2026 Reading Challenge discussion

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

Find words shown in the TEXT of the books you are reading this month. You are not restricted to a single book. Read as many books to find every word on the list. Books of any size can be used for this game. You may read in any format, hardback, paperback, audio or e-book. If listening to a book, I suggest using Google Books to “preview” to find the page number of the found word. Please read the entire book before posting that you’ve found the word. You can save your spot and return to edit as you find words while reading. Happy Hunting!

Example of your post:
moving - The Assassin's Blade, pg96, "A wraith moving through the mist." - 7/11

Word List:
1. Rust
2. Tarnish
3. Decay
4. Wither
5. Oxidize
6. Rot
7. Decompose
8. Ruin
9. Spoil
10. Degrade
11. Fester
12. Decline
13. Crumble
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve
16. Corrode
17. Red
18. React
19. Foul
20. Wilt

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

Word List:
1. Rust - Westfallen, pg142, "Same rust and dents." - 8/11
2. Tarnish - Harvest Season, pg180, "Something that will never tarnish." - 8/18/26
3. Decay - A Deadly Episode, pg134, "...when the hall, in serious decay, was purchased..." - 8/1
4. Wither -
5. Oxidize
6. Rot - Westfallen, pg70, "...rot your brain." - 8/11
7. Decompose
8. Ruin - A Deadly Episode, pg36, "...financial ruin hangs over you..." - 8/1
9. Spoil - A Deadly Episode, pg126, "I hope it's not going to spoil my coffee." - 8/1
10. Degrade
11. Fester
12. Decline - Summer of Love, pg85, "It was on a precipitously steep decline..." - 8/12
13. Crumble - These Violent Delights, pg297, "...or will you crumble?" - 8/7
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve - Last Night at the Telegraph Club, pg72, "...let it dissolve slowly on her tongue..." - 8/13
16. Corrode - H is for Hawk, pg121, "...air can corrode it to nothing." - 8/22
17. Red - Westfallen, pg17, "...red Radio Flyer wagon..." - 8/11
18. React - First Lie Wins, pg151, "I need him to react the way I expect..." - 8/15
19. Foul - A Deadly Episode, pg43, "...using a particularly foul four-letter word." - 8/1
20. Wilt - A Deadly Episode, pg131, "They hadn't begun to wilt." - 8/1

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

Word List:
✅1. Rust - One for the Money, pg13, "Total body rust and countless accidents had left the Nova barely recognizable as a car, much less a Chevy, but Blue Ribbon was willing to trade the beast for my TV and VCR." - 8/8
✅2. Tarnish - One for the Money, pg38, "'Wouldn't want to tarnish my image by looking like a good guy.'" - 8/8
✅3. Decay - The Traveler, pg360, "'Atomic decay is heating the center of the planet,' Lyle said." - 8/16
❌4. Wither
❌5. Oxidize
✅6. Rot - One for the Money, pg120, "I'd hang here and rot before I'd call my ex-husband." - 8/8
❌7. Decompose
✅8. Ruin - Drunk on Love, pg283, "'Or, okay, since a few days ago—I had to make a test batch just so I didn't ruin these, which was a good idea, since I did indeed mess up the first batch.'" - 8/3
✅9. Spoil - Jagged, pg43, "And it enabled him to spoil her more." - 8/16
❌10. Degrade
✅11. Fester - Drunk on Love, pg360, "'Don't let it fester.'" - 8/3
✅12. Decline - Beth Is Dead, pg355, "I'm too cold to decline, so I slip the jacket over my arms." - 8/1
✅13. Crumble - Yours for the Taking, pg70, "By the time she'd seen the blurry video clips of the hurricane ripping through the town where she grew up, causing house after house to crumble right off their foundations, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd spoken to her parents." - 8/23
❌14. Deteriorate
✅15. Dissolve - Kristy and the Kidnapper, pg54, "She was sure to dissolve into giggles and baby talk in front of the judges." - 8/17
❌16. Corrode
✅17. Red - Beth Is Dead, pg356, "Henry looks strange in the dark, his eyes rubbed red." - 8/1
✅18. React - Beth Is Dead, pg386, "I close my eyes and imagine the way Beth would react." - 8/1
✅19. Foul - It's Not Summer Without You, pg239, "I was already late for senior banquet and I was in a foul mood." - 8/9
❌20. Wilt

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1, 2026 - August 31, 2026

Completed: 0/20

Word List:
1. Rust
2. Corrade
3. Decay
4. Wither
5. Oxidize
6. Rot
7. Decompose
8. Ruin
9. Spoil
10. Degrade
11. Fester
12. Decline
13. Crumble
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve
16. Corrode
17. Red
18. React
19. Foul
20. Wilt

WORDS FOUND: 16/20

1. Rust - ‘man in a rust coloured doublet’ page 211 of Lady’s Knight finished 17 August
2. Tarnish - ‘an attempt to tarnish his legacy’ page 149 of Among the Burning Flowers finished 10 August
3. Decay - ‘and began falling into decay’ page 28 of TimeRiders finished 23 August
4. Wither - ‘some decent nutrition and didn't wither away’ page 35 of The Paper Magician finished 20 August
5. Oxidize
6. Rot - ‘let the mages lock him up to rot’ page 33 of The Silver Mask finished 3 August
7. Decompose
8. Ruin - ‘that would ruin everything’ page 169 of The Golden Tower finished 5 August
9. Spoil - ‘she did not wish to spoil her surprise’ page 200 of Lady's Knight
10. Degrade - ‘How could I degrade myself so’ page 312 of The Forbidden Queen finished 29 August
11. Fester
12. Decline - ‘Marosa had no choice but to decline’ page 61 of Among the Burning Flowers
13. Crumble - ‘Anastasia’s face began to crumble’ page 152 of The Golden Tower
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve - ‘were going to dissolve into tears’ page 10 of The Silver Mask
16. Corrode - ‘by allowing it to corrode’ page 17 of Among the Burning Flowers
17. Red - ‘waved like a big red flag’ page 7 of Lady's Knight
18. React - ‘too fast for Call to react’ page 166 of The Silver Mask
19. Foul - ‘a particularly foul mood’ page 103 of The Silver Mask
20. Wilt - ‘what looked like shredded beetroot, seemed to wilt’ page 128 of The Killings at Badger's Drift finished 13 August

Books Read: 8
Progress: 19/20
Completed: 08/31/26

08/03/26: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
rot: “I expect they’ve let it rot to give it a stronger flavour,” said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis. pp. 102
ruin: “Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power.” pp. 6
red: “And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long nose someone.” pp. 18
foul: “Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile.” pp. 4

08/04/26: The Queen of Thieves
react: “Henrietta would silence her before anyone could react.” pp. 112

08/05/26: Death Was Not on the Guest List
decline: “Sour Sarah, who clearly wishes to decline the offer but can’t without looking petulant.” pp. 17

08/08/26: To Drown a Witch
decay: “As always, the smell of death, decay, and fornication lingered like overcooked stew.” pp. 8
wither: “Then she snatched her winter cloak from the bed, leaving the rest of her clothes to wither and rot.” pp. 249

08/11/26: Lady Tremaine
spoil: “If your father hadn’t needlessly spoiled you.” pp. 66
decompose: “Yes, and if an eel swims up into those pipes, they too, have to wait until the fish decomposes for the supply to resume.” pp. 133
wilt: “They’ll be liked wilted flowers when they arrive.” pp. 144
crumble: “I had made a home of hope and wishes and asked her to live inside—only to watch the wall crumble.” pp. 210

08/14/26: Ruinous Ends
tarnish: “He was broken and tarnished and wretched.” pp. 10
oxidize: “Most of the ones near the entrance were empty, though the floors were stained with oxidized blood.” pp. 107
corrode: “The Forgetting that plagues students and slowly corrodes their mind.” pp. 315

08/19/26: Death Comes to Marlow
rust: “The wood looked hundreds of years old, the hinges were thick with rust, and since when did an old door close so smoothly?” pp. 16
deteriorate: “When Tanika joined them, DI Hoskins’s mood deteriorated further.” pp. 267

08/28/26: The Unknown
fester: “He peppered it with long establishing shots of swaying grass, decaying leaves, bugs burrowing into the ground, all of it suggesting that a festering something lurks beneath New Avalon.” pp. 70
dissolve: “Thinking it is indeed a rat, I let out a girlish shriek than soon dissolves into embarrassed laughter.” pp. 131

Just checking, the second word listed is carrade which I thought maybe was suppose to be corrode but that's number 16. Could you clarify please? Thanks so much.

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

Word List:
1. Rust
2. Corrade
3. Decay
4. Wither
5. Oxidize
6. Rot
7. Decompose
8. Ruin
9. Spoil
10. Degrade
11. Fester
12. Decline
13. Crumble
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve
16. Corrode
17. Red
18. React
19. Foul
20. Wilt

Beverly wrote: "Just checking, the second word listed is carrade which I thought maybe was suppose to be corrode but that's number 16. Could you clarify please? Thanks so much."

You're correct. Number 2 is now Tarnish. Thank you!

Susan wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Just checking, the second word listed is carrade which I thought maybe was suppose to be corrode but that's number 16. Could you clarify please? Thanks so much."

You're correct. Nu..."

Thank you so much!!!

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

15/20

Word List:
1. Rust Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan page 92 "...leaves turning rust, orange and yellow." FINISHED 8/11

2. Tarnish

3. Decay The Daft Days by Neil Munro page 170 "...give us beauty and decay..." FINISHED 9/1

4. Wither The Daft Days by Neil Munro page 54 "...they come to wither there..." FINISHED 9/1

5. Oxidize

6. Rot I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney page 21 "I hope they rot in hell." FINISHED 8/6

7. Decompose

8. Ruin Mutts & Murder by Meg Muldoon page 91 "...ruin a perfectly beautiful..." FINISHED 8/15

9. Spoil The Daft Days by Neil Munro page 75 "...and spoil many a jolly party..." FINISHED 9/1

10. Degrade A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko page 150 "Pete rapidly began to degrade." FINISHED 8/30

11. Fester I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney page 243 "...and so it festers." FINISHED 8/6

12. Decline All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers page 32 "...he's noticed a decline in your work." FINISHED 8/18

13. Crumble Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan page 7 "...only to crumble." FINISHED 8/11

14. Deteriorate

15. Dissolve Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan page 431 "...and dissolve into sobs." FINISHED 8/11

16. Corrode

17. Red Alien Kid by Kristen Otte page 42 "Caden held the red ball..." FINISHED 8/9

18. React Alien Kid by Kristen Otte page 90 "...didn't have time to react..." FINISHED 8/9

19. Foul I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney page 280 "The pause after a foul ball." FINISHED 8/6

20. Wilt A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko page 174 "...found myself starting to wilt." FINISHED 8/30

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

Word List:
1. Rust The Watchmaker’s Hand p191 “between the rust belt” 8/3
2. Tarnish
3. Decay Unsolved p165 "Decay and death fill" 8/15
4. Wither
5. Oxidize
6. Rot Partners in Crime p212 "talking damned rot" 8/10
7. Decompose
8. Ruin Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble LOC 334 "haste will ruin any attempt" 8/14
9. Spoil Partners in Crime p45 "won't spoil by" 8/10
10. Degrade The Watchmaker’s Hand p310 "HF'll degrade it." 8/3
11. Fester If Books Could Kill p187 “left to fester in” 8/18
12. Decline If Books Could Kill p329 “which we decline” 8/18
13. Crumble If Books Could Kill p303 “do we see her crumble” 8/18
14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve Unsolved p11 "THE REAL EMMY DOCKERY" — then dissolve." 8/15
16. Corrode
17. Red The Watchmaker’s Hand p3 “a red light was now” 8/3
18. React Unsolved p184 "my superiors will react" 8/15
19. Foul Partners in Crime p67 "been foul play" 8/10
20. Wilt

AUGUST WORD SEARCH - Rust
Duration: August 1-31, 2026

13 / 20 - 08/07

Word List:
1. Rust -- Blaze | p30 | 08/05 | ◬◬◬◬◬
“Lucas had fallen on a rusty tin can and sliced open his knee.”

2. Tarnish -- Blaze | p.262 | 08/05 | 〇〇〇〇〇
“…I wouldn’t want the evil gay to tarnish your exalted status in this world.”

3. Decay -- Lost in Amber | p. 192 | 08/06 | ᚙᚙᚙ½
"... years of decay stripping the paint from the long-dead electronic signs."

4. Wither -- Lost in Amber | p. 10 | 08/06 | 🞜🞜🞜½
"I felt a piece of myself wither."

5. Oxidize
6. Rot
7. Decompose

8. Ruin -- King & Queen | p. 101 | 08/05 | ❍❍❍❍❍
“…but don’t let it ruin the day.”

9. Spoil -- Lost in Amber | p.67 | 08/06 | ◩◩◩½
"You spoil me."

10. Degrade
11. Fester - book:Lost in Amber|60548988] | p.13 | 08/06 | ⟐⟐⟐½
"... his wound never festered."

12. Decline -- book:Lost in Amber|60548988] | p.81 | 08/06 | 〄〄〄½
"...to politely decline room service or fresh towels."

13. Crumble -- King & Queen | p.125 | 08/05 | ⿲ ⿲ ⿲ ⿲ ⿲
"…but I had seen him crumble.”

14. Deteriorate
15. Dissolve -- Gardens & Ghosts | p.162 | 08/07 | ⚠︎⚠︎⚠︎⚠︎⚠︎
"My giggles dissolved, and I coughed the same uncomfortable way he did when I called him gorgeous."

16. Corrode
17. Red -- Blaze | p52 | 08/05 | ֍֍֍֍֍
"Same red brick street, same buildings here."

18. React -- Blaze | p207 | 08/05 | ◪◪◪◪◪
"He'd expected Ian to react with jot."

19. Foul
20. Wilt -- King & Queen | p. 147 | 08/05 | ⟁⟁⟁⟁⟁
"Simon’s fingers absently ran through Dalton’s wilted mohawk…”

August Find-A-Word
20/20

Word List:
✔️1. Rust - Erotic Stories - pg 43 "... or are you rusting ?"
✔️2. Tarnish Tess pg 111 "... in the company of a broad, tarnished moon ..."
✔️3. Decay - Six Degrees pg 201 " ... as the decaying remains of plankton settled ..."
✔️4. Wither - Tess pg 275 "... eaten out with thinking, withered by thinking; "
✔️5. Oxidize - Six Degrees pg 239 "... this carbon is consumed and oxidised by bacteria."
✔️6. Rot - Six Degrees pg 206 "... it simply rotted in situ."
✔️7. Decompose - Six Degrees pg 175 "... soils remain too wet for oxidising decomposition"
✔️8. Ruin - Tess pg 265 ... which led to the well-known ruins of Cistercian abbey"
✔️9. Spoil Tess pg 354 "But do not let us spoil the day with them;"
✔️10. Degrade - Six Degrees pg 158 "... grasslands are annually degraded by overgrazing ..."
✔️11. Fester - AWOL pg 272 "Issues festering at home will follow hikers onto the trail."
✔️12. Decline - Six Degrees pg 202 "... oxygen levels declined, turning them gradually anoxic,"
✔️13. Crumble - Six Degrees pg 57 "... and it may crumble beneath your feet."
✔️14. Deteriorate - AWOL pg 25 "The weather quickly deteriorates, and it's raining within an hour,"
✔️15. Dissolve - Six Degrees pg 174 "... carbon can dissolve directly into water,"
✔️16. Corrode - Six Degrees pg 57 "... structures first corroded, and then began to disintegrate"
✔️17. Red - Tess pg 297 "... roundly built, had deep red lips like Cupid's bow; "
✔️18. React - AWOL pg 83 - "... how my head or my heel will react until I hit the trail again."
✔️19. Foul - Tess pg 354 "Scamp that I was to foul that innocent life!"
✔️20. Wilt - AWOL pg 53 "... sling my pack on my back, wilting under the weight..."

(6) (9) (1) (4)

Small Question:

Are we restricted to only the present tense of each word or could we use “ed”; “s”; “ing” tense as well?

August Find-A-Word
16/20

1. Rust - Land, pg 199 - “trees and the ground is thick with rust and yellow and brown, with layer upon layer”
2. Tarnish - Starling House, pg 49 - "pausing only to shove a set of tarnished silver spoons in my back pocket.'
3. Decay - You Can Trust Me, pg 142 - “surrounded by pipes in different stages of decay.”
4. Wither - The Invitation, pg 65 - "All hope of help from her withered away."
5. Oxidize
6. Rot - Land, pg 38 - “thick with the choking, sweetish scent of rot.”
7. Decompose
8. Ruin - Land, pg 6 - “quarter of a mile away, stands the ruin”
9. Spoil - The Invitation, pg 262 - "by all reports her good nature wasn't spoiled."
10. Degrade
11. Fester - Three Reasons for Revenge, pg 152 - "And that fact had been festering inside you all those years."
12. Decline - You Can Trust Me, pg 172 - “We both decline a desert”
13. Crumble - Land, pg 159 - “he would be nothing, he would crumble into dry leaves”
14. Deteriorate - The Seachangers, Chap 16 - 'Houses deteriorate rapidly if they not lived in."
15. Dissolve - Land, pg 289 - “she feels she may dissolved, like soft rock in water.’
16. Corrode
17. Red - Land, pg 80 - “following the two red dots, as they progress down the track”
18. React - You Can Trust Me, pg 127 - “I wonder how he would react”
19. Foul - Land, pg 394 - “foul gossip about him will spread.”
20. Wilt - Land, pg 45 - "the crown of wilting leaves"

I have the same question as Lexi.

Does it have to be the exact spelling of the word. Can plurals or other tenses be used. For example, I found degraded but not degrade in one of the books.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


1. RUST - Pg 140 The Light Between Oceans- The RUSTY iron letterbox.....
2. TARNISH - Pg 239 Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Workbook - We can so TARNISH the name...