Tag Archives: Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

January 4, 2026 · 2:45 pm

The 2026 Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge Topics

Long and Short Reviews has released the list of topics for their eighth year of Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge posts.  I’m going to start working on my replies ASAP and will see everyone for the first one in three days.

This is a graphic that shares all 50 Wednesday Weekly Blogging challenge topics for 2026. I will transcribe them in the post as there isn’t space here. Above the list in this image you can see an opened laptop on a wooden table. All of the details on how to participate can be found on their site.

If you’re having trouble reading the image, scroll down for a transcription of the weekly topics. Everyone is welcome to join in at any point of the year.

January 7 – New Books I’m Looking Forward to This Year

January 14 – The First TV Show I Remember Watching

January 21 – Humorous Book Titles

January 28 – Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

 

February 4 – Will You Watch the Super Bowl? Why or Why Not?

February 11 – My Favourite Song Lyrics

February 18 – Song Lyrics That Made Me Cringe

February 25 – Fictional Things I Wish Were Real

 

March 4 – Fictional Things I’m Glad Are NOT Real

March 11 – Books About My Favourite Topic

March 18 – Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed

March 25 – A Genre I Want to Read More of This Year

 

April 1 – Favourite Book Blogs and/or Book Bloggers

April 8 – What Were You Like as a Child?

April 15 – My Unusual Hobbies/Interests

April 22 – A Few Happy Memories From My Life

April 29 – A Celebrity I’d Like to Meet

 

May 6 – Something I Could Give a Speech About With No Notice

May 13 – Something I Wish I Knew More About

May 20 – A Typical Day in My Life

May 27 – Animals I Wish I Could Have As Pets

 

June 3 – Unique YouTube, TikTok, or Other Videos I’ve Seen Recently

June 10 – A Story About My Best Teacher

June 17 – Something to Know Before Visiting My Country/City

June 24 – Have You Ever Attended Your High School Reunion? Why?

 

July 1 – Websites I Wish Still Existed

July 8 – Stores or Other Physical Place I Wish Still Existed

July 15 – Would You Go Skydiving? Why or Why Not?

July 22 – Books I Wish I’d Discovered Sooner

July 29 – My Life in Photos or GIFs

 

August 5 – Reasons I’ve Stopped Reading or Watching a Series

August 12 – Foods From My Geographic Area That I Love

August 19 – Foods From My Geographic Area That I Don’t Like

August 26 – A Weird Fact I Learned from Reading Fiction

 

September 2 – One Sci-Fi Item or Ability I Wish Really Existed

September 9 – Books Set Near Where I Live

September 16 – Book/TV/Movie Characters I’d Invite to Dinner

September 23 – One of My Pet Peeves

September 30 – Something I Can’t Live Without and Why

 

October 7 – A Profession from a Book/Movie/TV Show I’d Like to Try

October 14 – Prologues/Epilogues – Love or Hate Them? Why?

October 21 – Reread Books or Rewatch Movies? Why?

October 28 – Favorite Memories From My Childhood

 

November 4 – Something I Always Thought Was True (But Wasn’t)

November 11 – Favorite Festival/Fair/Holiday

November 18 – Activities That Improve My Mood

November 25 – One of My Strangest Dreams

 

December 2 – Favourite Movie/TV Show I Saw This Year and Why

December 9 – Favourite Books I Read This Year and Why

December 16 – The Best Gift I’ve Been Given

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December 17, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Something I Wish I Were Better At Doing

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

A light orange sign that says “new skills training”. Just so you all know, I’ve been having trouble leaving comments on some WordPress blogs recently. They ask me to log in even though I’m already logged in, and then when I leave my comment it never appears on the post. If I don’t comment on your post, I am not ignoring you.

Now onto today’s topic.

I wish I were better at starting and  keeping conversations going with people I’ve either just met or don’t know much about.

As someone who is shy and introverted with a splash of social anxiety to add another layer of difficulty to it all, I still do not always know what to say to enrich a conversation.

I worry about accidentally hurting someone’s feelings by mentioning something that is a sensitive topic for them.

If I’m talking to someone I already know, I can easily steer the conversation away from topics I know are tricky for them and to things I know will make their faces light up with joy.

With a stranger or acquaintance, you can’t possibly know in advance where all of their sore spots are even if you try to avoid the most obvious topics that should be handled delicately if at all.

I’m also uninterested in stuff like sports, fashion, or celebrity gossip that many people use as icebreakers. So you can ask me about that sportsball game or which actors are secretly dating if you wish to…but I won’t have a solitary clue what you’re talking about and so will just be smiling and nodding along without anything new to add to whatever just happened.

This is something I’ve gradually gotten better at over the years, but it’s still not easy for me to come up with general interest topics that are inoffensive and interesting but that I also know enough about to keep talking about.

Thank goodness for books is all I can say. Without them and the interesting ideas they contain, whether they’re science facts or cool plot twists in fictional tales,  I truly would be permanently stumped.

 

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December 10, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: 10 Gifts for People Who Love The Outdoors

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Two gifts, one the size of a hardback novel and the other the size of a large adult human hand, are wrapped in white paper. They both have red ribbons tied around them and greenery tucked inside of the ribbon next to the wrapping paper. I am not very talented at making generic present suggestions because so much of what goes into gift buying for me are the specific personality traits and interests of the recipients.

Some people would love tickets to a baseball game or a lightweight kettle they can bring with them on backcountry hiking trips, for example, while others might find it exciting to get a gift card to a beloved local coffee shop or a new book from their favourite author.

The last time we had this prompt, I talked about what to buy for minimalists who don’t want a lot of stuff they then have to dust or look after.

This year I’m going to give some gift ideas for nature lovers as I happen to be one of those folks who loves spending time outdoors surrounded by plants and (docile) wildlife.

Closeup photo of a small tree branch covered in a heavy layer of wet snow. 1) Their favourite sunscreen, bug spray, anti-itch cream, or lotion.

Obviously, check ahead of time to see which products they prefer and if they’re comfortable with this, but I love getting practical gifts like this.

2) A subscription to a weather app

You do not want to be wandering out into the forest and possibly out of communication range if tornadoes, thunderstorms, or blizzards are in the forecast!

3) Shelf-stable snacks

Dried fruit or vegetables, crackers, trail mix, dried meat,  ingredients for s’mores, and similar items  are much appreciated after working up an appetite outdoors.

4) A new water bottle 

Make it something sturdy that won’t shatter into a thousand pieces if it is accidentally dropped.

5) A gift card to their favourite grocery store or outdoorsy store

This is such a flexible idea that can work for people of any age or fitness level. I like outdoor picnics, for example, and would be thrilled to splurge on a few fancy food options if I had a gift card to a grocery store. Someone who hikes out in the wilderness for days on end might prefer to use their gift card towards new hiking boots,  a tent, or a million other options you can find that you didn’t know existed at stores that specialize in hiking, camping, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities.

6) Companionship

If you’re able to, offer to go with them on one of their adventures. Some types of outdoor activities are simply not safe to do alone at all, and most of them are much more fun with a friend or a group of people.

7) A sun hat

My dad bought me a great new sun hat  last spring. I was able to get so much use out of it this year, and it’s a good idea to use multiple layers of protection against the sun on a bright or hot day.

8) Camera accessories 

My phone takes pretty great photos, but there are so many accessories that serious photographers could use to take even better ones.

9) Stories

Is it really a campfire or a bonfire if nobody has any stories to tell? I’d argue no. The more stories everyone shows up with, the better. They can be from fiction or nonfiction books as well as from real life.

10) A small first aid kit

Obviously, I hope that no one ever needs to use it, but I always carry some basic supplies with me if I’m going anywhere other than downtown Toronto. It has come in handy once or twice, too!

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December 3, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Earliest Memory

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Black and white photo of a baby sleeping in a crib.

This is not my brother, but it is what I was hoping to find in that crib!

As this is the third time this has been a prompt for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge, I’ll provide links to my previous two answers: eating apples and tire swings.

This memory happened in the same old farmhouse as my first two posts. To be honest, any one of my three answers could be my genuine first memory. When you’re little things can be a little fuzzy as far as which moment happened first.

In this snapshot from my past  I am walking around the house looking for my baby brother which means I was probably about three years old when this occurred.  I liked knowing where my brother was and what he was doing.

There was a wooden crib in one of the rooms of the house, and I thought it was a good place to check.

I walked quietly into the room and past the crib in case he was asleep. He was not in there, so I decided to check the kitchen.

That is where this snippet of memory ends. I can only assume he was with mom in the kitchen, and I wish I could remember what happened next.

 

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November 26, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Genre I Wish Were More Popular

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Four red advent pillar candles. Two are lit and two have never been lit yet. Oh, this week’s topic is easy.

I wish Christmas ghost stories were popular today.

In Victorian England in the 1800s, telling ghost stories was a widespread Christmas tradition. There were new entries in this genre published every year for families to enjoy, and some of them became classics that are still well-known today.

I try to keep that tradition going in my own small way by seeking out and hopefully also reviewing ghost stories every December, but I’d love it if they were easier to find and if more people saw the value in reading something just a little scary at this time of the year.

Since Christmas isn’t always an easy holiday for me to enjoy for reasons beyond the scope of this post, having something to look forward to during it makes a world of difference for me. I think it’s so emotionally healthy to give people a wide variety of ways to interact with holidays they struggle with.  Not everything has to be cheerful and sugary sweet all of the time in order to be meaningful.

Oh, and one of the tags on this post is Seth’s Christmas Ghost Stories because I actually reviewed quite a few classic ghost stories from the late 1800s and early 1900s on my blog a few years ago. Click on that tag to read my reviews if you wish to.

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November 19, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books That Influenced My Life

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

About a dozen lightbulbs are scattered on a white surface in a dark room. Despite not being screwed into anything, one of the lightbulbs is emitting light and therefore allowing the viewer to see what is in this space.

This is a bit of a slippery topic for me because of how my idea of an influential book has evolved over time.

A title that meant the world to me as a kid or a teenager may not have the same effect on me as an adult, for example. This doesn’t detract from how much I loved it at those life stages, but not everything is going to feel the same for a reader depending on when they pick it up and what circumstances they’re currently going through.

Change is a normal part of life, after all.

Here are some books that meant the world to me the first time I read them.

The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Ishmael (Ishmael, #1) by Daniel Quinn

A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present by Howard Zinn

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Would I feel the same way about them today? It’s hard to tell, but maybe!

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November 12, 2025 · 1:00 am

 Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Things I’m Thankful For

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I love this topic!

A little white heart that has the phrase “I am grateful” printed onto it. There is a tiny red heart next to the phrase and a piece of twine attached to the heart, probably so it can be hung somewhere. This year I am grateful for…

Modern Medicine

A world without vaccines, antibiotics, antivirals, radiation and chemotherapy, contraception, anesthesia and painkillers in general, surgery, and other treatments for what ails us would include so much unnecessary suffering. History books are filled with stories about what happened before we had accesses to these things, and they are anything but easy to read.

 

People Who Do “Dirty” Jobs

That is to say, the people who pick vegetables, prepare meat, clean toilets, unclog pipes, monitor sewage, gather up garbage, scrub everything, empty bedpans, dress wounds, and do the other thousand and one jobs that keep the rest of us living in safe, clean places.

 

Books

With all of the difficult things going on in the world today, books provide such a welcomed respite from bad news.

 

Loved Ones

I am lucky to have such good relationships with my spouse, parents, siblings, sister-in-law, nephews, and other relatives.

 

Noise-Cancelling Earphones

Yes, really! Last summer was hot, humid, and didn’t always have good air quality, so I unfortunately had more migraines than I typically would. There’s nothing like the relief of noise-cancelling earphones when you’re in sensory overload and even the smallest sounds feel painfully loud.

 

Jokes 

It makes me so happy when people who are talented at cracking jokes share their gift with the world. Laughter can be like medicine for one’s soul.

 

All of You

You make the Internet and the WWBC a better place!

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November 5, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Strange or Useless Talent I Have

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

This time I am linking back to my previous answer to this question.

A grey, white, and black striped kitty is lying on a wooden surface outdoors, possibly a patio, and gazing at the viewer. Other than regularly looking away from tv shows and films just before something important happens, I am every cat’s best friend. They would like nothing more than to follow me around and go on feline-friendly adventures while I would like nothing more than for them to pick a new human to bond with.

No, I do not hate cats. In fact, I’d happily share my home with a few of them if it were possible.

This is an utterly useless talent because I am terribly allergic to cats and can’t even stand near them without coughing and wheezing, much less give them the affection they desire.

I suspect that they love me so much because I do my best to ignore them. While other people might squeal and rush after kitty, I keep a respectful distance.

According to cat logic, of course, this means that I am a well-mannered human and should be rewarded with a cuddle.

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October 29, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Scary Books I’ve Recommended and Why

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Black and white sketch of a ghost who is floating through the air with their arms outstretched. They look like a cartoon ghost covered in a white sheet with two eye holes cut into the sheet. Very cute. I feel like I recommend a lot of the same books here over and over again.

In an attempt to break out of that pattern, here are some scary and I’d argue also Halloween-friendly books I think anyone who likes that sort of stuff should read them.

So far as I recall, I have only occasionally talked about (most of?) them on my blog in the past.

 

1. The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

Why: If you’ve ever picked up a book about a teenage girl who is seduced by a 100+-year-old vampire and wondered what their lives would actually be like a few decades after they met, you might really like this twist on that trope. Let’s just say it’s not exactly Twilight. 😂

2. Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison

Why: The most terrifying moments in this story have nothing at all to do with the paranormal. To me, that realism and willingness to dive deeply into real-life issues makes a tale ten times scarier!

 

3. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Why: The twist ending is fantastic. If you haven’t seen the Will Smith film based on this story, it was also really well done and is definitely worth watching.

 

4. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

Why: It’s a deeply satisfying ghost story that feels more realistic and tragic to me than many other corners of this genre due to the Woman in Black’s reason for not finding peace after death.

 

5. The Last of What I Am: A Novel by Abigail Cutter

Why:The character development was excellent. Don’t allow the idea of reading about a Confederate soldier turn you off from picking this tale up. This was in no way a defence of racism, slavery, or anything abhorrent like that. Tom was a well-rounded and interesting person who was tangled up in something much bigger than himself and who had grown in all sorts of incredible ways since his death.

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October 22, 2025 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Things That Scare Me

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

We’ve done this topic before, but I’m once again not looking at my old answers. I think it’s more fun to mix things up and maybe give some responses I didn’t share previously. (Or maybe they’ll all be the same? Someday I may go back and check, but today won’t be that day.)

There are plenty of serious things in real life that scare me, of course, but I’m trying to focus on lighthearted Halloween-themed answers today so that everyone will feel comfortable responding.

Please don’t take this post as a sign that I’m ignoring the troubles of the world because I’m not. I’m just trying to avoid topics that will spark unwanted debates on hot topics in my comment section. Ha!

A brown skinned’s person’s handed holding up a paper sign that has the word “scary” written on it. The words have been mounted on a few decorative layers of purple and blue paper for added effect. The Woods 

There’s no one around to help and no street signs to guide you if you get lost. You’re on your own.

 

Awakening Angry Spirits

No, movie characters, you do NOT need to steal that trinket from the graveyard or ignore the locals’ warnings about staying out of the woods. You will have a much better time in life if you mind your own business and assume that strangers who tell you something is dangerous are doing so for a very good reason.

 

Time Travel

Visiting the past doesn’t seem that fun to me. I’d rather stay here where we have antibiotics, the Internet, and air conditioning.

 

Sexy Monsters 

I don’t care if they’re vampires, zombies, werewolves, Sasquatch, ghosts, or something similar. The fact that they’re trying to lure humans closer to them is more than enough reason for me to run away.

It’s sort of like anglerfish who emit light from their antennas in order to attract prey. If they’re irresistibly alluring but clearly not human, this could be a sign that you’re about to be turned into dinner!

(But no offence intended to those of you who like these sorts of stories, of course. I just get danger vibes from this type of character).

 

Curses

You can eventually outrun or outsmart most other foes, but you – or a book character –  can’t possibly fool a curse. It will follow you no matter where you go.

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