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
Sisters by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Sun Valley #1

Sisters

Kellie Coates Gilbert

320 pages • 2014 • 2 editions

fiction contemporary romance emotional reflective medium-paced
The Day He Drove By by Elana Johnson
The Day He Drove By
—
Elana Johnson

Hawthorne Harbor Second Chance Romance #2

The Day He Drove By

Elana Johnson

240 pages • 2020 • 5 editions

fiction romance informative inspiring tense medium-paced
Dead Before Dinner by Kat Bellemore

Maddie Swallows Mystery #1

Dead Before Dinner

Kat Bellemore

166 pages • 2022 • 4 editions

user-added

fiction mystery lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Beach House Romance by Cora Seton

The Beach House Trilogy #1

Beach House Romance

Cora Seton

398 pages • 2021 • 4 editions

fiction contemporary romance emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Not Quite Mine by Catherine Bybee

Not Quite #2

Not Quite Mine

Catherine Bybee

8h 6m • 2013 • 10 editions

fiction contemporary romance lighthearted fast-paced
Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

Before I Called You Mine

Nicole Deese

368 pages • 2020 • 9 editions

fiction contemporary romance emotional slow-paced
The Year of the Fox by Merren Tait

The Year of the Fox

Merren Tait

375 pages • 4 editions

fiction
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

Dream Harbor #1

The Pumpkin Spice Café

Laurie Gilmore

384 pages • 2023 • 73 editions

fiction contemporary romance funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

A Thursday Murder Club Mystery #1

The Thursday Murder Club

Richard Osman

388 pages • 2020 • 136 editions

fiction mystery funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Ask for Andrea

Noelle W. Ihli

272 pages • 2022 • 20 editions

fiction horror thriller dark emotional tense fast-paced