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
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Monk & Robot #1

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers

147 pages • 2021 • 43 editions

fiction lgbtqia+ science fiction hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Fallen Gods #1

Godkiller

Hannah Kaner

300 pages • 2023 • 51 editions

fiction fantasy adventurous dark tense medium-paced
Sonny Boy by Al Pacino

Sonny Boy

Al Pacino

369 pages • 2024 • 11 editions

nonfiction autobiography emotional funny informative medium-paced
You Never Know: A Memoir by Tom Selleck

You Never Know: A Memoir

Tom Selleck

320 pages • 2024 • 9 editions

nonfiction memoir funny medium-paced
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Taylor Jenkins Reid

389 pages • 2017 • 169 editions

fiction lgbtqia+ literary romance emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Give My Love to the Savages: Stories by Chris Stuck

Give My Love to the Savages: Stories

Chris Stuck

256 pages • 2021 • 5 editions

fiction short stories challenging reflective medium-paced
Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

Nothing More to Tell

Karen M. McManus

10h 21m • 2022 • 43 editions

fiction mystery young adult adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Cerulean Chronicles #2

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

TJ Klune

405 pages • 2024 • 62 editions

fiction fantasy lgbtqia+ emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash

The Dakota Winters

Tom Barbash

336 pages • 2018 • 11 editions

fiction historical reflective medium-paced
The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

The Christmas Swap

Talia Samuels

328 pages • 2023 • 10 editions

fiction lgbtqia+ romance funny lighthearted medium-paced