Reading Challenge 2020

2026 Reading Challenge

| C.E. Flores

Every year I tell myself I’m not going to make “rules” around reading… and every year I do it anyway. The truth is, I’ve really enjoyed my past reading challenges, not because I finished every category (I didn’t), but because they nudged me toward books I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. The 2026 Reading Challenge is just that: a personal little nudge. No pressure, no leaderboard, just a loose plan to keep reading fun, curious, and slightly adventurous.

Here’s my list of books for the 2026 reading challenge.

📚 2026 Reading Challenge (12 Categories)

  1. About Black History (carry over from 2025)
    Fiction or nonfiction centered on Black history, culture, or lived experience.
  2. Set in Your Favorite Season (carry over from 2025)
    Choose a book where the season matters—weather, mood, or symbolism.
  3. An Animal Protagonist (carry over from 2025)
    The animal must have a POV or be central to the story, not just a sidekick.
  4. Book on My Shelf (carry over from 2024)
    Something you already own and have been meaning to read (no buying allowed).
  5. Hardcover Book (carry over from 2024)
    Any genre, as long as it’s a physical hardcover.
  6. Set Outside the U.S.
    Bonus points if it’s a country you’ve lived in or want to visit.
  7. Retelling or Reimagining Myth/Folklore
    Myths, legends, fairy tales, or folklore—classic or obscure.
  8. Published Before 2000
    A reminder that older books still have teeth.
  9. A Short Read
    Novella, essays, poetry, or under ~200 pages.
  10. A Book That Centers on Food or Cooking
    Fiction or nonfiction—meals, kitchens, or culinary history count.
  11. A Comfort Read
    A reread or something cozy that soothes rather than challenges.
  12. A Wild Card Pick
    A book chosen by a friend, a prompt, or pure impulse.

Looking back, my favorite part of past challenges wasn’t checking things off. Rather, it was realizing how much joy I got from the process. I also noticed a few categories that didn’t quite happen, and instead of calling that a failure, I’m carrying them forward into 2026. Some books just need more time. This challenge isn’t about finishing everything “right”; it’s about continuing a habit I already love and giving myself permission to wander through books at my own pace. If I finish every category, great. If I don’t, I’ll still end the year with more stories than I started with, and that feels like a win too.

2025 Reading Challenge Recap

| C.E. Flores

Every year, I approach my reading challenge with equal parts ambition and realism. Some books are carefully planned; others show up unexpectedly and end up checking off multiple prompts at once. This year was no exception. As I look back at my 2025 reading challenge so far, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much ground I covered—and how flexible this challenge allowed me to be.

Here’s a breakdown of where I landed.

🏛️ Ancient Worlds, Retellings, and Folklore

One book managed to do a lot of heavy lifting here:

  • Set in ancient times
  • Retelling
  • Set in a different country/continent (or world)
  • Includes folklore and legends

👉 Circe by Madeline Miller

A beautifully written retelling that immerses you in myth while still feeling deeply human. This one checked multiple boxes effortlessly.

🤖 Robots & AI

  • Includes robots or AI

👉 Unlocked: The Dawn of Unlocking Superhuman Abilities (Book One of the Thrilling E-Labs Trilogy) by Peter Kraft

A futuristic, fast-paced read that brought speculative tech and human potential together in an engaging way.

🏴‍☠️ Pirates—and Then Some

This entry deserves special recognition for its range:

  • Involves pirates
  • Set in ancient times
  • Retelling
  • Set in a different country/continent (or world)
  • Includes folklore and legends
  • Set in more than one time period

👉 The Pirate Queen Trilogy, Books 1–3 by Jennifer Rose McMahon

Swashbuckling, layered, and surprisingly expansive, this trilogy covered more prompts than I initially expected.

🦠 Plague or Virus

  • Plague or virus

👉 The Defectors by Tarah Benner

Timely and unsettling, this read explored societal fracture through the lens of illness and survival.

📘 Non-Fiction (An Experience, Not Just an Interest)

  • Non-fiction about an interest (or, in this case, an experience)

👉 From Rollercoasters to Carousels: An Emotional Support Guide to Healing for NICU, Bereaved, and Special Needs Parents by Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez

Not an easy read emotionally, but an important and compassionate one.

👻 Ghostly Reads

  • Includes a ghost

👉 Arcane Souls World: Grave Talker (Complete Series) by Annie Anderson

A paranormal series that delivered atmosphere, heart, and just enough humor.

📖 A Classic (and a Banned Book)

  • A classic novel / A banned book

👉 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
https://ceflores.com/2025/10/09/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/

❄️ Polar Settings

  • Set in the Arctic/Antarctic

👉 Diving into Dreams: Navigating Life’s Deepest Waters to Discover the Secret of Having Enough by Szilvia Gogh

A reflective, metaphor-rich read that leaned into emotional landscapes as much as physical ones.

Still Open Prompts

These are the categories I still have room to explore:

  • An animal protagonist
  • Set in a favorite season
  • About Black history
  • Book on my shelf (carry over from 2024)
  • Hardcover book (carry over from 2024)

And that’s okay. A reading challenge isn’t about perfection—it’s about direction.

Final Thoughts

So, how did I do?

Honestly? Pretty well. I stretched across genres, formats, and emotional registers. I revisited classics, took risks on new voices, and allowed some books to pull double (or triple) duty. There’s still room to grow, but that’s part of the fun.

📚 Want to take a look at my previous reading challenge roundups?

2020

2021

2022

2024

2025 Reading Challenge

| C.E. Flores

I really enjoyed my reading challenge last year. I think it made a difference that I didn’t try and pick a certain category for each month, but had options to choose from. So yep, I’m going to do a reading challenge this year.

I’m starting with two categories that I did not complete in prior challenges, a book on my shelf already, and a hardcover book. I think those will be easy to incorporate in the reads for the year.

I found this 2025 reading challenge list and since it seems like it covers a broad spectrum (and has 16 categories), I’m going to use it myself.

What are you reading?

2024 Reading Challenge Roundup

| C.E. Flores

So, how did I do? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?

So carrying over to 2025, I have a book on my shelf and a hardcover book. Not too shabby, I think. How did your reading go this year?

Want to take a look at my previous reading challenge roundups?

2020

2021

2022

Reading Roundup 2021

| C.E. Flores

January

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman was a good mystery read with a not-quite believable ending.

February

I read How to Write a Book That Doesn’t Suck and Will Actually Sell: Your No B.S. Guide to Learning How to Write a Nonfiction Book by Michael Rogan for further research on refining my writing.

March

Travels with Grace by Erma Note highlights the cultural delights of Mexico City.

Travels with Grace by Erma Note

April

An interesting paranormal romance, Saving Cassie by L.A. Remenicky was a little outside my usual picks, but that’s the point of the challenge right?

May

I chose Job by Ben Avery and illustrated by Jeff Slemons, as my graphic novel for the year.

June

Middle-aged female nomad on the loose in Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman. You’ll not want to miss her adventures!

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

July

Immigrant Secrets: The Search for my Grandparents by John Mancini was a lovely tale of one man’s family history quest that mixed speculative fiction with fact.

August

I belong to an online book club and This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel was the selection of the month. What a discussion we had about this book about a transgender child coming of age. A thought-provoking story!

This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel

September

A random free book download led to an amazing new thriller series with Probably Dead by Ed Church.

Probably Dead by Ed Church

October

November

I read several books this year about health issues, but the one that stood out the most was The Seven Graces of Ageless Aging: How to Die Young as Late in Life as Possible by Jason Elias.

The Seven Graces of Ageless Aging: How to Die Young as Late in Life as Possible by Jason Elias

December

Todd by Adam J. Nicolai was my survivalist/science-fiction pick for the year.

Todd by Adam J. Nicolai

Reading Challenge 2024

| C.E. Flores

I had planned to take 2023 off from doing a reading challenge and then I signed up and successfully completed Bookshop’s Fall Reading Challenge. I had so much fun with that I decided to try and complete the reading challenges I FAILED in 2020, 2021, and 2022 this year. 

So, in addition to the Writing Challenge I’m setting up for myself, here are my reading goals for 2024.

In 2020, the one category I did not complete was to read a book that I had bought and was on my shelf but had not read yet. I have a few of those to choose from.

In 2021, I didn’t read a fantasy/fairy tale. Can’t wait to find one for this category!

In December 2022, I still needed to read a book by a favorite author, a paperback book, a classic, and a hardcover book. Oh BOY!

So that leaves six months open. Here’s what I propose to read in addition to those mentioned above. 

  • Mystery/Thriller
  • Environmental/Nature Writing
  • Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Fiction
  • Self-Help/Personal Development
  • Poetry Collection
  • Culinary/Food-Related Book

As you can see, I’m not making this an impossible task for myself, but rather something to look forward to each time I choose a book. 

Got any suggestions for me? What are you reading?

How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos: how to successful publish a book by Judith Briles

| C.E. Flores

When I picked up How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos: how to successful publish a book by Judith Briles, I decided to ignore the blooper in the title (successfully) in the hopes of some useful tidbits. I did indeed get some useful tidbits, however not 101, which was disappointing.

Some sections were geared towards authors who have managed to snag a traditional book publishing deal. Since I have not, although I haven’t given up hope of someday, the information about reading the fine print, making sure you keep your rights to republication, and getting the best deal of the book publishing company, didn’t apply to me. 

I did learn about the Amazon Advantage program. However, when I did more research, I discovered that this publishing platform is closed to new publishers (such as myself). Amazon has given no date for reopening, unfortunately. Since I can’t access the Amazon Advantage program, the chapters on finding a decent printer weren’t useful either. To publish on Amazon, currently I need to use Amazon’s print on demand service. 

Another Amazon program that has expired but is included in the blooper book is the Matchbook program, where you could offer a digital copy of your print book for a reduced price or free. This nifty feature was taken out of circulation in October of 2019. Phooey. 

Not everything presented was obsolete or irreverent though. I really liked the idea of creating a tag line that expresses what my books (or me) do to benefit the reader. I also appreciated the suggestion to add a copyright watermark to images that I have created and share on social media. 

Overall, I was disappointed with the amount of useful information I found in this book that had such high ratings on Amazon. Some chapters seemed redundant, others weren’t useful since the feature wasn’t available anymore, and others were irrelevant to my particular writing situation. If you are a first-time author looking for the tricks of the trade, I can’t say that I recommend How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos: how to successful publish a book by Judith Briles.

A Love to Mend Her Broken Heart: A Historical Western Romance Novel by Etta Foster

| C.E. Flores

I wouldn’t have picked A Love to Mend Her Broken Heart: A Historical Western Romance Novel by Etta Foster up to read had the author and I not shared a name. In an effort to meet my 2020 Reading goals (although now 2021), I thought I’d give it a try. 

Daisy Monroe decides that marrying a rancher through a mail-order bride service will help her family’s finances. En route, a stage coach robbery traumatizes Daisy. The first on the scene is handsome Henry Thomas. When Daisy finally gets to town, her intended isn’t the type of man she would have chosen as a husband, but a deal’s a deal. Before the wedding date, romantic feelings between Henry and Daisy bloom. But Daisy has a secret that she isn’t sure an upstanding man such as Henry would want to know. 

Although the story wasn’t exceptional, the idiomatic expressions the author used were riveting. Flannelmouth, nailed the matter to the counter, acknowledged the corn, having a hog-killin’ time, bone orchard, threw up the sponge and countless more made deciphering the dialogue a bit of a puzzle. These terms certainly added to the feel of authenticity of this Western love story. 
So, despite the tired old story of a mail-order bride who finds love, I found A Love to Mend Her Broken Heart: A Historical Western Romance Novel by Etta Foster an interesting read after all. Perhaps you will too!

Reading Challenge 2021

| C.E. Flores

I enjoyed the 2020 Reading Challenge so much, that I plan on doing another reading challenge this year too. The focus for this challenge will mostly be on different genres. Since 2021 promises to be another socially distanced year, why not travel through the pages of books?

I hope you are inspired to complete the challenge with me!