2025 Reading Challenge discussion

YEARLY CHALLENGE SUGGESTIONS AND POLL
Duration: October 1 to October 15, 2024

The five most active yearly challenges of 2024 will automatically return in 2025. The top five that will return for next year:
1. A-Z Book Challenge
2. Let’s Turn Pages
3. Serial Reader
4. Clear the Shelves
5. Magical Mystery Tour

We will also bring back five member favorites from the remaining 10 yearly challenges listed below. Please vote for one that you'd like to see return. If you are unfamiliar with this year's challenges, please review this Guide to the 2024 Yearly Challenges .

The remaining 10 yearly challenges are:
- Bibliopoly
- TBR Jar
- It’s in the Cards
- Finish Line
- Out on a Limb
- I’m With the Banned
- Bookworms Take Shelfies
- Popsugar Challenge
- Genre Bingo
- Dewey Decimal

To vote in the 2025 Yearly Challenges poll from October 1st to Oct 15th, click here.

Please feel free to suggest ideas for additional yearly challenges for 2025 in the comments below. These can be ones that you've enjoyed in the past, monthly or quarterly ones you'd like to see made into yearlies or brand new challenges.

Again, this poll opens on October 1st PDT and closes on October 15th, but you may comment in this thread for new ideas any time.

We can't wait to see what you can come up with!

I went digging through the yearly challenge archive in this group and was reminded about a couple of interesting ones we have done before and could bring back.

*Book Club - where you pick buddy, TBR twin and group reads. Extra twist: past choices could count too
* Around the World in Books - I know a few members have personal challenges to read books either by authors from as many different countries as you can or books set in different countries so we could make it an official group challenge

I am very excited about some of the challenges coming back and hope some of my other favourites get enough votes to come back too 👍

I loved Around the World in Books and would love to see it make a comeback. Like Rachael said, I have it as a personal challenge and it would be motivational to have it as an official challenge in this Group.

I'd also be happy to lead the challenge if it gets selected. Thanks!

I third the suggestion the Around the World in Books! I would definitely sign up for that one :)

It's no secret that I really enjoyed the "United in Reading" challenge from 2023. Would love to see it again.
Along similar lines, The Summer Games quarterly made me nostalgic for the "Every Year" challenge from 2018, so I wouldn't mind seeing that make a comeback either.

Also, a few years ago, someone suggested the yearly theme be Bookstore Genres. Perhaps that could be turned into a yearly?

* Edit: In a way, I guess the latter sounds really familiar to the Dewey Decimal principle, just without focusing on non-fiction. But it could be fun if we had another idea for a challenge that focuses on non-fiction, since Dewey is (evidently) out of the running.

I've also been thinking about the "Animal, vegetable or mineral game" as a reading challenge for the longest time, but no idea how (or if) it would work. But there you have it : 🍝➡️🧱 Maybe it could be an A-Z challenge edition...

*Edited:
I meant "United in Reading" - don't know where the Diversity in the title came from.

Reminder that even though the poll has ended, the mods will be creating 5 brand new challenges or revamping old favorites, some of which may come from ideas in this thread!

Keep them coming!

I'd like to third Around the World! Definitely think that would be a fun one for people who are trying to read more diversely.

For nonfiction-focused challenges - maybe an open challenge along the lines of Feed Your Curiosity? This could also apply to fiction in having people read books in different areas than they live, by marginalized authors who aren't like them, etc. But obvs can also be to read nonfiction about any subject you're curious about or interests you. Oh, or something like... Become an Expert/ Earn Your Degree/etc where people can pick a subject they're interested in (an era, a person, a hobby, etc) and read a certain amount of books to "earn" their degree/expertise gold star? Just spit-balling! 😊

I'm a cover person, so I'd love a yearly challenge focused on covers. Easiest one I can think of is matching colors - maybe something with the expanded crayola crayon color list? I think there's something like 64 (or more?) colors in that, so plenty to pull from for a year's worth.

In 2025 it'll be Jane Austen's 250th birthday... so something Austen (or Regency) themed might be fun. Have no idea what, though!

Hi!
Reading Kristina's comments reminded me of the 2020 "Find Your Flight" challenge, which I loved.
And, of course, I'd love to see the comeback of "Around the World in Books" too.
Another favorite of mine: Cooking the Books. Yummy!

I took Lisa's suggestion for the animal, vegetable or mineral game, in message #5, and came up with a challenge that might work.

The animal, vegetable or mineral game

Instead of asking questions, read books that are connected in any way to the answer. The books hint at what the animal, vegetable or mineral might be.
For the answer: Read book with animal vegetable or mineral in it.

Here are some examples:

Animal
Questions: Read books that...
- feature a zoo
- have stripes on cover
- are set in Asia
Answer: Tiger
Read a book that features a tiger or tiger on cover or in title.

Animal
Questions: Read books that...
- features a farm
- have feathers on cover
- with an egg on the cover
Answer: Chicken
Read a book that features a chicken or chicken on cover or in title.

Vegetable
Questions: Read books that...
- feature vampire(s)
- have clove in the title
Answer: Garlic
Read a book that features garlic or garlic on cover or in title.

Vegetable
Questions: Read books that...
- are set in Boston
- feature coffee
Answer: Beans
Read a book that features beans or bean on cover or in title.

Mineral
Questions: Read books that...
- feature the California 49ers gold rush
- that feature a gold heist
- that features a wedding
Answer: Gold
Read a book that features gold or gold on cover or in title.

Hope this makes sense.


...

Debra Diggs wrote: "I took Lisa's suggestion for the animal, vegetable or mineral game, in message #5, and came up with a challenge that might work.

The animal, vegetable or mineral game

Instead of asking question..."

I really like that, Debra! Thank you for creating this 😊.

Lisa wrote: "It's no secret that I really enjoyed the "United in Reading" challenge from 2023. Would love to see it again.
Along similar lines, The Summer Games quarterly made me nostalgic for the "Every Year"..."

I also loved United in Reading, and if not that one, I would be interested in doing a Read Around the World challenge.

I liked 'It's in the cards' and Finish Line challenges, pity they didn't make the cut in the polls. The one I am looking forward to is Clear the Shelves. I failed miserably on this point this year (signed up fmor 12, got just 2 in, and not likely to get more than 3/12 or 4/12 before the end of the year). I will try harder next year!

Anna wrote: "I liked 'It's in the cards' and Finish Line challenges, pity they didn't make the cut in the polls. The one I am looking forward to is Clear the Shelves. I failed miserably on this point this year ..."

I find reading books for challenges helps.