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 Will of the Many by James Islington

Hierarchy #1

The Will of the Many

James Islington

630 pages • 2023 • 59 editions

fiction fantasy adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Shadow of the Leviathan #1

The Tainted Cup

Robert Jackson Bennett

410 pages • 2024 • 24 editions

fiction fantasy lgbtqia+ mystery adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Morning Star by Pierce Brown

Red Rising Saga #3

Morning Star

Pierce Brown

524 pages • 2016 • 87 editions

fiction dystopian science fiction adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Blue Sisters

Coco Mellors

339 pages • 2024 • 54 editions

fiction contemporary literary emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

Blood Over Bright Haven

M.L. Wang

427 pages • 2023 • 57 editions

user-added

fiction fantasy dark emotional tense medium-paced
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

Theonite

The Sword of Kaigen

M.L. Wang

651 pages • 2018 • 30 editions

fiction fantasy adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Red Rising Saga #2

Golden Son

Pierce Brown

446 pages • 2015 • 115 editions

fiction dystopian science fiction adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Red Rising Saga #1

Red Rising

Pierce Brown

382 pages • 2014 • 165 editions

fiction dystopian science fiction adventurous dark tense medium-paced
Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout

Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein

Anne Eekhout

303 pages • 2021 • 34 editions

fiction historical lgbtqia+ literary dark mysterious medium-paced
Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

Neil Price

617 pages • 2020 • 30 editions

nonfiction history informative slow-paced