2026 Challenge HQ

An organizing page for my 2026 challenges:

Back to the Classics  

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19th Century Classic

George Gissing/New Grub Street 

20th Century Classic

Virginia Woolf/Between the Acts 

An Award-winning Classic

Simone de Beauvoir/The Mandarins (Prix Goncourt, 1954) 

A Classic Journey or Travel Narrative

A Classic by a Woman Author

Virginia Woolf/The Years 

Humorous or Satirical Classic

Classic Detective or Mystery Fiction

Classic Children's Book

Lloyd Alexander/The High King 

Banned or Censored Classic

A Classic in Translation

Fakhraddin Gorgani/Vis and Ramin 

A Non-fiction Classic

Free Choice

European Reading Challenge

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1.) Malcolm Cowley/Exile's Return (France)

2.) Janwillem van de Wetering/Hard Rain (Netherlands)

3.) George Gissing/New Grub Street (UK)

4.) Florian Illies/The Magic of Silence (Germany)

5.) Leonie Swann/Three Bags Full (Ireland)

6.) Georgi Gospodinov/Death and the Gardener (Bulgaria) 

7.) Leylâ Erbil/What Remains (Turkey) 

8.) Helen MacInnes/Prelude to Terror (Austria) 

9.) Hammond Innes/The Trojan Horse (Norway) 

 

Classics Club 

 

 

Books read in 2026 for my ongoing classics club challenge. Current master list is here.

1.) Fakhraddin Gorgani/Vis and Ramin

2.) George Gissing/New Grub Street  

3.) Virginia Woolf/The Years 

4.) Simone de Beauvoir/The Mandarins

5.) Virginia Woolf/Between the Acts 

Vintage Mystery Scavenger Hunt

Sign-up post

Gold:

Anthony Gilbert/Death in Fancy Dress  (Performer, 1933)

Ed McBain/The Con Man (Policeman, 1956)

Ellery Queen/Drury Lane's Last Case (Book, 1933)

Ellery Queen/The Tragedy of X (Train, 1932) 

Dorothy L. Sayers/Whose Body? (Furniture: Bathtub, 1923)

Hammon Innes/The Trojan Horse (Body of Water, 1940) 

Silver: 

HRF Keating/Inspector Ghote Draws a Line (Spooky House or Mansion, 1979)

Janwillem van de Wetering/Hard Rain (Body of Water, 1986)

Jan Hilliard/Morgan's Castle (Damsel in Distress, 1964)

Peter Dickinson/The Glass-Sided Ants' Nest (Staircase, 1968)

John Hawkes/The Lime Twig (Any Other Animal: Horse, 1961) 

Nicholas Blake/The Worm of Death (Dead Body, 1961)

Ed McBain/Shotgun (Two People, 1970) 

Helen MacInnes/Prelude to Terror (Painting, 1978) 

Link to last year's omnibus challenge post.