Jax Stacks Reading Challenge
Can you believe we're heading into our fifth year of the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge? As usual, we've got 16 shiny new categories for 2026 - along with some great book recommendations to get you started. Choose the categories that interest you most and see how far you get!
New to Jax Stacks?
Jax Stacks is Jacksonville Public Library's year-round reading challenge for adults! If you read just one (related) book this year, you're a Jax Stacks reader! To officially complete the challenge (and win), we just ask that you read at least 12 books from 12 of the 16 categories listed below. The challenge runs January 1 - December 31, 2026. Get the complete rundown at jaxlibrary.org/jaxstacks.
2026 Challenge Categories
1. A book by a 2026 Lit Chat author
Lit Chat Interviews and Author Talks bring authors from far and near to talk with you about their books and writing process (as well as some delightful tangents)! Check out the events calendar to find all the authors coming this year and then, grab a book by one of them to read!
- We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad (appearing Jan. 31)
- Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris (appearing Feb. 19)
- The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash (appearing April 11)
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach (appearing July 11)
If you're looking to read local, Nikesha Elise Williams will be kicking her multi-state book tour for The Seven Daughters of Dupree at the Main Library on Saturday, Jan. 24. It is officially set to release the following Tuesday from Simon & Schuster but a limited number of copies will be available to purchase (early) at the Lit Chat event from our partners at San Marco Books & More. To guarantee your copy, pre-order from the bookstore's website.
Find more books by featured authors
Find a book you liked and want to know more about the author? Catch any Lit Chat Interview you might have missed (or want to revisit) by checking out this YouTube playlist. You can also subscribe to our Completely Booked podcast (using the podcasting app of your choice) for audio-only replays of our Lit Chat Interviews. Note: Some interviews are only available for a limited time.
We'll be announcing more 2025 Lit Chat authors soon at jaxlibrary.org/litchat.
2. A book read by a Library Book Club in 2026
Our Library Book Clubs read widely and bring together great folks for conversation and community. Check out our blog to see what’s coming up and pick out a book to read from the list. Then, go ahead and join us at a meeting to share your opinions!
Pro Tip: Many of the books selected by our Library Book Clubs work for other Jax Stacks categories. So, joining one or more of these groups may help you cross off multiple categories over the course of the year. Each book only counts for one category, though! Click here to find upcoming Book Club meetings.
3. A book from a Library display
Take a trip to your favorite Jacksonville Public Library location (or visit a new one) and check out a book we have on display! Many locations have dedicated Jax Stacks displays or even ones dedicated to a featured Lit Chat author(s). Any display counts, even endcaps or books placed "face-out" on a shelf, where the book cover is showing.
Post picks of your book hauls to Facebook or Instagram! Just be sure to tag @jaxlibrary so we see it. We'll post photos of our favorite book displays and our Jax Stacks winners throughout the year, too!
4. A book on an "everyone should read this" list
Which list you choose is ultimately up to you, but if you're looking for some guidance, find something like: "30 Must-Read Books by Black Authors" or "76 Books Everyone Should Read in their Lifetime." It can be a new book that's getting a lot of buzz, a classic that's been on everyone's TBR or whatever you like. You can always ask a librarian for their favorite list.
Here are a few staff picks from "1,000 Books to Read Before You Die":
5. A book in the Zine, Local Author, or Indie Florida collections
The idea here is to support local creators. The Zine and Local Author collections are housed at the Main Library but you can place holds and pick up materials at any Jacksonville Public Library location. The Indie Florida Collection can be found online through the BiblioBoard website or app.
Local and Florida-Themed Zines*
- Florida and Fauna: A Zine About Nature
- Bridge Eight (Literary Magazine)
- Zinester Meetup Zine (ZMZ)
- Radical South Vol. 1
- Florida Water: Poems for your Local Squirrel
*Alternatively, you could use a title from this particular list of zines for "A book set in a place you have lived or visited." Zines are as diverse as their creators. If you really wanted to, you could probably complete all or most of the challenge using zines.
Local Author & Indie Florida
These books are available in print at the Main Library or as e-books on Biblioboard
- Mardi Gras Indians by Nikesha Elise Williams
- Inside I Am Just Like You by Seye Kuyinu
- The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thorton
- The Reset by Daniel Powell
Discover local and indie authors
6. A book with an unreliable narrator
The charming storytellers in these books may just be prone to exaggeration... or perhaps they have something sinister to hide? Just take what they say with a grain of salt. The truth will come to light in the end (probably).
- Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. A book that fits a previous year's challenge category
All previous Jax Stacks categories (2022 - 2025) are listed on jaxlibrary.org/JaxStacks.
Here are a few of our favorites:
-
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
- A retelling of another book or story (from the 2025 challenge)
-
James by Percival Everett
- A Pulitzer Prize-winning book (from the 2024 challenge)
-
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
- A book with a non-human protagonist (from the 2023 challenge)
8. A book suggested by a friend or family member
See what’s on your bookish besties’ and cool aunt’s to-be-read list this year. And if you end up starting a book club in the process, so be it! We do also offer meeting and study rooms at the Library...
Want to be a friend to a fellow reader? Add your suggestions to StoryGraph.
9. A book that takes place over 24 hours (or less)
Some of the categories are designed to be more challenging than others. That's part of the fun, right? In this case, though, there are lots of books you could choose. Be it nonfiction, literary fiction or a popular genre, lots of writers use a ticking clock to add drama.
Sci-Fi Picks
Horror/Thriller Picks
- All Hallows by Christopher Golden
- No Exit by Taylor Adams
Romance Reads
- The Rewind by Allison Winn Scott
Literary (or General) Fiction
- Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Anxious People by Frederik Backman
Nonfiction
- Sous Chef: 24 Hours On the Line by Michael Gibney
- Frog Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Amphibian Lives by Marty Crump
10. A book with a "punny" title
It can be a slightly cheesy title or just a cute play on words. The idea is to pick up something you might have overlooked (or rolled your eyes at) in the past.
- Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
- Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
- Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
- Heart and Souel by Jen Frederickson
- The Time for Murder is Meow by T.C. LoTempio
More fun with puns in book titles
11. A book set somewhere you have lived or visited
This one is a bit trickier, recommendation-wise. Of course, if you're Jacksonville Public Library cardholder, chances are you're also a Florida resident. So, we'll start there. You can always branch out to other states or countries.
-
A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith
- Rich in Florida history
-
The Bishop's Pawn by Steve Berry
- Set in Florida, frequent trips to St. Augustine
-
Camino Island by John Grisham
- Reputed to be based on Amelia Island
-
The Brethren by John Grisham
- Much of the story centers around the former Pete's Bar in Neptune Beach
If you're having trouble with this (or any) category, you can always call in a book recommendation expert! Request a Personalized Booklist from one of our librarians! Of course, you can use this any time (not just for Jax Stacks).
12. A book written by or about a celebrity
Do you follow your favorite movie stars on Instagram? Get tickets to every concert by your favorite musical artists? Are you a fan of celebrity magazines? Get the full story, in their own words (or in the words of a ghostwriter or biographer).
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
- The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
- As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
- Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour
- Finding Me by Viola Davis
13. A book that you haven't read by your favorite author
Whose books go on your holds list the minute they hit the Library's catalog? Whether you're top author is a New York Times bestseller or an indie author who seriously deserves more attention, this is your chance to support your fave! This could be a brand new release or something from their backlog you just haven't picked up yet.
Here are some books by top authors (based on what gets checked out at the Library):
- The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson
- Deception Point by Dan Brown
- Blood Work by Michael Connelly
- The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich
- The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin
- Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
-
Witch King by Martha Wells
14. A book about the Olympics or an Olympian
With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games in February, this could be a great time to learn more about your favorite figure skater, snowboarder, hockey player or bobsledder. Of course, you don't have to just limit yourself to the Winter Olympics (or even nonfiction).
- Rise: My Story by Lindsay Vonn
- Speed Kings: The 1932 Winter Olympics and the Fastest Men in the World by Andy Bull
- Just Add Water: My Swimming Life by Katie Ledecky
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo
- The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne R. Coffey
15. A Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story
Many people use these two terms interchangeably (but there are slight differences). A Bildungsroman focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the main character from childhood to adulthood. A coming-of-age story focuses more broadly on the challenges of growing up. It may explore a pivotal moment but it may not follow their journey into full maturity (or it may do so over a series of books).
- A Thousand Steps by T. Jefferson Parker
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
16. A western, fiction or nonfiction
It's one of the most popular genres out there. Yet, it may be be one that you haven't fully explored. Expand your reading horizons this year.
- Blood on the Trail by Terrence McCauley
- Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
- Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour
- Last Stand at Saber River by Elmore Leonard
More stories from America's West
Looking for Reading Challenges for Kids and Teens?
All Duval County youth are encouraged to sign up for for Mayor Deegan's River City Readers city-wide literacy challenge. To participate, simply log at least 20 minutes of reading each day on the Beanstack tracker app. At the end of the year, the City's top young readers are given prizes!
During "Summer at the Library," kids and teens can also earn free books by tracking their reading (20 minutes a day for 20 days). The Summer Reading Challenge typically starts in early June and runs through the end of July or early August.
Make Your Plan
If you need help keeping track, pick up a Jax Stacks Reading Challenge bookmark - available at your local library. If you complete the challenge before December 31, 2026: Snap a picture of your completed bookmark and send it to jplprograms@coj.net to claim a prize!
All winners receive a 50% off coupon to the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library Bookstore. You may also choose from a Jax-Stacks-branded reusable canvas tote, ceramic mug, journal, or stainless tumbler (while supplies last).
Get Even More Book Recommendations
- Find recommendations from other readers on the Jax Stacks StoryGraph Challenge.
- Check out or add books to the group bookshelf on our Jax Stacks Goodreads Challenge!
- Sign up for The Book Hookup and get recommendations via email from popular genres.
- Use the free tools on Novelist Plus to find read-alikes for your favorite titles and authors.
- See all Forthcoming Books, New Fiction and New Nonfiction on the Library's catalog.
Get book recommendations and program reminders by email!
