Beat The Backlist 2026 - Announcement & TBR

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today, I'm sharing my potential TBR for the Beat The Backlist 2026 reading challenge.  I've participated in this several times now, including 2025, and I decided that I decided to participate in Austine's year long challenge again this year too.  The rules for the challenge are easy - read books published in 2025 or earlier and read them during 2026.  Also, any format, genre, rereads, and stacking it with other challenges all count for this challenge.  You can either choose to read any amount or anything at all, or you can opt to follow the either 24 or 52 book prompt list which require you to select only one book per prompt.  This time I'm tackling the 24 book prompt list and all of my choices are books that I haven't read before.  If you're interested, here is the BlueSky account for the challenge and if you share your progress on social media, you should use #BeatTheBacklist.  You can also join in the fun over on The StoryGraph.  Without further ado, let's get to my challenge TBR:

1. 10, 10, 10s across the board: title has 10+ words

My choice: A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II by Shannon Monaghan - I picked this up at a local thrift store. The title is definitely eye catching.

2. 2025 debut: an author's first book that released in 2025

My choice: A Language of Dragons (A Language of Dragons #1) by S.F. Williamson - This sounds really cool to me. I haven't heard a whole lot about it though.

3. acronyms: there are a lot of acronyms in the story or the title includes one

My choice: True Beauty Vol. 3 (True Beauty #3) by Yaongyi - I've gotten into this series a lot more than I ever expected to.

4. all the colors: rainbow cover (has at least 4 rainbow colors)

My choice: Zhara (Guardians of the Dawn #1) by S. Jae-Jones - It's so colorful!

5. anthology of shorts: collection of short stories and/or poetry

My choice: Small Horrors: A Collection of Fifty Creepy Stories by Darcy Coates - I love this author so much.

6. award winner: this book won an award of any kind

My choice: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - This has been on my shelf for far too long.

7. BFFs: features 2+ best friends as main or important side characters

My choice: Dead and Gondola (Christie Bookshop #1) by Ann Claire - I don't know about you, but I think this sounds like it could be fun.

8. blast from the past: book featuring a historical setting

My choice: Vienna Twilight (Liebermann Papers #5) by Frank Tallis - I'm surprised by how much I liked the previous installments of this series. I can't wait to see what's next.

9. celebrity author: the book is by a well-known figure

My choice: The Devils (The Devils #1) by Joe Abercrombie - Well, famous for an author, I guess.  I'm only choosing from books I own for this challenge!

10. classics past or present: classic novel or retelling of a classic

My choice: Don't Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier - I found this at a thrift store. I wasn't familiar with it, but I liked Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. My copy doesn't have a dust jacket, but I'm pretty sure this is the right edition of it.

11. end of an era: last book in a series

My choice: Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou - Well, the second and final book in a duology.

12. fave author rec: a book recommended by one of your favorite authors

My choice: Kagen the Damned (Kagen the Damned #1) by Jonathan Maberry - I don't know why I've put this one off for so long. A few authors I like provided a blurb for it.

13. I like 'em chonky: more than 542 pages

My choice: The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer #1) by Gail Z. Martin - This is another one I've had on my shelf for far too long.

14. I reject your reality: a speculative fiction book

My choice: Windfall (Weather Warden #4) by Rachel Caine - This author is one of my favorites and it's time I jump back into this series. Somehow I have a copy of the U.K. edition.

15. it's been a decade: been on your TBR 10+ years

My choice: The Serpent Bride (DarkGlass Mountain #1) by Sara Douglass - Yeah, that's way too long.

16. lights, camera, action!: book-to-screen or about movies/TV shows

My choice: Vienna Secrets (Liebermann Papers #4) by Frank Tallis - Like I said above, I need to know what's going to happen.  Also, I really need to watch the tv adaption.  It looks really good!

17. love is in the air: a book about or featuring a prominent subplot about love (in any form)

My choice: Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs - It's been awhile since I've read this author, but it's time to get back to her books.

18. novella sweet spot: between 150-200 pages

My choice: A Literary Scandal (Locust Point Mystery #5) by Libby Howard - Look at the cute cat on the cover! I haven't read any of the other books in the series though so hopefully I'll be okay.

19. oh the places you will go: place name in the title

My choice: This Realm of England, 1399 to 1688 (A History of England #2) by Lacey Baldwin Smith - I'm sure I'll learn something from this.

20. recs in real life: recommended by a family member or close friend

My choice: The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freedland - This one has actually be recommended by several people.

21. the most beautiful cover: the art on this book cover stands above the rest to you

My choice: Phantom Heart (Phantom Heart #1) by Kelly Creagh - I just like The Phantom of the Opera.

22. throwback to the good ol' days: a favorite childhood read - could be yours, a friend's, a family member's, your choice!

My choice: The Kingdom of Slender Swords by Hallie Erminie Rives - Well, this pick goes for more of the story of where I found it. It was at an antique shop and in the booth where I found it there were a ton of books I loved when I was a little kid. Plus, this one was released in the year 1910.

23. title starts with "L": book title starts with the letter "L"

 My choice: The Legacies by Jessica Goodman - This could be a good YA mystery thriller.

24. to the moon: about or featuring anything space related in the story or on the cover

My choice: The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink - I love Welcome to Night Vale and I spotted this at a thrift store, so I had to get it.

Are you taking part in this challenge?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!