Guide
Reading challenge ideas you will actually finish
A good challenge nudges you toward books you would not otherwise pick, without turning reading into a chore. Pick three or four of these — not thirty.
Beat your TBR
The five-before-one challenge
Read five books you already own before buying another.
The oldest-book challenge
Finish the book that has waited longest on your want-to-read shelf.
The second-chance challenge
Return to a book you abandoned last year and decide whether to finish it.
The unfinished-series challenge
Read the next book in a series you started but never completed.
The forgotten-shelf challenge
Choose a book from the least-visited corner of your physical or digital shelf.
The no-new-books month
Spend one month reading only books that were already on your TBR.
Genre stretch
The new-genre challenge
Try one genre you normally never read.
The curious non-fiction challenge
Read a non-fiction book about something you know almost nothing about.
The graphic-novel challenge
Pick a graphic novel or memoir and experience a story told visually.
The short-story challenge
Read a complete short story collection by one author.
The older-than-you classic
Choose a classic first published before you were born.
The poetry challenge
Read one poetry collection slowly over a week or a month.
Monthly themes
Cosy January
Start the year with a slow, comforting read.
Women writers in March
Read a book by a woman whose work is new to you.
Translated June
Choose a book translated from a language you have not read before.
Summer setting
Read a story set by the sea, on an island or during a memorable summer.
Spooky October
Pick a horror novel, gothic story or tense thriller.
Comfort-read December
End the year by rereading a book you already love.
Small and doable
Under 200 pages
Finish a novella or another book shorter than 200 pages.
The one-sitting read
Choose a short book you can complete in one quiet sitting.
The one-word title
Read any book whose title contains a single word.
A friend's choice
Read a book recommended by a friend, no questions asked.
The cover-colour challenge
Pick a book with a cover in your favourite colour.
The library wildcard
Borrow a book you had not planned to read and give it a chance.
Habit challenges
Twenty minutes for 30 days
Read for at least 20 minutes every day for one month.
Read before scrolling
Open your book before your phone every morning for a week.
One chapter before bed
Finish one chapter every night for a full month.
The year-long reading log
Record every finished book, rating and finish date for one year.
The daily-page challenge
Read at least ten pages every day, even on busy days.
The weekend reading hour
Protect one uninterrupted hour for reading every weekend.
Set a yearly goal you can hit
Take the number of books you finished last year and add two. That is a goal you will beat, and beating it is what keeps the habit alive. If you had a quiet year, count pages instead of books — long books stop feeling like a punishment.
Track it without spreadsheets
Set your yearly goal in Booked & Beautiful and the dashboard shows how far ahead or behind you are, which genres you are actually reading, and what you finished each month in the calendar view.
Part of
Reading goals and challengesSet a yearly goal you will hit, pick challenges you enjoy, and review each month with a wrap-up.
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