This Year’s Physical TBR Challenge

Last year, I decided to turn my challenge to read 12 books that I’d owned since before the start of the year into a charity challenge as well. For each book I read, I’d donate $50 to a family or person in Gaza. I exactly met my 12 book goal, which means I donated $600 to 12 different families.

Towards the end of the year, I did start to feel a bit disillusioned with my plan. Very few of the fundraisers that I contributed to met their goals, and Operation Olive Branch (my primary source for choosing fundraisers) had stopped updating back in October. I had to start relying on those few people on social media who were still posting about those in need (mostly author Xiran Jay Zhao). There were a couple of cases where someone’s sponsor stole all the donations intended for them. It was a really disheartening situation.

I do hope that my donations made it or will make it to the people they were intended for, and will help them out, whether they choose to continue to try to cross into Egypt or return to what is left of their homes during the ceasefire. I do think it’s important to continue to keep an eye on what is happening in Palestine and donate to people and causes there.

However, this year I’m going to spread the love around a bit. For one thing, while the situation in Palestine is still dire, the situation in America is also really scary. I’m feeling a strong urge to donate to causes closer to home, especially those focused on the LGBTQIA+ community and libraries.

I had to spend the last month or so thinking about how I wanted to do things this year, and here’s what I came up with:

I will still donate $50 for each book I read as part of my Physical TBR Challenge. However, I will choose a different charity or fundraiser for each book. My goal is to find causes related to some element of the book. Also, when possible/relevant, I’ll actually have my spouse make the donation if we can take advantage of donation matching from their employer (my employer is too small to offer this perk).

As with last year, I’d like to recommend that you consider finding a similar challenge that you can do for yourself. It doesn’t have to be physical TBR books — it could be every row you finish in a book bingo, or every craft project you complete or every time you set a new Personal Record in weight lifting. Choose a dollar amount that feels doable for your budget. And share the charities that you choose to support.

Speaking of, here are this year’s beneficiaries of my Physical TBR Challenge.

Books Read and Charities Donated To

Flamboyants by George M. Johnson, illustrated by Charly Palmer. In honor of this book’s celebration of the queer Harlem Renaissance, I chose to donate to Lavender Rights Project, a Washington-based charity providing advocacy and legal services for gender diverse and intersex people of color, with an emphasis on Black trans people.

Wake by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez. In honor of this being a book about Black women, written by a Black woman, I donate to a fundraiser for a Black woman. C.S.A. Garcia is an author in Trinidad and Tobago who is asking for help paying for cancer treatment and living expenses while she heals.

Last updated 3/4/2025.

Physical TBR Challenge Rules

As a reminder, this challenge is about specifically reading the physical books that I already owned at the start of each year. To count for this challenge, the book in question has to be something I bought or received as a gift before January 1, 2025. Books that I purchased, received, or borrowed this year do not count for the challenge. But don’t worry, I’m sure I won’t read them all this year either, so they’ll count when I get around to them next year… or in 2027.

Oh, it also counts if a book technically belongs to my spouse but I decide to read it. Honestly some of these books have been on our shelves so long, it’s hard to say how we got them or who they were originally intended for, and someone needs to read ’em.