The holidays are here and 2016 is nearly at an end. That means one thing: it’s time to start thinking about your reading goals for 2017! Reading challenges and read-a-thons are a great way to keep you up to date with that TBR pile, to give you that little extra push, or to challenge you to read outside of your comfort zone.
There are plenty of challenges to choose from. From the most basic challenge of just reading a certain number of books in a year, to the more advanced challenges of choosing a book from a list of select categories, there is something out there for every kind of reader.
This list contains ten examples of challenges, though, if you find yourself wanting more then check out this list of reading challenges, and this calendar of read-a-thons.
1. Goodreads Reading Challenge
The Goodreads challenge is one of the most basic of challenges with millions of participants. Every year, you can pledge a number of books you want to read that year. You are able to change this number at any time if you need to. At the end of the year, if you read the number of books you pledged, then you get a nice badge for your account. The fun part about this challenge is being able to track and compete with all your Goodreads friends.
Source: Goodreads
2. #AYearAThon
The first reading marathon for the list is #AYearAThon. This read-a-thon takes place the first week of every month. Every month, there is a theme and the goal for that week is to read as much as you can within that theme. The themes are chosen by popular vote and if you join their Goodreads group right now you might just get in on the vote!
Source: Pixabay
3. Popsugar Reading Challenge
Every year, Popsugar creates a list of reading prompts. The challenge is for you to read a book that covers each of the prompts. List items include, “A book that’s been on your TBR list for way too long” or “A book that is a story within a story.” This challenge is a great way to explore the literary world.
Source: Popsugar
4. Audiobook Challenge
This challenge is hosted by the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. All you have to do is simply listen to as many audiobooks as you can in one year. There are levels you gain depending on how many books you get through, from Newbie (1-5), to Stenographer (10-15) to Marathoner (50+). The only rule is that the books must be in audio form to count.
Source: Caffeinated Book Reviewer
5. Back To Classics
This challenge is hosted by Books and Chocolate and focuses on the classics. There are twelve categories of books, from 19th Century to Russian Classics, and the goal is to read one book in each category. As an added bonus, if you finish enough categories, you can have your name entered into a drawing for a $30 Amazon gift card.
Source: Pixabay
6. 24 In 48
This read-a-thon is not for the faint of heart. The goal here is to accumulate 24 hours of reading over a 48 hour span. This challenge takes place several times a year with the next one coming up on January 16th-17th.
7. The Chronological Sherlock Holmes Challenge
Every wants to read one of those large catalogs of works, such as the Bronte sisters or Shakespeare. However, this challenge is for everyone who loves Sherlock Holmes (or simply wants to conquer the entire collection for the first time)! This 16 month mission carries you into also carries you into 2018. The scheduled pace is 1 short story per week, or 3 weeks for a novel. It is hosted by Moonlight Reads.
Source: Amazon
8. Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge
This “choose your own bookish adventure” challenge is the free-for-all of reading bliss. In this, the Modern Mrs. Darcy invites you to make your challenge perfect for you. Whether that be a simple goal of reading x number of books for the year, or a highly detailed list consisting of 4 categories and 12 subtopics, the goal is to just read; the way you get there is up to you.
Source: Modern Mrs. Darcy
9. Newbery Reading Challenge
The goal of this challenge is to read books that are either a Newbery Medal winner, a Newbery Honors book, or a Caldecott book. Reading books gains you points and the points go towards levels. The Newbery Medal goes to “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” Past winners have included Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. This challenge is hosted by Smiling Shelves.
10. Bout Of Books
Our final challenge is another read-a-thon. For this week long reading marathon, you are encouraged to set a goal for yourself (though this is optional) and enjoy reading for the week. On top of this, there are Twitter chats to participate in and fun challenges throughout the week such as coming up with a new title for a book or taking a picture of your TBR pile. The Bout Of Books challenge occurs several times a year with the next one coming up on January 4th-10th.
Source: Bout Of Books
Are you up for the challenge?
YouTube Channel: BookTubeAThon
Featured image via Midlife Macgyver
