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

#

  • 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!

A

B

  • 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.

C

  • 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.

D

E

  • 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.

F

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

G

H

I

L

M

  • 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.

N

P

  • 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

R

  • 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.

S

T

U

V

  • 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.

W


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.

Twitter
Email
Pocket
Facebook

// Comments //

  1. Thank you for the list! I’m hosting the Out of Comfort Zone Challenge again this year! It’s all about reading from Genres & Age Ranges that are outside of your comfort zone

    Here’s the Announcement: https://bookcheshirecat.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/out-of-comfort-zone-2023-reading-challenge-announcement-%f0%9f%92%97-feat-2022-wrapup/

  2. Jess

    Jan 11

    The Bookstore Podcast also does a yearly challenge that’s pretty fun! Here’s the link to this year’s!

    https://www.thebookstorepodcast.com/home/2022/12/21/the-bookstore-challenge-2023

  3. Serena

    Jan 09

    Thanks so much for linking to the Poetry Reading Challenge

  4. Thanks for linking to my blog!

  5. Jae

    Jan 01

    I’m hosting the Sapphic Book Bingo for readers of lesbian & sapphic fiction: https://jae-fiction.com/sapphic-book-bingo-2023/

  6. Machell

    Dec 31
  7. Hi Tanya. Awesome list as always!
    Would you mind including our 2023 New Release Challenge on your list? Our post only went live today.
    I wish you all the best for the new year, and send happiness, good health, and love to you and your loved ones.

  8. Jemima Pett

    Dec 29

    Many thanks for including the SpaceTime Reading Challenge once more!
    Happy new year

  9. Ari Augustine

    Dec 28

    Love seeing this list every year 🙂 We so appreciate it!!! Our Adult SFF Backlist Books reading challenge will be taking place again this year. It focuses exclusively on backlisted adult science fiction and fantasy books. It took us a hot minute to get an official page thrown together, but we finally did it. https://bookishvalhalla.org/adult-sff-backlist-books/

  10. Niffer

    Dec 25

    A little slow getting it up, but the 2023 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge is up for anyone interested!
    http://gregoryroad.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-2023-pick-your-poison-reading.html

  11. JoAnna

    Dec 24

    The Nerdy Bookworm 2023 Challenge can be found at http://www.emilythebooknerd.com/search?q=2023 (not my blog, just one I follow!)

  12. Ellie

    Dec 23

    My favorite challenge of 2022 was @Shadowbooker 12 Challenge- 12 recommendations by 12 friends. It was fun reading different genres and having insight to what my friends like to read. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmZLhOJj296/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

  13. As always, thank you for doing this every year! What a resource!
    I am hosting two year-long challenges again on Rose City Reader:
    The European Reading Challenge (in its 11th year in 2023): https://www.rosecityreader.com/p/2023-european-reading-challenge.html. Take the Grand Tour in books and maybe win a Jet Setter Prize!
    The TBR 23 in’23: https://www.rosecityreader.com/p/the-tbr-23-in-23-challenge.html. Read 23 books of your choosing off your TBR shelf in 2023. Pick ahead of time or as you go.
    I also continue to host the ongoing, weekly “Book Beginnings on Fridays” event: https://www.rosecityreader.com/search/label/Book%20Beginnings. Participants share the opening sentence (or so) of the book they are reading, or just a book they want to highlight.

// Trackbacks & Pingbacks //

  1. […] friends at Girl XOXO compiled this huge master list of reading challenge ideas for 2023! You are sure to find something that you’ll want to jump into. It’s not too late to […]

  2. […] The Master List of 2023 Reading Challenges if you need more ideas […]

  3. […] (but I definitely want to do a bunch of the month long readathons that are hopefully happening). Girlxoxo.com has a giant list if you want more ideas. As of this week I’ve been marking progress on the […]

  4. […] Take part in a book challenge. There are many online challenges that you can participate in, such as the Goodreads Reading […]

  5. […] for 2023. We’ve only selected 25 of our favorites, but Girlxoxo has a pretty comprehensive Master List of Reading Challenges if you’re looking for more! There are also a ton of reading challenges for 2023 listed on The […]

  6. […] Challenges. Pick from Popsugar, Book Riot, Goodreads, The 52 Book Club, and other challenges […]

  7. […] reading challenge for ourselves that’s pieced together from other challenges. BIG shoutout to GirlXOXO for providing a comprehensive list of 2023 reading challenges for us to choose […]

  8. […] We’ve been updating The 2023 Master List of Reading Challenges with more challenges! Going to keep the updates going for the next few weeks so keep checking […]

  9. […] third goal is to finish at least one reading challenge. (Girlxoxo has a huge list of year long […]

  10. […] if you’re thinking of trying 1 or 20: 65+ Fun Reading Challenges for Adults 2023 The 2023 Master List of Reading Challenges I’ll share the Challenges I’m doing next week (probably), but I wanted to highlight a […]

  11. […] in the The 2023 Master List of Reading Challenges This is the challenge for ’22, not sure she’s doing it this year l’m doing it […]

  12. […] I’m planning on participating in all of these again and perhaps looking for one or two new ones (GirlXOXO has lots of […]