Taming the TBR Dragon

A 2025 Reading Challenge

The Quest Begins

Like many of you, my To-Be-Read pile has grown into something of a legendary beast— like some dragon hoarding precious literary treasures. Despite being an author who spends most of her days crafting fairy tale romances filled with magic and happily-ever-afters, I’ve somehow managed to let my own reading adventures take a backseat. But this year, I’m grabbing my bookish sword and shield (aka my coffee mug and favorite blanket) and embarking on a quest to conquer this magnificent TBR dragon, one enchanting story at a time.

From Bingo Board to Magical Map

Originally, I was just going to create a traditional bingo card to help me choose my next books. But, as I worked on putting it together,  I realized that fairy tale locations would offer more flexibility and adventure than using tropes or individual fairy tales. This spark of inspiration led to the creation of an enchanted reading gameboard, where each box represents a beloved fairy tale setting instead.

The Adventure Awaits

Like any good fairy tale, this reading adventure can be re-imagined in a variety of ways to fit your own magical journey. To help you get started, I’m providing both the fantasy map and a checklist in the downloadable package.

Ways to Customize Your Quest

Choose Your Own Adventure Path—

There’s no one right way to take on this quest. You can:

• Follow the gameboard in order, moving from square to square.
• Or hop around, using stickers, markers, or stamps to track your progress
• Double up on categories that particularly spark your interest
• Skip squares that don’t align with your reading preferences

Create Personal Side Quests

• Challenge yourself to read only new-to-you authors
• Focus on completing a series you’ve started but haven’t finished
• Mix contemporary retellings with traditional fantasy fairy tale adaptations or outer-space adventures
• Add your own special categories inspired by your favorite magical elements

Set Your Own Timeline

• Make it a year-long quest with monthly milestones
• Turn it into a seasonal challenge
• Break it into quarterly goals

Add Social Elements

• Share your progress with fellow readers online
• Start a book club focusing on specific squares
• Compare different interpretations of the same fairy tale
• Exchange recommendations with other adventurous readers -Use #TBRDragonQuest to update, review, and connect!

The Journey Ahead

Remember, like every good fairy tale character, you get to write your own story. There’s no wrong way to approach this reading challenge – the magic lies in making it work for you!

Want to join me in discovering new worlds, swooning over sweet romances, and checking off those books we’ve been meaning to read as we travel through this mystical realm? Let’s make 2025 the year we turn our towering TBR piles into conquered kingdoms!