Welcome, book friends!
If you’d prefer to listen to this book chat, you can check out the full episode on The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or listen below.
2026 Closed-Door Reading Challenge
I’m making a shift in the kinds of stories I plan to pick up next year. I want my reading life to reflect the boundaries I’ve set and to stay true to my personal morals and values. If you’d like to hear more about this shift, be sure to listen to the podcast episode above.
With this change in mind, I decided to create something fun to support both myself and my community: a book challenge centered around clean, closed-door romance. Say hello to the 2026 Closed-Door Reading Challenge.
The challenge is simple: Each month, choose one closed-door romance that fits one of the prompts I’ve created. You can follow the prompts in any order and explore any type of romance you enjoy, whether it leans contemporary, historical, fantasy, Christian, or YA. The goal is to keep things fun, easy, and stress-free all year long.
To help everyone connect, I created a hashtag for the challenge. If you join in, use #readcloseddoorromancebnb on your social posts. This helps me see who is participating and lets readers discover recommendations from others. I want this to feel very community-centered, so the hashtag keeps us all linked together. I can’t wait to discover new authors and fresh books through your posts.
If you’d like, you can also tag or mention me to let me know you’re taking part. I’ll be sharing monthly updates on my own reading progress, so follow me on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram to read along with me.
Also, I mentioned Oceana Reads Co.’s Christian romance reading challenge in the podcast episode. If you would like to join her challenge next year as well, you can watch her video announcement to learn more.
The 12 Prompts
For every prompt, choose a closed-door romance book in the genre of your choice.
New Release – Choose a book that was published in the month you complete the prompt. You can also choose a recent title from 2025 that you still want to read.
Fave Trope – Choose a book that features one of your favorite romance tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, fake dating or marriage, marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine, or forced proximity.
Your Name – Choose a book that begins with the same letter as your first name.
Flowers on the Cover – Choose a book that features any type of flower or plant on the cover.
On Your TBR List – Choose a book from your to-be-read (TBR) list. It can be a physical book, an ebook, or an audiobook.
Over 350 Pages – Choose a longer book that is more than 350 pages.
Summertime – Choose a book set in summer or one that gives you a fun beach read feeling.
New Author – Choose a book from a debut author or an author who is completely new to you.
Part of a Series – Choose the next book in a series you are reading or begin a brand new series.
Autumnal/Fall – Choose a book that takes place during the fall season or carries cozy autumn vibes.
Cozy Vibes – Choose a book that gives you those warm, fuzzy feelings and fills you with warmth and comfort.
Christmas, Holiday, or Winter – Choose a book set during the holidays, a Christmas romance, or any winter-themed romance if you do not celebrate a December holiday.
The Graphic
Be sure to right-click on the image and save it to your computer, or take a screenshot on your mobile device. After that, you can open it in Canva, Picmonkey, or any graphic editing tool you prefer. Add your book covers in each prompt spot and share your completed image with us on social media throughout the year. And remember to use the hashtag #readcloseddoorromancebnb so we can all follow along.
