Reading Challenges

In 2018, I challenged myself to read 150 books.  As of writing of this post, I have read or listened to 136 books and I’m currently reading 2 books and listening to an audiobook, which I hope to finish before the end of the year. While I’m not making my goal of 150 books, I came close again this year and read some really great books along the way, many of which I may not have picked up had it not been for the variety of reading challenges I took on during the year.

The last few years I’ve taken part in the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.  Though I have yet to complete it, it has expanded my book selection.  Each year the staff of Book Riot puts together a list of 24 book prompts for you to complete. Some of the prompts can be pretty easy to fulfill like reading a western or a bit more challenging like finding a book with a female protagonist over the age of 60 (this is not one I completed this year).

Since I don’t always complete my Goodreads Challenge or the Read Harder Challenge I try to pick some other easier challenges to complete.  This year I joined a friend’s attempt at the A to Z Challenge.  Participants read a book starting with each letter of the alphabet (with the allowance of you could skip hard letter like Q, U, X, Y, Z).  I managed to find something to read for each letter and a lot of them crossed over with the Read Harder Challenge.

In past years I’ve done the following challenges


  • Men in Uniform Challenge
  • Support your Local Library Challenge
  • Color Coded Reading Challenge
  • TBR Pile Challenge
  • Finish the Series Reading Challenge


You can find these and a more challenges on A Novel Challenge, a blog that collects reading challenges.  Some challenges last all year while others are for specific months or seasons.  Don’t feel overwhelmed when you look up a challenge and see that they want you to post to a blog or comment on check in posts.  You can keep these low tech by using a notebook and pen.

I’ll end this by challenging you to a little challenge.  Can you read one book from each of our collections in the library system?


  • Biography
  • Book on CD
  • Fiction
  • Graphic novel
  • Juvenile books
  • Picture books
  • Mystery
  • Non fiction
  • NJ collection
  • Sci-fi
  • Short stories
  • Young adult



- Amelia R., Information Technology

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