2026 Reading Challenge discussion

The theme for August is empires. As always, the theme is completely open to interpretation.

Please nominate only one book and ensure you either link the book or give the name of the author as well to avoid confusion. You can second someone else's nomination, but that will count as your own. Nominations cannot have been chosen for a past group read (past buddy reads are fine).

This thread will be closed on June 25th, and we will choose ten books for the poll. If there are more than ten books nominated, we will choose the ten most nominated. If there is still a tie to get into the top ten, we'll go back to the Goodreads average rating to see which is highest.

I'll nominate The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. The book focuses on individual people in different European empires right before and during World War I. I loved this book, and despite its length, found it a fascinating read!

I nominate The Bees by Laline Paull

Ketchup clouds, it's a great book I would like it too become popular

Oh ketchup clouds is by annebel pitcher

Nominating the ultimate Roman Empire book:

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Been wanting to read it for a long time.

Katie wrote: "Ketchup clouds, it's a great book I would like it too become popular"

Katie, could you talk a little bit about the connection between Ketchup Clouds and the theme of "empires"? Thanks!

I second Fall of Giants.

I would recommend A Storm of Swords cause that's where I am at in the Song of Ice and Fire series. But just in case people haven't read any, I'll recommend Game of Thrones

It's on my TBR, so I'll second A Game of Thrones. I've read Fall of Giants - really great book!

I would like to nominate Empire Falls by Richard Russo. Not your traditional take on an "empires" theme, but I mean, it's right there in the title!

I nominate The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire

I nominate Farmers and Cannibals by Eric James-Olson as it seems to deal with issues that make empires rise and fall but within a dystopian setting. Here is the first sentence of the books description...

Enter the world of Farmers and Cannibals where limited resources, worldwide conflict, and great leaps in weapons technology have cut a deep fissure between those who have taken power, and those that struggle to survive on the margins of civilization.

I say yes to Fall of Giants. I was supposed to do it as a buddy read in Jan/feb but didn't get around to it. I need to read it.

I would like to nominate The Ruby Slippers by Keir Alexander. The book is set in New York home of the Empire State Building - here's the blurb

Old Rosa the bag lady shuffles along the streets of New York, stinking, silent and shunned by man and beast. Time and again her nephew, Michael Marcinkus the grocer, has tried to help - but Rosa remains unknowable, hushed inside her hulk. On the day of the St Patrick's Day Parade, Rosa is in a terrible accident. As she lies in a coma, Mr Marcinkus visits her squalid flat and unearths something remarkable from the monstrous piles of junk: two glittering pieces of Hollywood history. How on earth does decrepit old Rosa come to own such treasure? And what is to be done with them now? Word of Rosa's 'Ruby Millions' soon gets out, and these old articles of faith become an irresistible beacon for the misplaced hopes and darkest desires of an unforgettable cast of characters. Could a pair of priceless slippers really bring some magic into to a mundane life? Would an unexpected windfall bring a hope of happiness? Lives are changed, relationships tested and real values challenged. But in the hunger to possess the prize, will anyone stop to learn the incredible story of the woman to whom they once belonged? The Ruby Slippers is a rare and moving story about the search for meaning, and the meaning of value.

I second I, Claudius.

I third I, Claudius!

I second, The Ruby Slippers by Keir Alexander.

What a fascinating premise for a book.

I fourth, I, Claudius!

This thread is now closed, and the poll is up! https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...