Summer Reading Challenges
Jackie and I created the summer reading challenges in 2021, when we kept hearing people say they didn’t know what to read. The pandemic was starting to fade out, but everyone’s reading habits were still going strong, and our audience was looking to be inspired in a new, fun way!
So we launched our summer reading bingo, and now all these years later, it’s still going strong. We aren’t sure if it’s a beach read thing, if people want to relax more in summer, or if the uniqueness of the prompts is what keeps people coming back, but the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge was our most popular one yet!
Below, you will find previous summer reading challenges in case you want to get inspired with your summer reading! Enjoy!
2024 Summer Reading Challenge
2024 Summer Reading Challenge Prompts
- Book Set at the Beach
- Plane Book
- Biographical Fiction
- Book Featuring a Weather Event
- Set in the Jazz Age
- Listen to an Audiobook
- Celebrity Book Club Pick
- Animal Novels
- Urban Fantasy
- Locked Room Mystery
- Dystopian Novel
- Book with a Color in the Title
- Book Featuring Women in STEM
- Book with a Pool on the Cover
- Ultimate Beach Reads 2024
- Puzzle Mystery
- Young Adult Fantasy
- Wedding Book
- 2024 New Release
- Hotel Novel
- Book Set in Scotland
- Fashion Books
- Next Book in a Series
- Romantic Comedy Book
2023 Summer Reading Challenge
2023 Summer Reading Challenge Prompts
- Book Set at the Beach
- Boat Book
- Detective Book
- Book by a Jewish Author
- Book Set in the 70s
- Jewelry Book
- Celebrity Book Club Pick
- Full Cast Audiobook
- Elderly Main Character
- Domestic Thriller
- YA Historical Fiction
- Book about Art or Artists
- Middle-Grade Fantasy
- Family Drama (or family saga perhaps?)
- Ultimate Beach Reads 2023
- Greek Mythology Retelling
- Book Set in Italy
- College Romance
- 2023 New Release
- Minimalizing, Organizing, or Cleaning Book
- Book about Going on Vacation (check out hotel books post too!)
- Book about Poverty and its Impact
- Historical Fiction Book about Books
- Feel-Good Read
More Summer Reading Challenges
Expert Tip
- Intimidated by tackling 24 books in 4 months? Try our annual reading challenge instead!
- Want to play with others? Head to Instagram to join the community of reading challenge participants!
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I read during the summer?
I think that exploring new genres and also mixing in favorite subjects is the way to go for summer reading. Summer reading challenges can be a fun way to give you guidance on reading, but still leave choices open-ended.
What are some good summer reading challenges for adults?
The Beyond the Bookends summer reading challenges have been released for the last five years. Running between May 1 and Labor Day, these 4-month challenges feature 24 book prompts to be read over the course of the summer. But don’t worry, in these challenges, you can double up on prompts!
Epilogue
The summer reading challenges have always been an Instagram favorite, and frankly, they are my favorite too! Have you participated in one of our summer reading challenges in the past? Which year was your favorite?
