Every year, I try to make our reading challenge a little different than the year before to keep it fresh and exciting. The easiest way to do that is by changing the monthly themes. In 2024 we had seasons and holidays, 2025 was all about colors, and for 2026, I wanted to take a trip to the library. With so many budget cuts and book bans going on, I want you to know what a great resource your librarians are and also help you explore using the Dewey Decimal System.
I also received feedback that some of you would like to incorporate the reading challenge into your reading trackers. I get that – I love having a list I can check off as I go! I spent some time the past few months exploring a few different apps looking for the one that would be most inclusive and easy to use for both you and me…and I think we have a winner!
But overall, I want to remind you that reading challenges, especially ours, are meant to be fun. If at any time, it feels like a chore, it’s time to take a break and step back for a while. It’s also not meant to rush you – everyone reads at their own pace and some have more time than others to devote to literature.
While I’m still finalizing the 52 weekly prompts we will use this coming year and will release the full list later next month, just before Thanksgiving (holiday shopping deals and wishlists are great ways to get books for the challenge!), I want to share some exciting updates:
Tracking Apps
For the past several years, I’ve use Bookly to track my reading – I love the timer and some of the other features. But, you can’t really create your own reading challenges on the app. After much research and trying several different apps out while reading over the summer, I have settled on one that will track your reading progress and allow us to have a book club! But if apps aren’t your thing, never fear – reviews and articles will still run here on the site and you will still have a copy of the prompts you can download to keep up with us.
For 2026, I’ve chosen the Storygraph app as our platform for bookclub and tracking the challenge! If you’re on the app already, you can find me at readwithlindsey and our book club is at Read With Lindsey Book Club. I’ll have the challenge updated there next month and everything set for January 1st!
A word on paid subscriptions to the app – Storygraph offers a free version but does ask you to upgrade to experience some features. Of all the paid subscription apps, this one had one of the lowest costs and was the easiest to use in my opinion. I hope you will feel the same way, too. And again, if the app isn’t your thing, you can always follow along with us here or on Instagram!
Monthly Themes
Now for the first bit of fun I can share about our 2026 challenge! To prompt you to explore your library a little differently, we are using genres in 2026! Lined up loosely with holidays and special events, our list of prompts will bring you a different genre every month. Additionally, the 52 weekly prompts I’m finalizing will give you topics within those genres to explore! For example – February is all about Romance. One of our weekly prompts will be “Sports Themed Romance”, so get ready for all the hockey, football, and baseball romance stories you’ve been wanting to read!
As part of our monthly challenge, I’ll still release a reading playlist devoted to these prompts. I’ll also be sharing the Dewey Decimal System location you should be looking in for each of these and some great ideas to help you achieve your reading goals. I’m really looking forward to our new challenge and to see what books you all choose for these prompts!
Do you have an idea for a weekly prompt that would fall into one of these categories? Drop me a note in the comments with your ideas!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Innocent Man, John Grisham
- Current audio book: Lead Boldly, Robert F Smith
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Streets of Laredo, Larry McMurtry
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