I think reading challenges are so nice and such a good thing to join. I join the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year and it helps motivate me to keep picking up books. There are so many different reading challenges out there, I thought I would compile them into a master list so you can pick whichever suits your fancy.
Reading Challenges:
First things first, the list of challenges. These challenges give you prompts where you pick a book that is related to the prompt or it gives you a list of books to choose from that fits it.
The 52 Book Club’s Reading Challenge - The 52 Book Club does this challenge annually with 52 prompts, so 1 book a week. I have to say this is one of the most unique challenges since the prompts are so good. They aren’t your typical prompts.
Indigo’s Reading Challenge - If you’re Canadian, you may have heard of a bookstore called Chapters. It’s basically the B&N of Canada. It’s 25 prompts and I love how this one is interactive and will take you to a list on their site with books suggested for the prompt.
Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge - Book Riot’s reading challenge is one of the more known. They have a newsletter you can sign up for where they’ll provide guidance on each task. They also share other reading challenges and readathons from the internet in the newsletter. Highly recommend this one.
PS Reading Challenge - The website formerly known as PopSugar also has a well-known reading challenge. It features 40 different prompts and 10 “Advanced” prompts with ratings from easy to hard.
Goodreads Reading Challenge - The one I join every year and my favorite. You set a goal and track your books on the website that you read and it counts it towards the goal. This year, they’ve added Community Favorites Challenges and you can collect achievements for completing them. You simply have to read a book from the list for the achievement to complete it. I’m looking forward to it.
Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge - If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, this is the challenge for you. This challenge aims to read every book mentioned and seen on the show. It features over 500 books.
The Lisa Simpson Reading Challenge - If you’re looking to be as well-read as an 8-year-old who’s been around for 30 years, this is for you. In many episodes, Lisa is seen reading real books and this challenge aims to read them all.
Penguin Classics Challenge - I’ve been wanting to do this challenge for awhile so I’ve recently started this one last year. It’s been slow going, but well worth it. If you want to read more classics this year, challenge yourself to this one.
Barnes & Noble Yearly Reading Challenge - Barnes & Noble normally provides prompts and it’s up to you to go choose a book that fits. This year, they’ve recommended 4 books for each prompt (52 books in 52 weeks), but you can ultimately choose what you want to read.
Classics Reading Challenge - This challenge features a different prompt per month, but is a bit more of a stickler because each book has to fit into specific guidelines (i.e. it must be written before 1970).
The NoveList Reading Challenge - If you work in a library, you’re probably familiar with NoveList, a product of EBSCO. It’s a different prompt per month for the year and of course, they encourage you to use it for your patrons.
Storygraph Reading Challenges - Storygraph is a website like Goodreads where you can track your reading. It also features member-made reading challenges that you can join. You can browse by category including genre, geographical area, pop culture and more.
Reading Challenges for Children
Shelf Reflection’s Reading Challenge for Kids - This challenge includes 25 different prompts like a book that takes place in spring, a book with a blue cover, a graphic novel and more.
We Read Tween Books Reading Challenge - A challenge featuring 12 prompts for those with a tweenager like myself. Some of the prompts are very fun looking and I like how it includes Listen to an Audiobook because audiobooks aren’t pushed for their age group.
Read Brightly Monthly Reading Challenges - Featuring different challenges for each month from September to May, each month has various prompts like read in the bath, read a book for Black History Month, and read aloud to your pet or stuffed animal.
Indigo’s Kids’ Reading Challenge - Just like the one for adults above, they also have a version for children. It doesn’t feature as many prompts and includes Free Spaces so you can print it as a bingo card.
Create Your Own Challenge
Read the entirety of an author’s catalogue - Some fun ones I want to do are Agatha Christie, Stephen King and Ann Rule.
Read a book from every genre - Challenge yourself to read a different genre each month like mystery, romance, sci-fi, fantasy and more.
Read a book by an author from every country or continent - There’s only 7 continents but way more countries. I don’t know many international authors so this one intrigues me. This list looks epic for it.
Read a book set in every decade - Start a reading journey through the eras. You can start in the 20th century or further back. Here’s lists for the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Join a book club - Everything is better with friends.
Read books that have been adapted into movies - There’s so many good books made into movies. One I will never recommend is The Notebook, though. The one instance for me where the movie was better.
Join a celebrity book club - Celebrity book clubs have been popping up like zits on a teen’s face lately. They’re a dime a dozen, but they do put reading in the public eye and encourage it. Here are a few well-known ones: Oprah’s Book Club; Reese Witherspoon’s Reese’s Book Club; Jenna Bush Hager’s Read With Jenna; Kaia Gerber’s Library Science; Emma Watson & Karah Preiss’s Belletrist; Dakota Johnson’s Teatime Pictures; Florence Welch’s Between Two Books; Sarah Jessica Parkers’ SJP Lit.
Read award winners - There are so many different literary awards you can choose from. Here’s a list on Goodreads of the different awards and their winners.
Reading Tips:
Looking for tips on how to complete your reading challenge? Look no further.
Read different formats - Whether it’s audio, eBook, or physical, a book is a book.
Keep your book with you - if your book is too big, consider investing in an e-reader. You can also incorporate audiobooks into your daily routine, like washing the dishes, doing laundry, at the gym, etc.
Use the “Rule of 50” - If you’re not enjoying a book after 50 pages, don’t finish it. Move on to another book and don’t waste time on something that bores you or you’re dreading picking up.
Make it part of your bedtime routine - Set a goal of so many minutes to read instead of doom-scrolling Insta.
Did you join a reading challenge this year? Let me know in the comments.
Hope to see you here again,
Kirsten