Dare to Dream discussion

Please post all questions/comments/updates regarding the fall 2026 challenge in this thread. :)

The Fall 2026 Reading Challenge will begin September 2nd and end November 30th.

Rules of the challenge:
Complete 3 books (or more)
Complete 3 prompts (or more)
Any genre okay
Rereads okay

This fall, complete 3 (or more) of the following:

1. Many writers have birthdays this season.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK BY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Tracy Chevalier
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Roxane Gay
Michael Robotham
Kurt Vonnegut

2. September is National Save a Tiger Month.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK WITH THE LETTERS T-I-G-E-R IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE. (These letters do not have to be in order)

3. By Any Means will be released in theaters on September 4th.

When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing-the law has limits. They don’t.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK THAT FEATURES AN UNLIKELY DUO.

4. Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day will have a limited release in theaters on September 4th.

A passionate astronomer does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage. It’s set in 1910 in London.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK WITH THE WORD “NIGHT” OR
“DAY” IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE.

OR

READ ANY BOOK WRITTEN BY VIRGINIA WOOLF.

5. Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass will be released in theaters on September 4th.

From fast paced chases to stunning new worlds, the movie brings a fresh twist to the legendary duo.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK WHICH FEATURES A CHARACTER NAMED TOM OR JERRY.

OR

READ A BOOK IN WHICH A CAT OR MOUSE IS PART OF THE STORY.

OR

READ A BOOK IN WHICH ONE CHARACTER IS CHASING AFTER ANOTHER ONE.

6. Fall group read.

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel -September 15th.

Bonus group read:
Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon (available now).

7. Random-This counts towards the challenge but isn’t inspired by the season.

So this fall,

READ A BOOK WITH A ONE WORD TITLE.

WISHING YOU ALL GOOD THINGS AS ALWAYS. HAPPY AUTUMN, EVERYONE! :D

Please note for the random that titles beginning with the word “The”followed by a single word do not count.

Also for #5 Thomas and Tommy also work.

Thanks Rachel! Looking forward to another great Fall Challenge!

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Thanks Rachel! Looking forward to another great Fall Challenge!"

You’re welcome, Dustin! :)
Always look forward to seeing which books you will be reading.

Thank you for another fun challenge! I’m home now and resting.

Glad to hear Danell :-)

I listened to The Taking of Pellman one two three which works for T-I-G-E-R. I thought it was ok

Good job getting one done so early in the challenge. I'm just starting to gather and wrangle my choices.
When the library has a Playaway audio for titles that fit the challenge, that's what makes ne happy. I'm going to explore some of these authors that have birthdays.

Danell wrote: "Thank you for another fun challenge! I’m home now and resting."

You’re welcome, Danell! Glad you’re home. :)

Danell wrote: "I listened to The Taking of Pellman one two three which works for T-I-G-E-R. I thought it was ok"

Thanks for the update, Danell! :)
I was waiting to hear what you thought of it. I’m going to skip it. Might still check out the movie though. Have you seen it?

I hope to read both Exit Party and Stay Buried. I have loved everything I've read by McMahon - I think she was introduced to me through one of these challenges many years ago. Sea of Tranquility is also one of my favorites.

I haven’t seen the movie. I needed a book that was made into a high grossing movie the year you were born for another reading challenge and I was excited that it works for this challenge.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I hope to read both Exit Party and Stay Buried. I have loved everything I've read by McMahon - I think she was introduced to me through one of these challenges many years ago. Sea of Tranquility is..."

I’m also planning to read them both.
Sea of tranquility is one of my favorites too. :)

Danell wrote: "I haven’t seen the movie. I needed a book that was made into a high grossing movie the year you were born for another reading challenge and I was excited that it works for this challenge."

They made a remake of the film a while back too.
Glad it worked for both! :)

I have officially started reading my first book toward this Fall challenge.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (T-I-G-E-R in title).

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I have officially started reading my first book toward this Fall challenge.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (T-I-G-E-R in title)."


Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

I'm still reading The Marriage Portrait - it will take a while, but have also started reading Famous by Blake Crouch.(one-word title). I didn't know there was a new Blake Crouch, published last year. Its a short novel and a movie adaptation is in the works.

I listened to Woodworking by Emily St James, one word title, I thought it was good

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I'm still reading The Marriage Portrait - it will take a while, but have also started reading Famous by Blake Crouch.(one-word title). I didn't know there was a new Blake Crouch, published last yea..."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)
I didn’t know about the Blake Crouch book either-I’ll have to check it out.

Danell wrote: "I listened to Woodworking by Emily St James, one word title, I thought it was good"


Thanks for the update, Danell! :)
Hope you’re feeling better.

I finished Famous by Blake Crouch today. I'm thinking 4 stars. Very short- less than 200 pages. Copyright 2011, but not published until 2025.
I'm now planning to read two short Ta-Nehisi Coates books back to back: The Message and The Beautiful Struggle.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I finished Famous by Blake Crouch today. I'm thinking 4 stars. Very short- less than 200 pages. Copyright 2011, but not published until 2025.
I'm now planning to read two short Ta-Nehisi Coates boo..."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)

I finished Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty for t-i-g-e-r in the title/subtitle.

Not as good as the first but still worth reading imo.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I finished Famous by Blake Crouch today. I'm thinking 4 stars. Very short- less than 200 pages. Copyright 2011, but not published until 2025.
I'm now planning to read two short Ta-Nehisi Coates boo..."

One of the reviews mentioned that he self published the book in 2011 and then updated it and rereleased it in 2025. It seems to be one of those books people really love or really hate.

I read Fear by L. Ron Hubbard, which works for one word title. I thought it was good.

I listened to The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, which has a character named Tom. I enjoyed it.

I have The Calamity Club on hold at the library (long wait for this title). Good to know I can use it for the challenge when I can finally borrow a copy.

Danell wrote: "I listened to The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, which has a character named Tom. I enjoyed it."

Thanks for the updates, Danell! :)
I’m hoping to get to the Calamity Club at some point this year. I’m always a little intimidated by long books but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

I read Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt which works for a one word title. I thought it was good. Would read more of the author’s work.
I hope you guys enjoy Calamity Club when you get it. I was using the book for another challenge and was happy when I heard the name Tom and discovered I could use it for this challenge as well.

Danell wrote: "I read Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt which works for a one word title. I thought it was good. Would read more of the author’s work.
I hope you guys enjoy Calamity Club when you get it. I was using the..."

Thanks for the update, Danell! :)

I am still reading The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Not only does the title contain the letters T-I-G-E-R, there is a tiger in the story. So far, I haven't found a Maggie O'Farrell book that I like nearly as much as I enjoyed LAND. I have one more book by her that I will try. I had liked LAND so much that I requested four additional Maggie O'Farrell books from the library. I often fixate on a particular author until I'm disappointed.

I am nearly finished reading The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham (one of the featured authors this challenge). I've never read this author before. The story is interesting enough. Probably four stars. I'll read one more Robotham novel that I already have from the library, likely won't seek out more by this author though.
The next Michael Robotham book I have lined up is Night Ferry.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I am still reading The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Not only does the title contain the letters T-I-G-E-R, there is a tiger in the story. So far, I haven't found a Maggie O'Farrell book t..."

Thanks for the updates, Dustin! :)
Are you going to read Hamnet? I haven’t read it but it was a popular book when it came out.

I haven't found an audiobook for Hamnet, but enjoyed the film adaptation last year.
The other Maggie O'Farrell book I have planned is called How to Survive a Heatwave. It doesn't work for the fall challenge as far as I know. LAND has been the only Maggie O'Farrell book to greatly affect and impress me, so I probably won't try any more of her books. Maybe Hamnet at a later time. It would take me a while to get through without the help if an audiobook. I'm finding The Marriage Portrait to be pretty boring and and dull - maybe it will surprise me and change tone, but rather doubt it.

I decided to purchase a copy of The Calamity Club since the hold list at the library is taking so long.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I decided to purchase a copy of The Calamity Club since the hold list at the library is taking so long."

It’s been one of the big books of the year. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

I haven't read a five-star book during the month of September and it's starting to get to me. Looking forward to the next book I can award 5 stars.

Hey guys-

I recently found out that although Exit Party can be read as a stand-alone, it does have connections to two of her other books-the singer’s gun and the glass hotel. The singer’s gun gets spoiled in this one so if you have any interest in that one then you should read it prior to exit party.

That's good to know. Sea of Tranquility was the first Emily St. John Mandel I read and still my favorite. One of my top 5 favorites read in 2022. I Didn't love her other books nearly as much - haven't read them all. I only remember Sea of Tranquility and Station Eleven.
BTW, does her last name start with S or M? I've seen her shelved under both.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "That's good to know. Sea of Tranquility was the first Emily St. John Mandel I read and still my favorite. One of my top 5 favorites read in 2022. I Didn't love her other books nearly as much - have..."

I’m not sure.

I read Fight Night by Miriam Toews for night in the title.
I really enjoyed this one. There’s sad subject matter but also a lot of love and humor.

I also finished Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel. It’s the first book of hers I didn’t really enjoy. (I’ve read the last 3).

I gave it 2.5 but rounded up because I loved the premise and it has its moments. I do seem to be in the minority as it’s getting mostly good reviews. I’m curious to hear what you guys think of it if you pick it up.

I've read Fight Night before and enjoyed it. It's funny because I have that title lined up to re-read this fall because it has "night" in the title.

I am currently reading Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon. Enjoying it as expected.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I am currently reading Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon. Enjoying it as expected."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)
Glad to hear it’s good.

I'm listening to The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham. It's okay, not enjoying it quite as much as The Secrets She Keeps. Part of the issue is the strong British narration of the audiobook - its harder to understand. I don't think I'm going to pursue more by this author or by Tracy Chevalier.
I'm going to be re-reading The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Water Dancer is a book I found a few years ago in my neighborhood Free Little Library. I had given the book 5 stars - I'm curious if it will hold up since l awarded Coates' non fiction only 2-4 stars this fall.

Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon does not disappoint. I don't have an audiobook though, so will take me a while to read. Much more intriguing than The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell, which I'm still trudging through.

Gosh, I hope I like The Exit Party better than you did Rachel! I'm still at about #100 on the library wait list for Exit Party, but that will give me time to read Stay Buried.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I'm listening to The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham. It's okay, not enjoying it quite as much as The Secrets She Keeps. Part of the issue is the strong British narration of the audiobook - its har..."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :)
With a few exceptions, I just dnf books I’m not enjoying these days and unfortunately that’s been a decent number of new releases that I’ve been looking forward to reading this year. I did finish exit party. I liked the ending just not enough to make up for the parts I didn’t enjoy.

I enjoyed The Water Dancer too.

Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Gosh, I hope I like The Exit Party better than you did Rachel! I'm still at about #100 on the library wait list for Exit Party, but that will give me time to read Stay Buried."

I do seem to be in the minority so hopefully you’ll enjoy it. I’m looking forward to your review of it. :)

I'm happy to report that The Water Dancer held up on a second reading. I also re-read Braving the Wilderness (TIGER title) by Brené Brown. I am currently re-reading Fight Night.
I have been reading Barbie (screenplay) for a one-word title (on my copy it doesn't say "the screenplay", just "Barbie".