My Book Challenges for 2026

Is This Mutton's goals in three reading blog challenges for 2026

Dear friends. I'm taking on four book challenges in 2026. This is a step up because I've only ever taken one reading goal, for Goodreads, in the past.

In 2025 my Goodreads goal was 110 books, up by ten, and I managed to finally achieve it in the third week of December. I'll stick to the same target, 110, for 2026. I don't have any additional reading time so it would be pointless to set a tougher goal.

I'm joining three other interesting challenges.

For lovers of crime thrillers, there's the Cloak and Dagger Challenge from Carol at Carol's Notebook (link is to her post explaining the 2025 challenge).

I'm taking a goal of reading between 16 - 25 crime books which would put me in the Detective category. I looked back over 2025 to see how many crime titles I read. The answer was 19. I was surprised to see there were actually none over three months, July, August and September.

I read a lot of titles in advance of them being published, thanks to NetGalley, and although I've already read some books coming out in May and June, none was crime fiction!

The second challenge is the Nonfiction Reading Challenge from Australian blogger Shelleyrae at Book'd Out.

My personal goal is to be a "non-fiction nosher", reading 12 books, one from each sub category (there are 12). This will be quite tough because although I like non-fiction, I usually stick to my comfort zones of food/nutrition, history and memoirs. I have no idea what the lost/ found sub category will bring.

I've listed below the books I read in 2025 for crime and non-fiction.

On a note of grammar: US English says nonfiction, all one word. Apparently it's rather "old school" to use the English form, non-fiction. I'm all for preserving the integrity of our language, so I'll be using non-fiction.

My third challenge is the New Release Reading Challenge. This is run by The Chocolate Lady's Book Blog. Challenge details here. I read mostly new releases, sometimes months ahead of their publication, so this one appeals. I'm taking the goal 61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran.

Why join a book challenge?

The challenge! It's fun to stretch yourself, particularly if you read a lot and tend to stick to a comfort zone. Sometimes it's fun (and good for the brain) to force yourself to read something different.

Book challenges aren't just for bloggers. If you post reviews on NetGalley or Goodreads you could take part.

Each challenge features a link-up, so for me it's also an opportunity to connect with other book bloggers, and find recommendations. And yes, it might lead to more readers coming over to Is This Mutton. Plus it will challenge me. For 2025 I thought I'd try to read more fiction categories, but I didn't succeed. The nonfiction challenge will be tough!

What I read in 2025: Crime Thrillers

December

The Night Watcher by Tariq Ashkanani

November

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke

One by One by Sam Frances

Wisting: The Lake by Jorn Lier Horst

The Book Club Killer by Ross Greenwood

Home before Dark by Eva Borg Aegisdottir

October

The Killing Stones by Anne Cleeves

The Shadow of the Northern Lights by Satu Ramu

The Rebel Son by Andy Maslen

September, August, July: 0

June

Death at Fakenham Races by Ross Greenwood

May

The Missing Ones by Anita Waller

Human Remains by Jo Callaghan

April

Say Nothing by Erin Kinsley

The Lying Man by Andy Maslen

No Precious Truth by Chris Nickson

March

Death at Horsey Mere by Ross Greenwood

The Crime Writer by Diane Jeffrey

February

The Graveyard Bell by Andrew James Greig

January

The Day of the Roaring by Nina Bhadreshwar

Nonfiction read in 2025

January: Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life by Dr. Supatra Tovar (nutrition). February: Picnic on Craggy Island by Lissa Evans (memoir); March: Suddenly Single at Sixty by Jo Peck (memoir); Mastering the Art of Choosing and Wearing a Hat by Clare Smythson (fashion); April: Bare by Lorna Tucker (memoir); May: Lifelines by Julian Hoffman (travel); July: 100 Secret Walks by by Patrick Kinsella (travel); August: David Kibbe's Power of Style: A Guided Journey to Help You Discover Your Authentic Self (beauty/fashion); Joyspan: A Short Guide to Enjoying Your Long Life by Dr Kerry Burnight (psychology); Strange Ways To Die in the Tudor Ages by Emily Bush, Carrie Ingram-Gettins (history); September: Somebody is Walking on Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez (travel); October: I Shop, Therefore I Am by Mary Portas (memoir); Wintering by Katherine May; November: Driven by Susie Wolff (memoir); December: More Manchester than Mongolia by Jacqueline Lambert (travel).