Not Your Typical 2023 Reading Challenge
When you're a voracious bookworm, a new year means a fresh start on tackling your TBR list. We somehow think this is the year we will mark every book as read and finally reach the end of our list, knowing the lofty goal will always remain a dangling carrot of vain pursuit.
With renewed vigor and time on our hands in the colder months, we also accept reading challenges to expand our literary horizons. Like many New Year's resolutions, our enthusiasm quickly wanes when we fall further and further behind, and the challenge becomes more like a tedious chore than something to savor.
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Let's change that in 2023!
Reading should always be a rewarding, worthwhile experience. Life is busy, so when you can squeeze in time for reading, it should be like sitting down with your best friend--a fun and unhurried time of delightful engagement.
Challenges that include specific books, themes, or genres that don't interest you or ones that tax your schedule by requiring too many books to be read each month only lead to undue stress. Reading should be enjoyable, not exasperating!
A 2023 Reading Challenge with Wiggle Room
You might be someone who has time to read one or more books each week, but many of us can't. This 2023 reading challenge will accomplish the goal of stretching you as a reader while simultaneously incorporating a lot of choice.
By "stretching you," I mean breaking you out of the rut of reading the exact same thing over and over. Whether you love romance, thrillers, political non-fiction, Christian, or self-help books, a steady diet of the same thing doesn't help you grow or offer new experiences.
Can you commit to reading one book per month?
Other reading challenges require one book each week, sometimes with specific titles, which can become overwhelming if you are juggling a hectic schedule. Plus, who wants to be told what book they must read? It's fun to discuss a book when it's being read by an entire group, but only when it's a book that interests you.
12 Monthly Reading Challenges YOUR Way
At the end of this article, you will find a fillable checklist that you can download to use to track each challenge you accomplish as you progress through the year. The best part is you can take an à la carte approach to the challenge by choosing the order in which you tackle the list. Let your reading appetite guide you!
Here are the 12 monthly reading challenges:
- Curl up with a cozy mystery.
- Pick a book by an author you've never tried.
- Read a classic.
- Read a book from a series, whether it's the first one or the continuation of a series you'd previously started.
- Choose a biography or autobiography.
- Pick a book that has been on your TBR list for a long time.
- Read a book by a familiar or favorite author.
- Improve your life with a book about faith or self-help.
- Try a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
- Read a 2023 new book release.
- Snag something historical that's non-fiction or related to political science.
- Make the holidays merry with a clean Christmas romance.
The list above is general enough to give you tons of freedom with your selections, allowing you to find books you'll enjoy reading even though they might deviate from the type you normally pick.
Check Out My Selections for the 2023 Reading Challenge
To give you a dose of inspiration, I will share my own 2023 list to help you craft your own tentative list.
Cozy Mystery: Gifts, Glamping, & Glocks by Tonya Kappes
An Author I've Never Tried: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
A Classic: 1984 by George Orwell
Book from a Series: After You by Jojo Moyes
Autobiography: Just Tyrus: A Memoir by Tyrus
Book from My TBR List: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
Book by a Familiar or Favorite Author: The Timepiece by Beverly Lewis
Faith book: Do Not Leave Quietly: A Call for Everyday People to Rise Up and Defeat Evil by Mario Murillo
Thriller: The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
2023 Book Release: The Book Spy: A WWII Novel of Librarian Spies by Alan Hlad
Political Science: Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation by Pete Hegseth
Christmas Romance: The Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan and The Cosy Travelling Christmas Shop by Lilac Mills
Once you've compiled your list, choose one every month to complete and with the time remaining until the next month, read whatever you want!
**Be sure to scroll to the end to download your fillable form to track your reads.**
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FREE! Fillable 2023 Reading Challenge Form
Click on the image below to download and print. If you're technically challenged, here are more detailed instructions:
1. Click on the image below.
2. Click the download button in the upper right corner (it's the down arrow).
3. Click "Open file."
4. Track your challenge reads by typing directly into each field.
5. Save the completed form to your computer so you can update as needed.
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