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 Gray and Guilty Sea by Jack Nolte, Scott William Carter

Garrison Gage #1

The Gray and Guilty Sea

Jack Nolte, Scott William Carter

269 pages • 2010 • 2 editions

fiction mystery thriller mysterious medium-paced
Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

Unnecessary Drama

Nina Kenwood

320 pages • 2022 • 10 editions

fiction contemporary romance young adult emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
Slip by Marika McCoola

Slip

Marika McCoola

200 pages • 2022 • 4 editions

fiction graphic novel lgbtqia+ young adult emotional reflective medium-paced
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Open Water

Caleb Azumah Nelson

146 pages • 2021 • 47 editions

fiction contemporary literary emotional reflective medium-paced
Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen by Jon M. Chu

Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen

Jon M. Chu

292 pages • 2024 • 3 editions

nonfiction memoir hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander

Meredith, Alone

Claire Alexander

362 pages • 2022 • 23 editions

fiction contemporary emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Wedding People

Alison Espach

11h 37m • 2024 • 48 editions

fiction contemporary literary emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

The Seven Year Slip

Ashley Poston

287 pages • 2023 • 76 editions

user-added

fiction contemporary magical realism romance emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

Michiko Aoyama

300 pages • 2020 • 81 editions

fiction literary hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

All the Lonely People

Mike Gayle

385 pages • 2020 • 17 editions

fiction contemporary emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced