a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Life Challenge

Looking to improve your reading life?

Readers, I’m happy to present you with our evergreen reading challenge. Many of you have been impatiently waiting for months to find out what we’re doing this year. This challenge looks a little different, and for good reason. Let’s get to it. 

What we do around here and why

We’re entering our eleventh (!!) year of helping readers get more out of their (reading) lives here on Modern Mrs Darcy, by sharing great books, seasonal reading guides, and tips and encouragement for the reading life. 

We love reading, but don’t believe it’s a competitive sport. We care about quality way more than we care about quantity: reading well doesn’t necessarily mean reading more. And we care about reading well, because we believe when you get more out of your reading life, you get more out of life. 

Reading is personal: we may be united by the love of great books, but the individual books we love and the reasons we love them vary wildly. We know that your reading life doesn’t look exactly like anyone else’s.  

What’s new this year

I’ve long imagined how helpful it could be to provide readers a simple and straightforward way to personalize their challenge. We did this a little bit with our 2017 reading challenge, but I wanted to offer readers more options.

Then 2020 happened. It feels like the right time to take the leap. Haven’t we all spent the year examining myriad aspects of our lives, reflecting on what works and what doesn’t? And even more than before, we’re turning to reading with wildly different purposes in mind.

Get your Reading Life Challenge kit:


Our Reading Life Challenge starts with you

This challenge is largely inspired by the in-depth conversations I’ve had with 250+ readers on my podcast What Should I Read Next. Every week I use these questions as a starting point for bookish conversation: 

  • What do you want more of in your reading life?
  • What do you want to be different in your reading life? 
  • What are you looking for in your reading life right now?  

I’ve found these questions—and the subsequent conversations—to be enormously helpful. So the challenge begins with a call to reflect on what you want and need in your reading life for the year to come.

How the Reading Life Challenge works  

The reading life challenge is a choose-your-own adventure. Your challenge is not to just check off a list of twelve reading prompts, but to create the reading life you want and need. With this year’s challenge, we’re giving you the tools to do just that.

In our 6-page Reading Life Challenge kit, we get you started with guided questions so you can quickly determine where you’d like to go this year. Then we walk you through a simple process to create your personalized list of twelve Reading Challenge prompts, tailor-made to your needs. (By “prompts,” we mean, e.g., “Read a book beloved by a good friend,” “Read a book that’s more than 500 pages,” etc.)

After completing our challenge worksheets, you’ll come away with a list of twelve prompts—and ultimately, twelve books to read—to complete your challenge.

Let’s take a quick look at the Reading Life Challenge process.

Step 1: Set your intentions

We turn to books at different times, for different reasons. That’s why it’s so important to know—right now, as you dream about the reading year to come—what you want from your reading life.

That’s why we begin with a space to set your intentions. Check 1-3 options that capture what you want and need, or write in your own. Don’t overthink this! Go with your first instinct.

Step 2: Contemplate some actions.

We want to help you cultivate your reading life, not just your reading list. Choose a handful of reading-oriented endeavors to give that life a boost this year. Choose 3 mini-projects from our suggested options or write in your own. (Again, don’t overthink this! Go with your gut.)

These action-oriented tasks bring momentum and focus to your reading life, and, just like your reading list, they can be checked off as you complete them. (So satisfying!)

Step 3: Customize your reading challenge.

Create the reading life you want and need. Now that you’ve considered what you want and need, fill out our template to choose your own reading adventure for the year to come. 

Choose a handful of intentions (we recommend 1-3) and pop them into the template. Do the same with your intended mini-projects. You want to keep these before you all year long, so our challenge page design lets you do just that. 

We include step-by-step instructions in the challenge kit. As an example, take a look at my customized challenge page-in-progress below.

Our kit also includes these additional resources:

  • A planning page for you to brainstorm your challenge possibilities. What kind of books—that is, which challenge prompts—will help you create the reading life you want this year? (As you can see below, I used this page to capture possible prompts and titles that can fulfill them.)
  • A list of all the Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge prompts we’ve ever used, going back to 2015.
  • For those who are so mentally fatigued right now that the idea of creating their own challenge is overwhelming—we get it. We’ve included six pre-loaded challenge options in our kit; choose the one that sounds right for you, whether that’s “Read for Comfort,” “Learn New Things,” “Don’t Overthink It,” or “Embrace the Backlist.”

What do I do when I finish my challenge?

Whoop and holler and let us know!

After that, it’s time to reassess and see how you’re feeling about your reading life. This challenge is flexible, timeless, and repeatable. If you finish your challenge mid-year, whether that means February or May or August, that’s great! Reassess—that is, go back and reset your intentions—and begin again. And tell us when you do!

Take your reading life into the new year!

Sign up now to get started. We’ll send your Reading Life Challenge kit immediately. After that you’ll get regular reading news and inspiration to help you meet your reading goals.


What happens next? First, check your inbox and get ready to start your challenge! Share the challenge on social with the hashtag #MMDchallenge and #readingchallenge. (Find me on Instagram @annebogel and at Facebook.com/ModernMrsDarcy.) But most of all, enjoy the challenge of reading with purpose this year.

It’s so good to be among people who are reading, and I’m looking forward to reading with you all in the year to come.

Happy reading!

Anne

Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Life Challenge

96 comments

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  1. Hilary says:

    This is great for 2021! I have done the pop sugar reading challenge for a few years and I’ve loved it. It did what it was supposed to do (for me) but now I’m ready to challenge myself in a different , more personal way and the MMD challenge sounds just right. I can’t wait.

  2. Sam says:

    This sounds so fun! I love the idea of customizing a reading challenge, and I may pull some ideas from the Read Harder challenge by Book Riot without having to feel like I’m committing to all 24(!) books in the challenge. Thanks for creating this!

    • Adrienne says:

      Love the idea of borrowing some of the Book Riot challenges! No way could I commit to doing all 24, but there were a few that piqued my interest.

  3. Kara says:

    I love the holistic approach you’re taking to this year’s challenge! Can’t wait to dive into the kit. I usually try to take some time in the days after Christmas to consider my intentions and goals for the next year. Your kit will be a welcome addition to this process! Thank you!

  4. Christina says:

    I love this! I already did a little personalization this year (e.g. read 2 books in Spanish), and I was already thinking about how I don’t necessarily want to read MORE this next year. Rather, I want to focus more on quality. Thanks for the personalized reading challenge, Anne!

  5. Cassie says:

    Thank you for the pre set challenges!! This looks like a great resource for normal me, but right now me was immediately overwhelmed. But, as usual, yall think of everything.

    • Jess says:

      I feel this too. This is a great idea, but at the moment I just don’t see it happening because it feels like one more thing. But maybe in 6 months or so?

      • Heather says:

        Ditto, BUT the last two pages of the Reading Challenge have sample prompts and the yearly challenges from 2015 to 2020. Since I’ve only completed the 2020 yearly challenge, I think I’ll choose one of the previous yearly challenges or sample prompts for this year.

        Thank you ANNE for everything you do to help keep my reading life fresh!

    • Terry says:

      Oh, thank you for saying this! I was afraid I would be the only one who thought, “I just CAN’T” right now. And hurrah for the lists on the last sheets for those of us in that boat.

    • Jennifer says:

      This is exactly what I was thinking! I LOVE the reading challenges, but the thought of having to think of yet another thing felt overwhelming as I read this. I’m going to take a peek at the lists of past challenges and maybe re-do one of those instead. I need something that is straight-forward and tells me what to do right now. 🙂

  6. Elise Thanasouras says:

    I’m so excited about this! I’ve been wondering for weeks when the MMD 2021 Reading Challenge would be out…here it is, I’m so curious how this will turn out. 2020 was my first reading challenge and I love the way it encouraged me to read different types of books I might not have read. Thank you for continuing this tradition and your advice to read quality. Happy 2021!

  7. Lindsey says:

    This sounds like a great challenge, I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. Last spring, I customized this year’s challenge a bit because all I wanted was comfort reading, so the 2021 “pick your challenge” will be right up my alley. I’m almost done with the 2020 challenge, I just need to finish “a book published the decade you were born” and I’ve decided on James Herriot’s “The Lord God Made Them All”.

    • Sarah says:

      James Herriot is the best, and perhaps you already know, is the epitome of a comfort read wrapped up with good story-telling. I hope you enjoy.

    • Colleen says:

      The decade you were born book was the biggest challenge for me as well. About half way through The Master and Margarita. 4 hours each over two more days.

  8. Carolyn Laidlaw says:

    Oh I am so excited!! Been not so patiently waiting for it haha 😜 2020 was my first time doing it and I loved it! It really help me read outside of my comfort zone of reading! Throughout it I found many new genres and authors that I never thought I would like! I am looking forward to doing this year’s challenge! Really cool that you can created your own and appricatedthe suggestion:) I also love the min project book related so neat! Looking forward to getting it set and start my 2021 book challenge. Thank you for doing these! Best book challenge out there!!

  9. Pam says:

    Looking forward to digging into this. I’ve begun thinking about my 2021 reading, so this is great timing.

    Like others, I’m thinking of making some changes. Mainly, I want to leave lots of space for serendipity. The past few years, I’ve had so many planned reads, I’ve had little time for squeezing in the good books that I stumbled upon during the year. And when I look back, those squeezed in books are often the books I enjoyed the most. I also don’t plan to track daily reading, so I’m not bothered by blank squares on a reading tracker. I’m hoping to return to the sheer joy of reading this year! An experiment, if you will.

    Thanks Anne!

    • Pam says:

      Update: This was an entirely delightful experience. I enjoyed perusing the details and took Anne’s advice about not overthinking it. Based on my self-identified wants and needs on the first sheet, I chose relevant prompts from the groupings on the page entitled “Sample Challenge Prompts”:

      Recommended by someone with great taste
      Can finish in one day
      About a subject or topic I already love
      Own but have never read (I have a lot to choose from here!)
      Set somewhere I’d like to visit someday
      Addresses current events
      Banned at some point
      Outside my usual genres (I.e., not mystery, thriller or suspense)
      Nominated for an award in 2021
      Published before I was born
      In the backlist of a new favourite author
      ‘Everyone’ has read but me

      Oh, and I chose 6 mini-projects. I’m retired and spending most of my days at home alone during the pandemic. No social gatherings allowed right now, indoors or outdoors. Lots of time for mini-projects! The two I’m most looking forward to are the buddy read and attending a (virtual) author talk.

      Again, thank you Anne and team for the time and effort put into the reading challenge this year. Much appreciated!

  10. CT says:

    I’m also glad for the Choose Your Own Adventure nature of this year’s challenge – twill be my first year joining in.
    I’ve been working on thinking up items for Gretchen Rubin’s 21 for 2021 challenge(?) and I had so many reading related ideas I was afraid I wouldn’t have room for anything else. But now I can just say “complete MMD reading challenge” as one item!

  11. Sarah says:

    I’m so looking forward to spending time on this next week. I’ve done the challenge for the last 4 years, and while resolutions aren’t my thing, considering books for the challenge remains a delightful way to consider the upcoming year, and what I want to be in it.
    Like you and others, I don’t want to read more next year, but to have more quality reads whose enjoyment sticks with me. I’ve personalized the last couple years, by adding a few prompts that were important to me (like read one book my spouse recommends) and my immediate thought after printing this, was I’d love to get more personal recommendations from friends.
    Thank you for continuing to put out this challenge.

  12. Maria Ontiveros says:

    Just finishing up the 2020 challenge so this comes at a perfect time. Thanks for the back prompts and suggestions! I love your ideas – this will be year 3 for me and my book challenge reads are always books I’m glad I’ve read but may not have chosen on my own (hmmmm…maybe that’s my theme).

  13. Elizabeth Grant says:

    Yay! I finished this years challenge a few weeks ago and have been anxiously waiting for you to post next year’s! I truly expanded my reading horizons with this challenge and I really enjoyed it!

  14. Nancy says:

    Thanks for putting together this Reading Challenge for 2021. I will look forward to working with it to improve my reading life. Oh, and by the way, I love your bangs in the picture at the beginning of this blog today!

  15. Linda Oliver says:

    Thanks for putting this together, Anne.
    I don’t see the tree picture or the cute game idea on the downloaded printable. Can we get those somehow?

  16. Oh Anne, I love this so much and you’re right – it’s just PERFECT after the year we’ve all had in 2020. Diving into what we each want from our reading lives will make the process of taking on a reading challenge so much more valuable and meaningful. I can’t wait to dig in!
    Cheers,
    Laura

  17. Maria Ontiveros says:

    And done!
    1. A paperback page turner
    2. Finish a book
    3. A book you know you will enjoy
    4. A book recommendation that you would not otherwise read
    5. A short book
    6. A YA book
    7. A book from your kindle TBR
    8. A book from your audible/Libro TBR
    9. An audible book read by a cast/multiple narrators
    10. A book set somewhere you have never been but would like to visit
    11. A backlist or new book by an author you like
    12. A book that was banned
    Bonus 1: a book in translation
    Bonus 2: 3 books by the same author

  18. Chrissy says:

    I’m so excited! Last year your reading challenge was the first I had ever participated in and I have been checking for the past week if this had come out yet. Thanks for putting so much thought an effort into this Anne.

  19. Robin Webb says:

    Seriously? Am I the only one who wants to know where Anne got that cute monogram mug!!!! And I’m looking forward to doing the 2021 Challenge too!!

    • Emily says:

      Robin, I’m almost positive this is the mug I saw at Anthropologie that I loved but were out of my initial! I think Rifle Paper Company was the maker for this particular one. They are beautiful!

  20. Leanne says:

    I love this and plan on digging into it next week when all the holiday busyness has calmed down. Thank you, Anne, for putting this together. But am I the only one that wants to do them all!!??

  21. Staci says:

    I’m sorry,this makes me sad and is disappointing. I have no desire to do homework for the reading challenge. 2020 has been nothing but homework of every possible type, and I’ve had enough.

    • Staci says:

      Not trying to be mean, you are a very kind lady and I have enjoyed your blog, book and podcast quite a lot. I’m just not up for this.

      • Laura says:

        Staci, maybe you could do one of the sample challenges shared. I think Anne was trying to give a lot of options. Those who would like to make their own challenge can do that. Those who want or need one already done can choose from the sample challenges or a previous year’s challenge. Either way, I hope 2021 is a better year for you!

      • Susie says:

        Staci, I felt the same way. Not interested in doing a WORKSHEET!!! So I’m just going to steal Maria’s list, above. Or pick the list from 2015. All done!

  22. Jamie says:

    Here are the ones I chose:

    Three books by the same author
    A book in translation
    A book of poetry, a play or an essay collection
    A book more than 500 pages
    A banned book
    A memoir, biography or book of creative nonfiction
    Book about books or reading
    A Newbery Award winner or honor book
    A book of any genre that addresses current events
    Pulitzer or National Book Award winner
    A book published this year (2021)
    Book by a favorite author

  23. Cyndi Moskal says:

    I LOVE this idea! I’m not sure if I’ve come up with the ‘right’ mini-projects for myself yet but I’ll keep thinking. But I really like the idea of building my prompts to support what I want from my reading life and what my reading life needs. I have 9 so far that are perfect to get more of what I want in my reading life – just need to brainstorm a few more.

  24. Stephanie says:

    I am not up for this project! My plate does not need another task. Thank goodness for the sample prompts. It is enough work to pick a book for each category! I do not need to come up with the categories, too – that’s what I come to MMD for. Hopefully 2022 will be back to the usual format.

  25. Mary Ann says:

    This year’s challenge is just want I needed. I find myself in a more reflective mood this season – in a wintering kind of place. During our reading retreat, I told myself I would “slow down to smell the bindings.” The 2021 Reading Challenge gives me a road map to do just that.

  26. Erica says:

    This looks like a lot of fun! I didn’t do the challenge this year, since this year was “read everything I can find by Tolkien” year. (It wound up being a good choice since this year went so wonky!)

    But I’m wanting to push myself a little more in the next year, so hopefully I can figure out a good challenge for myself using this. Happy reading everyone!

  27. Alice says:

    I had some of the initial unhappy feelings stated above about doing a worksheet. I don’t have a ton of extra willpower right now for projects. But, as I got into thinking about the challenge, I found that the prompts you provided pulled me in. I am working through your prompts, the old challenge lists, and the Book Riot Read Harder list to personalize my 2021 Reading Challenge. One of my mini-projects is finding books to share with a cousin in her 70s who loves to read, The Joan Project. She does many different types of crafts, from weaving to quilting to paper projects. She loved The Gown and Love Lettering, which had crafts in the storylines. She also likes historical fiction that tells an uplifting story.

  28. Rebecca Merrell says:

    Hi Anne!
    Thank you for your 2021 reading challenge! I studied the sheets and came up with this personal challenge for 2021:
    -a novel written by a Native American author
    -a memoir/coming of age story set in the south
    -a Scandinavian Noir
    -a novel published the year I was born (1968)
    -a classic
    -a non-fiction book about race in America
    -a set of short stories from an international author
    -a novel from every continent (okay, maybe not Antarctica)
    -a novel about slavery in America
    -an LBGQT novel
    -an assortment of fun summer reads
    This should be a broad spectrum and enough variety to keep me stimulated in 2021! Thanks for the tips!

  29. Laura says:

    I am having a ball designing my own reading challenge! The question of what do I want more of in my reading life has been quite helpful. I am now working on the hard task of narrowing my list. Sigh. May we all have many delightful hours of reading in 2021!

  30. Lori says:

    After brainstorming and considering books on my long TBR list, here are the prompts I came up with:
    1. 3 books by the same author
    2. A book on a societal issue
    3. A book on race
    4. A book on politics
    5. A book about religious persecution
    6. A book on criminal justice
    7. A best seller
    8. A self-help book
    9. A book about someone going through a very tough situation and how they came through it
    10. A WWII book
    A bonus book: A book by an author from the state I reside in

  31. Carol Quan says:

    Anne-Thanks to you and your team for putting this together.
    I am doing this along with the 52 Books Reading Challenge and now that I have a few days of “quiet time” I want to plan my challenges with the goal of reading books I already own, especially my BOTM selections that have been wildly raising their hands (like in school) begging to be picked. I went through the Sample Challenge Prompts to come up with my list.
    1. A book by an author if a different race, ethnicity or religion-BOTM
    2. An immigrant story-White Ivy-BOTM
    3. A book recommended by a source you trust-a Winter Book Preview selection
    4. A book you own, but have never read.-BOTM
    5. A book by an author who is new to you.-BOTM
    6, 7, 8-Three books by the same author. Louise Penny
    9.-A memoir, biography or book of creative nonfiction-The Promised Land
    10-A Pulitzer or National Book Award Winner-?
    11.-A book everyone has read, but you.-BOTM-The Vanishing Half
    12.-A debut novel-The Last Story of Mina Lee-BOTM

    For the mini-projects I plan to:
    1. Read a book with a book club-joined MMD Book Club ✔️
    2. Try a new reading format-graphic novel
    3. Donate or give away 5 books-post-COVID-🤞
    4. Style a bookshelf that brings me joy.

  32. I just finished my 2020 challenge by finishing The Scarlet Letter (a classic i didn’t read in school). I also ended up doing 3x 3 by same author -9 books.

    So now i can start my 2021 list. Using the Sample challenge prompts of Comfort, Learning & Embrace the backlist, my personal reading wishes and some Prompts From Other Years i came up with:

    A book by a fav. author
    A reread for comfort- could be from childhood
    A book about books & reading
    A non-fiction
    A book published in 2021
    A book i already own
    An e-book i already own
    A book from the 2020 summer/fall/winter MMD previews that i haven’t read yet
    3 bks by the same author
    Because i took lots of Christmasy novels out of the library this Dec: read 2 Christmasy books for comfort
    Which equals 13, but since the list is based on what i want to read anyway, an extra book seems ok.

    ]I will also try to read the MMD monthly book &/ or flight pick.

  33. Cara says:

    Admittedly, I was reluctant, at first, about the “choose your own adventure” route. But I looked over the guide, and got intrigued by the “cultivate community” list. So I decided to ask for a short list of “best ever” books from 12 reading friends and now I’m super excited about my list!

  34. Karina Bravo says:

    This was such an engrossing task that helped divert my thoughts away from the stresses of this holiday this year. I’ve created my own challenge, (and 4-mini challenges) and have already decided on some of the titles, and it seems that I do have a theme, (which I thought I didn’t have).
    I’m calling it… Sooo Out of my Comfort Zone. Here are my prompts:

    A book published the decade I was born (70’s holla)
    A book that’s more than 600 pgs
    A classic I didn’t read in school
    A book by a local author
    A memoir or biography
    A debut novel
    A book in a genre, you don’t typically read
    A re-read
    A book “everyone” has read but you
    A book chosen for you by your sibling
    A book from your favorite author
    A National book award winner

    As a reader of primarily mysteries, self-help and magazines, this is a huge undertaking for me! Off to create a log on Goodreads, tackling mini-challenge #1! Enjoy everyone and good luck!!

  35. Cheryl says:

    I had such fun for a couple of days working through the questions and prompts for 2021! Analyzing my reading list from 2020 was insightful. Thank you for all your hard work on our behalf.
    When I finished making my outline for the coming year, I saw that some “new” categories were calling to me:

    –a prequel or sequel to a favorite book (choices to consider include The Testaments, Paris Diversion, and Magic Rules)
    –something said to be laugh-out-loud funny (possibilities for me include The Sellout and Fleishman is in Trouble, or anything by David Sedaris)

    I can’t wait to get started as soon as I finish my last book from the 2020 challenge!

  36. Cori Dodds says:

    Hi, I have tried to subscribe to get the 2021 reading challenge, but nothing is showing up in my email inbox. Not sure why that’s happening, and it’s not getting pushed into my spam folder either. I love this year’s challenge to choose categories based on our own reading needs. I’m very much looking forward to participating!

  37. Linda O'Donnell says:

    Took some time working through this. Had been thinking about “my reading life” quite a bit the last few months and was pleasantly pleased at the format for 2021. Gave me the incentive to think carefully about what was bothering me. I read voraciously, but haven’t been enjoying reading as much lately. Although I have been reading really good books, something seemed off. Thanks, Anne, for giving me the chance to take the time to analyze. Here is what I’ve come up with:
    A book I want to re-read
    A book about books
    A memoir or biography
    A classic I haven’t read
    A book of poetry
    A book from my TBR list
    A book that intimidates me
    A book that I have previously DNFed
    A book of my choice
    A book written by a Native American
    A book about politics
    A banned book that I have not read

  38. Jessica says:

    Wow, at first I was overwhelmed the thought of creating my own list! But I really started to reflect and realized I do have some interests and things I want to pursue, or just have a laugh/cry through. Oddly enough, when I scanned over what I had read in the past the new list formed itself. I did discover that I haven’t read a book by a male author in almost two years so I want to rectify that.

  39. Catherine says:

    I was resistant to this whole process at first, I just wanted to take the list and go. But I did the exercise unenthusiastically and the direction it took me was surprising. I have only one prompt repeated 12 times: Read the next book in a series you have already started. I have about five series that I consistently read one book in every year because the titles don’t fit nicely into the challenge categories for MMD, PopSugar and Around the Year. I want to binge a couple series this year and catch up with Armand Gamache, the Kopp sisters, and Maisie Dobbs among others.

  40. Allie says:

    I love the tailored approach to 2021’s reading challenge. I have my list all set for optimum enjoyment and connection thanks to your thoughtful step-by-step “worksheets”!

  41. Cara says:

    Thank you so much!!! I wasn’t sure I could do a reading challenge in 2021, I really struggled to finish 2020’s reading challenge. So I am so excited to see this new version really geared to what we need in our reading life. I am so thrilled and so excited to sit down and really think about and be more intentional about what I need in 2021 for my reading life. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

  42. Cathy says:

    Loved doing this process yesterday! It was especially helpful to identify Replenishment, Connection, and Understanding as my overall goals. For me, part of understanding is getting to know the history of Native Americans here in Minnesota.
    Here’s my list:
    – A book by a Native American (especially local, Dakota) author
    – A book by a friend/classmate (so many in our college class have published!)
    – A book beloved by a good friend
    – A book from a culture I’ve not experienced or read before
    – A book of natural spirituality/philosophy/humanism
    – A fiction book I own but haven’t read
    – An audiobook
    – A book by an author/about a topic I love
    – A book about introverts/quiet
    – A book to be discussed with others
    – A book by an author I am going (virtually) to hear speak
    – A book about a witch/shaman with healing powers

    I’ve already identified three of the books TBR, and looking forward to building and reading the list. Thank you for the prompts and process.

  43. Sue says:

    Spent the first day of the new year considering my own reading challenge. Here’s my list:
    A book “everyone” has read but me
    A book by an author of color
    A book that intimidates me
    A book about books or reading
    A book recommended in my Silent Book Club
    A book I bought because of the cover
    A book outside my genre comfort zone
    A book with a color in its title
    A book I previously abandoned
    A book from The Great American Read on PBS
    A book from a favorite author
    A book set in a different country

    Mini-Projects
    Donate or give away 10 books it is time to part with
    Complete the MHKPL January Reading Challenge
    Attend a virtual or in-person author talk
    Cull my Good Reads TBR list
    Cull my Amazon Wish list

  44. Donna Cason says:

    I’ve never done a reading challenge. I’ve had intentions to do them. I’ve printed them, but never followed through. I love the idea, but I’m such a mood reader and for some reason, I’ve always had a hard time reading something I’m “assigned.” My mind rebels. I really want to read my unread books (following the unread bookshelf too), but do most of my reading on my Paperwhite these days – easier on my eyes. I guess my 500+ kindle books count as my unread shelf too🤷🏻‍♀️.

    I think I might try this challenge. Maybe if I create it, it won’t feel “assigned.” Of course, I might have to pull myself out of the Outlander series which I’ve been lost in for months.

  45. Meghan says:

    This is a great idea! I just finished reading your book “I’d Rather Be Reading” and laughed at how many times I felt the same feelings when it comes to being a bibliophile (like running out of bookshelves or having a hard time getting rid of books, and a book changing my world while I gleefully highlight the whole thing in search of quotes!) I don’t have a book twin yet either 😭 can’t wait to meet one! I never thought of that! Anyways the reason I am posting is because I am forever picking a book to read.. it takes me days it seems like! I did the Popsugar Challenge Last year and tried Reading Harder the year before.. but I loved the idea of creating my own. I’ve also been thinking about book journaling/listing instead of goodreads or with it.. since I forget to log when I read something that doesn’t auto post (lazy now it sounds..). Really though I have logged at least 6 years worth.. but if I don’t write a review and sometimes even when I do I completely forget what the book was about! Especially if it was an okay book but rated it 5 stars for some reason.. I am way to free with stars lol while it seems that everyone else gives 3.. all the time.. since the combined rating of most books are 3-3.5. Anywho I sent my email and got the PDFs and can’t wait to start writing! Thanks for taking the time to make them! Your new follower Meghan

  46. Katie says:

    I’ve tried a couple reading challenges that are a list of prompts and they never worked for me. I always just read what I wanted to and then tried to see if it fit a prompt. Needless to say, I never finished one. I am really intrigued by this “choose your own adventure” style!

  47. Pingback: JAN’21 TBR
  48. Christine J Thomas says:

    I just ran across this when looking at other things. I am so engaged with this.
    I love to read but I get in a rut with one author and I need i push to look into other authors. Thank you

  49. Jamie says:

    Hi, I have completed the all the categories I chose:
    Three books by the same author: Elin Hilderbrand a) What Happens in Paradise b) Troubles in Paradise c) The Blue Bistro
    A book in translation: The Plague–Albert Camus
    A book of poetry, a play or an essay collection: Disability Visibility–Alice Wong (ed.)
    A book more than 500 pages: Queen of Air and Darkness–Cassandra Clare
    A banned book: Sophie’s Choice–William Styron
    A memoir, biography or book of creative nonfiction: Assata: An Autobiography–Assata Shakur
    Book about books or reading: Twelve Angry Librarians–Miranda James
    A Newbery Award winner or honor book: Caddie Woodlawn–Carol Ryrie Brink
    A book of any genre that addresses current events: Me and White Supremacy–Layla F. Saad
    Pulitzer or National Book Award winner: Olive Kitteridge–Elizabeth Strout
    A book published this year (2021): Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder–Joanne Fluke
    Book by a favorite author: Hello, Summer–Mary Kay Andrews

  50. Sheryl says:

    For some reason I keep getting some type of error message when I try to submit my e-mail for the Reading Challenge kit. The error says “TypeError: Network Error when attempting to fetch resource”. I have tried multiple times over the past 24 hours. Can you please just send the kit to the e-mail with this submission.

    • Ginger Horton says:

      Hi, Sheryl –

      Could you please email us at [email protected] and let us know the email you’d like to receive the Reading Challenge kit as well as what browser(s) you’re using when you get the error?

      We’d like to look into it and get you your kit!

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