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/author name/on the cover.

8. A book with any other color in the title/author name/on the cover.title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc).

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).

~Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

~To Sign Up please fill in the form below. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge on your site and enter the url link. You may also enter a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, Instagram, etc. If you can't use the form for any reason, you may also sign up by commenting below.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ColorCoded2026.

~At the beginning of the new year, I will put up posts for review links for each color category and the sidebar image will be updated to the new challenge links.

 

 

Read It Again, Sam

For those of you who love to revisit old friends in the book world, I present another round with Sam at the piano for all your reading music needs. While not quite as popular as the Color Coded Challenge, this one still has its devotees.

Rules:
~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

~Levels:

   Déjà vu: Reread 4 books

   Feeling Nostalgic: Reread 8 books

   A Trip Down Memory Lane: Reread 12 books

   Living in the Past: Reread 16 books

  Just Give Me a Time Machine Already...: 24+ books

~Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're lost in a nostalgic haze and want to tackle a higher level, then you are welcome to upgrade. You cannot change down, however.
~Any book read after January 2026 will count no matter when you sign up.
~Crossovers with other challenges are fine. 

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadItAgain2026.

 

 
~~To Sign Up for either or both please fill in the form below. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge/s on your site and enter the url link. You may also enter a link to a Goodreads or Library Thing list, Instagram, etc.
~No blog or social media site or can't use the form for any reason? No problem! Post a comment below to announce your entry into the challenge/s and when you have completed just post a comment on the most current review site with a list of your books.
~Please use the Headquarters Page (updated link coming in January) to post review links and a final wrap-up post and/or comments. [Reviews are not required--but we'd love to see what you think about the books you've read if you do review.]

Calendar of Crime 2026

 

photo credit: Ellery Queen's Calendar of
Crime (Signet edition)

Ready for another year of mysterious months and dangerous days? I'm pleased to sponsor the 2025 edition of the Calendar of Crime. Just a reminder that this mystery-based challenge allows readers to include any mystery regardless of publication date. If it falls in a mystery category (crime fiction/detective novel/police procedural/suspense/thriller/spy & espionage/hard-boiled/cozy/etc.), then it counts and it does not matter if it was published in 1896 or 2026. 

 

The Rules
~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026. All books should be read during this time period. Sign up at any time. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge. Then sign up via the form below and please make the url link to your challenge post and not your home page. If you don't have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are acceptable OR you may skip that question.

~All books must be mysteries. Humor, romance, supernatural elements (etc.) are all welcome, but the books must be mysteries/crime/detective novels first.

~Twelve books, one representing each month, are required for a complete challenge. You may find the spreadsheet with monthly categories HERE. We will be using the 2024 version again this year.

~To claim a book, it must fit one of the categories for the month you wish to fulfill. Unless otherwise specified, the category is fulfilled within the actual story. for instance, if you are claiming the book for December and want to use "Christmas" as the category, then Christmas figure in some in the plot. Did someone poison the plum pudding? Did Great-Uncle Whozit invite all the family home for Christmas so he could tell them he plans to change his will?

~The "wild card" book is exactly that. If July is your birth month (as mine is), then for category #9 you may read any mystery book you want. It does not have to connect with July in any way--other than a July baby chose it. The other eleven months, you must do the alternate category #9 if you want to fulfill that slot.

~Chinese Zodiac: Animal must be important to the book in some way. Examples: animal name appears in title (stand-alone, not part of another word); animal itself is important to the story; animal appears on cover; important character is associated with the animal (nickname--for instance, owns one as a pet, etc.) OR book may have been published in a year that corresponds to the Zodiac year.

~Books may only count for one month and one category, but they may count for other challenges (such as my Vintage Scavenger Hunt Challenge). If it could fulfill more than one category or month, then you are welcome to change it at any time prior to the final wrap-up.

~Books do not have to be read during the month for which they qualify. So--if you're feeling like a little "Christmas in July" (or May or...), then feel free to read your book for December whenever the mood strikes.

~A wrap-up post/comment/email will be requested that should include a list of books read and what category they fulfilled. [Example: January: The House of Sudden Sleep by John Hawk (original pub date January 1930)]

~The headquarters link in the left-hand sidebar will be updated in January for 2025 for easy access to this original challenge post, monthly review link-ups, and the final wrap-up. The final wrap-up link will not go live until the end of 2025, so please save your notification until that time.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #CalendarOfCrime2026.

Reading by the Numbers 2026

 

Year number five for the Reading by the Numbers Challenge on My Reader's Block! Over the years various blogs have sponsored reading challenges that were all about tracking how many books you read. But those that I participated in are no longer active, so I decided to create my own. This is the reading challenge at its most basic--just track everything you read. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. Books with numbers in the title are not required. I merely used those above as a play on the challenge name. And, although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you.

~Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2026.

~No pre-set challenge levels. You decide on your personal goal.

~May be used concurrently with other "number" reading challenges (such as the Goodreads Challenge) or with any other challenge.

~A blog and reviews of the books are not required to participate, but if you have a blog, please post your sign-up for the challenge and link the post in the form below. You are also welcome to link up other media sites where you log process (Instagram; Goodreads; etc.). 

~As with my other challenges, I will update the Headquarters link in the left sidebar of the blog at the beginning of the year.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #ReadingByNumbers2026.

2026 Virtual Mount TBR Challenge

 

We're ready for another year of the Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge. This challenge, a sister site to the Mount TBR Challenge, is for folks who have a long "wish-list" of TBRs and who would like a chance to tackle those mountains. The strategy and general set-up is the same as for the regular Mount TBR--but you don't own the books. Heard about a great book from a friend, took note of the title, and then never got around to reading it? Saw a book online that you thought sounded intriguing but you keep putting off ordering it up from the library? You borrowed a book from somebody and need an extra push to read it and return it? This is the place for you!

Challenge levels:
Mount Rum Doodle: Read 12 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Crumpit: Read 24 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Munch: Read 36 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
White Plume Mountain: Read 48 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Stormness Head: Read 60 books from you Virtual TBR/Wish List Library
Mount Mindolluin: Read 75 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Seleya: Read 100 books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library
Mount Olympus: Read 150+ books from your Virtual TBR/Wish List/Library

In keeping with the virtual nature of the challenge, all mountains are fictional (reference in comments below). How many do you recognize? The only one shared by both TBR challenges is Olympus--both fictional and on Mars. However, since I don't know actual heights, I have arbitrarily assigned levels.

The Rules:
~This challenge is only for books you do not own. They may be borrowed from the library, a friend, found on a free e-book site (like Project Gutenberg), or anywhere else that allows you to temporarily "checkout" the book. Also--unlike Mount TBR--there is no date limit on your wish list. If you see a book that strikes your fancy after January 1 and want to grab it from the library, etc. then go for it.

~Once you choose your challenge level you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find you are on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are welcome to upgrade. All books counted for lower mountains carry over towards the new peak.

~Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026. You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided you have 50% or more of the book to finish when January 1 rolled around. Exception: if you participated in the 2025 Virtual Mount TBR and did not finish a book in time to count it towards that challenge, then you may count it as your first step of 2026 regardless of how much you had left to read.

~Rereads may count if you have not yet counted it for a Virtual Mount TBR Challenge.

~You may count "Did Not Finish" books provided they meet your own standard for such things; you do not plan to ever finish it; and you move it off your virtual mountain.

~Books may be used for other challenges as well.

~A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog then please post a challenge sign-up and link that post (not your home page) in the form below. Non-bloggers may skip that question on the form, provide a link to another media site for tracking--OR, if you are a member of Goodreads, it may be more practical join the challenge there. Feel free to sign up HERE if that's where you want to participate. (link coming soon)

~The headquarters link in the left-hand side-bar will be fully updated at the beginning of January.

~If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #VirtualMountTBR2026.

2026 Mount TBR Challenge

January 2026 kicks off the fifteenth year for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge and  my mountain ranges just have shrunk even less than usual--due in part to life going off the rails in November. I still have mountain ranges to climb. And miles of bookcases to read before I sleep (or something like that). I just can't resist a good old fashioned used bookstore (though they are become rarer and rarer) or the community Hoosier Hills Food Bank Book Sale which adds to the mountains as fast as I knock books off. And my mountain range seems to be just as vast as ever. 

So, here we are again, planning to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books in the coming year. In both 2021 and 2022 I actually planted a flag on Mount Olympus...I'm not sure that will ever happen again (especially when real life becomes a bit of a challenge as well). So, my declared goal will remain Mount Everest. Please join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting for attention for weeks...months...even years.

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancounver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro*: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s (*aka Cerro El Toro in South America)
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

The Rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. You are welcome to voyage further and conquer taller mountains after your commitment is met. All books from lower mountains carry over towards the next peak.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

*You may sign up at any time--no matter when you see this challenge. All qualifying books read after January 1st count.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2026--items requested or ordered prior to January 1, may count even if they arrive in the new year. No library books. If you're looking for a library book challenge or one that counts books on your non-owned TBR list, then please see Mount TBR's sister challenge: the Virtual Mount TBR Challenge. 
   ~The ONLY exception to the library rule: If you own the book in any form and have a reason to check out a version from the library instead, then you may count it. For example--if you own a hard copy, but are planning on taking a trip where listening to the audio version would be a great way to knock out a book while you drive, then by all means check out the audio version and have a wonderful trip! Please check with me if you have questions.

*Rules for Rereads: Any reread may count, regardless of how long you've owned it, provided you have not counted it for a previous Mount TBR Challenge.

*Audiobooks and E-books may count provided they are yours prior to January 1. ARCs are also fine.

*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided you had 50% or more of the book left to finish when January 1 rolled around. I will trust you all on that. The only exception is if you have participated in Mount TBR in 2025 and were unable to finish the book in time for the final Check-in Post. Then--if you finish the book post-January 1, you may count it as your first step of the new challenge.

*You may count "Did Not Finish" books provided they meet your own standard for such things, you do not plan to ever finish it, and you move it off your mountain [give it away, sell it, remove from e-resources, etc.]. For example, my personal rule (unless it's a very short book) is to give it 100 pages. If I decide I just can't finish it and won't ever, then off the mountain it goes and I count it as a victory--the stack is smaller!

*No page limit--if it was published as a book, it counts. No single short stories--but collections of short stories do count.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance or to tally them as you climb. 

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post about the challenge and link that post (not your home page) in the form below. My link provider has limited the number of link "parties" I can have open at a time--so I will be using Google forms for all my sign-up links this year. Non-bloggers may enter their names only without a blog link OR members of Goodreads are welcome to join the Goodreads group HERE.

 

*Anthologies which contain more than one full-length book may count for the number of books included in the edition--provided that you read all books included AND that the books were published individually at some point. For instance, I own a large number of 3-in-1 Detective Book Club editions. Those three books count as three separate entries on Mount TBR. Occasionally, publishers put together editions of "previously unpublished works." Those editions would only count as one entry since those works have not been published separately at any time.

*If you post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media to log a book, please use #MountTBR2026.

* As I have in the past, I will have a headquarters link in the left hand side-bar which will offer links to this original post, monthly review links, and the final wrap-up. I will update it at the beginning of the new year The Headquarters will also have a link to a list of our climbing crew with their commitments. 

Happy climbing!

Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt 2026

It's past time to start posting challenges for the new year, but life went off the rails at the beginning of November here at the Block so I'm running a bit late. I had planned to switch things up for the Vintage Mystery Challenge in 2026, but never got a chance to think things through properly. So...we're going to do another round of scavenging and I'll see about a new vintage challenge next year.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to find as many objects on the scavenger hunt list as possible on the covers of the mystery books you read. As always, you may play along in either the Golden or Silver Mystery Eras (or, for the more adventurous, both). See check lists below.

Rules
* All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.). The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, paranormal, romance, humor, etc are all welcome as ingredients, but should not be the primary category under which these books would be labeled at the library or bookstore. 

*For the purposes of this challenge, the Golden Age Vintage Mysteries must have been first published before 1960. Golden Age short story collections (whether published pre-1960 or not) are permissible provided all of the stories included in the collection were originally written pre-1960.  Please remember that some of our Golden Age Vintage authors wrote well after 1959--so keep an eye on the original publication date and apply them to the appropriate card.  Silver Age Vintage Mysteries may be first published any time from 1960 to 1989 (inclusive). Again, Silver Age short story collections published later than 1989 are permissible as long as they include no stories first published later than 1989.  Yes, I admit my dates are arbitrary and may not exactly meet standard definitions of Golden or Silver Age.  

*Minimum number of items to complete the challenge and to be eligible for an all-Reader's Block Challenge prize drawing at the end of the year is eight items from the covers of books read from a single Vintage Mystery Era.  If you choose to do both eras, you must use separate checklists. You may not, for example, find three golden age items and five silver age items to claim the minimum eight.
 
*Challenge runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. All books should be read during this time period. You may sign up at any time.  Any books read from January 1 on may count regardless of your sign-up date. If you have a blog, please post about the challenge and a little bit about your commitment—if you’re going Silver or Gold…or maybe both. Then sign up via the form below. And please make the url link to your Challenge post and not your home page. If you do not have a blog, links to an online list (Goodreads, Library Thing, etc.) devoted to this challenge are also acceptable OR you may comment below to indicate your sign up.

*"On the cover" may apply to either the front or the back cover of the book. For example, if you need a map or a chart for your scavenger hunt list, then Dell Mapbacks are perfect--with the map in question on the back cover. Also, the item should be found on the cover of the edition that you read. If at all possible either post a picture showing the item on the cover in the monthly review linky or provide a link to a page showing us. Exception:  If the edition you read has no picture whatsoever (hardbacks that have no dust jacket, e-copies, etc.), then you may go on another scavenger hunt online to find a cover image--again, please provide a link to the edition used. Bottom line: if I choose to check up on entries, I must be able to find the item claimed on a cover for the book read.

*No double-counting within the challenge. If a book's cover has both a shadowy figure and a weapon, you may only use it to check off one item from the list. You are welcome to change the item claimed at any time prior to submitting it for the prize drawing.

*Books read for this challenge may be used for other challenges as well.

*Reviews are encouraged, but they are not necessary to participate. If you do not have a blog, post to the comments below that you intend to join and then post again at the end-of-year wrap-up site when you have completed your challenge (include a list of books read, categories you have completed, and how to find images of covers).

*The Vintage Headquarters link which appears on my sidebar will be updated for the 2026 version once the new year begins. You can go there for review links and information.

*PRIZE Opportunity: Challengers who complete the minimum eight books from a single era will be eligible for a drawing at the end of the year for a book from the prize list. Please keep track of your progress and be prepared to submit a final wrap-up post or comment at the end of the year. Please do not submit completion notifications prior to the posting of the Wrap-Up Link. Thank you. 

*If you post on social media, please use #2026VintageScavengerHunt.*Pictures of the Scavenger Hunt lists are below (click photo to enlarge). To help you track your progress, you may find a spreadsheet with tabs for lists in Gold & Silver HERE. You can download the sheet for your own use.