Reading Challenges

ByDani Pettrey
8 Comments

Hi friends – Debb Hackett here, standing in for Dani. I was wondering if many of you do reading challenges. We are all readers here, right? Whether you’re also a writer or not. 

So, let’s explore the world of the challenge. On the one hand, I can get pretty tired of endless targets and don’t need more in my leisure time. But on the other hand, reading challenges have enriched my reading life quite significantly. 

Three types of challenges – numbers, authors, or book type.

Numbers. The simplest thing is to set yourself a numerical target. I have friends who aim for one book a month and others who hit triple figures by December. This might seem a little basic as challenges go, but you know what – last year I was in the reading doldrums but determined to hit my target of 60. I thought laterally and began listening to audiobooks while driving or walking. Bingo. Target restored and a whole new world discovered. 

Authors. A fun thing to do can be to mix up who you read. Perhaps you stick to the same half-a-dozen go-to writers – I certainly have those in my annual reading plan (I use that word very loosely). But I am now challenging myself to branch out, using word of mouth, award-winning or cover/back cover appeal as my guide. So far, I’ve added Gabrielle Meyer, Charles Martin, and Sara Brunsvold to my ‘oh brilliant’ list. 

Book type. Die-hard suspense reader? Hopeless romantic? Do you only see value in nonfiction? We love all of you in your literary diversity. But take a chance. Cross genre lines. Delve into something you wouldn’t usually read. Take a recommendation then leap between different pages. You just never know what blessing you’ll find waiting. 

And if all of that sounds like too much work, fine. Stagnate! Just kidding. There are ready-made challenges all around. Blue Ridge Reader Connections posts one each month, with prizes, and a number of authors also post them. Because the only thing more fun than a challenge is a little camaraderie as you go.

*at the time of writing I was three books ahead of my numeric target for 2025. Woohoo.  

Your turn – do you set yourself a reading challenge or participate in an organized one? Let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll join you.

Writer, broadcaster and speaker Debb Hackett has been a radio journalist for more than twenty years. Married to a test pilot, Debb lives just outside London, England, with her husband and their two daughters. Her first work of fiction won the Foundation Award at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and was an ACFW Genesis Award finalist. When she’s not writing, Debb can be found leading worship, cheering for Green Bay or skiing. If you can swing by her house while she’s making scones, that would be a win. She blogs at: https://debbhackett.com

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Praised by New York Times best-selling author Dee Henderson as "a name to look for in romantic suspense," Dani Pettrey has sold more than half a million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance.

8 Comments

  1. Fun to see you here, Debb! I’ve been doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge the last 7 or 8 years and I really enjoy having their website to keep track of the books I read (even though I also keep track of them in a physical journal.)

  2. Hi, Debb, and welcome to Inspired by Life and Fiction. I use the Goodreads Reading Challenge to track my reading. This is my 13th year. I’ve tried other types of challenges, but I usually forget them by February because I just want to read whatever suits my fancy, and my TBR list (and the unread books I own) is HUGE. So numbers work best for me. I always have one novel going and usually two or three non-fiction books (that I read more slowly) too. I have loved tracking my reading in Goodreads. It has made me better at leaving reviews, not to mention remembering what books I’ve read and when.

  3. Hi Debb!
    I’ve done a GoodReads number challenge for many years. But in addition to that, last year and this year I’ve given myself challenges around events I’m attending – such as Rendezvous and Mississippi River Readers Retreat. I’m challenging myself to read as many of the authors attending as possible. It’s introduced me to so many new-to-me authors! I also have a challenge where I’m reading all of Susan Tuttle’s backlist (I’m down to 3). After I finish hers, I have one lined up for Amy Lynn Green’s books. These two don’t have “end dates” so I’m free to grab them whenever I can fit them in. I do enjoy watching members of Karen Witemeyer’s Posse work their way through her reading challenge each year.

  5. I do the Goodreads challenge, which is number of books. But this year I’ve been following along with Karen Witemeyer’s reading challenge which is book type. That’s added a new level of fun!

  6. Good thoughts, Debb. I read two to three books a week, so quantity isn’t an issue. What I’m working on now is connecting my pleasure reading to my work as an author — not just “enjoying” a book, but seeing how the author makes it work. I like romances, but they have to have something else going on too; i like mystery and suspense; and I prefer police procedurals to cozy mysteries. My favorite period is World War II in America, England or the French Resistance. (Yeah, they caved, but they made up for it later.) For nonfiction, I’ve been dipping a toe into the world of memoirs. But I don’t do any formal challenge. I challenge myself.
    Nice to see you in another venue.

  7. Fun post, Debb! I’ve never done a reading challenge and now I want to do them all!Uh…thanks!

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