Bookish Challenges discussion

Yearly Challenge 2025


Sign-ups are open throughout 2025.
The challenge will end on December 31, 2025.

The Challenge

1. Comment here to sign up and I will create a challenge thread for you. You can sign up at any point during the year but only for the months that are left. Example: If you join in January, you will be able to participate in the months January-December. If you join in March, you will be able to participate in the months March-December.

2. Each month, I will post prompts surrounding a specific theme to your thread. There will be 9 prompts each month, divided into 3 levels. For the completion of a level 1 prompt, you will receive 1 point. For level 2, you will receive 2 points and for level 3 it will be 3 points.
To receive each month's Book Award, please complete one prompt in each level. You can complete as many prompts as you want and are able to and in any order. Note that only books completed in the respective months will be accepted.

3. You have 3 free skips throughout the challenge but you can only use one free skip each month. To skip a prompt, please read a book that meets the general guidelines.
If you are out of free skips or want to use another skip in that month, you can either:
- spend 2 points to complete a prompt from a previous month,
- spend 3 points to complete a prompt from the current month twice or
- spend 5 points to read a book that meets the general guidelines.

4. Please make a completion post in your thread using this template:

Book:
Author:
Date completed:
Task:
How it fits:

5. If you don't have a personal point account thread yet, request one here.

January - New Beginnings


Level 1
✅1. A book by an author you've never read before.
✅2. A book that starts a new series.
✅3. A book by a debut author.

Level 2
1. A book published in 2025.
✅2. A book about personal growth or change.
✅3. A book with "new," "begin," or "start" in the title.

Level 3
✅1. A book set during the start of a new year or a new season.
✅2. A book set in the future or involving a fresh start.
✅3. A book recommended by someone else to "start your year right."

February - Love Around the World


Level 1
✅1. A romance novel or a book with a love story.
✅2. A book set in a different country than the one you live in.
✅3. A book by a diverse or international author (your interpretation).

Level 2
✅1. A book with a pink or red cover (50%+).
✅2. A book about friendship, family, or other non-romantic love.
✅3. A book with a travel element (road trip, vacation, etc.).

Level 3
✅1. A book with "heart," "love," or "passion" in the title.
✅2. A book with food, music, or art as a central theme.
✅3. A book with a famous couple or relationship at its core.

✅ Jan

1.1
Book: The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll K
Author: Norbert Aping
Date Read: Jan 16th
Task: Author - you've never read before
Fits: I haven't

1.2
Book: Anatomy of Facial Expression
Author: Uldis Zarins
Date Read: Jan 21st
Task: Series - 1st
How it Fits: In the blurb: "With our second book, we are redefining the human head"

1.3
Book: North to Paradise: A Memoir
Author: Ousman Umar
Date Read: Jan 16th
Task: Author - debut
How it Fits: 1st book for this author

2.1
Book: AI for Life: 100+ Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence to Make Your Life Easier, More Productive…and More Fun!
Author: Celia Quillian
Date Read: Feb 5th
Task: Published - 2025
How it Fits: Published January 28, 2025

2.2
Book: Adventure Time and Philosophy: The Handbook for Heroes
Author: Nicolas Michaud
Date Read: Jan 17th
Task: Plot - personal growth
How it Fits: "when we first met Marceline, she was a lot meaner than she is now; hanging out with Finn and Jake has reminded her what it means to have people who care about her." p.188

2.3
Book: Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars: The Fast Life and Sudden Death of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Author: Mark Ribowsky
Date Read: Jan 21st
Task: Title - 'new', 'begin', or 'start'
How it Fits: New

3.1
Book: Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Author: Huw Richards
Date Read: Jan 17th
Task: Set - during the start of a new year
How it Fits: Month-by-month planning for gardening

3.2
Book: Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity
Author: Micah Rajunov
Date Read: Jan 21st
Task: Plot - fresh start
How it Fits: "when I graduated from university, I took it as an opportunity to make a completely fresh start." p.40

3.3
Book: My Anti-Stress Year: 52 Weeks of Soothing Activities and Wellness Advice
Author: Gilles Diederichs
Date Read: Jan 23rd
Task: Recommended by someone else to "start your year right."
How it Fits: Good tips to start the year

2.1
Book: AI for Life: 100+ Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence to Make Your Life Easier, More Productive…and More Fun!
Author: Celia Quillian
Date Read: Feb 5th
Task: Published - 2025
How it Fits: Published January 28, 2025

This one wasn't completed in January, that's why I can't count it, sorry! If you have another one that fits and you read it in January, you can use it :)

Richard wrote: "✅ Jan

1.1
Book: The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll K
Author: Norbert Aping
Date Read: Jan 16th
Task: Author -..."

✅

Fiona wrote: "If you have another one that fits"

I don't. That's okay.

✅ Feb

1.1
Book: 300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World
Author: Seán Hewitt
Date Read: Feb 7th
Task: Plot - love story
How it Fits: It's in the title. Many love stories.

1.2
Book: Agent You: Show Up, Do the Work, and Succeed on Your Own Terms
Author: Nicole Lynn
Date Read: Feb 7th
Task: Set - A country in which I don't live
How it Fits: America (I live in Australia)

1.3
Book: A Woman in the Polar Night
Author: Christiane Ritter
Date Read: Feb 5th
Task: Author - international
How it Fits: Austrian

2.1
Book: 101 Places Not to See Before You Die
Author: Catherine Price
Date Read: Feb 7th
Task: Cover - pink or red
How it Fits:

2.2
Book: Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist
Author: Larry Rohter
Date Read: Feb 6th
Task: Plot - friendship
How it Fits: "Once Rondon had cemented his friendship with the Paresi, he acted, as best he could, as their protector." p.113

2.3
Book: Land of a Thousand Eyes: The Subtle Pleasures of Everyday Life in Myanmar
Author: Peter Olszewski
Date Read: Feb 5th
Task: Plot - travel
How it Fits: MPG of travel

3.1
Book: Tiger's Heart: The Story of a Modern Chinese Woman
Author: Aisling Juanjuan Shen
Date Read: Feb 6th
Task: Title - 'heart', 'love', or 'passion'
How it Fits: Heart

3.2
Book: Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music
Author: John Fogerty
Date Read: Feb 8th
Task: MPG - food, music, or art
How it Fits: MPG of music

3.3
Book: Lucy & Desi: The Legendary Love Story of Television's Most Famous Couple
Author: Warren G. Harris
Date Read: Feb 7th
Task: Plot - famous couple or relationship
How it Fits: It's in the title

✅

March - Mysteries & Adventures


Level 1
✅1. A mystery, thriller, or adventure book.
✅2. A book set in a place you've never visited.
✅3. A book with a one-word title.

Level 2
✅1. A book with a detective or amateur sleuth.
✅2. A book by an author known for mysteries or thrillers.
✅3. A book with a plot twist you didn’t see coming.

Level 3
✅1. A book featuring a chase or hunt.
✅2. A book with "dark," "shadow," or "hidden" in the title.
✅3. A book with an unreliable narrator.

✅ Mar

1.1
Book: A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe
Author: Mark Dawidziak
Date Read: Mar 2nd
Task: MPG - mystery, thriller, or adventure
How it Fits: MPG - mystery

1.2
Book: Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914
Author: Prit Buttar
Date Read: Mar 1st
Task: Set - a place I've never visited
How it Fits: Russia

1.3
Book: Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation
Author: Jamie Lendino
Date Read: Mar 1st
Task: Title - 1 word
How it Fits: Breakout

2.1
Book: On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder
Author: Ed Sikov
Date Read: Mar 6th
Task: Char - detective
How it Fits: "Wilder ordered a total of nine different takes of the dialogue between the two homicide detectives" p.359

2.2
Book: The Murder on the Links
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: Mar 11th
Task: Author - known for mysteries or thrillers
How it Fits: She is

2.3
Book: Another Side of Bob Dylan: A Personal History on the Road and off the Tracks
Author: Victor Maymudes
Date Read: Mar 9th
Task: Plot - a plot twist I didn’t see coming
How it Fits: "In 1999 there had been a huge fight between them...The fight was so monumental that a couple years later, Bob wrote Victor out of his life in his own book, Chronicles. He didn’t mention him once." p.35

3.1
Book: Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Stuntwoman
Author: Mallory O'Meara
Date Read: Mar 8th
Task: Plot - chase
How it Fits: "Helen must chase an errant boxcar on horseback while it speeds down a track toward the path of a moving train." p.109

3.2
Book: Hidden in the Heavens: How the Kepler Mission’s Quest for New Planets Changed How We View Our Own
Author: Dr Jason Steffen
Date Read: Mar 7th
Task: Title - 'dark', 'shadow', or 'hidden'
How it Fits: 'Hidden' in title

3.3
Book: Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law
Author: Neil Gorsuch
Date Read: Mar 3rd
Task: 3. A book with an unreliable narrator
How it Fits: Isn't it strange that the same people who argue for small government also want to regulate who can use which bathroom.

✅

April - Blossoming Stories


Level 1
✅1. A book with flowers, trees, or nature on the cover.
✅2. A book with a predominantly green cover.
✅3. A book where a character overcomes a challenge.

Level 2
✅1. A book about growth or transformation.
✅2. A book about self-discovery.
✅3. A book that feels "uplifting" or hopeful.

Level 3
✅1. A book with "spring" or "bloom" in the title.
✅2. A book set in a rural or nature-focused setting.
✅3. A book inspired by or involving mythology.

✅ Apr

1.1
Book: The World of Sugar: How the Sweet Stuff Transformed Our Politics, Health, and Environment over 2,000 Years
Author: Ulbe Bosma
Date Read: Apr 2nd
Task: Cover - flowers, trees, or nature
How it Fits: - trees

1.2
Book: Cheech Is Not My Real Name... But Don't Call Me Chong
Author: Cheech Marin
Date Read: Apr 5th
Task: Cover - green
How it Fits:

1.3
Book: Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go
Author: Amy Wright Glenn
Date Read: Apr 11th
Task: Plot - char overcomes a challenge
How it Fits: MC deals with the death of her child

2.1
Book: Your Soul Had a Dream, Your Life Is It: How to Be Held by Life When It Feels Like Everything Is Falling Apart
Author: Rebecca Campbell
Date Read: Apr 4th
Task: Plot - growth or transformation
How it Fits: "People think that the darkness is the end, but it’s also the beginning. Each of us exist in a constant state of change, growth and transformation. But in order for the rebirth to happen we must find the courage to surrender who we once were to create space for who we are becoming."

2.2
Book: Collision with the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self
Author: Suzanne Segal
Date Read: Apr 5th
Task: Plot - self-discovery
How it Fits: MC has a spiritual awakening

2.3
Book: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Date Read: Apr 6th
Task: Plot - feels "uplifting" or hopeful
How it Fits: It's like a fairy tale for adults

3.1
Book: Silent Spring
Author: Rachel Carson
Date Read: Apr 21st
Task: Title - 'spring'
How it Fits: 'Spring' is in title

3.2
Book: A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa
Author: Howard W. French
Date Read: Apr 14th
Task: Set - nature
How it Fits: Set in the jungles of Africa

3.3
Book: Ornithography: An Illustrated Guide to Bird Lore & Symbolism, Vol. 2
Author: Jessica Roux
Date Read: Apr 17th
Task: Plot - involving mythology
How it Fits: 5th MPG

✅

May - May We Laugh?


Level 1
✅1. A humorous or lighthearted book.
✅2. A book with a quirky or unconventional protagonist.
✅3. A romantic comedy.

Level 2
✅1. A book by a comedian or featuring comedic elements.
✅2. A book that made someone else laugh (get a recommendation!).
✅3. A book with an animal on the cover or in the story.

Level 3
✅1. A book with "funny," "laugh," or "smile" in the title.
✅2. A satirical book or one poking fun at society.
✅3. A book with a bright, cheerful cover.

✅ May

1.1
Book: Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me
Author: Jamie Foxx
Date Read: May 1st
Task: Plot - humorous
How it Fits: MPG humour

1.2
Book: The Secret to Happy: How to build resilience, banish self-doubt and live the life you deserve
Author: Vicky Pattison
Date Read: May 1st
Task: MC - quirky protagonist
How it Fits: "I fought with that size 6 woman for a few years, that eight-stone giant bobblehead I had become" p.37

1.3
Book: Eat, Pray, #FML
Author: Gabrielle Stone
Date Read: May 16th
Task: Plot - rom com
How it Fits: Romantic month-long vacation in Italy

2.1
Book: Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live
Author: Doug Hill
Date Read: May 7th
Task: Plot - comedic elements
How it Fits: MPG comedy & humour

2.2
Book: If It Sounds Like a Quack...: A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine
Author: Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling
Date Read: May 4th
Task: Made someone else laugh
How it Fits: Bizarre stories

2.3
Book: No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History
Author: Dane Huckelbridge
Date Read: May 1st
Task: Cover - animal
How it Fits:

3.1
Book: Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum
Author: Michael McCreary
Date Read: May 19th
Task: Title - 'funny'
How it Fits: It's in the title

3.2
Book: Cosmic Bullsh*t: A Guide to the Galaxy's Worst Life Hacks
Author: Chris Ferrie
Date Read: May 24th
Task: A satirical book
How it Fits: It is

3.3
Book: Flee 9-5: Get 6 - 7 Figures and Do What You Love
Author: Ben Angel
Date Read: May 2nd
Task: Cover - bright & cheerful
How it Fits:

✅

June - Across the Genres


Level 1
✅1. A book with multiple perspectives.
✅2. A book published before the year 2000.
✅3. A book adapted into a movie or TV series.

Level 2
✅1. A book outside your usual favorite genre.
✅2. A book that blends two or more genres (e.g., fantasy romance, sci-fi thriller).
✅3. A book featuring a genre-specific trope (e.g., enemies-to-lovers, chosen one, locked-room mystery).

Level 3
✅1. A book by an author who writes in multiple genres.
✅2. A book that is hard to classify into a single genre.
✅3. A book that redefines or subverts its genre.

✅ Jun

1.1
Book: Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy
Author: Judd Apatow
Date Read: Jun 12th
Task: Plot - multiple perspectives
How it Fits: Interviews with many people

1.2
Book: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Date Read: Jun 1st
Task: Published - before 2000
How it Fits: 1966

1.3
Book: Go! Go! Go!: The SAS. The Iranian Embassy Siege. The True Story
Author: Rusty Firmin
Date Read: Jun 2nd
Task: A book adapted into a movie
How it Fits: Movie - 6 Days

2.1
Book: Haunted Highways: Spooky Stories, Strange Happenings, And Supernatural Sightings
Author: Tom Ogden
Date Read: Jun 2nd
Task: Me - outside my usual favourite genre
How it Fits: Ghost stories

2.2
Book: Full-Spectrum Thinking: How to Escape Boxes in a Post-Categorical Future
Author: Bob Johansen
Date Read: Jun 7th
Task: Genre - blends 2+
How it Fits: Psychology & Business

2.3
Book: Make It Count: My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner
Author: CeCé Telfer
Date Read: Jun 8th
Task: Genre - genre-specific trope
How it Fits: Underdog

3.1
Book: Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions
Author: Annik LaFarge
Date Read: Jun 19th
Task: Author - writes in multiple genres
How it Fits: Writing, Travel, History

3.2
Book: The Sustainability Class: How to Take Back Our Future from Lifestyle Environmentalists
Author: Vijay Kolinjivadi
Date Read: Jun 10th
Task: Genre - hard to classify into a single genre
How it Fits: Politics, Philosophy, Ecology

3.3
Book: Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America
Author: Daniel R. Biddle
Date Read: Jun 13th
Task: Genre - redefines or subverts its genre
How it Fits: 20% of the book is a biography, the rest is a history which doesn't refer to the MC

✅

July - Hot Reads


Level 1
✅1. A book you associate with “hot” topics or intense emotions.
✅2. A book released during summer (any year).
✅3. A book with a sunny, yellow, or orange cover.

Level 2
✅1. A book set during summer or in a warm location.
✅2. A book with a literal or metaphorical fire.
✅3. A book with a summer fling or vacation theme.

Level 3
✅1. A book with "fire," "heat," or "hot" in the title.
✅2. A book featuring a beach, island, or desert.
✅3. A book by an author from a tropical or hot climate.

✅ Jul

1.1
Book: Shadowplay: Behind the Lines and Under Fire: The Inside Story of Europe's Last War
Author: Tim Marshall
Date Read: Jul 5th
Task: Plot - hot topic
How it Fits: Eyewitness account of the war in Kosovo

1.2
Book: A Field Guide to Earthlings: An Autistic/Asperger View of Neurotypical Behavior
Author: Ian Ford
Date Read: Jul 1st
Task: Published - summer
How it Fits: January is summer in my country

1.3
Book: Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Author: R. Barker Bausell
Date Read: Jul 1st
Task: Cover - yellow or orange
How it Fits:

2.1
Book: Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American
Author: Jean-Robert Cadet
Date Read: Jul 5th
Task: Set - warm location
How it Fits: Set in Caribbean

2.2
Book: The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales
Author: Maria Tatar
Date Read: Jul 11th
Task: Plot - literal fire
How it Fits: "Frau Trude...turns a girl into a block of wood and throws her into a fire." p.28

2.3
Book: Walking With Plato: A Philosophical Hike Through the British Isles
Author: Gary Hayden
Date Read: Jul 12th
Task: Plot - vacation
How it Fits: "I took a fortnight’s camping holiday, alone, in the Lake District." p.44

3.1
Book: Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive
Author: Richard Montanez
Date Read: Jul 2nd
Task: Title - 'hot'
How it Fits: It does

3.2
Book: Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash
Author: Alexander Clapp
Date Read: Jul 8th
Task: Plot - beach
How it Fits: "Italian trash wrecked the beaches of Tunisia." p.18

3.3
Book: Dallas: The Making of a Modern City
Author: Patricia Evridge Hill
Date Read: Jul 16th
Task: Author - from a hot climate
How it Fits: Texas

✅

August - Around the Classics


Level 1
1. A classic novel (any period or culture).
✅2. A book that won a major literary award.
✅3. A book you’ve seen referenced in pop culture.

Level 2
✅1. A retelling of a classic story.
2. A book by an author considered a literary “classic” in their field.
3. A classic short story or novella.

Level 3
1. A book set in the time period of a classic novel you love.
✅2. A modern book inspired by or paying homage to a classic.
✅3. A book by an author whose works you want to explore more deeply.

❌ Aug

1.1

1.2
Book: The Home I Worked to Make: Voices from the New Syrian Diaspora
Author: Wendy Pearlman
Date Read: Aug 2nd
Task: Won a major literary award
How it Fits: Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Nonfiction (2025)

1.3
Book: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
Author: Steve Silberman
Date Read: Aug 25th
Task: Me - I've seen referenced in pop culture
How it Fits: I've seen it referenced on YT

2.1
Book: Odyssey
Author: Stephen Fry
Date Read: Aug 20th
Task: A retelling of a classic story.
How it Fits: Stephen Fry's retelling of this story

2.2

2.3

3.1

3.2
Book: Investigating the Relationship Between Aristotle’s Eudemian and Nicomachean Ethics
Author: Giulio Di Basilio
Date Read: Aug 3rd
Task: Modern book inspired by or paying homage to a classic
How it Fits: 2024 book that focuses on 2 of Aristotle's works

3.3
Book: Doctor Who: Heroes and Monsters Collection
Author: Justin Richards
Date Read: Aug 6th
Task: Author - works I want to explore more deeply
How it Fits: Author writes Doctor Who books

✅

September - Back to School


Level 1
1. A book set in a school, college, or academic setting.
2. A nonfiction or self-improvement book.
3. A book that teaches you something new.

Level 2
1. A book featuring a teacher, professor, or mentor.
2. A book about childhood or adolescence.
3. A book about a learning journey or discovery.

Level 3
1. A book with a focus on history, science, or technology.
2. A book set in a boarding school or involving academic competition.
3. A book with "study," "school," or "class" in the title.