12 Reading Challenge Ideas to Try This Year
A new year, a long summer or a slow month can all make you want a reading goal. A reading challenge is a goal with rules, such as a number of books or a list of prompts, and the right one stretches your reading without turning it into homework.
1. A Book Count for a Gentle Push
The simplest challenge is a target number of books for the year. You need nothing but the number and somewhere to tally it. A count works well if you already read steadily and want a small push.
Goodreads runs a yearly version of this. Its Reading Challenge page suggests starting with a number that feels easy and notes that you can change your goal anytime.
2. A Genre a Month to Break a Rut
Pick twelve genres and read one book from each, one per month. Mystery in January and poetry in February is a fine start. If you always reach for the same shelf, this one changes your year the most.
Plan the twelve genres before the year begins, so you are not choosing under pressure. Leave one month as a wild card.
3. A Published Prompt List When You Want a Nudge
Someone else writes the prompts, and you find a book for each. Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge for 2026 has 24 tasks, two per month, and says one book can count for several tasks. Graphic novels and audiobooks count as well.
The prompts send you toward books you would never find on your own, such as a microhistory or a book by a librarian. Curious readers who enjoy a scavenger hunt get the most from a list like this.
4. The Alphabet for Puzzle Lovers
Read one book for each letter, by the first word of the title or the author's surname. Twenty-six books is a big year, so you can stretch it over two. Q, X and Z are hardest.
Keep a list of all 26 letters and pencil in candidates as you spot them on library shelves or in friends' recommendations.
5. Around the World From Your Armchair
Read one book set in, or written by an author from, each of a set of countries or continents. Pick your scale first. Seven continents makes a manageable year, and a country a month makes a richer one.
The StoryGraph's challenge directory runs a Reads the World challenge with 10 prompts. A paper map with a dot per book works just as well at home.
6. A Decade Challenge for History Lovers
Read one book published in each decade of a century. The 1900s to the 1990s gives you ten books and a sense of how writing changed. A librarian can point you to older titles you would not find on the new shelves.
Context is the reward here. A few older books will move slowly, so pair them with lighter reads.
7. A Page Count That Rewards Long Books
Set your yearly target in pages. A 900-page novel then counts for what it is. If you avoid long books because they ruin a book count, you will feel the difference.
You need a running total and the page count of each book. Write it on the last page of your log as you finish each title.
8. One Classic a Month to Catch Up
Choose twelve classics you always meant to read and assign one to each month. Shorter ones go in busy months, and longer ones go in holidays.
Start with the shortest. An audiobook can carry a hard classic through a commute, which helps if you feel you missed something at school.
9. A TBR-Only Year for Full Shelves
Read only books you already own. Library loans count too. New purchases wait until a set date, or until you clear a set number. A growing pile shrinks, and your shelves get space back.
A clear list helps more than willpower with this one. Our guide on how to make a TBR list shows how to sort what you own and prune what you no longer want.
10. A Buddy Read With a Friend
Pick a book with a friend and agree on a pace, such as a few chapters a week. Talk about it at each stop, in person or by message. Long novels become much easier with someone waiting for you.
Paper works fine for a buddy read. Agree on the stopping pages and write them on a slip in both books.
11. Twelve Prompts You Write Yourself
Writing your own prompts lets you aim the year at exactly what you want to read more of. Write each prompt as a kind of book, such as a debut or a book set abroad, never as a specific title. Mix about eight easy prompts with four that stretch you, and keep one as a wild card.
Keep the list visible. Put it in the book you are reading, where you see it every evening. Our Reading Year bookmark set includes a Challenge bookmark with twelve prompts, one book each, alongside a Goal Jar where you set a number and fill a circle per book. Each bookmark trims to 2 by 7 inches.
12. A Daily Minutes Streak for Busy Weeks
Commit to a fixed number of minutes a day and let the book count take care of itself. Fifteen minutes a day adds up to about 91 hours across a year. A streak helps most when you are busy or coming back to reading after a long break.
Log each day's date and minutes. A missed day simply stays as a blank line.
How to Choose a Reading Challenge
Choose by what you want to change, how much you read or what you read. A count or a minutes streak changes how much, while prompts, genres and maps change what. Pick one of each kind at most.
| Challenge | Changes | Best for | Track it with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book count | How much you read | Steady readers | A tally or an app goal |
| Genre a month | What you read | Readers in a rut | Twelve genre lines |
| Published prompts | What you read | Curious readers | The list itself |
| Alphabet | What you read | List makers | 26 letters |
| Around the world | What you read | Armchair travelers | A map or a country list |
| Decade | What you read | History lovers | Ten decade lines |
| Page count | How much you read | Readers of long books | A running total |
| Classics | What you read | Readers catching up | Twelve titles |
| TBR only | What you buy | Full shelves | Your to-read list |
| Buddy read | How you read | Social readers | Agreed stopping pages |
| Twelve prompts | What you read | Checklist lovers | A bookmark in the book |
| Minutes streak | How often you read | Busy readers | Date and minutes |
Key Takeaway: Prompt challenges change what you read, and counts change how much. Read Harder's 24 tasks can take fewer than 24 books, since one book may count for several tasks, while a 24-book goal only asks how many you finish.
How to Set a Realistic Goal
A realistic goal starts from what you actually read last year. If you never counted, national figures give a useful anchor. In a Pew Research Center survey from early 2021, the typical American read five books in the previous 12 months. The average was roughly 14, so a typical reader sits well below the average. A first goal of about six, one book every two months, starts just above that typical figure.
Convert the number into a pace. If the pace in the middle column sounds tiring, the goal is too high.
| Yearly goal | Pace | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 6 books | One every two months | A gentle restart |
| 12 books | One a month | A book club pace |
| 24 books | Two a month | A steady reader's year |
| 52 books | One a week | Reading most evenings |
Pro Tip: Set your goal at last year's total plus two. If you have never counted, start at six, and raise the number in July if you are well ahead.
How to Track a Reading Challenge
Track it where you will see it while you read. Apps do this part well. Goodreads counts Kindle books automatically once your Amazon account is linked, and The StoryGraph's featured challenges each draw tens of thousands of participants.
A big public challenge offers something paper cannot, a crowd reading alongside you. If you want to join a big public challenge and compare progress with strangers, use the app, because our bookmarks will not connect you to anyone.
Paper suits a private challenge kept in the book. A goal jar of circles to fill, a numbered list of finished books and a prompt list you can tick are all you need. For more on that trade-off, see our comparison of book tracker apps and paper.
What to Do When You Fall Behind
Falling behind halfway through the year happens to plenty of readers, and the simplest fix is a smaller plan. On Goodreads you can lower your goal anytime, and on paper you can cross out the number and write a smaller one. Prompts you cannot fill can swap for your wild card or move to next year.
Short books break a slump. So do audiobooks, which Read Harder counts too. A month on a minutes streak also helps, because fifteen minutes is easier to start than a whole book.
FAQ
What's a good reading challenge?
A good challenge changes one thing about your reading and fits your year. Pick a book count to read more, or prompts, genres or a map to read more widely. Set the goal near what you read last year.
What are some ideas for a reading challenge in 2026?
Try a book count, a genre a month, Book Riot's 24 Read Harder tasks, the alphabet, around the world, a decade challenge, a page count, a classic a month, a TBR-only year, a buddy read, twelve prompts or a daily minutes streak.
How do I start the 2026 reading challenge?
Choose a goal, then choose where to track it. On Goodreads you set a number and can change it anytime. On paper, write the number down and fill in one mark for each book you finish.
What do I get with Reading Year, and can I give it away?
You get a zip with a US Letter PDF, an A4 PDF and a README, and a receipt email brings the download link right after payment. Print the test sheet on pages 3 and 4 first, then print at actual size (100%) on matte card of about 176 gsm (65 lb cover), flip on the long edge and cut. You may print as often as you like for you and your household, and give printed bookmarks or sheets as gifts. Please do not share or resell the file.
Conclusion
The best reading challenge is the one you still care about in October. Keep the rules light. Pick a format that changes one thing, set a goal close to last year's count and keep the tracker where you read. If you fall behind, lower the number and keep going.
Sources
- Goodreads, Join the Goodreads Reading Challenge (2026) (last checked 2026-10-02)
- Book Riot, Book Riot's 2026 Read Harder Challenge (2025) (last checked 2026-10-02)
- The StoryGraph, Reading Challenges (2026) (last checked 2026-10-02)
- Pew Research Center, Three-in-ten Americans now read e-books (2022) (last checked 2026-10-02)
