The 52 Book Club's summer reading challenge is out - Beach Reads. And while this was released in June, it doesn't have to be finished over the summer, you can take your time with it. You can find the rules at https://www.the52book.club/beach-reads-challenge/, but they involve the board game below and rolling dice for what space you land on and which genre you're reading.
Prompt 1 — Sand in your shoes! A gritty read.
Prompt 2 — A _ word title.
Prompt 3 — Chance
Prompt 4 — Author from somewhere you’ve vacationed
Prompt 5 — Item on cover: A thing you’d find at the beach
Prompt 6 — Beachcomb for hidden gems: A non-popular read
Prompt 7 — Final page number: even or odd?
Prompt 8 — Features an island country
Prompt 9 – Chance
Prompt 10 – Character with a unique career
Prompt 11 – Flip flop! Pick two books.
Prompt 12 – More than _ hundred pages.
Prompt 13 – Published within _ years of previous author’s birth
Prompt 14...
The 52 Book Club just put out their first full-sized genre-specific challenge. All books read for this challenge must be mysteries, but there is not timeline for completing it. The mystery challenge contains fifty different “cases." Match one mystery to each case for a total of fifty different books. Cases are related to different mystery elements and tell you what to look for in a book.
A classic mystery: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
An opening line that hooks you:
An “impossible” crime:
Murder disguised as an accident:
A missing person:
A cozy mystery: Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
An unsettling read:
Title includes the word “death” or “dead:” A Disorganised Death by Simon Brett
A white-collar crime:
A humorous mystery:
The “brilliant detective” trope:
An amateur sleuth:
Antagonist toys with the detective:
Includes a podcaster, writer, or journalist:
A crime-solving duo: Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey
Detective has to confront their own past:
An iconic detective: The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie
Police procedural:
A detective on the cover:
Title starts...
I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and love participating in the Read Christie challenge hosted at agathachristie.com. This year the theme is “Biggest, Best, Beloved” books. There are “official” selections, but you can also choice to read alternatives. The hashtag is #ReadChristie2026.
January - Best Opening - The Body in the Library by Agatha ChristieFebruary - Beloved Character(s) - Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha ChristieMarch - Biggest Impact on You As A Young Reader - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha ChristieApril - Beloved in your Collection - A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha ChristieMay - Best Short Story Collection - The Labors of Hercules by Agatha ChristieJune - Best to Read in One Sitting (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha ChristieJuly - Best-Kept Secret (The Rose and the Yew Tree)August - Beloved Duo (By the Pricking of My Thumbs)September - Best According to Agatha (Endless Night)October - Best Cold Case (Sleeping Murder)November -...
The Literary Escapes Challenge hosted at Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book is one I don't do great at but have fun keeping track of. The goal is to read 1 book set in each of the 50 states + the District of Columbia. (51 Points). If you complete the challenge you earn 50 Bonus Points. You also can earn Bonus Points for books set in Countries around the world. 1 Bonus Point for each country – no repeats.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California - A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida - Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
Georgia - Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits by Skylar Warren
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois - Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine - Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio - Crime Rangoon by Vivien Chien
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Greece - The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah
England - The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
Australia -...
I’m signing up for the 2026 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About. I might be a bit of an audiobook junkie. My goal for the year is 75+, which puts me at the Over-Achiever level. The hashtag is #2026AudiobookChallenge.
Also, June is Audiobook Month, so there will be a special mini-challenge just for the month.
Books read:...
By the end of the year, I will have completed 2025's 52 Books in 52 Weeks main challenge. (I did not do so great at the mini-challenges.) I read a lot of books I enjoyed, some of which I wouldn't usually have picked up, so I'm signing up again this year.
Here's the list:
Set in an ancient civilization - The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
Kangaroo word on the cover - The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Written without quotation marks - The Killer Question by Janice Hallett
Has a dust jacket
Featuring a conspiracy
Title starts with the letter “O”
Title starts with the letter “P”
A three-syllable word in the title - This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack
Featuring a natural disaster
Spans a decade or more - Murder at Raven’s Gate by Louise Marley
Requires suspension of disbelief
A genre-defining read - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Bookface
Includes a character list - May Contain Murder by Orlando Murrin
A subtitle with commas - Separation...
