New Achievement! You've Been Given a Quest...
Are you a fan of video games or tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons? Do you like science fiction and fantasy books? Then you'll love LitRPGs. Short for literary roleplaying games, LitRPGs are usually set in game-like worlds (or virtual reality/simulations) where characters go on quests or fight monsters to increase their "stats" or get loot boxes just like a player would.
The protagonists in these stories are usually aware they are playing a game or even that they are being watched. Famously, the tagline for Matt Dinniman's New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series is "The apocalypse will be televised." It follows our titular hero and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they make their way through an 18-level fantasy-style "world dungeon" that's being produced—much like a reality TV show—for an interstellar audience.
A subgenre of Gamelit, LitRPG has become popular among gamers and readers alike. Check out our staff recommendations, including several that meet 2026 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge categories.
2026 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge
Want an extra challenge? Complete this year's challenge by reading only LitRPG titles.
Reward? You'll have finished the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge. Reading awesome books is its own reward! Also, think of the bragging rights! Optional: You can also pick out a Jax Stacks-branded prize like a tumbler, mug, notebooks or tote if you send pictures of your completed Jax Stacks bookmark (with all the titles you read) to JPLprograms@coj.net.
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A book from a library display
- Rabbits by Terry Miles
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A book on an "everyone should read this" list
- He Who Fights with Monsters (series) by Shirtaloon
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A book in the Zine, Local Author, or Indie Florida collections
- Exquisite Corpse: A Collaboration Zine by Miles Taylor
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A book with an unreliable narrator
- The Dark Lord of Crafting: Book 3 by William Myrl
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A book that fits a previous year's challenge category
- (from 2025: a graphic novel) The System Apocalypse (series) by Tao Wong
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A book suggested by a friend or family member
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
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A book with a "punny" title
- Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce
- Heir Today, Pawn Tomorrow by Eric Ugland
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A book set somewhere you have lived or visited
- Beware of Chicken: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel by Casualfarmer
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A book you haven't read by your favorite author
- Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
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A Bildungsroman or a coming-of-age story
- Unsouled: Cradle Volume 1 by Will Wight
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A western, fiction or nonfiction
- Infinite Dusk: Cowboy Necromancer 1 by Harmon Cooper
New to Jax Stacks? Find rules and all 16 challenge categories listed at jaxlibrary.org/JaxStacks. Starter recommendations for each category can be found on our blog.
