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)