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
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Grady Hendrix

424 pages • 2020 • 57 editions

fiction horror thriller dark mysterious tense medium-paced
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

552 pages • 2005 • 256 editions

fiction historical young adult dark emotional sad medium-paced
The Private Life of Mrs Sharma by Ratika Kapur

The Private Life of Mrs Sharma

Ratika Kapur

192 pages • 2016 • 4 editions

fiction contemporary literary reflective slow-paced
Playing Nice by JP Delaney

Playing Nice

JP Delaney

416 pages • 2020 • 27 editions

fiction mystery thriller dark mysterious tense fast-paced