Monthly Challenges discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
January 2026 Challenge
>
January 2026 COMPLETED Tasks
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Updated: post #38
Most Points
Pat - 16
Amber - 5
Mickslibrarian - 18
Linda C - 11
The Adventures - 8
Tessa - 7
Most Pages
Pat - 4359
Amber - 2225
Mickslibrarian - 4903
Linda C - 3512
The Adventures - 2249
Tessa - 2970
1.5 Read the Alphabet: Letter RRead a book
Author's FIRST/LAST name begins with the Letter R
The Paris Novel by Ruth ReichlFinished Reading ~ 1.2.26
Pages ~ 272
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 272
1.1 Happy New Year!Read a book with a "New to You" Author.
'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy by Leslie Langtry 01.02.26
Task points 1
Task pages 325
1.6 ~ Winter MonthRead a book with a BLUE or WHITE cover. (51%+) show cover
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel GaynorFinished Reading ~ 1.7.26
Pages ~ 371
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 371
Total Points ~ 2
Total Pages ~ 643
1.1 Happy New Year!Read a book with a "New to You" Author.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. KingfisherFinished Reading ~ 1.10.26
Pages ~ 306
Prompt ~ Pen Name for Ursula Vernon, whom I have also not read
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 306
Total Points ~ 3
Total Pages ~ 949
1.8 (The Adventures task) BIG BOOK - Read a book with a page count superior to 500 pages. The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown 1/3/2026 667 p.
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 667
Total Points: 1
Total Pages: 667
2.4 (Amber's Task) Finish What You Started - Choose one series you have already started and read the next two books. Arrowood and the Thames Corpses by Mick Finlay (Arrowood, #3) 1/1/2026 400 p.
AND
Arrowood and The Meeting House Murders by Mick Finlay (Arrowood, #4) 1/2/2026 448 p.
Task Points: 2
Task Pages: 848
Total Points: 3
Total Pages: 1515
1.7 (The Adventures task) ~ POETRYRead a poetry book
Musical Tables: Poems by Billy CollinsFinished Reading ~ 1.13.26
Pages ~ 141
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 141
Total Points ~ 4
Total Pages ~ 1090
THIS BOOK WAS DELIGHTFUL! I laughed outloud several times. Read parts of it out loud to my husband. Called my mom and read her a couple of them. I'm getting my own copy!
Mod
1.5 Read the Alphabet: Letter RRead a book that Author's FIRST/LAST name begins with the Letter R
Somewhere in France (The Great War, #1) – Jennifer Robson (4 stars) 1/14/26 [373] – last name begins with R
1.9 (Linda C task) Birthday
Read a book published in 2025
Mercy Fletcher Meets Her Match (Scandalous Sisters, #1) – Aydra Richards (3 stars) 1/11/26 [249] – publ 3/24/25
Points these Tasks - 2
Pages these Tasks - 622
Total Points - 2
Total Pages - 622
1.3 BUZZWORD (titles) - Read a book with the word "Before" or "After" in the title. Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson 1/16/2026 176 p.
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 176
Total Points: 4
Total Pages: 1691
1.1 Happy New Year! - Read a book with a "New to You" Author. The Dinner Guest by B.P. Walter 1/4/2026 406 p.
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 406
Total Points: 5
Total Pages: 2097
2.3 (Pat's Task) ~ Health Scare A. Read a book either set in Texas or by an author who was either born in or currently lives in Texas.
Bonus: if the book is set in OR the author hails from Houston
Rain Gods: A Novel by James Lee BurkeFinished ~ 1.12.26
Pages ~ 528
James Lee Burke was born in Houston
B. Read a book with a word (4 letters minimum) in the title that can be made from the phrase in MD ANDERSON HOUSTON TEXAS. (Anderson, Houston, and Texas are disqualified as words for this task).
Three Days in June by Anne TylerFinished Reading ~ 1.17.26
Pages ~ 165
THREE
(H)ous(T)on
and(E)(R)son
t(E)exas
Points this Task ~ 3
Pages this Task ~ 693
Total Points ~ 7
Total Pages ~ 1783
1.2 It's COLD outsideRead a book whose Author's initials are in the words HOT BEVERAGE.
Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood 01.10.26
Task points 1
Task pages 320
Total points 2
Total pages 645
1.8 (The Adventures task) BIG BOOKRead a book with a page count superior to 500 pages.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas 01.12.26
Task points 1
Task pages 757
Total points 3
Total pages 1402
1.1 Happy New Year!Read a book with a "New to You" Author.
The Berry Pickers - Amanda Peters - 307 p. - 01/07 - 3/5
Task points 1
Task pages 307
-------------------
1.9 (Linda C task) Birthday
Read a book published in 2025
Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi-Occupied France - Christopher C. Gorham - published 09/30/25 - 320 p. - 01/05 - 2/5
Points these Tasks - 1
Pages these Tasks - 320
TOTAL points: 2
TOTAL pages: 627
1.5 Read the Alphabet: Letter R - Read a book that starts with the Letter R (exclude A, An, or The).Robert Louis Stevenson: Finding Treasure Island by Angelica Shirley Carpenter 1/18/2026 144 p.
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 144
Total Points: 6
Total Pages: 2241
2.1 The Lottery #4 - Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking Glass by Angelica Shirley Carpenter 1/18/2026 128 p.
AND
#5 - Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman 1/20/2026 272 p.
Task Points: 2
Task Pages: 400
Total Points: 8
Total Pages: 2641
2.3 (Pat's Task) Health ScareA. Read a book by an author who currently lives in Texas.
Death at Rottingdean by Robin Paige 1/20/2026 304 p.
(Robin Paige is the pseudonym of Bill and Susan Wittig Albert, who live in the Texas Hill Country)
AND
B. Read a book with a word (4 letters minimum) in the title that can be made from the phrase in MD ANDERSON HOUSTON TEXAS.
A Measure of Menace by Jennifer Ashley 1/17/2026 126 p.
(Md AndERSon hoUston tExas)
Task Points: 2
Task Pages: 430
Total Points: 10
Total Pages: 3071
5.1 It's Cold Outside ICE - More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War by Kenneth C. Davis 1/6/2026 304 p.
("Living on oatmeal, they had miraculously survived several days in the unheated ice hut." pg. 4)
AND
COLD - A Below Stairs Mystery Collection by Jennifer Ashley 1/15/2026 248 p.
("The high-ceilinged, dark-beamed room was cold, musty, and dimly lit." pg. 6)
AND
WARM - L. Frank Baum: Royal Historian of Oz by Jean Shirley 1/16/2026 144 p.
("On a cold day in Chicago in 1898, Frank Baum, aged 42, buttoned his warm overcoat." pg. 9)
AND
FAMILY - Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna 1/21/2026 304 p.
("He'd built a cabin, a family, a life." pg. 11)
AND
HOME - Frances Hodgson Burnett: Beyond the Secret Garden by Angelica Shirley Carpenter 1/12/2026 128 p.
("Little Lord Fauntleroy is amazed by the riches in his new home, and he quickly comes to love the crabby old Earl." pg. 52)
Task Points: 5
Task Pages: 1128
Total Points: 15
Total Pages: 4199
1.9 (Linda C task) BirthdayMy birthday is on the 25th.
Read a book published in 2025 or with 25 intact in the page count.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab 01.18.26 (published 6.10.25)
Task points 1
Task pages 535
Total points 4
Total pages 1937
1.6 Winter MonthIn the Northern Hemisphere, January is a Winter Month.
Read a book with a BLUE or WHITE cover. (51%+) show cover
by Eva Gates 01.22.26Task points 1
Task pages 288
Total points 5
Total pages 2225
3.2 (Pat's Task) ~ YEAR OF THE HORSE ~ you knew it was coming, right?Task 1 ~
Read a book by an author of Asian ethnicity.
BONUS: if you read a book translated from an Asian language.
~ Michael Berry (Translator) ~
The Privileged by Wu XiaoleFinished Reading ~ 1.9.26
Pages ~ 271
Task 2 ~
Read a book that you'd call "hot."
Snake-Eater by T. KingfisherTagged new release, so "hot new title."
Finished Reading ~ 1.18.26
Pages ~ 267
Task 3 ~
Read a book that has 3 of the numbers in the date for February 17, 2026 - (2,1,7,2,0,2,6). The numbers may appear in any order, but you can only use them as many times as they appear in the numerical date..
Arkansas Black by Alexander BlevensFinished Reading ~ 1.24.26
Pages ~ 276
Points this Task ~ 4
Pages this Task ~ 814
Total Points ~ 11
Total Pages ~ 2597
1.2 It's COLD outsideRead a book whose Author's initials are in the words HOT BEVERAGE.
The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil - Al Ridenour - 256 p. - 01/22 - 2/5
Task points 1
Task pages 256
------------------------------------
1.5 Read the Alphabet: Letter R - Read a book that starts with the Letter R (exclude A, An, or The).
The Railway Children - E. Nesbit - 223 p. - 01/22 - 3/5
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 223
TOTAL points: 4
TOTAL pages: 1106
1.6 Winter Month - Read a book with a BLUE cover. 
Sugar and Spite by M.C. Beaton 1/24/2026 256 p.Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 256
Total Points: 16
Total Pages: 4455
1.2 It's COLD outside - Read a book whose Author's initials are in the words HOT BEVERAGE. Inspector Flytrap by Tom Angleberger 1/24/2026 112 p.
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 112
Total Points: 17
Total Pages: 4567
2.1 ~ The Lottery#4
Persephone's Curse by Katrina LenoFinished Reading ~ 1.22.26
Pages ~ 336
#5
Dirt Creek by Hayley ScrivenorFinished Reading ~ 1.25.26
Pages ~ 336
Points this Task ~ 2
Pages this Task ~ 672
Total Points ~ 13
Total Pages ~ 3269
2.4 (Amber's Task) Finish What You Started - Choose one series you have already started and read the next two books.The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 2 - Nagabe - 174 p. - 4/5 - 01/25
AND
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 3 - Nagabe - 180 p. - 4/5 - 01/25
Task Points: 2
Task Pages: 354
TOTAL points: 6
TOTAL pages: 1460
1.9 (Linda C's task) BirthdayRead a book published in 2025 or with 25 intact in the page count.
Heartwood by Amity GaigeFinished Reading ~ 1.26.26
Pages ~ 309
Published ~ April 1, 2025
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 309
Total Points ~ 14
Total Pages ~ 3578
1.10 Diana S task) RenewalRead a book with a MPG: SELF- HELP or SELF-CARE
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver BurkemanFinished ~ 1.30.26
Pages ~ 186
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 186
Total Points ~ 15
Total Pages ~ 3764
1.1 Happy New Year! Read a book with a "New to You" Author.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year – Ally Carter (3 stars) 1/28/26 [293]
1.2 It's COLD outside
Read a book whose Author's initials are in the words HOT BEVERAGE.
Primordial Earth: Book 1 (The Extinction, #1) - Baileigh Higgins (2 stars) 1/3/26 [174]
2.1 The Lottery
#4 - The Girls in Navy Blue – Alix Rickloff (4 stars) 1/31/26 [416]
#5 - The Care and Management of Lies – Jacqueline Winspear (4 stars) 1/22/26 [352]
Points these Tasks - 4
Pages these Tasks - 1235
Total Points - 6
Total Pages - 1857
5.1 It's Cold OutsideJACKET - Your Planet or Mine? (Other Worldly Men, #1) – Susan Grant (3 stars) 1/20/26 [379] – p. 61 “He unfastened his jacket.”
BLANKET - The Lost Soldiers – Liz Trenow (4 stars) 1/24/26 [351] – p. 258 “Get under this blanket, will you.”
COFFEE - Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, #1) - Satoshi Yagisawa (4 stars) 1/30/26 [150] – p.38 “I became a regular at the Saveur coffee shop…”
HOT CHOCOLATE - The Bookbinder – Pip Williams (4 stars) 1/18/26 [455] – p. 63 “Inside, I made hot chocolate and poured Maude a mug.”
CAP - The 57 Bus – Dashka Slater (4 stars) 1/8/26 [320] - p. 249 “Seven of them, including a knit cap, a flat cap, a Russian ushanka hat, and …”
Points this Task - 5
Pages this Task - 1655
Total Points - 11
Total Pages - 3512
1.9 (Linda C task) Birthday - Read a book published in 2025. In Deadly Fashion by Rosemary Simpson 1/28/2026 336 p. (Published 10/28/25)
Task Points: 1
Task Pages: 336
Total Points: 18
Total Pages: 4903
1.6 ~ Winter MonthRead a book with a BLUE or WHITE cover. (51%+) show cover
- Akane Shimizu - 192 p. - 3/5 - 01/19Point this task: 1
Pages this task: 192
------------------------------
1.8 (The Adventures task) BIG BOOK
Read a book with a page count superior to 500 pages.
All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker - 2/5 - 597 p. - 01/18
Point this task: 1
Pages this task: 597
TOTAL points: 8
TOTAL pages: 2249
1.8 (The Adventures task) ~ BIG BOOKRead a book with a page count superior to 500 pages.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris WhitakerFinished Reading ~ 1.31.26
Pages ~ 595
Points this Task ~ 1
Pages this Task ~ 595
Total Points ~ 16
Total Pages ~ 4359
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!
TESSATask 1.5 Read the Alphabet - Letter R
ROBSON, Jennifer Robson / Somewhere in France ✔ – 07Jan26 - 400 pg
THIS TASK
points earned - 1
pages read - 400
==================================
Task 1.8 - The Adventures - BIG BOOK
Evening Class ✔ – 15Jan26 - 544 pg
THIS TASK
points earned - 1
pages read - 544 pg
Total points earned so far - 2
Total pages read so far - 944
TESSATask 5.1 - It's Cold Outside
pg 208 - "…ready-made hot chocolate, …" - The Most Wonderful Time ✔ – 08Jan26 - 352 pg
pg 2 - "…pulled the blankets over…" - Two for Sorrow ✔ – 15Jan26 - 496 pg
pg 18 - "…of a Charlie Chaplin movie." - Project Hail Mary ✔ – 23Jan26 - 496 pg
pg 36 - "The Little Singing Frog." - The Other Einstein ✔ – 30Jan26 - 314 pg
pg 12 - "…wore a baseball cap and big…" - Legally Dead ✔ – 30Jan26 - 368 pg
THIS TASK
points earned - 5
pages read - 2026 pg
Total points earned this month - 7
Total pages read this month - 2970 pg
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Monthly Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Most Wonderful Time (other topics)Legally Dead (other topics)
The Other Einstein (other topics)
Project Hail Mary (other topics)
Two for Sorrow (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jennifer Robson (other topics)Chris Whitaker (other topics)
Rosemary Simpson (other topics)
Oliver Burkeman (other topics)
Amity Gaige (other topics)
More...
• SCOREBOARD Name (if different from GR Name)
• TASK Number & Name (short description, if needed)
• BOOK Title (LINK)
• AUTHOR'S Name (LINK)
• DATE Book was finished
• POINTS for the Task (Points Earned: )
• PAGES for this Task (Pages Read: )
• TOTAL POINTS. (not required for 1st Completed Task)
•TOTAL PAGES: (not required for 1st Completed Task)