The Taste Test Reading Challenge

Hi friend,

It started with a question: would it be possible for me to follow along with a book club for a year? That was my original idea for a “resolution” of sorts. I would choose a book club and try to read the 12 books it chose in 2026. And it would’ve been a good-enough challenge! It would’ve tested a couple stories I tell myself, including the one about how book clubs are “not for me” and that “I’m too slow of a reader” to possibly keep up. It also would’ve required me to read some books I wouldn’t have known about or chosen for myself. This intrigued me, but it didn’t excite me. So I let the idea simmer.

A couple weeks later, I started seeing some of the authors I follow share news that their books were nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. The award system is imperfect (starting with the fact that Goodreads is owned by Amazon lol). But the initial nominations are based on user activity, and then books go through multiple rounds of voting by readers who use the site. In the end, 15 books are chosen as “readers’ favourites.” Might I like to read all the winners from 2025? was the next question I asked myself. But when I went through the list, I wasn’t excited about most of those titles either.

What did feel exciting was looking at the different categories. Most of them are specific genres, and many are ones I don’t typically read books from. Historical fiction, crime/mystery/thriller, science fiction, fantasy, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever read a horror (and the only book I’ve read by Stephen King was his memoir). And romantasy? These are genres I haven’t been drawn to… but why? What stories have I told myself about them? What assumptions or judgments have I made? Why am I drawn to some books more than others? And what might I discover if I tried reading some new genres this year?

I don’t know why the idea of analyzing my judgments + the stories I tell myself about books/genres felt so intriguing, friend. (Maybe it’s my version of “fun” personal development!? 😂) But exploring genres is what finally felt REALLY exciting to me!

That’s how I came up with my own reading challenge…

Here’s how it’s going to work, friend:

In 2026, I’m going to choose one genre per month (I’m only doing 10 in total and will explain why below) and read a few books from it.

I’d like to read books that are fairly new, because I do enjoy staying on top of what’s happening in the publishing industry and want to understand which books are shaping our culture right now. So I’m going to choose from “popular” books published in 2024-2026. They will be a mix of bestsellers, big book club picks, nominees/winners of various awards, etc. I’ll share how/why I chose each one.

At the end of each month, I’ll share my initial thoughts (including assumptions + judgments!) on the genre, followed by my reviews + reflections of how it felt to read the books I chose. I will also include any new thoughts/curiosities I have about the genre going forward, and if it feels like one I’d like to read more books from in the future. And then I’ll share the genre + list of books I’m going to read next, in case anyone wants to follow along!

There are so many genres I could choose from. The Goodreads Choice Awards has 15 categories. Reedsy says there are 35 popular genres in publishing. Other sites list up to 100! There’s no scientific formula for this, so I’m going to choose 10 of the most popular genres that I’m intrigued by, many of which I often avoid. In alphabetical order, I’ll be reading…

1. Crime/Mystery/Thriller

2. Fantasy

3. Historical Fiction

4. Horror

5. Memoir*

6. Romance

7. Romantasy

8. Science Fiction

9. YA Fiction

10. YA SFF (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

My intention is to study the books/authors and study the genre—well, as much as you can, in just a month’s time. I’m only choosing 10, because I can look ahead at my calendar and see there are two months when I’ll be pretty busy and won’t be writing much: May and August. As the year goes on, it’s possible I’ll change this list slightly—but this feels like a great starting point!

It feels worth noting that I will also be reading contemporary fiction, all throughout the year (maybe mostly in May and August!?). This is the genre I read the most already, and there are so many books on my TBR list in 2026! I may write about it, but for the sake of this challenge, I probably won’t. I don’t feel the need to “study” the genre. I know I love it!

Finally, for some of the months/genres, I also have an idea for something extra special I want to add to my reflections. You’ll have to stay tuned for that, but I’ll tell you this: the idea is very Cait. 🤓

*Note: You’ll notice this is the only nonfiction genre I’ve included and that is intentional. Outside of memoir, I do not—and do not want to—read most nonfiction books. At the very least, I am done with self-help.

As I explore each new genre, I’ll be asking myself some of the questions I listed above. Like: What stories have I told myself about this genre? What assumptions or judgments have I made? Why am I drawn to some books more than others? What do/don’t I like about the stories? And so on.

I’ll also be asking myself some personal questions, throughout the year. I’m curious to find out: can I keep up with a reading challenge, if I created it for myself and it actually feels fun!? Could I be someone who joins a book club in the future? Am I really the “slow reader” I tell myself I am!?

And going back to what I shared last week, the biggest question I have is this: is there a new genre out there that I might fall in love with? Or any authors/series I might become obsessed with? Because I don’t think I have much experience with this, friend. And I want to know what it feels like.

What started as a simple question has turned into a fully mapped out challenge for myself. I’ve written potential TBR lists for each genre, imagined which genres I might read in each month of the year, etc. And nothing about this has felt like work, friend. I am having SO much fun1 imagining what this could look like and all the books I might read. (Even the ones I feel extremely judgmental about, which we’ll chat more about soon enough!) It’s filled with questions! Curiosities! And a deep desire to reflect and learn!

I’ve never been a fan of new year’s resolutions, and I don’t think January 1st is the best time to start most things. But if you know me, and especially if you’ve read my books, you know: I love doing personal experiments. And I think they are the most interesting and effective when you create ones you are genuinely interested in doing (“create” being the operative word here). When you feel open to challenging yourself, exploring within, learning and changing in some way. And you come up with “rules” that feel good for you.

A new rule of mine is that I want any experiment I do to start from a place of joy—not lack. It’s taken decades, but I can confidently say that I actively pursue well-being, pleasure, and personal enjoyment in my everyday life. (See: am I happier than I think!?) And reading books + wanting to find something I can be obsessed with feels like a joyful pursuit to me!

I know it’s already the 13th, and it’s taken time for me to write and share this post with you… but I’ve been reading my first genre since the Christmas holidays! I’m dipping my toes into this challenge by choosing a genre I have a lot of experience reading: memoir. It’s also a genre I’ve largely skipped over for the last few years. Why did I stop reading them!? is one question I’ve been asking myself. Because even if I don’t enjoy them all, I seem to fly through memoirs. I’ve already finished the three books I was considering reading!

1. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke

2. CARELESS PEOPLE by Sarah Wynn-Williams

3. RAISING HARE by Chloe Dalton

All three were nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Fave Memoir in 2025—and they couldn’t be more different. I have a lot to say about them! But I might actually read a couple more, so I’ll save it for my reflections at the end of the month.

What’s on your TBR list this year, friend? Are there any books coming out in 2026 that you’re REALLY excited to read?

xx Cait

Thank you for reading this little newsletter of mine. There are so many ways you can support a writer. Buy our books. Leave reviews. Share them with others. Read our newsletters and click on the little heart buttons to show you like some of what we have to say. It is all helpful!

This newsletter has a paid subscription option, simply because that is one of the best ways to support me while I work on my next book. It helps reduce any financial stress, which makes it feel safer for me to dive into a big project. And it’s just £21/year ($28 USD/$39 CAD).

Support a writer for a year