Book Riot’s annual Read Harder Challenge is probably one of the (if not THE) best-known. It does a fantastic job of covering a great mixture of genres, topics, spins on topics and is very purposefully diverse. There’s something for every reader here – and something to challenge every reader, too!
Because I only read about 30 books a year, I’m never going to fully complete one of these lengthy reading challenges. However I do love the idea of them, and I like having them to refer back to every once in a while, and to draw some inspiration from. I’m particularly pleased with some of the topics on this year’s list!
- Read a biography of an author you admire.
- Read a book set in a bookstore.
- Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list.
- Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma.
- Read an anthology featuring diverse voices.
- Read a nonfiction YA comic.
- Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.
- Read a classic written by a POC.
- Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest.
- Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+).
- Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character.
- Read an entire poetry collection.
- Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.
- Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book).
- Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital).
- Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes.
- Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary.
- Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.
- Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.
- Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.
- Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth.
- Read a history about a period you know little about.
- Read a book by a disabled author.
- Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat!
Do you plan to participate in any reading challenges in 2022? It may seem like a less appealing prospect given everything that’s going on, but are some of you finding specific challenges to be a great way to re-focus your energy? Which topics on the list are you particularly interested to get to?
