2026 I Read Horror Year-Round Challenge - First Quarter Check-In

I apologize for being so late with this update! I've been in such a funk, both in reading and life in general. Too much going on in the world. It's overwhelming and really starting to wear me down. You will see how bad of a funk I'm in below. 

How did the first quarter go for you?

I'm doing the Chilling level which is 12 books in a year. Plus, I'm going to try to do the Complete the Word Bonus Challenge. I picked FRIGHT since it has an H - Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. Here's how it's going so far...

• Winter - set in winter or snow on the cover or winter in the title
• Epistolary horror - found footage, told in letters and/or diaries
• Cult and/or ritual
• Haunted house
• Full moon and/or woods on the cover
• Indigenous, Asian, or Latino author
• Pumpkins/Jack O' Lanterns on the cover
• Black author
• Book published in the 60's, 70's, or 80's
• Social justice horror
• Yule/Christmas holiday themed
• Whatever scares you the most 
  Marla, Jonathan Janz (creepy...creepy scares me the most. lol)

F

R

I 

G

H - Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo

T

So, as you can see, I'm not doing great. I am hoping I can turn things around starting this month. Wish me luck! Next up for me is The Siren of Groves Peak by Glenn Rolfe. It probably won't fit the challenge though. Oh well.

I keep track of my yearly challenges over on my sister site, True Book Addict. There's a link to my 2026
challenge page in the menu above.

I hope you're enjoying your horrific reading! Share your progress in the comments (update, links to posts/reviews, etc.)...

Thanks for bearing with me! Wishing you terrifying reading. 

2025 I Read Horror Year-Round Challenge - Wrap-up

Year five complete! I was able to complete the Chilling level (12 books), and while I did not get a Bingo (or the coverall I was going for), I did manage to read a few Cryptid books. Here's what I read...

• Vampires - The Vampire Armand, Anne Rice
• Witches - Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin
• Folk Horror - Pine, Francine Toon
• Written by a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) author - The Hacienda, Isabel Canas
• A Ghost Story - Humbug, Luciano Marano
• Written by a female author - Diavola, Jennifer Marie Thorne
• Cosmic Horror - Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer
• Frightening Cover - All the Fiends of Hell, Adam Nevill
• Adapted as movie/series - The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
• Katsu, Ketchum, King, or Koontz - Holly, Stephen King
• Black, gray, orange, or red cover - Horseman, Christina Henry
• Book featuring a Cryptid (mark off one BINGO square!) - The Dover Demon, Hunter Shea

Besides the Cryptid book above, I also read Loch Ness Revenge by Hunter Shea and Rogue (Bigfoot) by Luke Phillips.

How about you? Share your wrap-up in the comments, or link to a wrap-up post on your blog (or social media, shelf on Goodreads, etc.).

In case you missed it, sign-up for I Read Horror YR 2026 is open. This year I've added a fun (optional) Complete the Word challenge. Here's the link to the post. I hope you will join me again!