Reading Challenge: COYER 2026

I'll be signing up for another year of the COYER Challenge.  Just like last year, it is going to be a year long challenge focusing on the original meaning of the challenge - Cleaning Out Your E-Reader.  

All books read for the challenge have to be ebooks or audiobooks.  Books have to be under $5, and audiobooks must be under $7.50.  Fortunately, library ebooks and eARCs count for this challenge.

New this year, the links will also be shared over in the Discord group.  (You'll find a link to the Discord server on the page to sign up above.)

As always, I will list the books below as I finish them.

1. Whine and Dine by Marc Jedel

2. A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

3. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

4. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman

5. Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns

6. Something Whiskered by Miranda James

7. Burdened Bloodline by Sarah E. Burr

8. Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

9. The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

10. Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews

11. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

12. Death at Tidal Creek by Caleb Wygal

13. Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond

14. Frozen Stiff Drink by James J. Cudney

15. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

16. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

17. Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr

18. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman

19. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

20. Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

21. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

22. Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

23. Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

24. My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

25. Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

26. Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

27. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

28. Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Reading Challenge: Netgalley and Edelweiss 2026

I will be back for this year's Netgalley and Edelweiss reading challenge.  The challenge is just like how it sounds, read books you got from Netgalley or Edelweiss for review.

While I beat my goal last year, I think I'm going to stay at the same level this year.  So I'm signing up for Bronze, which is 10 books.  We'll see how I do.

I'll list the books below as I complete them.

1. A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

2. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

3. Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews

4. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

5. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

6. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

7. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

8. Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

9. My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

Reading Challenge: New Release 2026

I'll be back for another year of the New Release Challenge.  I read more than enough new releases to participate after all.  It's once again at its new home - The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog.

I'm going to cut back to New Release Pro this year, which is 31-60 books.  I'll probably blow past it, but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew this year.

I'll list the books below as I finish them:

1. Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews

2. Europa by James Ponti

3. Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

4. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

5. Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz

6. Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer

7. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

8. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

9. Blues in the Dark by J. R. Sanders

10. In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

11. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

12. Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

13. Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

14. My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

15. Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

16. Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Reading Challenge: Mount TBR and Virtual Mount TBR 2026

I'll be back for both the Mount TBR and the Virtual Mount TBR challenges in 2025.

The Mount TBR Challenge requires us to read books we already owned as of December 31st, 2025.  I will once again be signing up for Pike's Peak, which is 12 books.  I usually pass that, but I don't want to jinx myself.

Meanwhile, the Virtual Mount TBR Challenge is about reading books that you borrowed, either from the library or someone else.  It is a little more lax as it doesn't have to be something that was on your radar before the first of the year.  As usual, I will sign up for Mount Crumpet, which is 24 books.

I'll be listing the books below as I finish them.

Mount TBR

1. Whine and Dine by Marc Jedel

2. Heaven Has No Rage by Liz Milliron

3. Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart

4. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

5. Michelangelo's Ghost by Gigi Pandian

6. The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo by Carrie Doyle

7. Burdened Bloodline by Sarah E. Burr

8. The Big Boat to Bye-Bye by Ellis Weiner

9. The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

10. Death at Tidal Creek by Caleb Wygal

11. Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond

12. The Maze in the Heart of the Castle by Dorothy Gilman

13. Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan

14. Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr

15. The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian

16. Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

17. Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron

18. One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

19. Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

20. Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

Virtual Mount TBR

1. A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

2. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

3. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman

4. Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns

5. Something Whiskered by Miranda James

6. Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

7. The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

8. Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

9. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell

10. Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

11. Broken Trust by Liz Milliron

12. Frozen Stiff Drink by James J. Cudney

13. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

14. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman

15. Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

16. Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

17. Hollywood Kills, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

18. The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

19. Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

20. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

21. Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Reading Challenge: Audiobooks 2026

I will be signing up for the Audiobook Challenge again in 2025.  This year, it is again hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and That's What I'm Talking About.

Again this year, I'll be signing up for the Stenographer level, which is 10-15 books.  My own sub-challenge is to listen to one a month.  I met that exactly in 2025.  We'll see if I beat or not.  It doesn't help that I'm listening to more podcasts these days, and having trouble keeping up with them.

On a related not, I'm a moderator in the Audiobook Junkies group on Goodreads.  It's not a very active group, but some people do use it to track their reads for this challenge.  We'd love to have you if you want to do that.  Additionally, if you want to join, I'm looking for some fresh ideas for the coming year.

I'll post the books below as I finish them.

1. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman

2. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

3. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman

4. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

Reading Challenge: Foodie Reads 2026

I will be continuing on with participating in Foodie Reads in 2026.  This isn't really a challenge, just a chance to link up your culinary themed books, and a chance to win a quarterly gift card.  What's not to love about it?

Here are the foodie books I've read this year.

1. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

2. Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

3. Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

4. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

5. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

6. In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

7. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

8. Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

Reading Challenge: Historical Fiction 2026

I will be back for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge in 2026.  There are still plenty of historical mysteries out there calling my name.  I've got some new series I'm interested in starting and several series I need to try to catch up on.

Again, this year, I'll be aiming for the Medieval level, which is 15.  My goal is two a month, which would almost take me to the next level, which is 25 books.  But I want to have a little flexibility in case I don't make my own goal.

I'll list the books below as I finish them.

1. Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

2. Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

3. The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

4. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell

5. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

6. Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer

7. Blues in the Dark by J. R. Sanders

8. In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

9. Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

10. One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

11. The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

12. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

13. Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Reading Challenge: Calendar of Crime 2026

I'm looking forward to another year participating in the Calendar of Crime challenge.  This is a different challenge as you only need to read 12 books, but they have to fit certain categories to represent the twelve months of the year.  Things like release month, setting month, author birthday, etc.  You can find the categories here (or if that doesn't work, there is a link at the first link I shared.

I'll be very curious to see what I wind up with as entries this year.  I'll fill them in, with the category, as I read them. 

January - Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart (Book set in month)

February - Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley (Book set in month)

March - Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews (Shamrocks on cover)

April - 

May - Broken Trust by Liz Milliron (Starts Memorial Day Weekend)

June - 

July - Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell (Book set in month)

August - A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman (Book set in month)

September - Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles (Book set in month)

October - 

November - The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian (Book set over Thanksgiving)

December - 

Reading Challenge: Cloak and Dagger 2026

I'll be participating in the Cloak and Dagger Challenge again in 2026.  Since I mostly read mysteries, this is an easy one for me to join.  Naturally, I'll be signing up for Sherlock Holmes again, which is 56+ books.  I'm not too worried about meeting this goal based on my current reading levels.

I'll list the books below as I finish them.

1. Whine and Dine by Marc Jedel

2. A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

3. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

4. Heaven Has No Rage by Liz Milliron

5. Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart

6. Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman

7. Michelangelo's Ghost by Gigi Pandian

8. Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns

9. The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo by Carrie Doyle

10. Something Whiskered by Miranda James

11. Burdened Bloodline by Sarah E. Burr

12. Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

13. The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

14. The Big Boat to Bye-Bye by Ellis Weiner

15. Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews

16. Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

17. The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

18. Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

19. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell

20. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

21. Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz

22. Death at Tidal Creek by Caleb Wygal

23. Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

24. Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond

25. Broken Trust by Liz Milliron

26. Frozen Stiff Drink by James J. Cudney

27. Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer

28. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

29. Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

30. Big F@!king Deal by Lawrence Allan

31. Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr

32. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman

33. The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian

34. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

35. Blues in the Dark by J. R. Sanders

36. In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

37. Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

38. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

39. Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

40. Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

41. Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

42. Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

43. Harm Not the Earth by Liz Milliron

44. My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

45. Hollywood Kills, edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff

46. One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

47. The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

48. Hot Stuff by Don Bruns

49. Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

50. Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

51. Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

52. Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

53. Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Reading Challenge: Cruisin' Through the Cozies and Craving for Cozies 2026

I'll be signing up for the Cruisin' Through the Cozies and Craving for Cozies Challenges again in 2026.  No surprise since I read so many cozies each year.

For Cruisin', I'll be signing up for Level 4, which is read 40 cozies mysteries of my choice.

For Craving, I'll be signing up for the Yearning level, which is 51-75 cozies.  I'll probably wind up blowing past it, but I want to aim for a lower level this year.

I'll list the books below as I finish them.

1. Whine and Dine by Marc Jedel 

2. A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman

3. Lime and Punishment by Cathy Wiley

4. Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart

5. Michelangelo's Ghost by Gigi Pandian

6. The Girl with the Dragonfruit Tattoo by Carrie Doyle

7. Something Whiskered by Miranda James

8. Burdened Bloodline by Sarah E. Burr

9. Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

10. The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood

11. Buried in Shamrocks by Lisa Q. Mathews

12. Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

13. The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

14. Pompeii, Paccheri, and Panic by Traci Andrighetti

15. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell

16. Vanished in the Crowd by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

17. Death at Tidal Creek by Caleb Wygal

18. Fatal Fried Rice by Vivien Chien

19. Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond

20. Frozen Stiff Drink by James J. Cudney

21. Vengeance in Venice by Erica Ruth Neubauer

22. Murder, Local Style by Leslie Karst

23. Sovereign Sieged by Sarah E. Burr

24. The Ninja's Illusion by Gigi Pandian

25. The Bush Tea Murder by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

26. In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

27. Death on Cozumel Island by Cindy Quayle

28. Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

29. Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early

30. Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

31. Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons

32. My Nightmare is Yours by Diane Vallere

33. Welcome to Cozy Town by Marla Cooper

34. One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

35. The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

36. Crown of Chaos by Sarah E. Burr

37. Lost and Clowned by Dana Mentink

38. Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge