2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

2026 Yearly Theme Nominations!

Hello Fellow Readers!

Preparations for 2026 are underway and it is time for you, our members, to help us choose 2026’s yearly theme! Post your ideas in this thread. It will remain open until October 15th. The mods will then create a poll and send an extra message on October 16th so that each group member may vote for their favorite theme!

Rules
- You may either suggest one theme OR second one theme!
- Themes must be nominated AND seconded by a different member in order to get into the poll.
- Moderators reserve the right to modify, refine, or adjust themes as necessary. This isn't to restrict your creativity, just to make it more accessible and enjoyable for everyone!
- To keep the poll manageable, we may limit the total number of ideas.

Good yearly themes are broad enough to be able to create quarterly themes throughout the year. For example, given the nominations of “roses" and "flowers," we would choose the broader term "flowers" because it includes "roses.” See the past themes below for an inspiration of what we're looking for. Themes used in the past are not eligible to be used again.

When submitting your nomination, feel free to share how it could be applied to quarterly themes.

Previous Themes
2017 - Around the World
2018 - Reading Through Time
2019 - Books to Stage & Screen
2020 - Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales
2021 - A Better World
2022 - Mysteries of the World
2023 - To Boldly Go
2024 - Seasons
2025 - Emotional Rollercoaster

Real Life - Books based on real life stories

Weave a Web of Words - a celebration of authors and the stories they create.

Dewey Decimal

A Reader's Rainbow: a plunge into the prism of the pages

(Use different colors to symbolize monthly themes via cover art, themes, genres, settings, etc, associated with the color.)

I second A Reader's Rainbow

Award Winners

Each month we select books from lists of award winners.
Here are 12 awards in no particular order:
Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, Agatha Award, Bram Stoker Award, Newbery, Caldecott, Pulitzer, Edgar Awards, the Hugo Award, The Writer’s Prize, National Book Award, The British Book Award.

Most of these prizes have been around for decades. It’ll be easy to nominate books each month from here.
“

Ciara wrote: "A Reader's Rainbow: a plunge into the prism of the pages

(Use different colors to symbolize monthly themes via cover art, themes, genres, settings, etc, associated with the color.)"

I second this.

Carolyn wrote: "Real Life - Books based on real life stories"

I second Real Life

Ciara wrote: "A Reader's Rainbow: a plunge into the prism of the pages...

I second this.

I´d like to suggest:
Stories Unchained - Freedom Lives in Stories

Maybe we can focus on reading books, that at one point in history were restricted, banned and/or censored.
The quarterly challenges could work like this:
1. breaking chains - reading books that once faced restriction of any kind
2. Hidden Voices - reading books of marginalized groups
3. (I don´t have a name for this yet) - reading fictional, fantasy, etc. books that have challenging, "dangerous" ideas
4. reading books that survived the attempts of erasing them

I'd like to suggest Discovery as a theme which could include self-discovery, scientific breakthroughs, finding new places among other things

Ciara wrote: "A Reader's Rainbow: a plunge into the prism of the pages

(Use different colors to symbolize monthly themes via cover art, themes, genres, settings, etc, associated with the color.)"

I second this

I nominate Seasons, which can easily be broken into quarterly challenges.

Alina wrote: "I´d like to suggest:
Stories Unchained - Freedom Lives in Stories ..."

I second this. I love it!

Donna wrote: "I nominate Seasons, which can easily be broken into quarterly challenges."

Donna, Seasons was our theme for 2024, and it was a lot of fun. However, since we've already used that theme, it is ineligible for 2026.

You still have time to make another suggestion, but be sure to check the list of prior themes in the top post to make sure we haven't already used that idea in the past. 😊

i’m seconding the reading rainbow!!

A second real life

I’d like to suggest a topic about universe. A working title I came up with is 🌌 Universe Unbound 🌌but it could be tweaked.

During each quarter we could explore a different way humans (and stories) connect to the vast unknown. These could be quarterly challenge/sub-topic ideas: • Origins & Explorations • Stars & Stories • Borders & Beyond • The Infinite & the Minute• Planets & Pages etc

I second Discovery.

LinaVer wrote: "I’d like to suggest a topic about universe. A working title I came up with is 🌌 Universe Unbound 🌌but it could be tweaked..."

LinaVer, this terrific idea is very close to the theme from 2023. You joined our group after that, and you can't really tell by the title alone, but our on-theme quarterly challenges in 2023 were based on human space exploration, exoplanets, etc.
2023 - To Boldly Go!
1st Quarter: Space, the Final Frontier
2nd Quarter: To Explore Strange New Worlds
3rd Quarter: To Seek Out New Life & New Civilizations
4th Quarter: Where No One Has Gone Before

Do you have another theme idea you'd like to suggest? 🤔

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EDIT: Never mind, Lina. Universe was a nominee for 2024, so perhaps it isn't as close to To Boldly Go! as I thought. My mistake.

We have a variety of ideas already, but I'd like to suggest Ripple Effect: Into Our Waters.

There are numerous possibilities for quarterly themes:
the water as a natural resource; oceans, rivers, and lakes; underwater life; sea mythology; water cycle; waves and tides; environment, erosion, and conservation; sport, recreation and tourism; and weather (rain, snow, ice, flood, hurricane). Maybe more. 🌊

TerryJane wrote: "LinaVer wrote: "I’d like to suggest a topic about universe. A working title I came up with is 🌌 Universe Unbound 🌌but it could be tweaked..."

LinaVer, this terrific idea is very close to the theme..."

If there’s already been something similar then it would be a waste to do it again, as there are so many other great suggestions.

I’ll see if I can think of something else, otherwise I’ll second one other topic 🙂

Genevieve wrote: "Award Winners

Each month we select books from lists of award winners.
Here are 12 awards in no particular order:
Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, Agatha Award, Bram Stoker Award, Newbery, Caldecott, Pul..."

I second it

I'd like to nominate Turning Points

where we focus on books centered around change — choices, transitions, and defining moments.
Quarterly ideas Beginnings & Endings – Firsts, lasts, and new starts. Forks in the Road – Life-changing decisions. Crisis & Catalyst – Events that spark transformation. Looking Back – Reflection, nostalgia, and redemption

I second Ripple Effect: Into Our Waters

Blagica wrote: "I'd like to nominate Turning Points

where we focus on books centered around change — choices, transitions, and defining moments.
Quarterly ideas Beginnings & Endings – Firsts, lasts, and new start..."

Ooh, I like this, I’ll second it!
(seeing that the topic of universe that I suggested has kind of been done before)

I 2nd: Stories Unchained

I’ve been looking for the push to read more banned/challenged books (especially more of the “classics” or modern classics) and this sounds perfect!!

I second Weave A Web Of Words

Alina wrote: "I´d like to suggest:
Stories Unchained - Freedom Lives in Stories

Maybe we can focus on reading books, that at one point in history were restricted, banned and/or censored.
The quarterly challenge..."

I second this! Especially relevant in our current climate

Actually, I'm gonna change my choice. (original - Real Life)

I nominate TURNING POINTS

I love the ideas of catalyst, changes and forks in the road.

This might include Dystopian and Alternate Universes as well.