Annual Reading Challenges
Jackie and I have been releasing our yearly reading challenge since 2018! Released mid-October to allow readers to plan for the year ahead, our annual reading challenges feature one fun prompt a month designed to get you reading outside the box!
At the start of 2025, Jackie and I took our annual reading challenges even further by starting a member book club. Each month, we announce the book we will all be reading to complete the reading challenge prompt and we send out a reading guide for that story.
At the end of the month, we host a 30-minute virtual book club discussion, followed by a Q&A session with the author of the book we are reading. It’s a fantastic way to elevate your reading experience!
Join the Beyond the Bookends Book Club!
Looking to engage with like-minded readers and the authors of your favorite books? Join our book club!
Below, you will find previous annual reading challenges in case you want to get inspired with your reading! Enjoy!
2024 Reading Challenge
2024 Reading Challenge Prompts
- January- Read a Book Being Adapted to the Screen
- February- Read a Fake Dating Story
- March- Read a Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
- April- Read a Book Set Abroad
- Here are some suggestions: Books set in France, books set in Paris, Books set in Scotland, Books set in Africa, Books set in England, Books set in Italy, Books set in Japan, books set in Cornwall
- May- Read a Biographical Fiction
- June- Read an Animal Novel
- July- Read a YA Fantasy
- August- Read a Fashion Book
- September- Read a Coming-of-Age story
- October- Read a Historical Mystery
- November- Read a Feel good Nonfiction
- December- Read a Holiday story (bonus points if you read about a holiday you don’t celebrate!)
2023 Reading Challenge
2023 Reading Challenge Prompts
- January- Read a book coming to the screen in 2023
- February- Read a historical romance
- March- Read a novel about music, bands, and musicians
- April- Read a book about sisters
- May- Read a detective books
- June- Listen to a full-cast audiobook
- July- Read a book set in Italy
- August- Read a book about the impact of poverty
- September- Read a book written by a BIPOC female author
- October- Read a magical realism book
- November- Read a book set in winter
- December- Read a book by your favorite author (here are some of our favorite authors’ books ranked/ in order)
2022 Reading Challenge
2022 Reading Challenge Prompts
- January- Read a book adapted to the screen
- February- Read a feel-good book
- March- Read a historical fiction
- April- Read a book set in a bookstore
- May –Read a carnival or circus
- June- Read a young adult romance
- July- Listen to a family-friendly audiobook
- August- Read a thriller
- September- Read a banned book
- October – Read an adult fantasy
- November – Read a WWI
- December- Read a family drama or family saga
More Annual Reading Challenges
Expert Tip
- Ready to try tackling 3 books a month? Try our seasonal reading challenges instead!
- Looking to read 2 books a month? Double up! Do more than one annual reading challenge at a time, OR try reading two different books per prompt!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I increase my reading?
One of the best ways to increase the number of books you read each year is by joining annual reading challenges! Reading challenges are designed to help you read a specific number of books a year by breaking them down into monthly goals.
What are some good annual reading challenges?
The Beyond the Bookends annual reading challenges have been released for more than 8 years! Each month, a new prompt is chosen, and now there is a book club to go along with the challenge!
Epilogue
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite reading challenge, but 2025 has a special place in my heart because it was the start of the incredible member book club! Have you participated in one of our annual reading challenges in the past? Which year was your favorite?
