2026 Reading Challenge discussion

♡ Lemon Tree Reads ♡
Anna Rachel’s cozy corner for 2026 reading tracking & bookish thoughts.


💛About Me💛
I’m a 28-year-old bibliophile, SAHM to the most perfect two-year-old & one-month-old boys, and faithful follower of Christ. In the season of finding a balance between navigating motherhood & making time for myself by doing the things I love.

📚Currently Reading📚
Wuthering Heights


📱Socials📱
Instagram @annarachel_xoxo
Discord annarachel_xoxo

✌🏽 2025 Wrap-Up ✌🏽
As the year is nearing its end I’m popping in here to reflect, give one last update & get excited for 2026.


🏅2025 Reading Accomplishments🏅
I set a 52-book goal for myself this year, hoping to read at least one book each week. Well I certainly met my goal, even exceeded it by two books and counting. However I did not read one book every week. I started off the year blazing: reading 17 books in January, 19 in February and 15 in March. Then, life happened.

In mid-March I found out I was pregnant with my second child, very much taken by surprise. My first trimester was exhausting and my days mostly consisted of morning sickness and lots of napping. I slipped into a pretty thick reading slump that lasted majority of the year. Although I picked up a few, zero books were finished April through November.

I gave birth to my second son on October 30, 2025. After a few weeks of adjustment I finally picked up a book and was able to read it cover to cover. Thank you The Pumpkin Spice Café for ending an 8 month reading slump!

While I didn’t complete all of the challenges I wanted to, I still had an amazing year of reading. I branched out and read new genres, discovered new authors, and made amazing friends.

🤞🏽 2026 Goals 🤞🏽
I’m putting a lot less on my plate next year so I’m not anticipating as many group reads, challenges, etc. But I’m sticking with the same goal, 52 books in 52 weeks. I’ll set my TBR at the start of the month, give myself plenty of time, and make sure to enjoy myself. This is my fresh start, quiet reset, and an intentional beginning to the new year. Cheers to another great year of reading!

🪩January: a month of purpose🪩
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” —Brad Paisley


🪩This Month’s Theme🪩
January’s picks will focus on starting gentle routines and refocusing my energy on myself. I’m leaning into motherhood, my hobbies and God, all in the little pockets of time I manage to carve out for myself.

This month I’m choosing two purposeful picks (faith-based + parenting) and three personal picks (TBR + mood reads) to ease back into reading after my slump.

📚This Month’s TBR📚
Progress 5/5 books🏅
Death of a Cookbook Author 🔎 📚 read 01/15
Regretting You 🔎 🎨 read 01/24
Good Inside: A Practical Guide to Resilient Parenting Prioritizing Connection Over Correction 🔎 read 01/23
The Housemaid's Secret 🔎 read 01/01
The Well-Watered Woman: Rooted in Truth, Growing in Grace, Flourishing in Faith 🔎 Read 01/10

🎯 Challenges, Book Club, Buddy Reads & More 🎯
3 Yearly challenges
I Spy 🔎 Message 37; Progress 7/18

Prismatic Pages 🎨 Message 40; Progress 1/12
January’s color is blue: Regretting You has a blue cover

Serial Reader📚
Message 39; Progress 1/18
#10 in the series: Death of a Cookbook Author

⭐️Bonus Books⭐️
Reminders of Him read 01/03
The Housemaid's Wedding read 01/09
The House in the Cerulean Sea read 01/11
My Date With Bubble Tea read 01/27


✌🏽 End of Month Wrap-Up ✌🏽
Total Books Read 9
Yearly Reading Goal Progress 9/52

❤️‍🔥February: a month of passion❤️‍🔥
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." William Shakespeare


❤️‍🔥This Month’s Theme❤️‍🔥
I’m being overly cautious to not fall into a reading slump the way I did last year. With that being said, every book on my TBR for February is a mood read. In the Valentine’s Day spirit, I’m in the mood to for emotional damage. Each of these books I’m choosing because they are heavy, passionate, and hopefully tearjerkers.

This month I’m choosing four personal picks (TBR + mood reads) to keep reading enjoyable. In between these TBR pics, I am about 11% into Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear which will satisfy my goal of reading at least one non-fiction book each month.

📚This Month’s TBR📚
Progress 4/4 books🏅
Wuthering Heights read 02/20
The Song of Achilles read 02/28
Me Before You read 02/24
The Last Letter 🔎 read 02/05

🎯 Challenges, Book Club, Buddy Reads & More 🎯
3 Yearly challenges
I Spy 🔎 Message 37; Progress 7/18 (+1 this month )

Prismatic Pages 🎨 Message 40; Progress 2/12 (+1 this month)
February’s color is yellow: The Song of Achilles has a mostly yellow/gold cover

Serial Reader📚
Message 39; Progress 1/18

⭐️Bonus Books⭐️
Counting the Cost read 02/04
The Hate U Give read 02/09

✌🏽 End of Month Wrap-Up ✌🏽
Total Books Read 6
Yearly Reading Goal Progress 15/52

🍀March: a month of adventure🍀
"I have lived a thousand lives and I've loved a thousand loves. I've walked in distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read". -George R.R. Martin


🍀This Month’s Theme🍀
The TBR I’ve curated for March is a bit all over the place, hence the adventure theme! One book is a recommendation from my best friend that is out of my comfort zone, a very popular romance that I’ve gotten FOMO about, a gorgeous historical fiction & a feminist historical non-fiction. Four different genres, I’m keeping things fresh and exciting. I hope to find something new I love this month.

How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women will satisfy my goal of reading at least one non-fiction book each month.

📚This Month’s TBR📚
Progress 3/4 books 🥈
Red Rising PAUSED read 03/16-03/25 56% complete
Junie 🔎 read 03/09
Just for the Summer read 03/06
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women 🔎 read 03/08

🎯 Challenges, Book Club, Buddy Reads & More 🎯
3 Yearly challenges
I Spy 🔎 Message 37; Progress 13/18 (+5 this month)
Death by Yule Log: prompt #2 - in winter
Remarkably Bright Creatures: prompt #7 - in description
Junie: prompt #10 - in role call
The Crash: prompt #30 - on the go
How to Kill a Witch: prompt #31 - at the apothecary

Prismatic Pages 🎨 Message 40; Progress 3/12 (+1 this month)
March’s color is grey: Foster by Claire Keegan read 03/09

Serial Reader📚
Message 39; Progress 3/18 (+2 this month)

⭐️Bonus Books⭐️
Where the Crawdads Sing read 03/04
Foster 🎨 read 03/09
Death by Yule Log 🔎 📚 read 03/13
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes read 03/15
Remarkably Bright Creatures 🔎 read 03/20
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue read 03/24
The Crash 🔎 read 03/25
Dear Debbie read 03/26
First Witches Club 🔎 read 03/29
Death of a Wedding Cake Baker 📚 read 03/31
Mamey: a Spanglish novel read 03/31

✌🏽 End of Month Wrap-Up ✌🏽
Total Books Read 14
Yearly Reading Goal Progress 29/52

🧸April: a month of comfort🧸
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’” -John 11:25-26


🧸This Month’s Theme🧸
I am still trying to stay proactive and avoid falling into a reading slump by making my April TBR a list of cozy, light-hearted mood-reads. I am dipping my toes into a new genre (cozy science-fiction) and continuing some beloved series. I feel really motivated; I am averaging less books than last year which I give myself grace for considering I have a new baby. However, I fell into a slump in April of last year and read no books until December! If I read at least one book this month I’ll be happy with myself. I’m also not feeling burnt out at all and I’m excited for this month’s TBR!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks will satisfy my goal of reading at least one non-fiction book each month.

📚This Month’s TBR📚
Progress 0/4 books
A Psalm for the Wild-Built tbr
Sunrise on the Reaping reading
The Enchanted Greenhouse 🔎 tbr
Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter 🔎 tbr
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tbr

🎯 Challenges, Book Club, Buddy Reads & More 🎯
3 Yearly challenges
I Spy 🔎 Message 37; Progress 13/18 (+0 this month)

Prismatic Pages 🎨 Message 40; Progress 3/12 (+0 this month)
April’s color is green: tbd by tbd tbr

Serial Reader📚
Message 39; Progress 3/18 (+0 this month)

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Buddy Read: Sunrise on the Reaping with Kaitlyn in Discord

⭐️Bonus Books⭐️

✌🏽 End of Month Wrap-Up ✌🏽
Total Books Read 0
Yearly Reading Goal Progress 29/52