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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
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
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Goon Squad #1

A Visit from the Goon Squad

Jennifer Egan

351 pages • 2010 • 75 editions

fiction contemporary literary emotional reflective medium-paced
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

A Room of One's Own

Virginia Woolf

152 pages • 1929 • 421 editions

nonfiction classics essays feminism informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac

On the Road: The Original Scroll

Jack Kerouac

416 pages • 1957 • 22 editions

fiction classics travel adventurous informative reflective slow-paced
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary

Sarah Penner

310 pages • 2021 • 94 editions

fiction historical mystery adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter

Activation Degradation

Marina J. Lostetter

370 pages • 2021 • 3 editions

fiction lgbtqia+ science fiction adventurous dark tense fast-paced
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

If We Were Villains

M.L. Rio

429 pages • 2017 • 126 editions

fiction literary mystery thriller dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Bone Gap

Laura Ruby

368 pages • 2015 • 16 editions

fiction fantasy magical realism young adult mysterious medium-paced
Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus

Such Charming Liars

Karen M. McManus

11h 29m • 2024 • 27 editions

fiction mystery thriller young adult mysterious tense medium-paced
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

John Green

293 pages • 2021 • 67 editions

nonfiction essays memoir hopeful informative reflective medium-paced