2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
2025 Quarterly Challenges
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Q4 - What's Your Fear Factor?
WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?Welcome to WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?
Join this scary monthly challenge where we read books that are scaaaryy! Spooky reading!!
How to participate:
Post a comment in the thread to let me know you'd like to sign up and how many books you would to read for this monthly challenge.
As you finish your books, you can edit your original sign-up comment to keep track of your progress. You will also need to post a new comment in the thread notating that you have updated your progress and include the message # of your original sign-up comment. You can also change your goal at any time by posting your message # and the new goal.
Here is how an update message could look like:
Update message #x
Progress: 1/10
If you wish to drop out of the challenge, please do not delete your original sign-up comment or any update comments! Just add a new comment to let me know :)
If you want to join the challenge late, you are very welcome to still join! Just sign up like normal. You may use the books that you have read from the start of the challenge date (1. October).
Feel free to ask if you have any questions!!
Have a great time reading your scary books!
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown"
H. P. Lovecraft
Participants:Amy (# 31) - 13/15
Amy (Other Amy) (# 15) - 2/5
Anna (# 23) - 3/5
✨ Brianna Raquel ✨ (# 22) - 17/20
Bubbles (# 18) - 0/5
Caraina (# 19) - 0/10
Carri Carey (# 26) - 0/12
Carrie (# 28) - 1/12
Charlotte (# 4) - 3/5
Chrissie (# 10) - 0/10
D.L. (# 34) - 1/4
E (# 20) - 2/6
GailW (# 6) - 2/5
JennH (# 7) - 14/10 Completed!
Jennifer (# 27) - 11/15
Kristina (# 11) - 6/10
Laurie (# 17) - 0/5
Lucy (# 38) - 0/5
Rachael (# 9) - 2/5
Sarah (# 13) - 0/20
Susan (# 5) - 2/5
Tanu (# 24) - 15/20
TerryJane (# 14) - 20/15 Completed!
STATS
Participants: 23
Books Read: 114
Book Goal: 224
Completed: 2
Goal Progress: 51%
Challenges Completed:
JennH (# 7) - 14/10 Completed!
TerryJane (# 14) - 20/15 Completed!
I'm in for 5 to start with!Progress: 3/5
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs 10/11/25 - MPG Horror
Hollow City Ransom Riggs 10/19/2 - MPG Horror
A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure Angela Bell 10/23/25 - She gets kidnapped
WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025
Progress: 2/5
Completed Books:
Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme. This makes the challenge accessible to everyone, whether you're drawn to terrifying tales or prefer quieter, more thoughtful interpretations of fear. You could read a ghost story, a novel set on a plane, a memoir about anxiety, or even a cozy mystery with a dog on the cover—if someone, somewhere, fears it… it counts.
WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR? - Quarterly ChallengeDuration: October 1 - December 31, 2025
Progress: ☀ 5 / 5 .......... completed 11/12/2025
☀ 1. Losing independence: The Impossible Fortune
☀ 2. Fear of Heights: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret
☀ 3. Cancer: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
☀ 4. Death: Murder in the Valleys
☀ 5. Political Oppression: A Girl in Exile
Please sign me up for 10.14/10
WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?
Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025
What are you afraid of?
Horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows
- Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 2 by Sui Ishida 10/5/25
- King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo 10/21/25 - Darkling
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 10/24/25
- Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 3 by Sui Ishida 10/26/25
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 10/28/25
- Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 4 by Sui Ishida 10/28/25
Books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties (can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme)
- Weyward by Emilia Hart 10/2/25 - witches
- The Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette 10/3/25 - water/cats
- Archenemies by Marissa Meyer 10/4/25 - "villain" called Phobia who manifested into their opponents worse fears
- Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood 10/17/25 - drowning
- A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas 10/19/25 - fire
- Stitches and Witches by Nancy Warren 10/23/25 - black cat
- The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 13 by Kousuke Oono 10/28/25 - dogs
- Solo Leveling, Vol. 2 by Chugong 11/1/25 - arachnids
Please sign me up for 5 books. I will read books with titles that reflect common phobias and personal anxietiesCOMPLETED: 3/5
1. Wasps (my phobia): Wasps' Nest: a Hercule Poirot Short Story finished 3 October, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Death: Masters of Death finished 8 October, ⭐⭐⭐ with review
3. Ill(ness): Ill Wind finished 19 November, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025This challenge invites you to explore the vast and varied world of fear—literal or symbolic, intense or subtle. You can dive into horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows… or take a gentler path and read books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties: fear of flying, the dark, animals, failure, the unknown, being alone.
Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme. This makes the challenge accessible to everyone, whether you're drawn to terrifying tales or prefer quieter, more thoughtful interpretations of fear. You could read a ghost story, a novel set on a plane, a memoir about anxiety, or even a cozy mystery with a dog on the cover—if someone, somewhere, fears it… it counts.
Progress: 6/10
currently reading:
Anthing Fearful:
other:
WHAT'S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?October 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025
Progress: 6/10
Sign me up for 10!
1. The Sea: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels by Jules Verne
2. Bats - The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
✅ 3. Death - Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
4. Vampires - Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
✅ 5. Space - Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove
6. Dogs - Dog Songs: Poems by Mary Oliver
7. Doppelgängers: The Double by José Saramago
8. Fungi: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
9. Murder: The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue
10. Wolves: For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten
11. Drowning: He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
12. Tyranny: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
13. Heights: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
14. Puppets: In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
15. Stingrays: Playground by Richard Powers
✅ 16. The Unknown: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
✅ 17. Ghosts: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
✅ 18. Stage Fright: Recipe for Trouble by Dylan Morrison
✅ 19. Being Alone: Witchlore by Emma Hinds
Welcome Rachael, Chrissie, and Kristina!!
Sign me up for 20 books0/20
~ It
~ Terror by Gaslight: Memorial Edition
~ The Shining
~ Salem's Lot
~ Pet Sematary
~ Misery
~ The Exorcist
~ The Haunting of Hill House
~ Rosemary's Baby
~ Ghost Story
~ House of Leaves
~ Heart-Shaped Box
~ Red Dragon
~ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
~ The Stand
~ Needful Things
~ Swan Song
~ Something Wicked This Way Comes
~ American Psycho
~ The Amityville Horror
~ Cujo
😨 WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR? - Quarterly ChallengeDuration: October 1 - December 31, 2025
Progress: 20/15
😨 Buckeye - Philophobia: Fear of love
😨 The Enchanted Greenhouse - Botanophobia: Fear of plants
😨 Fear the Darkness - Achluophobia: Fear of darkness
😨 The God of the Woods - Dendrophobia: Fear of trees
😨 The Husbands - Climacophobia: Fear of ladders
😨 Idaho Fall - Nosocomephobia: Fear of hospitals
😨 The Irish Goodbye - Domatophobia: Fear of houses
😨 Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand - Lycanthrophobia: Fear of werewolves
😨 We Are All Guilty Here - Cyclophobia: Fear of bicycles
😨 Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story - Equinophobia: Fear of horses
😨 Love's Work: A Reckoning with Life - Carcinophobia: Fear of cancer
😨 Normal People - Decidophobia: Fear of making decisions
😨 Orlando - Metathesiophobia: Fear of change
😨 The Original Daughter - Scolionophobia: Fear of school
😨 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - Robophobia: Fear of drones and robots
😨 The Summer Country - Bacteriophobia: Fear of bacteria
😨 The Thirteenth Tale - Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of thirteen
😨 This Is How It Always Is - Fructophobia: Fear of fruit
😨 Weyward - Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft
😨 The Wrong Family - Xenophobia: Fear of strangers
In for five. I love your picture updates!WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?
Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025
Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme.
⬜Thalassophobia: Into the Drowning Deep
⬜Pyrophobia: Crossfire
⬜Nosophobia: Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead
⬜Ophidiophobia: Sister Snake
✅Entomophobia: Insectopolis: A Natural History
✅Lipophobia: A Mouthful of Dust
✅Phasmophobia: The Me You Love in the Dark
⬜Lilapsophobia: Storm: Chasing Nature's Wildest Weather
3/5
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Welcome Sarah, TerryJane, and Amy (Other Amy)!!Thanks, Amy (Other Amy) :-)
I'm in for 5 Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025
This challenge invites you to explore the vast and varied world of fear—literal or symbolic, intense or subtle. You can dive into horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows… or take a gentler path and read books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties: fear of flying, the dark, animals, failure, the unknown, being alone.
Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme. This makes the challenge accessible to everyone, whether you're drawn to terrifying tales or prefer quieter, more thoughtful interpretations of fear. You could read a ghost story, a novel set on a plane, a memoir about anxiety, or even a cozy mystery with a dog on the cover—if someone, somewhere, fears it… it counts.
Progress: 0/5
I'm in for 10WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?
Duration: October 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
*Horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows
*Read books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties: fear of flying, the dark, animals, failure, the unknown, being alone.
*Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme
Completed: 0/10
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Please sign me up for 6! :)2/6 prompts completed!
1. ✅The Trees --> vivid images of murder, violence, and themes of the lingering horrific effects of racism.
2.✅The Last House on Needless Street ---> themes of anxiety, depictions of murder, kidnapping, body horror and disassociate identity disorder and ways of coping with trauma and anxiety.
Welcome Laurie, Bubbles, Caraina, and E!!Bubbles - are you in for 5 or 20?
WHAT’S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?Duration: October 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
thrillers filled with suspense
20/20
1. The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club
2. None of This Is True
3. Did I Say You Could Go
4. When You Find Me
5. The Dream Hotel
6. It's One of Us
7. The Kidnapping of Alice Ingold
8. We Are All the Same in the Dark
9. What She Saw
10. Drop Dead Sisters
11. Sisters Before Misters
12. The Girl on the Train
13. Not Quite Dead Yet
14. Do You Remember?
15. You Can't Hurt Me
16. The Woman Who Lied
17. The Man Who Died Seven Times
18. The Return
19. Sounds Like a Plan
20. Sounds Like Trouble
Sign me up for 20 please!1. Shadows of Winter Robins - loneliness/abandonment. ✅
2. Rerouting River - abuse ✅
3. The Machine Stops - apocalypse ✅
4. A Bone in His Teeth - the sea ✅
5. Pistols and Plush Toys - guns ✅
6-9. Captured, Forced, Broken, The Falls - abduction and rape ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
10-11 The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings, The Quiet House ✅ ✅ - spooks and spirits/haunted places
12. Something Wicked - serial killers ✅
13. Possession ✅ - jail, criminals/the mafia
14-15. Mother May I and Never Have I Ever ✅ ✅
16. Diavola - ghosts/spirits, haunted houses ✅
Welcome Brianna Raquel, Anna, and Tanu!!
I'll sign up for 12! Thanks!1. Voodoo - The Quarter Storm - Read 10/3/25
2. Drowning - Broken Harbor - Read 10/3/25
3. Falling (on cover) The Book of Doors - Read 10/7/25
4. Chased by killers The Island - Read 10/9/25
5. The dark Gray After Dark - Read 10/11/25
6. End of the World - The End of the World Running Club - Read 10/17/25
7. Serial Killers - My Sister, the Serial Killer - Read 10/19/25
8. War - A Court of Wings and Ruin - Read 10/22/25
9. Nightmares - The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House - Read 10/25/25
10. Babies - Rosemary’s Baby - Read 10/26/25
11. Apocalypse - The Road - Read 11/14/25
19/15Book --Fear
1. The Reluctant Outlaw - scelerophobia: fear of outlaws
2. Miss Minerva's Pirate Mishap: Why doesn't this have a name? I know I've got it. :) fear of becoming like your mother
3. Wyoming Promises - necrophobia: fear of dead organisms and things associated with death
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories - homophobia: fear of homosexuals
5. Coraline: eisoptrophobia: fear of mirrors
6. Just One Damned Thing After Another - chronohodophobia: fear of time travel
7. The Rake - hanxiety or "The Fear": fear on the day after about what you did while drunk
8. The Talisman - hodophobia: fear of going on trips
9. The Dark Frigate - naviphobia: fear of sailing or ships
10. The Talisman Ring - kosmemophobia: fear of jewelry
11. Handpicked Husband - scopophobia : fear of having your picture taken
12. Big Fish - ichthyophobia: fear of fish
13. Rules for Reforming a Rake - war anxiety: fear of war
14. The Cricket in Times Square - verminophobia: fear of vermin
15. Friday Night Bites - Sanguivoriphobia: fear of vampires
16. Blood Bound - lycanthrophobia: fear of becoming a werewolf
17. Daughter of the Siren Queen - melophobia: fear of music
18. The Captive Heart - arctophobia/ursophobia : fear of bears
19. The Rake Gets Ravished - esperidoeidiphobia: fear of citrus fruits
Please sign me up for 12!😱WHAT'S YOUR FEAR FACTOR?😱
Duration: October 1 - December 31, 2025
Progress: 1/12
What are you afraid of?
*Horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows
*Read books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties: fear of flying, the dark, animals, failure, the unknown, being alone.
*Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme
✅1. Mnemophobia - fear of the process of remembering
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Listen for the Lie 10/4/2025
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Welcome Carri Carey, Jennifer, and Carrie!!
I will go for 10 books.18/15-- Challenge Complete Will keep going
1. Ophidiophobia (a fear of snakes): Ninth House
2. Hoplophobia (a fear of guns): Secret Identity
3. Anthropophobia (a fear of people): I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around
4. Cartilogenophobia (a fear of bones): It's a Hard-Knock Midlife
5. Pyrophobia (a fear of fire): Sad Sacked: A Memoir
6. Alektorophobia (a fear of chickens); Love and Hot Chicken
7. Xenophobia (a fear of strangers): Stranger Things and the '80s: The Complete Retro Guide
8. Siderodromophobia (a fear of trains): The Underground Railroad
9. Lupophobia (a fear of wolves): Young Rich Widows
10. Naviphobia (a fear of boats): Desperate Deadly Widows
11. Lepidopterophobia (a fear of butterflies): Their Monstrous Hearts
12. Wiccaphobia (a fear of witches): Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
13. Ommetaphobia (a fear of eyes): Evil Eye
14. Ornithophobia (a fear of birds): And the Birds Rained Down
15. Monophobia (a fear of lonliness/being alone): Minister of Loneliness
16. Limnophobia (a fear of lakes): Tom Lake
17. Anemophobia (a fear of the wind): Sisters in the Wind
18. Claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces): Catacombs
Updated message 9: 1/5.Starting this challenge by reading a book that contains my own phobia, Wasps, in the title
Welcome everyone, and well done to all of you that have started the challenge!!
Sign me up for 5 please!What's Your Fear Factor?
0/5
Update to message #5Progress: 1/5
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Diavola (other topics)Catacombs (other topics)
Fruits Basket Pearls 03 (other topics)
Twittering Birds Never Fly 02 (other topics)
Crimson Spell Bd. 4 (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Chugong (other topics)T. Kingfisher (other topics)
Kousuke Oono (other topics)
Washington Irving (other topics)
Nancy Warren (other topics)
More...
Duration: October 1 – December 31, 2025
What are you afraid of?
This challenge invites you to explore the vast and varied world of fear—literal or symbolic, intense or subtle. You can dive into horror or thrillers filled with suspense, monsters, and shadows… or take a gentler path and read books that reflect common phobias and personal anxieties: fear of flying, the dark, animals, failure, the unknown, being alone.
Books can count if they include a fear or phobia in the cover art, title, or theme. This makes the challenge accessible to everyone, whether you're drawn to terrifying tales or prefer quieter, more thoughtful interpretations of fear. You could read a ghost story, a novel set on a plane, a memoir about anxiety, or even a cozy mystery with a dog on the cover—if someone, somewhere, fears it… it counts.
To join, post a message telling the challenge leader how many books you plan to read. If you are new to our group and/or our group challenges, take a moment to check out the Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly Challenges - Start Here thread for more information on how our challenges are run.
Thank You to Charlotte for agreeing to lead this challenge.