I absolutely love reading challenges.
This year I plan on pledging to read 222 books in GoodReads :-D It's the year 2022, after all. :-)
I know I can do it. I read 331 books in 2019, and that during January to April and October to December. I read practically nothing from May to September. I read over a book a day in January, February, March, and April with about 300 pages on average, and about 3 books a day in November and December, though mostly picture books and short stories. Had I continued with the speed I devoured books in February, I would have read over 500 books. :-D
I use the reading challenges as a jumping board to get me reading when I'm in a slump, and then I read books I find interesting, just because. Like in 2019 I read the whole Unfortunate Events series, and the prequel series as well, and those weren't part of a reading challenge.
This year I'm planning on doing the PopSugar, a couple of "book a week" challenges, and a couple of monthly challenges. Like The 2022 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge
January: quiet
All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Let Sleeping Sea-Monsters Lie and Other Cautionary Tales by Eva Ibbotson
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
February: "love"
Love of Seven Dolls by Paul Gallico
Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara
Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard
The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories by Mahvesh Murad
Love and Other Pranks by Tony Vigorito
March: growth
I don't have any books on growth! I have several with a garden, that might do, but I think the closest I get is
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
There's also Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, which kind of fits
April: my initials in the title
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen by Russell Hoban
it has my birth initials, my married initials, and my internet initials :-D
KSPSBJ
May: new to you author
Some new to me authors on my TBR list are:
Molly Knox Ostertag
Colleen Oakes
Sarah Beth Durst
and
Catherine Fisher
June: book on the cover
The Book Jumper by Mechthild Gläser
The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark
Curiosities of Literature: A Feast for Book Lovers by John Sutherland
The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon,
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
July: a book you have been avoiding but actually want to read
World Without End by Ken Follett
August: body part in the title
The Witch's Head by H. Rider Haggard
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
Paris and Back by Nancy Grace
The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
The Way Back by Gavriel Savit
A Face like Glass by Francess Hardinge
Assholes: a Theory by Aaron James
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light by Mimi Mondal
The Worm And The Toffee Nosed Princess by Eva Ibbotson
Alice Through the Needle's Eye by Gilbert Adair
September: a collection
I have all the Seon Manley's ladies, women and dames :-D It would be nice to actually read some of them.
Culottées by Pénélope Bagieu
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke
Collected Fantasies by Avram Davidson
Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History
Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales by Virginia Hamilton
October: "secret"
The Book of Secrets by M.G.Vassanji
Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
La canción secreta del mundo by José Antonio Cotrina
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
Archie Greene and the Magician's Secret
The Secret Ingredient of Wishes by Susan Bishop Crispell
The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan
Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll
The Garden of Lost Secrets by A.M.Howell
November: a book that makes you feel cozy/nostalgic
December: mostly white cover
1. A Second-Person Narrative
2. Featuring A Library Or Bookstore
3. Title Starting With The Letter "E"
4. Title Starting With The Letter "F"
5. Chapters Have Titles
6. Household Object On The Cover
7. A Non-Fiction Best Seller
8. Involving The Art World
9. A Book That Sparks Joy
10. A Book Based On A Real Person
11. A Book With Less Than 2022 Goodreads Ratings
12. Set On At Least Two Continents
13. Includes A Club
14. A Character With Superhuman Ability
15. A Five-Syllable Title
16. A Book You've Seen Someone Reading In A Public Place
17. A Book Picked Based On Its Spine
18. Jane Austen-inspired
19. A Book That Has An Alternate Title
20. Related To The Word "Gold"
21. Published By Simon & Schuster
22. An Unlikely Detective
23. Author With An X, Y, Or Z In Their Name
24. Addresses A Specific Topic
25. A Wealthy Character
26. Has An "Author's Note"
27. Includes A Map
28. Award-Winning Book From Your Country
29. Over 500 Pages Long
30. Audiobook Is Narrated By The Author
31. Technology Themed
32. A Book That Intimidates You
33. A Bilingual Character
34. Author's Photo On The Back Cover
35. From The Villain's Perspective
36. Recommended By A Favorite Author
37. Set In A Rural Area
38. Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!
39. A Middle-Grade Novel
40. A Book With Photographs Inside
41. Involves A Second Chance
42. An Indie Read
43. Author Who's Published In More Than One Genre
44. An Anthology
45. A Book With Illustrated People On Cover
46. Job Title In The Title
47. Read During The Month Of November
48. Redo One Of This Year's Prompts But With A Different Genre
49. Book Title Starts With The Same Letter As Your First Name
50. A Person Of Color As The Main Character
51. The Word “Game” In The Title
52. Published In 2022
A vintage Black Feminist/Womanist text (published before 2000)
A contemporary Black Feminist/Womanist text (published between 2000 & now)
LGBTQ author and/or content - fiction
LGBTQ author and/or content - non fiction
A book by a revolutionary, community activist, political organizer or abolitionist
A book on self care, health, lifestyle strategy or personal development
A romance or erotic novel
A book that centers relationships between women
A young adult or middle schooler’s novel
An award winning novel and/or classic
A debut or famous author’s first
Any book by Octavia Butler
Any book by Toni Morrison
A book by a Caribbean author
A book by an African author
A book that classifies as Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, or Fantasy
A book on Spirituality, Religion, Faith or Ritual
A book with a name in the title
A book with a one word title
A book that was published within the past year
A graphic novel or series of comic books
A memoir or autobiography
A book where characters speak Patois, Creole, Geechee, or AAVE
A book set in your hometown
A collection of poetry, short stories, essays, recipes or prose
A book on Body Politics, Trauma, Autonomy or Acceptance
A book on Migration, Travel, Location or Place - fiction or non fiction
A book on Disability or Neurodivergence - fiction or non fiction
A book on Parenting or Child Advocacy
History, Historical Fiction or Slave Narrative