The Nerd Daily Reading Challenge 2026 Completed

Three months left in the year, and I have finished the 2026 Nerd Daily Reading Challenge. A few prompts could have bested me, but they didn’t, due to my strategy of tackling certain ones first, and a few books fell into place later, especially the Nerd Daily recommendation. I’d been trying to find one I had seen when I saw another book I had read, and that ended up working out for that prompt. Some of the genre ones were interesting as there was one that qualified for gothic and romance, two genres I don’t tend to read but this one did things quite well. And I think at least 49 of the 52 books I read were by Australian authors, with one being co-authored by an Australian.

Many were also children’s and young adult books, because that’s often what I focus on in my reviewing and what worked out for many prompts as well. One review will be published in October, and the link included in other round ups. Onto the rest of my reading and trying to complete the last few challenges.

The Nerd Daily

1. 2026 Release: Neeka and the Great Rescue (Wilder Zoo #3) by Tina Strachan, illustrated by Max Hamilton
2. Five Word Title: Oh Brother: A Graphic Memoir by Georgina Chadderton
3. Non-illustrated cover: Double Act: Eirene Mort and Nora Kate Weston by Sylvia Martin
4. SFF or Mystery: Tidespeaker by Sadie Turner
5. An Author New to You: Harper Wells: Renegade Timeline Officer by Bethany Loveridge 
6. Set in Summer: The Shark by Emma Styles
7. An Author You Love: Kate Forsyth’s Long-lost Fairytales: 21 Forgotten Fairytales Retold by Kate Forsyth, illustrated by Lorena Carrington
8. Bookstore or Library Rec: The Society of Literary Marauders by Sasha Walsey
9. October 2026 Release: Death by Adventure: The Dark Forest School by Bradley Trevor Greive
10. Reader’s Choice: Heroes of the Ancient World: Cleopatra, the Girl Who Would be King by Jackie French
11. Book with Red Spine: Alice-Miranda at the Palace by Jacqueline Harvey
12. Author Surname Starting with D: It’s a Twin Thing: The Break Up by Kristin Darrell
13. Recommended by The Nerd Daily: Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman
14. 2026 Adaptation: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
15. Picked at Random: Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Troublesome Trees by Kate Foster
16. Part of a Trilogy: Every Word by Ellie Marnie
17. Indie Bookstore Purchase: Women Who Win by Antoinette Lattouf
18. Standalone: Running in Circles by Shivaun Plozza
19. Protagonist Starting with R: Redbelly Crossing by Candice Fox
20. Multiple Perspectives: A Light on the Rocks by Helen Edwards
21. 2026 Debut Author: Poster Boys by Scott Woodward
22. Explores Love: Once Upon Tomorrow by Karen Comer
23. Judge a Book by its Cover: The Wild Unknown by Emily Gale
24. In your TBR Pile: Nanny Tobbins and the Midnight Plan by Lucie Stevens
25. Gothic or Romance: How to Kill A Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson
26. Holiday setting: Grand Opening (The Girl and the Ghost #3) by Jacqueline Harvey
27. Between 380 and 440 pages: Elsewhere by Shelby Matheson
28. Double-Barrelled Name: Alice-Miranda in New York by Jacqueline Harvey
29. June 2026 Release: One Knight Stand by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
30. Won an Award in 2024: Eleanor Jones is not a Murderer by Amy Doak
31. Features Education: Adventures in Wonderland: An Introduction to the History and Theory of Children’s Literature by Michael Rosen
32. Picked by Someone Else: Ninja Bunnies vs the Big Bad Fox by Jake Hopkins, illustrated by Alex Patrick
33. Indie Author: The Light Bringer by L.L. Hunter
34. Mythology: Ludicrous Legends: Myths with a Twist by Temple, illustrated by David Conley
35. Title Starting with C: The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery by Samera Kamaleddine, illustrated by Hykie Breeze
36. Questionable Cover: Five Voices by Tamara Moss
37. Guilty Pleasure: Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery by Li Chen
38. Crime or Cosy: Finding the Bones by Natalie Conyer
39. Six-Syllable Title: A Dash of Adventure by Julie Williams and Mitch Oates
40. Gifted to you: The Rose Field (The Book of Dust Volume 3) by Philip Pullman
41. Limited Edition or Exclusive: Star of Deltora by Emily Rodda
42. Supporting Character Starts with T: Somewhere by Shelby Matheson
43. Title with Punctuation: I Know What You’re Hiding by Jack Heath
44. #OwnVoices: Tearing Myself Together by Anna Whateley
45. Topical or Tropical: Blue: Dragon of the Sea by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Tamlyn Teow
46. Different Country or Culture: Mim and the Frazzled Fruit Farmer (The Travelling Bookshop #7) by Katrina Nannestad
47. A 2025 Release you missed Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire by Amy Doak
48. Title without The: Sunday Reilly is all Out of F*cks to Give by Meaghan Wilson Anastasios
49. Blue on Cover: Alice-Miranda at Camp by Jacqueline Harvey
50. Explores Loss: My Brother Otto by Ingrid Laguna
51. Translated: Tove Jansson: Life. Art. Words by Boel Westin, translated by Silvester Mazzarella
52. Quoted by an Author you like: Shakespeare in the Orchard by Danielle Binks