It’s time for the annual Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge! Spend your 2026 reading lots of cozy mysteries! Get the details below.

JUST FOR FUN!

Cozy mysteries, also referred to simply as “cozies”, are a sub-genre of crime fiction mysteries in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. The crime-solver is an amateur sleuth, usually but not always a woman, who is thrust into the aftermath of the murder. The protagonist frequently has an occupation or hobby that brings appealing information to the reader.

Challenge – Read as many cozy mysteries as you can in 2026!

The challenge runs from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026.

Rules

1. Choose the level at which you would like to participate:

Levels

Peckish – 1 – 25 Cozy Mysteries
Famished – 26 – 51 Cozy Mysteries
Yearning – 51 – 75 Cozy Mysteries
Starving – 76 – 100 Cozy Mysteries
Ravenous – 101 – 125 Cozy Mysteries
Voracious – 126 – 150 Cozy Mysteries
Overindulged – 151 – 200 Cozy Mysteries
Pigged Out – 201 or more Cozy Mysteries

You can always go up a level, but you can’t go down.

I (Christy) am going for Yearning!

2. You can Feed Your Need To Read with print, digital, or audiobooks.

3. You do not have to post a review, but the authors would appreciate it if you did. If you need help, just let me know.

4. You do not need to have a blog to participate. If you do have a blog, use the button below, add it to your blog, and post about the challenge.

5. Join the Craving for Cozies Facebook Group here and share your progress with everyone.

6. Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book (right sidebar) for cozy giveaways and reviews.

7. You can keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track! It is super easy. Just click the MY BOOKS tab at the top of the page. When that page opens, just click – ADD A SHELF in the left-hand sidebar. Title it Craving for Cozies Challenge, and you are all set.

8. SIGN UP HERE!

The form has a spot to request a copy of your responses so you can save it and be able to refresh your memory as to which level you signed up for.

If you post about your books on Social Media, please use the hashtag #CravingCozies

FILL OUT THIS FORM WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE OR WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE YEAR.

HAVE FUN!

My List

Deck the Halls…Dead by Tessa Aura
In Skein Sight by Rebecca McKinnon

An Optional Mini Challenge

Please List the Title and the Author

A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR WHO HAS PASSED AWAY

A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR WITH AN ALLITERATIVE NAME (Cleo Coyle, Cate Conte, etc.)

A BOOK SET OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES

A BOOK SET IN ALASKA OR ARKANSAS

A BOOK BY A NEW TO YOU AUTHOR: Deck the Halls…Dead by Tessa Aura

A BOOK SHORTER THAN 200 PAGES

A BOOK THAT IS MORE THAN THE 7TH BOOK IN A SERIES

A BOOK THAT TAKES PLACE OVER A HOLIDAY

A BOOK CLASSIFIED AS A HISTORICAL COZY MYSTERY

A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN ON YOUR TO-BE-READ STACK FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS

A BOOK WITH PARANORMAL ELEMENTS

A BOOK WHERE A PET PLAYS A PROMINENT ROLE

This mini-challenge is completely optional; instead of a different one each month, this will be a year-long one.

You can set your own schedule just as long as you complete it by December 31, 2026.

This is the Craving for Cozies Library Card Challenge. You must “check out” a book that fits each prompt on your Library Card.

You can print out the picture above to keep track of books for the challenge or use the simple list above.

As she said, this is completely optional.

When you complete the Library Card Mini Challenge – FILL OUT THIS FORM

Lori will choose at least 1 winner in January 2027 from all who complete the challenge.

As requested, the Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge, including the bonus Craving for Cozies Library Card, has been added to Storygraph. https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/17114856-b09f-4802-8b9b-2dcddc8d594a

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will ask her.

Happy Reading!