A personal or community goal to read a set number of books within a time frame, usually a calendar year.
A reading challenge is a commitment to read a certain number of books, often tracked publicly on platforms like Goodreads or StoryGraph. The most common version is the annual reading challenge where you set a target at the start of the year and track your progress book by book. Some challenges go beyond quantity and add constraints like 'read a book from every continent' or 'read 12 books by debut authors.' The social element matters: sharing your progress creates accountability and turns solitary reading into a community experience.
Writers who read widely write better. Full stop. A reading challenge gives you structure and motivation to actually do the reading instead of just meaning to. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and into genres, voices, and styles you might otherwise skip. If you are a fantasy writer who only reads fantasy, a challenge that requires a memoir, a thriller, and a poetry collection will quietly make your fiction richer in ways you will not expect.
The most widely used reading challenge, with millions of participants setting and tracking yearly goals. The public progress bar creates gentle social pressure that keeps readers accountable.
A diversity-focused annual challenge with specific prompts designed to push readers outside their usual habits, like 'read a book about a disability by a disabled author' or 'read a book in translation.'
StoryGraph allows users to create and join community challenges with custom prompts, combining the tracking features of quantity challenges with the specificity of diversity challenges.
Start with a number based on how much you actually read last year, then add 10-20%. A challenge should motivate you, not make you dread picking up a book. You can always increase your goal mid-year if you are crushing it.
Racing through books to hit your number defeats the purpose. If a book is dense or challenging but rewarding, give it the time it deserves. One deeply absorbed novel teaches you more about craft than three books you skimmed.
Build variety into your challenge intentionally. Alternate between familiar genres and unfamiliar ones. The books that surprise you are usually the ones that change your writing the most.
Set a reading challenge for the next three months with two rules: read at least six books, and at least two must be in genres you have never written in. Create a simple tracking list with the title, genre, and one sentence about what you learned as a writer from each book. Pay attention to craft choices like pacing, structure, and voice, because reading like a writer is different from reading for pleasure.