It's Time for the 2026 Read Harder Challenge!

From Read or Dead by Book Riot

January 23, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss mystery and thriller recommendations for the 2026 Read Harder Challenge.

Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss some mystery and thriller recommendations for the 2026 Read Harder Challenge! Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter! Things Discussed God of the Woods - Liz Moore - next book club read! - March 6th Read Harder Challenge 2026 This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed 22) Nonviolent True Crime: The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy - Paige Williams 17) Cults: Kismet - Amina Akhtar 6) Read a gothic novel published in the last ten years - The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story - Olga Tokarczuk, Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones 21) Read a genre (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) book in translation - Death Takes Me - Cristina Rivera Garza, Translated by Robin Myers and Sarah Booker My Husband’s Wife - Alice Feeney (January 20th) On Sundays She Picked Flowers - Yah-Yah Scholfield (Jan 27th) If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Katie McLain Horner, Kendra Winchester

Topics covered

mystery
thriller
Read Harder Challenge
book recommendations
gothic novels

Keywords

Read Harder Challenge
mystery recommendations
thriller recommendations
gothic novels
book club

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Book Riot

Books & works: God of the Woods, The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy, Kismet, The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story, Death Takes Me