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
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë

532 pages • 1847 • 1.7k editions

fiction classics literary romance dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka

The Roughest Draft

Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka

317 pages • 2022 • 9 editions

fiction contemporary romance lighthearted medium-paced
Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frankly in Love

David Yoon

406 pages • 2019 • 36 editions

fiction contemporary romance young adult emotional funny reflective medium-paced
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Garth Stein

321 pages • 2008 • 76 editions

fiction contemporary literary emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly

Endpapers

Jennifer Savran Kelly

328 pages • 2023 • 4 editions

fiction contemporary lgbtqia+ emotional reflective slow-paced
Wild Things by Laura Kay

Wild Things

Laura Kay

320 pages • 2023 • 14 editions

fiction contemporary lgbtqia+ romance funny lighthearted medium-paced
Harmony by Whitney Hanson

Harmony

Whitney Hanson

272 pages • 2023 • 8 editions

nonfiction poetry emotional reflective medium-paced
Play for Me by Libby Hubscher

Play for Me

Libby Hubscher

368 pages • 2023 • 3 editions

fiction contemporary romance funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

Mortal Follies #1

Mortal Follies

Alexis Hall

392 pages • 2023 • 19 editions

fiction fantasy historical lgbtqia+ romance adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
With Love from London by Sarah Jio

With Love from London

Sarah Jio

375 pages • 2022 • 18 editions

fiction contemporary emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced