Tackling the Pile of Shame: A Reading Challenge

keithy23's profile picture keithy23 Host

19 participants (144 books)

01 Jan 2025—31 Dec 2025

Overview

Have you ever started a book, set it aside, and somehow never picked it back up? Maybe life got busy, the timing wasn’t right, or you just weren’t feeling it. We all have them—those books sitting in our “pile of shame*,” waiting for a second chance.

This year, I’m challenging myself (and anyone who wants to join!) to tackle those unfinished reads. The goal? To finally finish 10 books that I’ve softly DNF’d and give them the attention they deserve.

Whether you’ve got a handful of books you’ve paused on or an entire stack calling your name, this challenge is for anyone who wants to turn unfinished pages into completed stories. Let’s dust off those books and see where the journey takes us—because it’s never too late to finish what we started!

Are you ready to face your pile of shame? Let’s do this together!

*quoted by Emily Fox

Challenge Books

All books added
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Radiant Emperor Duology #1

She Who Became the Sun

Shelley Parker-Chan

414 pages • 2021 • 69 editions

fiction fantasy historical lgbtqia+ adventurous dark tense medium-paced
Middlemarch by George Eliot

Middlemarch

George Eliot

32h 23m • 1871 • 369 editions

user-added

fiction classics historical literary challenging emotional reflective slow-paced
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

5h 37m • 1953 • 399 editions

fiction classics dystopian science fiction dark reflective tense medium-paced
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

The Vampire Chronicles #1

Interview with the Vampire

Anne Rice

14h 24m • 1976 • 183 editions

fiction fantasy horror dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Maria Semple

9h 35m • 2012 • 81 editions

fiction contemporary mystery adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
Mage's End Game by Tilly Wallace

Tournament of Shadows #6

Mage's End Game

Tilly Wallace

277 pages • 2024 • 3 editions

user-added

fiction fantasy romance
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

Crescent City #3

House of Flame and Shadow

Sarah J. Maas

951 pages • 2024 • 116 editions

user-added

fiction fantasy romance adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love by Tori Dunlap

Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love

Tori Dunlap

8h 3m • 2022 • 7 editions

nonfiction economics challenging informative medium-paced
Quicksilver by Callie Hart

Fae & Alchemy #1

Quicksilver

Callie Hart

670 pages • 2024 • 77 editions

fiction fantasy romance adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow #1

Iron Widow

Xiran Jay Zhao

394 pages • 2021 • 83 editions

fiction fantasy lgbtqia+ science fiction young adult adventurous dark tense fast-paced