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Over the last few years I stopped quantifying my yearly reading challenges, focusing more on enjoyment than numbers. For 2026, I’m bringing structure back—not to race through books, but to balance library reads, long-neglected TBR shelves, and a few intentional discoveries along the way.
Reading Challenge Book Categories From My Local Library
My 2026 Reading Challenge will be divided into two main groups. First will be books from my local library. I propose to read two books per month from the library from my favorite Mystery/Thriller series. Additionally, I would like to discover new series throughout the year. Maybe one every other month so I added 6 books to that category.
Finally, I would like to keep up with the world around me so I propose to read new non-fiction. Again at the rate of one every other month or 6 non-fiction books. That’s a total of 36 books from the library.
Reading Challenge Categories from My TBR Shelves
Now I really do need to start reading books from my To Be Read (TBR) shelves. I’ve set my target a 30 books from theses shelves, The books include: 6 Sci-Fi books, at least one e-book a month or 12 e-books, and again more non-fiction every other month or 6 books. I have a variety of history and self-improvement books on my shelves that need to be read.
| 2026 Reading Challenge: Library book Categories | ||
| No. to Read | No. Read | |
| Favorite Mystery/Thrillers Series and Standalones | 24 | 2 |
| New Mystery/Thrillers Series and Standalones | 6 | 1 |
| Non-Fiction | 6 | |
| Total | 36 | |
| 2026 Reading Challenge: TBR Shelves Category | ||
| Sci Fi | 6 | |
| E-Books | 12 | 1 |
| Non-Fiction | 6 | |
| Mystery Series/Thrillers Series and Standalones | 6 | |
| Total | 30 | |
| Target Goal | 66 | 1 |
Proposed January 2026 Reads
Here are my proposed January 2026 Reads. I’m not including the book I started back in December and finished yesterday which was Little Black Dress by Loren D. Estleman. However, I will use it for my overall total of books read in 2025!
So here’s what category these proposed read fall into:
From the Library Book Category
New Mystery Thriller Series
Blind to Midnight (Nick Ryan #2)- Reed Farrel Coleman
While Reed Farrel Coleman is not a new author to me I read Redemption Street the second book in his Moe Prager series back in 2010. I haven’t read a Moe Prager since then, although I wish I had. Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake with this series!
Favorite Mystery Series
The White Crow (Philomena McCarthy #2) – Michael Robotham
When I read I read When You Were Mine by Michael Robotham in 2022 there was not a Philomena McCarthy series but now there is and this is book 2! Robotham’s books are always great!
Apostle’s Cove (Cork O’Connor #20)- William Kent Krueger
As are the Cork O’Connor books from William Kent Krueger. I’m sure this one will be great as well!
From the TBR Shelves Category
Non Fiction
Unworthy Republic : The Dispossession of Native Americans and the road to the Indian Territory – Claudio Saunt. A 2020 National Book Award Finalist.
I recently picked this book up at Barnes & Noble. I’ve read several books about the Indian Wars in the west, but very little about what came before. So far it’s interesting how integrated some tribes were with the whites in the south in the 1820s.
E-Book
Head Cases (Head Cases #1) – John McMahon
I loved John McMahon’s Detective P. T. Marsh series (which I hope at some point he returns to) and I hope that this series is just as good!
