Reading Challenges
We've linked several reading challenges from across the interwebs here for the start of your 2023 reading! Feel free to take what you like, leave what you don't, and create your own personal challenge for reading this year! A reminder: reading is supposed to be fun and fulfiling. If something isn't for you - that's OK! If a challenge is too much for you - pick and choose what you like! If you're stuck and you just need to go back to your comfort zone - that's OK! Make 2023 your lowkey reading year!
Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge - This one looks awesome! There are multiple categories and prompts under each category, allowing you to pick and choose whether you finish one from each category or all the prompts from just a select few categories!
Romance Reading Challenge - Romance is HUGE these days, and so many flavors for any taste! As long as there's a happily ever after/happily for now, it counts as a romance!
Something Bookish - Travel the world and break out of your reading shell with these 24 prompts from Something Bookish!
Or check out this masterlist of reading challenges to fit your interests and goals for the year!
As always, Mandy has her reading challenge below, and it's a bit more unhinged this year than usual. But it's gonna be fun!
Mandy's Unhinged 2023 Reading Challenge
In years past, I've always come up with fun prompts to "fit" my books into or have chosen books based on prompts, one prompt per book.
This year, I'm choosing a theme for the month and just going to go all in with that theme for the month's reading, trying to break out of what I always read and get to those things I've been wanting to read for a while. Will I still break for the latest romance novel from my favorite author? Of course! I'm just trying to make the bulk of my reading centered around the monthly prompt! Feel free to join me, or create your own monthly prompts for yourself! I've created a list of the prompts I'm using, as well as curated book lists on Goodreads to get me started! Bookmarks available at the library, if you'd like, or print your own from below.
The January of Jack: I spent some of my days off over the holidays listening to a 5 part series on Jack the Ripper, and now I can't stop. So I'm gearing up with some books on Jack the Ripper and listening to Season 3 of Unobscured with Aaron Mahnke, which of course, is all about Jack the Ripper. Check out the Goodreads list here. If you're not interested in Jack the Ripper, January is all in for one character! Maybe it's time to read all those Stephanie Plum or Inspector Gamache books your friends have been telling you about, or maybe it's a completely different character! But January, we're all in on one person!
Star Crossed Lovers: I can't help but think about Valentine's Day, and what better way to celebrate love than with Romeo and Juliet retellings! Goodreads list here! I also included a few other "we shouldn't be together books"!
Beware the Ides of March: Just like Caesar was betrayed by Brutus, so will our protagonists be betrayed, or be the betrayer! Books this month all about betrayal, whatever that might mean to you. Check out the books I'm going to read here.
Library Love April: In honor of National Library Lovers Week that happens in April, all titles will have library or librarian in the title/description. If it's set primarily in a library, has a librarian, or whatever, you know it'll be read this month! Here's a list of ideas to get you started.
Midnight Assassin May: In researching for a podcast last year, we came across a bucketload of books with the same name: "Midnight Assassin." All different premises, but same title. So feel free to find your own title for multiple books, or check out the books I'll be reading here. Or pick just "Midnight" or "Assassin" to check out titles!
Backlist Beach Reads June: I never seem to have time to get to this year's beach reads when they're popular, so I'm just going to focus on last year's backlist of beach reads for the month of June. Goodreads list here!
4th of July Fireworks: My favorite part of the 4th are the fireworks, so why not focus just on books with fireworks on the covers? Or fire in the title? Sounds like a perfect way to mash things up in the middle of the summer! My list can be found here.
Back to School August: We're all thinking about back to school time, so let's spend August going all in with nonfiction on a subject you want to learn more about! Whatever that subject might be! Check out my list here.
Spiteful September: It's still hot, but we're back at school. The holidays seem so far off. So let's spend September reading stories of revenge and spite! Check out my list!
Spooky Season October: It wouldn't be a reading challenge of mine without spooky season recs! But you can make it about whatever you'd like, and tailor it to whatever spooky season aspect you'd like: witches, vampires, ghosts, creepy houses, quirky rom-coms with witchy vibes, straight up gore and horror! This is what I'll be reading.
Native November: This month's prompt is to really focus on reading Native American and Indigenous authors, stories, or characters that are enrolled in their respective tribes. Check out these titles!
Deveraux December: Many of you know, I'm a huge fan of romance. And Jude Deveraux is a huge, OG romance author. And I've never read any of her books. So I'm going all in during December and reading as much of Deveraux as I can. Feel free to join me with this list, or find an author that you can't believe you haven't read before and go all in with their books!