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2025 Summer Reading Challenge: Start Here
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Mod
Chips and Dip - 100 points
1a. A book in a series
1b. A book with water on the cover
1c. A book released in 2024 or 2025
1d. A book by a new to you author
1e. A humorous book
Drinks Station - 200 points
Author's initials are in:
2a. FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE
2b. UNSWEETENED ICED TEA
2c. ROOT BEER SODA
2d. FRUIT PUNCH
2e. SPARKLING WATER
Burger and Hotdog Toppings - 300 points
3a. Ketchup: A book with red on the cover
3b. Relish: A book by a favorite author
3c. Mustard: A book with a military character (serving, retired, or adjacent)
3d. Pickles: A book title that includes a word starting with the letter P
3e. Cheese: A sentimental book
Desserts - 400 points
4a. A book with a child main character
4b. A book with a wedding
4c. A book that has been nominated for an award
4d. A book with a cafe, bakery, or restaurant as an important setting
4e. A book originally written in a language other than English
The Sides - 500 points
5a. Potato salad - A book with more than one point of view
5b. Mac n' cheese - A book by an author with 10 or more books
5c. Corn bread - A book originally published before 1900
5d. Deviled eggs - A book with challenging subject matter
5e. Watermelon - A book over 500 pages
Mod
and an example entry
Q: How many times can we be entered into the drawing?
A: You can be entered ONE TIME. You are welcome to complete every single task if you so choose but you will only get 1 raffle entry.
Q: Can books overlap between the main Around the Year challenge and the summer challenge?
A: Yes, absolutely! Some of the tasks are designed to be easy for you to fit in books you’re planning to read for AtY.
Q: Can a book be used for more than one summer challenge prompt?
A: Each book can only be used for one prompt in the summer challenge. No double-dipping.
Q: Can I use a prompt more than once?
A: Each prompt can only be used once towards a raffle entry. No repeats.
Q: Can I use more than one prompt from a category?
A: Yes, and you'll need multiple prompts from a category to get to 5000 points. Scroll to the end of this post to see an example raffle entry.
Q: Do the prompts need to be completed in any kind of order?
A: No, you can complete them in any order you like.
Q: Can books started before June 1 or in progress on 31 August be counted?
A: You may count a book started before the challenge begins as long as you read at least 100 pages of the book on or after 1 June. You must have completed a book by 31 August to count it.
Q: For a task requiring a title beginning with a particular letter, do A, An and The count?
A: You can choose whether or not to count them - eg if the title has to begin with a letter in OCEAN, you can use The Old Man and the Sea (which, ignoring the word The, starts with an O).
Q: If an author has middle names, do those initials need to be included in the phrase?
A: Nah just first and last is fine. So for Henry David Thoreau you only need the H and the T. BUT it must be the name of the author as it appears on the book. No getting tricksy with pen names.
Q: If an author has the same first and last initial, does the letter have to appear twice in the phrase?
A: Yes, if you wanted to used Ned Nickerson, you would only be able to use that for a phrase with two N's.
Q: For prompts concerning publication date, page numbers, or covers, how do you handle reprints/multiple editions?
A: We will use the edition you tag in your completion post. This mainly affects page numbers and cover designs for this challenge, so tag whichever edition you read that fits the prompt. For publication year, we will use the original publication date. If you are getting a book from the library and aren't sure which edition you will get, you can just use the default edition (meaning the first one that comes up when you search for the book). We are using an honor system here, so please make sure you are tagging properly!
Q: Can we move a book to a different prompt once claimed on our progress for another prompt?
A: If you submit your completed challenge to the completion thread, you cannot change it after the fact. If you are unsure about where you want to place books, we recommend waiting until you complete the challenge before submitting your books to the completion thread!
Q: For the military character, what counts?
A: Active military and veterans are pretty obvious. I'll also accept military-adjacent roles like knights and people that wouldn't quite fit our modern definition of 'military' but are clearly performing similar duties.
Q: How much of the book has to take place in the cafe/bakery/restaurant for it to count as 'important'?
A: Would you mention the cafe/bakery/restaurant if you were describing the book to a friend? Then it counts.
Chester T. Tester's Raffle Entry: An Example
1a. In a series: The A.B.C. Murders - 100 pts
1d. New to you author: Mexican Gothic - 100 pts
2a. UNSWEETENED ICED TEA: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - 200 pts
3a. Red on cover: And Then There Were None - 300 pts
3b. Favorite author: Evil Under the Sun - 300 pts
3c. Military character: Dumb Witness - 300 pts (Hastings is a retired captain)
3d. Title has a word starting with P: By the Pricking of My Thumbs - 300 pts
3e. Sentimental book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - 300 pts
4a. Child main character: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass - 400 pts
4b. Wedding: Pride & Prejudice - 400 pts
4c. Nominated for an award: James - 400 pts
4d. Cafe/bakery/restaurant: Sparkling Cyanide - 400 pts (character dies in a restaurant)
5b. Author with 10+ books: Murder on the Orient Express - 500 pts
5d. Challenging subject: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City - 500 pts
5e. A book over 500 pages: Agatha Christie: An Autobiography - 500 pts
Total: 5000 pts
Mod
For raffle entries go here
And there's a discussion thread here
Thanks!
Mod
1 - What is a challenging subject matter? (Is it totally subjective? Can the mods give me some examples?)
Up to you, could be challenging in a more figurative sense (like about war or injustice, etc) or maybe you want to read a book about astrophysics. I'm open to creative interpretations.
2- What is a child? Is it under 18? or 12 and under?"
Let's go with 12 and under - so not a teen. It's ok if the book doesn't actually list an age but clearly refers to and treats the character as a child.
Mod
Chips and Dip - 100 points
1a. A book in a series."
Marie, if you could please move your tracking to a separate thread in the seasonal reading challenges folder or to the discussion thread, that would be great! I prefer to keep this thread uncluttered so that people can easily find answers to questions about the challenge. Thank you!
Mod
Q: Does the wedding need to actually happen in the book to count?
A: Yes, I'm going to ask that the wedding actually happens in the book rather than just discussion of a planned or past wedding. A flashback to a wedding would work, a dialogue about a character's wedding would not.
Q: What exactly counts as a sentimental book?
A: If the book feels sentimental to you or makes you feel sentimental, it counts. I will take your word for it.
Mod
You can create your own thread in the Seasonal Reading Challenge folder!
Jackie wrote: "Marie (UK) wrote: "2025 Summer Reading Challenge PromptsChips and Dip - 100 points
1a. A book in a series."
Marie, if you could please move your tracking to a separate thread in the seasonal rea..."
Sorry I have just come back from my holidays I have moved it now
Hi, I just had a couple questions about the author initial prompt!- If an author has 2 last names like Gabriel Garcia Marquez (rather than a first, middle, and last name), do all 3 initials need to be in the phrase?
- If a book has 2 authors, do only one of the author's initials need to be in the phrase?
Edit: Thanks for the response Emily!!
Mod
With two authors, only one of the author's initials need to be in the phrase. When submitting your completion, please indicate which author you used.
Mod
The summer reading challenge will end Aug 31st, and you will then have through Sept 2nd to submit your raffle entry. The raffle drawing will be on Sept 3rd.
Thank you!
Question about a wedding - if a wedding take place with vows exchanged but is interrupted at the final step, would that count? Or does the wedding need to be completed?Edit: Thanks Jackie!!
Mod
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The A.B.C. Murders (other topics)Mexican Gothic (other topics)
Death on the Nile (other topics)
And Then There Were None (other topics)
Evil Under the Sun (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia (other topics)Agatha Christie (other topics)
Welcome to another round of the Around the Year seasonal reading challenge! Summer is a great time to catch up on some good books. Whether you're looking for an additional challenge alongside the ATY or you're just looking for a fun way to pick through your ever-growing to-read pile, we're excited to be reading together! Plus, this challenge comes with the chance to win a fun prize!
This summer's challenge feature 25 prompts to pick from, some easier and some harder. You can choose which ones and how many to complete. Anyone who completes at least 5000 points worth of prompts will be entered into a raffle. The point value of each prompt is determined by its category, so for example each prompt in the Sides category is worth 500 points.
The Prize!
The winner of the draw will be invited to create one prompt to be included in the 2026 ATY Reading List.*
How to Join the Challenge
1. First check out the prompts in post two of this thread.
2. Next, start a post in the Seasonal Reading Challenge folder where you will post your plan and track your progress through the challenge. You can also look at other people’s plans to get ideas for any tasks you’re finding tricky and ask for recommendations from other readers. This is not required, but it's a great way to plan out your books.
3. When you've completed at least 5000 points of prompts, post the details in the raffle entry thread (here). Once we’ve checked that the tasks are all completed in line with the rules we’ll confirm your entry to the draw.
*NOTE: You may earn a maximum of ONE entry. Additional points will not increase your chances.
4. After the challenge ends on August 31, you will have a few additional days to submit your raffle entry. On September 3 we will have a draw to choose a winner who will be invited to create a prompt for the 2026 ATY Reading List.*
What Books Can Be Counted?
Because there is a prize associated with our summer reading challenge (unlike with our other seasonal challenges), we have a few requirements for books to count:
1. Books must be at least 100 pages long, except for graphic novels or poetry, which must be at least 200 pages long. For audiobooks, you can either use the printed version to determine the equivalent page length or we will convert at a rate of 1 minute = 1 page.
2. Picture books or any other books where illustrations make up most of the book can’t be used.
3. You must read the whole of a book between June 1 and August 31 to count it for this challenge. The exception to this is books started before June 1st may be counted but they must have at least 100 pages left before beginning on June 1st.
If you have any questions about the challenge then you can post them in this thread. The FAQs in post three below will also be updated as people ask questions so you might find your question has been answered there. If you’d like to check that a book will work for one of the tasks before you read it then you can ask here and we’ll confirm if it does.
Happy reading, and we hope you enjoy the challenge!
*Subject to the mods approval. For example the prompt can’t be the same or extremely similar to one already voted in and it must not be something that’s impossible for some readers to complete. If the winner is unresponsive to the message sent from the mods, there will be a redraw.