A Challenge for Readers: #ReadYourBooks

Confession: I buy a lot of books. Always have. Probably always will. I love having options of what to read at my home and I love supporting authors. If you’re a reader, you get it. We can never have too many books! Hardbacks, paperbacks, audio books and e-books—I love ‘em all. Truly. 

The problem, of course, comes when I realize just how many books I own—and how long it would take me to read them all. That’s why, six years ago, I set out to shop my own bookshelves. Many of you joined me! 

And, friends, I think it’s again time for us to challenge ourselves to read the books we already own. 

(Don’t miss for a free printable book tracker at the end of this post!)

An Invitation to Read Your Books

What about you? Do you have books collecting dust on your shelves? Or waiting to be listened to or read on your devices? 

If so, why don’t you join me in this totally accessible and free reading challenge? It will be fun, educational and inspirational! A totally low-pressure, doable goal for 2026.

My personal goal is to read 12 books that I already own this year (secretly, I am hoping to be an overachiever and read 24, but because of my job many new books are sent my way, so I think better to play it safe with 12). Within that, I plan to read five 500 page books, three books on relationships, one on perimenopause and one on money.

I’ll be documenting my journey through this challenge on my Instagram @JessicaNTurner and my bookstagram account @booksnobbery, if you’d like to follow along. And please share what you’re reading with the hashtag #ReadYourBooks. I’d love to see!  

Permission to Buy More Books

And just so we’re clear: I will definitely still buy books this year. I think it is important to support aithors and I love owning a hot new release. I’m certainly not encouraging you to completely forgo book buying either. 

But I also think it is important to be mindful of what we already have! Won’t it be great to commit to reading some of the books we purchased in previous years that we just knew we would love? 

Because, odds are, some of my favorite stories are sitting on my shelves just waiting to be cracked open. And I bet yours are waiting for you too.

The Challenge: 1 Book A Month

To keep things simple and attainable, why don’t we all try to read one book each month that we already own? 

Overachievers—you know who you are— read two. 

One book each month from your shelf or already downloaded to your devices is totally doable. And it adds up! At the end of 2026, you’ll reduce your to-be-read pile by 12 books or more. 

Books I’ll Be Reading in 2026

I loved this challenge in 2020 and I am so excited to do it again. You can follow my reading over on Goodreads. While I am committing to read 12 books I own, I pulled 24 from my shelves so that I have options AND in case I want to be an over-achiever. I think having the books at the ready will help make the decision of what to read easier.

All of these are 5-star rated books. You can find the full list on my Amazon Storefront.

Free Printable Book Tracker

I love a visual way to document what I’m reading—and I thought you might too! 

You can download a free printable book tracker by entering your email address in the form below. I’ll send the PDF right away! 

You’ll also be added to my four-week #ReadYourBooks email series. In this series, I’ll share encouragement on making time to read, how to shop your own bookshelves as well as helpful resources for reading more in 2026! 

I can’t wait to hear about your own experience with this challenge. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @JessicaNTurner and @booksnobbery and post your book photos with the hashtag #ReadYour Books.