2026/2027 Reading/Book Challenges

Let's Read and Review some books that I've been ignoring!

Newbery Awards to read

2026 ATY (Around the Year) Goodreads Challenge
2027 ATY (Around the Year) Goodreads Challenge 

2026 Book Girls Reading Challenge Bingo
          October - Banned Books

How Many Recent NEWBERY Award Winners Have I Read?

Answer:   Nowhere near enough!

2026  All the Blues in the Sky - Renee Watson  4.38  MG/Verse/CRF
2025 The First State of Being - Erin Entrada Kelly 4.04  MG/SciFi/HF/TT
2024 The Eyes and the Impossible - Dave Eggers  4.23  MG/AnimalFant
2023  Freewater - Amina Luqman-Dawson   4.16   MG/HF
2022 The Last Cuentista - Donna Barba Higuera  4.04  MG/SciFi   cag:4
2021  When You Trap a Tiger - Tae Keller   4.13    MG/Fant
2020  New Kid - Jerry Craft
2019  Merci Suárez Changes Gears - Meg Medina
2018  Hello, Universe - Erin Entrada Kelly
2017 The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
2016  Last Stop on Market Street - Matt de la Peña    cag: 3.5
2015  The Crossover - Kwame Alexander
2014  Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated 

               Adventures - Kate DiCamillo
2013 The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
2012  Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos
2011  Moon Over Manifest - Clare Vanderpool
2010  When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead      cag: ??
2009  The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices 

          from a Medieval Village - Laura Amy Schlitz    cag: 5
2007 The Higher Power of Luck - Susan Patron
2006  Criss Cross - Lynne Rae Perkins
2005 Kira-Kira - Cynthia Kadohata
2004 The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo
2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead - Avi        cag: 1
2002  A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park
2001 A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck
2000  Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
1999 Holes - Louis Sachar                  cag: read
1998 Out of the Dust -  Karen Hesse
1997  The View from Saturday - E. L. Konigsburg      cag: read
1996  The Midwife’s Apprentice - Karen Cushman    cag: read/5
1995 Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech     cag: read/4
1994 The Giver - Lois Lowry      cag: read/5
1993 Missing May- Cynthia Rylant                cag: read/3
1992 Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor      cag: read/4
1991 Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli
1990 Number the Stars - Lois Lowry        cag: read/5
1989 Joyful Noise: Poems for 

           Two Voices - Paul Fleischman    cag: read/5
1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography - Russell Freedman
1987 The Whipping Boy - Sid Fleischman
1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall - Patricia MacLachlan   cag: read/5

2027 ATY (Around the Year) Reading Challenge on Goodreads

 This looks really interesting and fun.  There are lots of suggestions on each "listopia" link.  Will look for possibilities, then complete when I read a book.

Goodreads INTRO Page 

THE 52 TOPICS OF THE 2027 ATY READING CHALLENGE

1. A book with the letters A, T, & Y in the title thread listopia
          Exit Party - Mandel
          The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - Dugoni
          The Dictionary of Lost Words - Williams
          The Calamity Club - Stockett
2. A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the 2027 list thread listopia
          Farenheit 451 - Bradbury
4. A book related to ice thread listopia
          The Frozen River - Lawhon
          The Last Cold Place - de Gracia (NF!!!)
5. Rickrolled! A book with one of the following words - Never, Gonna, Give, You, (or) Up - in the title thread                           listopia
6. A book by an author whose initials appear consecutively in the alphabet thread listopia
         Liane Moriarty
7. A book set in a place you love thread listopia
          Tucson/Arizona
          Maine
8. A book found on the NPR Books We Love Guide (https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view...) thread                                            listopia
          Broken - X Fang (Pict Bk)
          Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid
          The Correspondent - Evans
          Circe - Miller
          The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne - Curie
          Cloud Cuckoo Land - Doerr
9. A book with a main character who isn’t human thread listopia
          Circe - Miller
10. A book that is at least 27 years old thread listopia
11. A book including a rivalry or feud thread listopia
          The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics -                  Brown (NF!!!)
12. A book with fruit, vegetables or flowers on the cover thread listopia
13. A book nominated for any award that begins with the letter N thread listopia
14. A book featuring a heist, con, fake, or trickery thread listopia
15. A book with a character in a creative field thread listopia
16. A book in translation thread listopia
17. A book related to an "-ology" thread listopia
18. A book with the name of any color in the title thread listopia
19. A book with dots, spots or circles on the cover thread listopia
20. A book by a well-known author whose work you’ve never read thread listopia
21. A book set in Asia thread missing listopia
22. A book that fits at least two other prompts on this year's list thread listopia
23. A book that counts as speculative fiction thread listopia
24. A book that takes place in, on, or near an ocean thread listopia
25. A book with an "-ing" word in the title thread listopia
26. A book with a female villain, criminal, or wrong-doer thread listopia
fla27. A book that fills the 27th prompt from a previous ATY52 list thread listopia
28. A book with trees on the cover thread listopia
29. A book set in a capital city thread listopia
30. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been thread listopia
31. Four books that spell a word using the first letter in each of their titles thread
32. Four books that spell a word using the first letter in each of their titles
33. Four books that spell a word using the first letter in each of their titles
34. Four books that spell a word using the first letter in each of their titles
35. A book that is selected randomly thread
36. A book featuring a prophecy or premonition thread listopia
37. A book set in one of the 27 countries that are members of the European Union thread listopia
38. A book with a stormy cover thread listopia
39. A book related to Dolly Parton thread listopia
40. A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR thread listopia
41. A book set in a non-urban landscape such as a desert, forest, or mountain range thread listopia
42. A book in which someone is missing or has been kidnapped thread listopia
43. A book related to spooky, scary, or skeletons thread listopia
44. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover thread listopia
45. A book involving investigation thread listopia 
46. A book that is next in a series you've been reading thread listopia
47. A book with a castle, palace, or other grand edifice thread listopia
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025, 2026, or 2027 thread 2025                        listopia 2026 listopia 2027
49. A second book for your favorite prompt thread
50. A book relating to flight thread listopia
51. A book published in 2027 thread listopia
52. A book with a door, window, gate, pathway, or entrance on the cover thread listopia
3. A book related to fire thread listopia

2026 ATY (Around the Year) Reading Challenge on Goodreads

I've just joined the 2027 ATY Challenge, so in the meantime I think I'll work on the 2026 challenge, see if any of the books I've read this year fit any categories, and see what books I might read for the rest of this year that might fulfill any of the requirements.

Goodreads INTRO Page 

THE 52 TOPICS OF THE 2026 ATY READING CHALLENGE
The prompts are roughly separated by month and each is followed by a link to its respective discussion thread and listopia.

1. A book from a genre that starts with A, T, or Y: Thread Listopia
      YA:  The Book of Ivy (#1) Amy Engel, 2014 (4)
2. A book with a primarily red, green or blue cover: Thread Listopia
           Her Deadly Game (#1 Keera Duggan) Robert Dugoni, 2023 Audible (4)
3. A book that fits a prompt suggestion for this year that did not make the list: Thread Listopia
4. A book by a new-to-you author: Thread Listopia
          A Solitude of Wolverines (#1 Alex Carter) - Alice Henderson, 2020 (3.75)
5. A book you want to read because of something you read in 2025: Thread Listopia
6. A book related to blood, sweat, or tears: Thread Listopia
7. A book with a character who appears in more than one book: Thread Listopia
          Storm Tide(#16 Mike Bowditch) - Paul Doiron, 2026 (3.5)
8. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia: Thread Listopia
          Gone by Midnight (#3 Crimson Lake) - Candace Fox 2019 Chirp (5)  5/29
9. A book with a number, ordinal, or iterative numeral in the title: Thread Listopia
         First Sign of Danger (#4 Casey Duncan/Haven's End) - Kelley Armstrong, 2026 Libby (4.5) 4/27
10. An award winning book: Thread Listopia
11. A history or historical fiction book: Thread Listopia
        1.  Candle Island (1970s coast of Maine)
        2.  Murder on the Red River (#1 Cash Blackbear) Marcie R Rendon (1970 ND/MN state line)
        3.  Girl Gone Missing (#2 Cash Blackbear) Marcie R. Rendon (1970 ND/MN state line)
        4.  Sinister Graves (#3 Cash Blackbear) - Marcie R. Rendon, 2022 (   "     )
        5.  Keeper of Lost Children - Sadeqa Johnson, 2026 (4.75)
        6.  The Sunflower House - Adriana Allegri, 2024 (5)
        7.  The Women of Arlington Hall - Jane Healey, 2025  (3)
        8.   By Any Other Name - Jodi Picoult, 2024 (5)
12. A book with cover text that is NOT black or white: Thread Listopia
           Dead of Autumn (#1 Alexa Williams, Carlisle, PA) 2021 Aud (3.5)
          Anatomy of an Alibi - Ashley Elston, 2026 Audible (4.5) 1/25
           A Solitude of Wolverines (#1 Alex Carter) - Alice Henderson, Audible (3.75)  3/13
13. An author's second/sophomore book: Thread Listopia
14. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh: Thread Listopia
15. A book you've wanted to read for a long time: Thread Listopia
16. A book featuring a character with a similar occupation to one of the Clue/Cluedo characters: Thread Listopia
17. A book set in the wellness or beauty industries: Thread Listopia
18. A book with a location in the title: Thread Listopia
              The Arizona Triangle - Sydney Graves, 2024 Audible (4.5) 4/8
19. A book related to yesterday: Thread Listopia
          Candle Island (1970s coast of Maine)
20. A book related to today: Thread Listopia
          Birding with Benefits - Sarah T. Dubb, 2024 Libby (3)
21. A book related to tomorrow: Thread Listopia
          Across the Universe (#1) Beth Revis, 2011 Libby (4.75)9/30
22. A book by a Korean or Korean-diaspora author: Thread Listopia
23. A book with a road trip or long journey: Thread Listopia
          The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth - Barbara O'Neal, Audible (4) (3/17) 
24. A book that is either frothy or gothy: Thread Listopia
25. A book from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list: Thread Listopia
26. A book with a Z in the title and/or author name: Thread Listopia
          Amazing! - Kate Evans, 2026 Kindle (2) 8/21
27. A nonfiction book: Thread Listopia
28. A book related to a resistance, rebellion, or revolution: Thread Listopia
29. A vacation book: Thread Listopia
30. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Frontlist Book: Thread Listopia
31. The most recently published book by an author and a book from that same author's backlist: Backlist Book: Thread Listopia
32. A novella of 100-250 pages: Thread Listopia
33. A book with an Indigenous character or author: Thread Listopia
             Murder on the Red River (#1 Cash Blackbear) - Marcie Rendon 2017 (4)
           Girl Gone Missing (#2 Cash Blackbear) Marcie R. Rendon, 2019 (4)
             Sinister Graves (#3 Cash Blackbear) - Marcie R. Rendon, 2022 (4)
34. A book with a window on the cover: Thread Listopia
35. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building: Thread Listopia
36. A book with a primary character who is a woman over 40: Thread Listopia
          Mad Mabel - Sally Hepworth, 2025 Libby (5) 5/12 
37. A book that includes a science topic: Thread Listopia
38. A book that's part of a series: Thread Listopia
           Ironwood (#2 Catalina Island) Michael Connelly, 2026 Libby (4) 7/18
39. A book connected in some way to the "Queen of Crime", Agatha Christie: Thread Listopia
40. A book that has a punctuation mark in the title: Thread Listopia
41. A mystery or true crime book: Thread Listopia
42. A book set in an isolated location: Thread Listopia
43. A book involving survival: Thread Listopia
44. A book with a symbol of death on the cover: Thread Listopia
45. A book connected to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen: Thread Listopia
46. A book that is not a novel: Thread Listopia
47. A book with "this", "that", "these", or "those" in the title: Thread Listopia
48. A book with something edible in the title: Thread Listopia
49. A second book for your favorite prompt: Thread No listopia
50. A book with a bird on its cover: Thread Listopia
51. A book published in 2026: Thread Listopia
        1.  No One Knew (#2 Noelle Marshall) (3.5)
        2.  Anatomy of an Alibi - Ashley Elston (4.5)
        3.  Detour - Jeff Rake (5)
        4.  First Sign of Danger (#4 Haven's Rock) (4.5)
        5.  The Price of Honey - Liane Moriarty, 34 pgs. (2026)
        6.  The Roommate
        7.  You'll Miss Me When You're Gone
        8.  The Line
        9.  Storm Tide(#16 Mike Bowditch) - Paul Doiron, 2026 (3.5)
        10.  Our Perfect Storm - Carley Fortune, 2026 Libby (4.5)
        11.  Ironwood (#2 Catalina Island) Michael Connelly, 2026 (4)
        12.  The Shippers
        13.  Keeper of Lost Children - Sadeqa Johnson, 2026 Libby (4.75)
         14.  A Dark Path - short story by Linda Castillo, 2026 Libby (3.5)
52. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeer: Thread Listopia

Tried and True Meals for Me

Let's keep adding to this list!

Baked Potato/Onion in the Crockpot

Chinese Vegetable Stir Fry with Yummy Sauce

Clam cakes, clam chowder, clam pasta

Crockpot Beans & Vegetables

One of Seven Quickie Ramen meals

Refrigerator Soup Pot - crockpot or stovetop

Spinach, Sausage, and Pasta

56. Hold Your Breath a Novella by Wendy Walker

listened on Audible

77 pgs.   (2:31)

2020
Adult Short Story Mystery
Finished 10/20/2026
Goodreads rating: 3.32
My rating: 4
Setting: Contemporary America

My comments: Very entertaining, though when the doctor first speaks it's pretty long and drawn out...but not so much that I wanted to stop listening.

Goodreads synopsis: From the best-selling author of All Is Not Forgotten and Don’t Look for Me comes a sharp, compulsive thriller about a young woman who narrowly escapes a violent crime and the psychiatrist helping to recover her memory of the suspect.

Gabby Ashford has just survived an attempt on her life. Detectives have connected her story to two other cases in the area: Professional women drugged at a bar, brought to their homes, and drowned in their bathtubs. Gabby, who miraculously woke up in her own bathtub unharmed, could be the key to finding a serial killer on the loose - but she has no memory of the attack.

Gabby admits herself to a high-end rehabilitation center to recover and to seek the help of a psychiatrist renowned for his work with memory recovery. As Dr. Forrester works with Gabby - interviewing not only her but her overbearing fiancée, her emotionally fragile brother, and the local detective working the case - questions about Gabby’s story, her past, and the ethics of memory recovery emerge.

Dr. Forrester, the central voice of Walker’s breakout debut All Is Not Forgotten, is a fascinating and deeply complicated character, barreling toward the truth of the case at hand while wrestling with the demons of his own past. Shocking and succinct, Hold Your Breath will have you on the edge of your seat from the first minute to the last.

57. Ushers - A Short Story by Joe Hill

listened on Audible

29 pgs.

2024
Adult short story
Finished 10/21/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.20
My rating: 4.75
Setting: contemporary New England

My comments:  Creepy, crazy, clever story.

Goodreads synopsis: A young man who has improbably escaped death twice reveals his secret in a spine-tingling short story by New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill.

Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

Air Frying Potatoes, Onions, and Squash

Baked Potato

Scrub and dry one or two potatoes.
Prick each several times with a fork.
Rub with a little oil, if desired.
Air-fry at 390°F for 35–50 minutes, turning halfway

Delicata Squash has a wonderful advantage: 

you can eat the skin! No peeling required.

This method is for squash fries....

Wash the squash.

Cut it lengthwise in half.

Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.

Slice into half-moons about ½ inch thick.

Toss with a little olive oil and your favorite seasoning. 

I'd try garlic powder, black pepper, and a little salt. 

A sprinkle of paprika is nice, too, if you have it.

 

Air-fry

Temperature: 375°F

Time: 12–18 minutes

Turn the slices halfway through.

They're done when tender inside and nicely browned on the edges. 

        Add a few minutes if necessary.

Delicata squash

Wash the squash

Carefully cut it lengthwise in half.

Scoop out the seeds and stringy center.

Place the halves cut-side up in your basket

Air-fry at 375°F for about 20–30 minutes, checking for tenderness with a fork.

         You can brush the cut surfaces with a little oil, but you don't have to.          

 The flesh should become soft and sweet. 

You can scoop it out with a spoon or eat the tender skin, too.

Acorn squash

Wash it and carefully cut it from stem to tip.

Scoop out the seeds.

Put the halves cut-side up in the basket.

Air-fry at 375°F for about 25–35 minutes, depending on size.

It's ready when a fork easily pierces the thickest part of the flesh.

Easy whole air-fryer onions

Peel off the papery outer skin. Trim the top and remove any loose outer layers, but leave the root end mostly intact so the onion holds together.

Rub with a little oil or put a small pat of butter on top, if you like.

Place in your air fryer basket. You can wrap each onion loosely in foil for a softer, steam-baked result, or leave it uncovered for more browning.

Air-fry at 350°F for about 30–45 minutes, depending on the size. Check with a knife: it should slide easily into the center. Large onions may need longer.

55. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

#3 Across the Universe

listened on Libby

369 pgs.

2013
YA SciFi
Finished 10/18/2026
Goodreads rating: 4.06
My rating: 4
Setting: Way way way out in space, a few centuries from now....

My comments: Cool cover.  This was a fun trilogy, most everyone dies except the two seemingly invincible protagonists, but it was so completely sci fi without tooooo much of the "sci".......

Goodreads synopsis: Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.