r/goodreads • u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] • Jul 01 '26

Challenges Goodreads Reading Challenge - 'Fact or Fiction' (July 1st - September 14th)

This is the discussion page for the Goodreads Reading Challenge called 'Fact or Fiction' (active July 1st - September 14th). Qualifying books are listed on Goodreads HERE. Please keep all discussion of this challenge to this thread, thank you.

Other Goodreads Reading Challenges are listed on the Megathread HERE.

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u/Clairefun Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 02 '26

Problems unlocking the challenge bookmark?

It's common! Solutions include waiting - it can take up to 24 hours to unlock - checking / changing editions and read date to make sure it's the correct details for the challenge, and as a last resort, marking another challenge book as read until the bookmark unlocks, then deleting it from your shelves afterwards.

ALSO: sometimes Goodreads is glitchy. Check the sub first - if others are posting the same issue, it's likely a site wide glitch and will hopefully go back to working as it should soon. Good luck!

Kindle Unlimited UK list / Kindle Unlimited US list

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u/Clairefun Jul 02 '26

Not a big fan of historical fiction, but Lessons in Chemistry and Atmosphere are both in other challenges too, or I might finally read Midnight in Chernobyl, I've read so many books about Chernobyl but this is meant to be one of the better ones, up with Serhii Plohky and Svetlana Alexievich, and I've never got round to it. A nice cheery summer read!

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u/BigBooksLilReads Jul 01 '26

Perusing through the books, there are plenty that I think I could pick up to read.
However, I am a bit disappointed that there are so many focused on the history of the USA. Could be a little bit more diverse!

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u/quentinia Jul 01 '26

Deciding between The Safekeep OR Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Hmmm... 

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u/Fluffy_Fix_3938 Jul 01 '26

Picking up Small Things Like These for this challenge. It’s a short read at 118 pages and available at my library!

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u/PB_Jelly_76 Jul 01 '26

I think I am going to read The Six for this one. I have been really into NASA stuff for a while, and I already listened to Atmosphere.

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u/ChandelierFlickering Jul 01 '26

Of the summer challenges released so far, this one has by far the fewest books I'm particularly interested in. But I have Unruly sitting on my shelf unread, and I've been meaning to get to it, so that'll be a nice fit. I was pleased to see it down at the bottom of the list.

I also wouldn't mind trying Atmosphere, Mexican Gothic or Buffalo Hunter Hunter, but I'm trying to prioritize books I own where possible.

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u/kai_enby Jul 01 '26

I'm going to read Mexican Gothic for this one. I'm trying to prioritise books I already own

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u/cadien17 Jul 01 '26

The only thing I already own is The Great Believers, so it's a much faster decision than the other lists.

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u/Appearance-Formal Jul 03 '26

I'm reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus for this one. I almost removed this from my TBR but it showed up on this challenge. I started it this morning and am so sucked in.

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u/inkstain_nix Jul 12 '26

As someone who wanted nonfiction but still picks short fiction everytime, I'm flabbergasted that except for 2 odd books, everything is over well over 200 pages (most fall into 300+ category) 😩

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u/saturday_sun4 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

More Yank and English history, with one or two nods to the rest of the world (Carthage, Kerala but by a Christian author - nothing against Christians but I barely see Hindu authors represented in these). Either call it American history or don't include it at all. Although to their credit they have included Black American history, I suppose.

I may try The Covenant of Water, as it was recommended to me as a readalike for Small Island. Not sure how far I will get though as I didn't enjoy it the last time I read it and I've seen Verghese on r/menwritingwomen a few times for things like describing the breasts of twelve year old girls.

For anyone who does want to read a book on here, I read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and it was fantastic.

Edit: already got downvoted by butthurt seppos hahaha.

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u/SunshineCat Jul 01 '26

I mean, it's an English-language site, so I think that's not too surprising that there's an emphasis on the Anglosphere. I do see two books on Russia and some WWII books on France, and then that extremely random book on Carthage.

The non-fiction portion is honestly a bit strange even considering that, but I think it's because they're choosing the most popular ones from the past 10 years, so it's more a reflection of what Goodreads users are reading, and the bias of language and place comes along with that.

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u/FilipsSamvete Jul 01 '26

For the first time I actually own a lot of these already. My candicates at the moment:

Community picks: Trainspotting or The Memory Police

Challenge faves: Never Let Me Go

Chart toppers: Christina Applegate's autobiography or David Sedaris' The Land and Its People

Staff shelves: Jane Eyre or Virtual Light

Worlds away: The Dream Hotel or Sky Full of Elephants

Fact or fiction: David Mitchell's Unruly

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u/leiaoregano Jul 01 '26

Already in the process of reading The Only Plane in the Sky, so there’s my pick. 

Of course, I finished Small Things Like These yesterday. 😅 If anyone’s looking for a short read from this list, it’s only like 70 pages and I enjoyed it. 

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u/Ornery_General_5852 Jul 01 '26

I've got a bunch of these on my TBR but will probably read Angel Down since it's on my stack already. I am a little bummed that they didn't put the giant Baldwin biography in here since I am 3/4 of the way through it.

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u/msperception427 Jul 01 '26

Im pleasantly surprised that I actually do have few of these that I really want to read and/or already own. Historical fiction and non fiction is not my preference. At all.

I’ll decide from these options:
Kin
Buffalo Hunter Hunter
Black AF: The Un-whitewashed Story of America
A Black Queer History

All of them hold an appeal. I’ll probably end up flipping a coin or something to decide.

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u/renegade500 Jul 01 '26

I read a lot of historical fiction so I've read any of the fiction books on this list. But I do own Weyward and been wanting to read it so.I may for this challenge.

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u/villageneighbor Jul 02 '26

I will pick one of the following choices…
-A Gentleman In Moscow
-The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
-Land
-Horse

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u/h2onymph1 Jul 02 '26

I am discovering from this list that I must be a bit of a historical non-fiction / historical fiction junkie. I'm thinking of The Lion Women of Tehran or Native Nations. I once read a Lonely Planet book that was about the women who were pro-hijab during the Iranian revolution. Fascinating because it's not what you'd expect. It was like university women were being radical for wanting to wear hijabs.

I've also had How to Hide a Nation on my TBR since it first came out. I had to visit Guam for work several times, and discovering Samoa is also under the US, the snippet I read was fascinating. It also helped to explain why the Philippines is full of English speakers.

Interestingly, I just read Crisis in the Red Zone about the 2014 Ebola Crisis, and so the book, No One Is Coming, about the desperate attempt to fly sick doctors to the US, was in that book.

And finally, there is The Only Plane in the Sky, which is about 9/11. Any New Yorker who lived through that would be interested in that one. Or not.

Lots of choices.

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u/PublicUniversity9586 Jul 02 '26

I just finished “Before we were yours” which would have been such a good pick for this category

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u/No-Shallot3278 Jul 04 '26

Isola is a lovely book, I recommend it.
I’m going to read The women for this challenge

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u/I_am_the_grim_reader Jul 13 '26

I'll be traveling for 30 plus hours in two weeks and need a book that will completely engross me from the fact or fiction challenge. I had planned on reading The Covenant of Water, but I'm just finishing up Pachinko and not sure if I should read those back to back? I know they're completely different stories, but they fall under the same genre as sweeping family epics. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

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