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
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Desert Solitaire

Edward Abbey

337 pages • 1968 • 33 editions

nonfiction memoir nature travel adventurous informative reflective slow-paced
Fool by Christopher Moore

Fool #1

Fool

Christopher Moore

311 pages • 2009 • 26 editions

fiction fantasy dark funny fast-paced
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology that Powers Them by Antony Lewis

The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology that Powers Them

Antony Lewis

408 pages • 2018 • 6 editions

nonfiction business economics technology informative slow-paced
Written in Blood by Chris Carter

Robert Hunter #11

Written in Blood

Chris Carter

480 pages • 2020 • 30 editions

fiction crime mystery thriller dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum

301 pages • 2022 • 66 editions

fiction contemporary literary hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced
The Torment of Others by Val McDermid

Tony Hill & Carol Jordan #4

The Torment of Others

Val McDermid

400 pages • 2004 • 26 editions

fiction crime mystery thriller dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Empire of the Vampire #1

Empire of the Vampire

Jay Kristoff

739 pages • 2021 • 72 editions

fiction fantasy adventurous dark tense medium-paced
The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston

The Ice Limit

Douglas Preston

491 pages • 2000 • 29 editions

fiction science fiction thriller adventurous mysterious medium-paced
The Sixth Wicked Child by J.D. Barker

4MK Thriller #3

The Sixth Wicked Child

J.D. Barker

532 pages • 2019 • 30 editions

fiction crime mystery thriller dark mysterious tense fast-paced
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

The Roots of Chaos #0

A Day of Fallen Night

Samantha Shannon

868 pages • 2023 • 51 editions

fiction fantasy lgbtqia+ adventurous emotional tense medium-paced