I like to take a look at my annual/year-long reading challenges and see which prompts are missing, as well as what books may fill those gaps..and which prompts are juuuust not happening lol. I’m writing this on June 15th so it doesn’t reflect a true midpoint of the year, but just a little over. I create this post by looking at my immediate and upcoming TBR, review copies I plan to read, and books coming out in the second half of the year. I also will keyword search on my Goodreads shelves where appropriate!
Shelf Reflection
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- With a city on the cover: I know this is more like a little village but I think a grouping of buildings can count as a city right? THE SILENT APPEAL is a must-read for me this year
- With an MC who works a blue collar job: I believe this is a billionaire romance with a housekeeper’s daughter so the latter applies based on some reviews I’m seeing. I love Ally Carter’s holiday mystery/romances so IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS is certainly on my Christmas TBR
- With “first” in the title: FIRST AND FOREVER is on my TBR from keyword searching, though I haven’t read as much Lynn Painter lately and don’t know if I’ll prioritize it… we’ll see. It’s an option for sure
- With a medical professional: I randomly saw that MURDER AT THE GRAND ALPINE HOTEL has a “shrewd doctor” according to the summary, so there we go
- Two books by the same author #2: I picked Abby Jimenez’s early release for the other half of this prompt so I plan to read her Christmas book A MARRIED LITTLE CHRISTMAS as the second one!
- Your 12-year-old self would’ve hated: This is a tough one because I’ve always read romances and mysteries; there are probably very few books I’d read now that my 12-year-old self wouldn’t like.
- With a title you’d want on your gravestone: I don’t know why this one is hard but there aren’t a lot off the top of my TBR. We’ll see if one comes to me
- About a historical event that’s not WWII: I’m not huge on historical fiction so this would have to be a random exciting release that everyone is talking about haha
- Memoir by a person you’ve seen as a villain: I don’t have any memoirs on my TBR for this year honestly and I’d be surprised if I pulled off the villain aspect even if I did read one lol
- With sacrificial love: I think I’ll find this one when it comes naturally through the story…
- Takes place in 3+ countries: Same as above… can’t think of a good multi-country road trip book right now!
- Without swearing: I don’t think I’ll know this until I read it but honestly I’d probably have to look at a middle grade book in order to find it lol
- With a door on the cover: Excited for ENTITIES TO LOVERS and thank goodness there’s a nice door on the cover to fit this prompt
- Authored by a celebrity you’ve seen in a movie: I don’t think there are any celebrity authors on my upcoming TBR
- Takes place in the Middle East: I have a few books set here on my overall TBR but I would be shocked if I read them this year honestly
- With food on the cover: I was hoping to use this in my next challenge for sweet treat on the cover but really this just has food! I’m earmarking DESTINATION FUNERAL for this prompt
- Nonfiction about something that means a lot to you: I don’t have nonfiction on the TBR this year I don’t think, but there are some books like the IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY book that I could read?
- Reviewed on Shelf Reflection: This was lowkey harder than expected because there were a lot of reviews for books I wasn’t interested in. Luckily my book club is reading HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER this year and this was reviewed on there in 2025!
- With a workplace romance: I have a review copy of FOSSIL FEUD that I’m really excited about, and it features rival paleontologists who have to work together at a dig site
- With a clock on the cover: I noticed YOU, ME, & THE CONSPIRACY has a clock on the bottom under their feet! Fun
- With a direction in the title: I was searching for things like south, north, etc. but realized “up” also works. LIGHT UP MY LIFE is a holiday romance I hope to read!
Read with Allison
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- Received as a gift: I don’t usually get books as gifts but maybe I’ll end up with a gift card for my birthday and can complete this in September when I buy myself a lil book?
- 2025 bestseller: I think JLB ends up being a bestseller on a list or two every time she releases something in this series. I don’t even know if GLORIOUS RIVALS is the next one I need to read but this is a general placeholder for one of her books because I’m really behind!
- Sweet treat on the cover: It took me way too long to find a book with a sweet treat but the final book in this series (PLEADING THE FISH) has a cake on it, so hopefully I can finish this series and count this!
- Genre: fantasy: I realllly hope I read a fantasy book before October but I can guarantee I’ll be reading ACOTAR #6 so that makes for a good placeholder here
- Recommended by a friend or family member: I am usually the one handing out book recs so this is tough, but sometimes my mom recommends mystery books/authors to me. I also usually include my bookstagram and internet friends for this, so we’ll see where this comes from
- Has a cover you love: I’m surprised I haven’t filled this out yet but ROMANTIC HERO is a great cover and I know I’ll be reading it sometime soon/this summer
- You’ve seen someone with in public: Another tough one, I can’t think of a good way to capture this but I may end up cheating and doing one of my book club books since technically my book club is in public and people bring their copy? lol
- Own multiple copies of: I think I’ll end up doing this for a book that I listen to the audiobook and also read the book or physical copy, even if that means I don’t “own” the audiobook and read it from Kindle Unlimited. I could also do this for
- Released in June: I have THE SOMEDAY GARDEN preordered and arriving this week. I feel pretty confident that this will be read immediately when I finish the current contemporary romance I’m reading
- Author shares your initials: This is so hard to find so honestly this might be a skip unfortunately…
- Released in July: I know that THE SEASON OF SINKING will be the first/next July release I read this year since I’m reading it right now
- Genre: science fiction: I explain more about this one in the last section but TIME TO BURN is a cool-sounding sci-fi I have on my TBR for later this year
- Reread a favorite book: I’m not a big rereader but I added THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE in case I get in the mood to reread it? I’ve considered it the past few holiday seasons
- Released in August: I will probably be reading my review copy before it comes out in late August, so THE SILENT APPEAL is a safe bet here
- Released in September: This is a late-September release so probably will read another one first, but worth noting MURDER AT THE GRAND ALPINE HOTEL as an option here
- Released in October: HOME FOR THE HOMICIDES releases in mid-October so slotting it here for an October release, though it’s still possible something else ekes it out
- Genre: horror: I don’t read a lot of true horror so if a book has it listed as their second genre like THE UNKNOWN does, I’m going to include it here
- Bought on vacation: I’m going on a couple of trips this summer and one of them involves staying in a cabin literally on the same plot of land as a bookstore, so certainly a good chance I buy a book on that trip to read!
- Makes you feel cozy: I have a lot of cozy mysteries on my TBR but I also know that once I finally read AGNES AUBERT I will certainly feel cozy!
- Released in November: This is an early November release and I absolutely cannot wait to read the final (Christmas-centered!) book in this series, DANGEROUS IMPULSES
- Released in December: This is a curveball because it was released in December 2020 but I do want to make progress/finish this series this year. CLOSELY HARBORED SECRETS is the fifth installment
- Genre: dystopian fiction: I’m not 100% sure this works but I know Emily St. John Mandel writes light dystopian books, so EXIT PARTY could fit the bill this year
- With a positive message: I know this can be tough until you actually read the book but honestly HEARTSTOPPER VOL. 6 comes out in July and I know this series has an overall positive message, especially for the young people its targeted to!
Buzzword
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- “Before” and “after”: I think there’s a decent chance I read THE GIRLS BEFORE this year, but we’ll see if this turns into THE LIBRARY AFTER DARK instead
- “Make”: Hear me out – the subtitle of IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA has the word “create” in it, does that count?
- Groups and clubs: I think I can certainly count BOOK CLUB BOYFRIEND because it’s right in the title. Backup option in case I read it first is HOT GIRL MURDER CLUB
- Superlatives: I don’t have a lot on my TBR that fit here but A MURDER MOST CAMP is a good one, I think
Buzzword Cover
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- Body parts – internal: I didn’t expect this to be hard to find but I haven’t read fantasy yet this year and don’t read a lot of horror (the genres where maybe you’d end up with a heart or something on it lol). BODIES OF MAGIC is a September release that appears to have some lungs in the sky
- Damage: I think a broken candy cane counts as damage, right? HOME FOR THE HOMICIDES should fit nicely here unless I read something else first
- Fire and smoke: TIME TO BURN is lowkey a random book from my late-year TBR but I saw the smoke on the cover and had to add it. The synopsis mentions “time travel tourism” so I’m certainly intrigued!
- Music: Certainly a piano counts as music for this? LOVE FELT LIKE THIS will do the trick if so!
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