Welcome to the 2026 Online Reading Challenge!

Get ready for our eleventh year of reading recommendations with our super-casual, low-stress reading club! For anyone who doesn’t know (or remember!), the Online Reading Challenge is run online through the Davenport Library’s reference blog Info Café and through the Beanstack app!

Each month we read books centered around a theme. Each year is a little different, but the unchanging main principle of this book club is: No Pressure! There is no sign-up, no meetings to attend (although you’re welcome to add any comments to the blog posts), no shame in not finishing a book, or skipping a month (or two). You can read one of the suggested titles or something different or none at all! Read at your own pace, read what interests you, try something out of your usual reading zone, or stick with what you like best. In other words, create a personalized book club with a bit of encouragement from the Reading Challenge!

Our theme for 2026 is Know Your History!

Each month we will read about a different observance month (think Black History Month, for example) and highlight a main title about that month. Besides the main title, we’ll have suggestions for additional books as well as many more on display at each of our buildings. You can choose to read the main book or alternate titles or even something else completely! As always, we’ll have an introductory blog post at the beginning of the month and a wrap-up blog post at the end. At the end of the month, I’ll write about the main title, pose some questions, and invite you to comment your observations about the title you read.

Of course, as always, you may do as you please – there are no Library Police! If you wish to skip a month or read more than one book in that month or read a book from a different month, go for it! No one will drag you off to Library Jail if you choose your own path!

The 2026 Online Reading Challenge begins on Friday, January 2nd. Be sure to follow the Info Café reference blog or Beanstack for more information and updates!