2023 Reading Challenges

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2023 Reading Challenge Progress

Goal: read 50 books

14 / 50

 

Decades Reading Challenge

Each month, read one book SET in a different decade, in chronological order. The book doesn’t have to be written during the decade; they just need to take place during it to give you a feel for life in that era. Goal: read 12 books.

  1. January (1880s or 1890s): To the Bright Edge of the World, Eowyn Ivey (1885 Alaska)
  2. February (1900s or 1910s): The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue (1918 Dublin, Ireland)
  3. March (1920s):
  4. April (1930s):
  5. May (1940s):
  6. June (1950s):
  7. July (1960s):
  8. August (1970s):
  9. September (1980s):
  10. October (1990s): Country, Michael Hughes (1996 Northern Ireland)
  11. November (2000s or 2010s):
  12. December (Books Spanning Decades):

Sign up for the challenge here.

3 / 12

 

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Read books set at least 20 years before the year in which they are published (that is my definition of historical fiction, not the challenge host’s). Goal: Renaissance Reader (read 10 books).

  1. The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton (published 1920, set in 1870s)
  2.  The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner (about half set in 1791, London)
  3. The Door of No Return, Kwame Alexander (1860, Ghana)
  4. Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead (1950s-1960s, Harlem, NY)
  5. To the Bright Edge of the World, Eowyn Ivey (1885 Alaska)
  6.  The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue (1918 Dublin, Ireland)
  7.  Country, Michael Hughes (1996 Northern Ireland)
  8. Book 8
  9. Book 9
  10. Book 10

Sign up for the challenge here.

7 / 10

 

Monthly Motif Challenge

Read one book each month based on that month’s theme. Goal: read 12 books.

  1. JANUARY—New Year, New Direction. Read a book with one, or more ‘directional’ words in the title (i.e., into, over, out, behind, left, right, down, up, north, south, out, etc.): The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner (lost is a direction… right?)
  2. FEBRUARY—If You Have A Garden and a Library…Read a book with a plant or flower on the cover: Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” Zora Neale Hurston
  3. MARCH—Animal, Number, Color, Name. Read a book with an animal, number, color, or name in the title.
  4. APRIL—I Like Big Books. Read a book over 400 pages long or listen to an audiobook over 14 hrs long.
  5. MAY—In It to Win It. Read a book that involves a game or contest of some sort.” ie. Virtual reality, video games, war games, psychological mess-with-your-mind games, characters who participate in a contest, or a story in which the character takes on a personal challenge.
  6. JUNE—Take the Plunge. Read a book from any genre that is set on or near a body of water—lake, ocean, pool, river, etc.
  7. JULY—I Need Only One Word. Read a book with only one word as the title.
  8. AUGUST—A Book and a Song. Read a book with the same title as a song you’ve heard.
  9. SEPTEMBER—Speculative Stories. Read a book from the speculative fiction subgenre,” i.e., a book with elements that do not exist in the real world. 
  10. OCTOBER—Spellbinding or Spooktacular. Read a book that involves something spooky or magical or both.
  11. NOVEMBER—Around OR Out of this World. Read a book set in a country other than the one you live in OR read a book that takes place in space or on another planet.
  12. DECEMBER—White-Out. Read a book with a wintery setting or a book with a mostly white cover.

Sign up for the challenge here.

2 / 12

 

Book Voyage Read Around the World Challenge

Each month, read one book set in a different region of the world as a way of armchair traveling and learning more about the vast and beautiful differences in both landscape and culture. Goal: read 12 books

    1. January (book set in the Artic or Antarctic): Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night, Julian Sancton (Antarctica)
    2. February (book set in Western Europe): The English Bookshop, Janis Wildy (England)
    3. March (book set in Africa):
    4. April (book set in on an island):
    5. May (book set in Eastern Europe):
    6. June (book set in Australia):
    7. July (book set in Southern Asia):
    8. August (book set in Northern Asia):
    9. September (book set on a mode of transportation):
    10. October (book set in the Middle East):
    11. November (book set in North America):
    12. December (book set in South America):

    Bonus: Book set on multiple continents:

    Sign up for the challenge here.

    2 / 12

     

    Read Your Bookshelf Challenge

    This is a low-pressure reading challenge with reading prompts for every month of the year. Goal: read 12 books

    1. January: “A” or “The” in the title: The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton
    2. February: Complementary colors on the cover or the spine of January book: To the Bright Edge of the World, Eowyn Ivey
    3. March: Title starts with the next letter in the alphabet from February book: The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett
    4. April: A different genre from March book
    5. May: Has more pages than April book
    6. June: Title has half as many letters as May book
    7. July: Set in a different country or world than June book
    8. August: The same genre as July book
    9. September: Turn to page 50, one of those words is in the title
    10. October: First letter of author’s last name is the first letter of the title of September book
    11. November: A different time period than October book
    12. December: Page count is within 20 of November book

    Sign up for the challenge here.

    3 / 12

     

    Where Am I Reading?

    A map of setting locations for books I read in 2023.


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