The 2023 Master List of Reading Challenges

The Master List of Reading Challenges is a compilation of YEAR-LONG challenges designed to level up your reading year. … we’re back with a list that will be constantly updating through January 2023! There’s also quite a lot of reading challenges on The StoryGraph and Ready for a Reading Challenge. For the first year, we’re featuring a few from Instagram. Check back every Sunday for updates – with newly added challenges at the top of the post.

The Master List of 2023 Reading Challenges

NEWLY ADDED CHALLENGES – Updated 01/06/23


Books and Fairy Lights

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  • 2023 Reading Challenge. There are different levels, and different categories in each level – 5 levels for a total of 60 books if all levels are completed
  • The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge. The goal is to read 52 books from the 52 different categories provided – find a book that meets the criteria and check it off!

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  • Backlist Reader Challenge. Read books that have been published before 2021 AND are already on your TBR list or pile.
  • Beachcomber Mystery Reading Challenge. Your goal is to become a Beachcomber by filling the set of four beach bags (25 items per bag, 100 items total) as you read mysteries.
  • Beyond the Bookends Reading Challenge. This challenge features 12 categories – 1 for each month – that will inspire your reading journey for the road ahead.
  • Book Bingo 2023 @ Unruly Reader. This year’s theme is “School”. Read a book that fits the category. Complete just one row or column, or go for blackout by reading a book in every category.
  • Book Bingo 2023 @ Modern Gypsy. Choose your bingo journey, track your progress and sign-up for the newsletter if you’d like to see recommendations and more.
  • Book Bingo 2023 @ Leticia. Read a book for a Bingo – Normal or Hard mode.
  • Book Riot’s 2023 Read Harder Challenge. Read Harder has 24 fun and serious tasks designed to help you break out of your reading bubble and expand your worldview through books.
  • Books in Translation. Read a book that’s been translated from any language into the language of your choosing. The challenge is not limited to translations to or from English.
  • Book Voyage: Read Around the World. Get ready to read for a certain region of the World each month from the provided book list.
  • Booklist Queen’s Reading Challenge. Read a book a week with these 52 different categories to expand your reading selection.
  • Build Your Library Reading Challenge. The 2023 theme is “Adventures in Science and Nature!” There are prompts that offer you the chance to thoroughly explore the theme in fun and unique ways.

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  • Calendar of Crime. Read 12 mystery books, each from of the categories in the month on the Calendar of Crime. Link up at the blog, or on social media using #CalendarOfCrime2021.
  • Children’s Book Reading Challenge…for Adults. Anything that can be found in the children’s section of a library or bookstore is applicable, as well as timeless classics that the whole family would enjoy.
  • Classics Reading Challenge. The idea is to explore the classics by reading one classic book each month chosen for the challenge prompt.
  • COYER Reading Challenges. Clean Out Your E-Reader … and more! There are 3 semester long challenges with different rules per semester. A completely fun way to get through your books.
  • Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge. Read any book that is from the mystery, suspense, thriller, or crime genre.
  • Color Coded. Choose books where the color may either be named in the title or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover.
  • Craving For Cozies. Read cozy mystery books.
  • Creativity Reading Challenge. This challenge is about reading books on creativity, art, crafts, writing, film making, photography and any other topic that helps you live a more creative life.
  • Cruisin’ Thru The Cozies. Read only cozy mysteries of your choice or read through the different sub-genres of cozy mysteries.

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  • Epistolary Reading Challenge. The challenge is to read books written in the form of letters, diaries, blogs, e-mails and such, either completely or partially written this way.

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  • Finishing the Series. This challenge is focused on finally finishing those series that you’ve started but not yet completed.

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  • Medical Examiner’s Mystery Reading Challenge. Your goal as Medical Examiner is to issue as many Toe Tags as you can during 2022, by reading murder mysteries and documenting the cause of death of the unfortunate victim(s).
  • Memoir Reading Challenge. Read a minimum of five memoirs from any of the categories listed. One book can only count for one category.
  • Mental Health Reading Challenge. Read any book related to mental health – fiction or non-fiction.
  • Monthly Keyword Reading Challenge. Your task is to read at least one book each month whose title includes one or more of the keywords for that month. This challenge is hosted here at Girlxoxo!
  • Monthly Motif Reading Challenge. Read a book that corresponds to one of the themes or motif provided each month. This challenge is hosted here at Girlxoxo!
  • Mount TBR. Knock out some of those books you OWN that have been waiting in the wings for weeks … months … even years.

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  • Pick Your Poison. Check out the printable – 26 topics with 4 categories in each – so “Pick Your Poison”! It could be anywhere from a Baker’s Dozen – 1 category from any of the 13 topics … all the way up to a Freaky Reader – complete all the topics.
  • Popsugar Reading Challenge. Read books that meet these random fun and interesting prompts. For an extra challenge read books that meet the 10 advanced prompts.
  • The Purrfect Reading Challenge. Read mysteries that have cats as main characters.
Book Awards

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  • A RAD Reading Challenge. Choose to read from any or all of the nine categories in the printable.
  • Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks. The goal is easy – Read 52 Books – how you get there is up to you. We have a variety of weekly, monthly mini challenges, annual and perpetual challenges to entice your reading taste buds: 
  • Read Around the USA. The country is divided into 12 regions, and for each monthly prompt there will be a diverse list of book recommendations for you to choose OR choose your own.
  • Read Around the World Challenge. Join book lovers like you from all over the world who want to read at least one book written by an author from each country in the World.
  • Read Around the World. 12 prompts for 12 months that will allow you to read your way across seven continents and multiple genres.
  • Read Around the World: Book Voyage Reading Challenge. Each month, you’ll read one book set in a different region of the world as a way of armchair traveling and learning more about the vast and beautiful differences in both landscape and culture
  • Read It Again Sam. This one is all about re-reading … re-visiting old friends in books.
  • Read Queerly. Read books that feature and focus on LGBTQ+ characters and stories.
  • Read With Allison. There are 52 reading prompts on the printable so challenge yourself to find a book for each, or as many as you can get to this year.
  • Read Your Bookshelf. This is a low pressure reading challenge with reading prompts for every month of the year.
  • Reading by the Numbers. Log all your books. No pre-set challenge levels. You decide your goal for the year and then just keep track of the books you read.
  • Roll to Read. Each month roll a pair of dice, go to the corresponding space on the board and follow the prompt.
  • Romance Reading Challenge. Read a romance book for each of the categories.
  • Romance Reading Challenge. Read one romance novel each month that fits the given theme for that month.
  • Romanceopoly. You will go around the Romanceopoly board throughout the year either square by square or by rolling the dice. Once you land on a spot you can read a book that fits the challenge prompt or the specific genre assigned to that spot. Keep reading until you’ve either finished the board, or if you don’t want to commit to that many books for the year you can choose to complete only 1 of each color neighborhood.

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  • Vintage Scavenger Hunt. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to find as many objects on the scavenger hunt list as possible on the covers of the mystery books you read. As always, you may play along in either the Golden or Silver Mystery Eras (or, for the more adventurous, both).
  • Virtual Mount TBR Reading Challenge. This challenge is for all those folks with mile-long “wish-list” of TBRs who would like a chance to climb as well.

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Let us know if there are challenges we may have missed and we’ll continue to update this page through January 2023. Links to past round-ups – 20222021202020192018.

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// Comments //

  1. Great list, as always! Thank you so much for posting it. I always find some new challenges that interest me.
    I will be hosting The Backlist Reader Challenge again this year. The Backlist Reader Challenge 2023 is for all those books that have been hanging around on your TBR list for years.

  2. Eszter

    Dec 19

    Thank you for taking the time every year to do this list. It is so helpful.
    I hope you continue doing it, but if you don’t I appreciate you took the time to do it till now.

  3. There is also TBR Knockout for the 3rd year in a row. https://youtu.be/O5xAqctHQB4

  4. Okay, I finally got my 2023 reading challenge together. It’s a Bookish Books reading challenge focused on reading books with strong book/reading themes. I’d love it if you would post about it. Here are all the details: http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2022/12/announcing-bookish-books-reading.html Thanks, Tanya!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
    readyforareadingchallenge.blogspot.com

  5. Thanks for including the She Reads Romance Books Romance Book Reading Challenge! Here is the link for the 2023 Challenge: https://www.shereadsromancebooks.com/reading-challenge-2023/
    Also, for those who like to read middle grade/tween books or kids who want a reading challenge in 2023, check out the 2023 Reading Challenge for Kids with We Read Tween Books: https://wereadtweenbooks.com/reading-challenge-for-kids-2023/

    Thanks for including these!

  6. Courtney

    Dec 11

    I always love your list! Going to add in this one (with a new home on the Web): Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge: https://cozymysterychallenges.com/2023-challenge

    Thanks for doing this every year!

  7. Jules

    Dec 09

    Hi! Excellent work compiling this list. I wanted to also let you know about my challenge to read books referenced on the Gilmore Girls on a theme each month. You can find the challenge details on my website TheLiteraryLifestyle.com and then I also host it on Instagram @TheRoryGilmoreBookClub where people can chat, share their reads, etc. Thanks again for inspiring readers in 2023.

  8. What a great list. Thank you for doing this and sharing the Library Love Challenge

  9. Erika Morris

    Dec 08

    I look forward to this Master List every year! Thanks for putting it together.

  10. Courtney Malinowski

    Dec 07

    Hey! The HPOOTP-Flourish and Blotts facebook group hosts a yearly challenge inspired by elements of the Harry Potter books. This years challenge is Quidditch! The full challenge info can be found here:
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZGRtJlBBb0slu8lTCsmoKcm5_O21AObSmywWRWZ2SxA/edit

    There’s also a ton of fun challenge and non challenge related bookish stuff in the Facebook group!

    • Tanya Patrice

      Dec 08

      Thanks for sharing @Courtney! I haven’t included Facebook reading challenges in the roundup this year.

  11. Thanks for this list, Tanya! You do an amazing job. I started a similar database last year because the one I had used for years wasn’t being updated anymore and I hadn’t yet discovered that your blog existed. Oops! You do it better, for sure, but I figure the more places these awesome challenges are posted, the better. Plus, if one of us doesn’t have the energy to keep it up one year, there will be a back-up.

    Also, I’m cooking up my own challenge for 2023. When I get it all figured out and post about it, I’ll let you know.

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
    http://www.readyforareadingchallenge.blogspot.com

  12. Melissa

    Dec 06

    Thanks so much for including our challenges on your list every year! Just a couple of updates for 2023 – For the Decades Reading Challenge, it now starts in 1880 instead of 1910. We’ve also added a brand new Read Around the USA challenge. It’s 12 books throughout the year, each from a different region of the US. We provide suggestions for each region. https://bookgirlsguide.com/states Thanks again! – Melissa & Angela, Book Girls Guide

  13. Michelle

    Dec 03

    Thank you for all your work on this and for including COYER each year. We appreciate it and you!

  14. Cassidy

    Dec 03

    Romnceopoly is back for 2923

  15. I made a challenge for this year! Roll to Read! It’s like a board game.
    https://theliterarydispatcher.wordpress.com/roll-to-read/

  16. I’m hosting the Books in Translation and Southern Lit challenges again this year. Thank you for creating and maintaining this list!https://introvertedreader.com/2023-books-translation/https://introvertedreader.com/2023-southern-literature-challenge/

  17. I always love this list and use it as my resource for reading challenges each year so I’m glad it’s back! I’ve started up my Around the World Reading Challenge for 2023 so I hope you can add it! I love that you added some from IG too!
    https://momssmallvictories.com/around-the-world-reading-challenge/

  18. Bev Baird

    Nov 30

    Thanks for this master list! I always return to your list throughout the year. Lots of new challenges this year. happy reading in 2023

  19. Tennille

    Nov 30

    Thank you thank you thank you!!! I wanted to mention a new challenge I found that seems really interesting. It’s not my challenge, but each book is somehow related to the book you read the previous month.,,
    https://heyreader.me/announcing-the-2023-read-your-bookshelf-challenge-reading-prompts-for-every-month-of-the-year/

  20. Vicki

    Nov 30

    I know, I saw a post where you said you weren’t doing it and I was so sad! I’m so glad you changed your mind, thank you 🙂

  21. Vicki

    Nov 30

    Yea!!!! I’m so happy you did this again!!!!

    • Tanya Patrice

      Nov 30

      @Vicki – I almost didn’t do it – but I couldn’t resist! Happy reading 🙂

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