Challenge Your Reading in 2017

A few years ago, I stopped making most New Year’s Resolutions since I really wasn’t good about keeping them and inevitably they morphed into just another source of guilt I carried around for the next 11.5 months. However,  there is one exception which I do enjoy and I don’t call it a resolution but a challenge. Every year I give myself a reading challenge:  Based on the number of books I’ve read the year before (I keep track in Goodreads.com), I add five or ten more titles to that total as my goal for the next year. However this sort of reading challenge seems so dry compared to some of the other reading challenges offered by some book sites and bookish bloggers. So, if you’re looking for a New Year’s challenge, here are just a few of the fun ideas I’ve found for revving up your reading in 2017:

2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge provides a checklist of a variety suggestions in a handy PDF format. Some of the ideas include:  read a book set in the wilderness; read a book that’s becoming a movie in 2017 and many more creative suggestions to help you select books.

Bookriot’s 2017 Read Harder Challenge is for those serious about expanding their reading horizons, this challenge includes such suggestions as: read a book written by a South American author; read an all-ages graphic novel;  read a book by a debut author and MORE.

Back to the Classics 2017 Challenge suggests categories from which you can select a classic to re-read or pick one you’ve always meant to read. Some of the categories include: a classic by a woman; a classic in translation; a classic set in a place you’d like to visit.

The Bad Boys of Romance Reading Challenge 2017: In this challenge, you must read romance books which feature a bad boy hero: rock stars, MC members, streetfighters, assassins, mafia, loners, geeks, etc. The street fighter just trying to survive. The rock star moaning out your name. Romance novels only.

Banned/Challenged Book Reading Challenge: Read fiction that’s been banned or challenged or nonfiction about censorship. The site provides a link to the ALA’s lists of banned/challenged books.

Humor Reading Challenge 2017 Provides a list of humorous fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels to help keep you chuckling through 2017.

Lastly, if you don’t see something in this list which appeals to you, here is the Master List of 2017 Reading Challenges to help you guide your reading for the coming year!

Pinterest also offers a wide variety of reading challenges:

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/reading-challenge/

I highly recommend signing up for Goodreads.com, if you haven’t already. It is a social media site for readers who share their recommendations and it often helps me find my next book to read. Goodreads tells me that I’ve only read 63 books so far this year, way short of my goal of 90. But since I read 85 books the year before, I’m going to keep my goal high this year and just read harder!

You can be as serious about your reading as you like or just create a challenge to put some fun and variety into your reading this year. I look forward to hearing how you decide to challenge your reading in 2017!