2024 & 2025 Reading Challenge discussion

In 2019, I met my overall goal of 250 just barely as life got busy. I read tons but forgot lots of what I read. I think this year I'm aiming to read 101 but be more intentional about the books I read. I'll be using certain lists as inspiration but won't necessarily be aiming to complete them all.

Top 10 Books I Read in 2020 in no order
Best: Becoming

1. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
3. The Blackthorn Key
4. The Garden of Small Beginnings 10/16/20
5. Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family
6. Recursion
7. The Rule of Three
8. The Handmaid's Tale
9. The Huntress
10. Firefight



1. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal 1/2/20
2. The Rule of Three by Eric Walters 1/19/20
3. Fight for Power by Eric Walters 1/21/20
4. Will to Survive by Eric Walters 1/22/20
5. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
6. Guts by Raina Telgemeier 2/16/20
7. The Unteachables by Gordon Korman 2/16/20
8. Crush by Svetlana Chmakova 2/16/20
9. Oculum by Philippa Dowding 2/17/20
10. No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen 2/17/20
11. The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel 2/18/20
12. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz 3/4/20
13. The Huntress by Kate Quinn 3/5/20
14. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness 4/28/20
15. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness 5/3/20
16. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness 5/4/20
17. Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness 5/7/20
18. The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands 5/10/20
19. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier 5/16/20
20. The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan 5/27/20
21. Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands 5/31/20
22. The Assassin's Curse by Kevin Sands 6/1/20
23. Call of the Wraith by Kevin Sands 6/14/20
24. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 6/21/20
25. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix 7/17/20
26. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix 7/23/20
27. Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix 7/23/20
28. Finding Mary Blaine by Jodi Thomas 8/14/20
29. Macarons at Midnight by Suzanne Nelson 8/20/20
30. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate 8/23/20
31. Low Pressure by Sandra Brown 8/31/20
32. Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson 9/19/20
33. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman 10/01/20
34. Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Amanda Jette Knox 10/02/20
35. Recursion by Blake Crouch 10/06/20
36. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 10/10/20
37. Becoming by Michelle Obama 5/1/20
38. Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix 7/25/20
39. Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman 10/15/20
40. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman 10/16/20
41. Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal 10/27/20
42. Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney 10/27/20
43. The Truth about Wind by Hazel Hutchins 10/27/20
44. My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero 10/27/20
45. Grandmother School by Rina Singh 10/27/20
46. A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin 10/27/20
47. Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris 10/27/20
48. Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons 10/27/20
49. Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora 10/27/20
50. Birdsong by Julie Flett 10/27/20
51. It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear 10/27/20
52. There Are No Bears in This Bakery by Julia Sarcone-Roach 10/27/20
53. Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee 10/2/20
54. Saturday by Oge Mora 10/27/20
55. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander 10/27/20
56. Donut Go Breaking My Heart by Suzanne Nelson 10/27/20
57. This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward 11/6/20
58. Bird Hugs by Ged Adamson 11/6/20
59. Grandma's Gardens by Hillary Rodham Clinton 11/6/20
60. Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton 11/6/20
61. The Serious Goose by Jimmy Kimmel 11/6/20
62. The Cool Bean by Jory John 11/6/20
63. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 11/9/20
64. The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by Dalai Lama XIV 11/11/20
65. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard 11/11/20
66. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 11/12/20
67. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson 11/17/20
68. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson 11/19/20
69. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson 11/21/20
70. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne 10.23.20
71. Stowaway by Pam Withers 11/23/20
72. Normal People by Sally Rooney 12/06/20
73. The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett 12/09/20
74. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown 12/17/2020
75. The Girls with No Names by Serena Burdick 12/20/20
76. The Guest List by Lucy Foley 12/23/20
77. Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie 12/25/20
78. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 12/26/20

2020 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

Total: 32/50

2020 Challenge - Regular prompts
1. A book that's published in 2020 The One and Only Bob 8/23/20
2. A book by a trans or nonbinary author Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family 10/02/20
3. A book with a great first line - to read The Martian
4. A book about a book club The Bookish Life of Nina Hill 10/01/20
5. A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows 1/2/20
6. A bildungsroman to read Normal People 12/06/20
7. The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed
8. A book with an upside-down image on the cover to read Red Queen 11/12/20
9. A book with a map to read Other People's Houses 10/15/20
10. A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club to read I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness 12/17/20
11. An anthology to read Rags and bones
12. A book that passes the Bechdel test to read The Handmaid's Tale 11/9/20
13. A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to itDark Matter 10/10/20
14. A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name There Are No Bears in This Bakery by Julia Sarcone-Roach 10/27/20
15. A book about or involving social media Such a Fun Age 6/21/20
16. A book that has a book on the cover to read Poisonwood Bible
17. A medical thriller to read Silent Patient
18. A book with a made-up language to read Clockwork Orange or Watership Down
19. A book set in a country beginning with "C"No Fixed Address 2/17/20
20. A book you picked because the title caught your attention Alma and How She Got Her Name 10/27/20
21. A book published the month of your birthday to read Secret History (Tartt), Never Let me go (Ishiguro), NOrmal People
22. A book about or by a woman in STEM Recursion 10/06/20
23. A book that won an award in 2019 A Big Mooncake for Little Star 10/27/20
24. A book on a subject you know nothing about
25. A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
26. A book with a pun in the title Donut Go Breaking My Heart 10/27/20
27. A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins The Truth about Wind 10/27/20
28. A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character Oculum 2/17/20
29. A book with a bird on the cover Birdsong 10/27/20
30. A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader Becoming 5/1/20
31. A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title
32. A book by a WOC Saturday by Oge Mora 10/27/20
33. A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads A Discovery of Witches 4/28/20
34. A book you meant to read in 2019 My Papi Has a Motorcycle 10/27/20
35. A book with a three-word title Cake Pop Crush 9/19/20
36. A book with a pink cover
37. A Western
38. A book by or about a journalist Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family 12/25/20
39. Read a banned book during Banned Books Week Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 3/4/20
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge - A book that involves a bookstore or library The Lost Book of the Grail 12/09/20

2020 Challenge - Advanced prompts
1. A book written by an author in their 20s Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora 10/27/20
2. A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title
3. A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision)
4. A book set in the 1920s
5. A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 Olympics It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way 10/27/20
6. A book by an author who has written more than 20 books The Tyrant’s Tomb 5/27/20
7. A book with more than 20 letters in its title The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane 2/18/20
8. A book published in the 20th century
9. A book from a series with more than 20 books
10. A book with a main character in their 20s Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows 1/2/20

Book Riot Read Harder 2020 Challenge

Read a YA nonfiction book
Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color
Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman The Guest List 12/23/20
Read a graphic memoir
Read a book about a natural disaster
Read a play by an author of color and/or queer author
Read a historical fiction novel not set in WWII The Blackthorn Key 5/10/20
Read an audiobook of poetry
Read the LAST book in a series Calamity 11/20/20
Read a book that takes place in a rural setting The Vanishing Half 12/26/20
Read a debut novel by a queer authorLove Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family
Read a memoir by someone from a religious tradition (or lack of religious tradition) that is not your own
Read a food book about a cuisine you’ve never tried before
Read a romance starring a single parent The Garden of Small Beginnings 10/16/20
Read a book about climate change
Read a doorstopper (over 500 pages) published after 1950, written by a woman
Read a sci-fi/fantasy novella (under 120 pages)
Read a picture book with a human main character from a marginalized community
Read a book by or about a refugee
Read a middle grade book that doesn’t take place in the U.S. or the UK No Fixed Address 2/17/20
Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)
Read a horror book published by an indie press
Read an edition of a literary magazine (digital or physical)
Read a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations, or Indigenous author Birdsong 10/27/20

Wishing you the best of luck with your reading challenge.

Default Challenge:
Read a book featuring a protagonist who identifies as _____ by an author who is also _____.

Voices From Around The World
1. African Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora 10/27/20
2. Asian Grandmother School by Rina Singh 10/27/20
3. Caribbean
4. Indigenous Birdsong by Julie Flett 10/27/20
5. Latin American My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero 10/27/20
6. Middle Eastern
7. Oceanic
8. From a Dependent Territory (e.g., Puerto Rican) or State with Limited Recognition (e.g., Palestinian)
9. Immigrant, Refugee, Migrant, or Asylum-Seeker
10. Black or Multiracial Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons 10/27/20

Diversity of Beliefs
11. Agnostic, Atheist, or Humanist
12. Buddhist or Hindu The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama 11/11/20
13. Jewish
14. Muslim
15. Practioner of a Minor Religion or Non-Religious form of Spirituality
16. Activist, Freedom Fighter, or Political Minority The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander 10/27/20

Love is Love is Love
17. Asexual, Aromantic, or Celibate
18. Gay or Lesbian Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 3/4/20
19. Bisexual or Pansexual
20. Adopted, Fostered, or raised by someone other than one's biological parents

Every Body Has Value
21. Body Positive, Body Neutral, or Fat Positive person who is a size or shape outside of their society's beauty norms (Diet, Weightloss, or other Body Modification books are not allowed for this prompt.)
22. Non-binary, Genderqueer, Intersex or Transgender
23. Child (under 18) or Elder (over 75)
24. Differently-Abled (e.g., Autistic, Deaf)
25. Living with a visible or invisible Chronic Health Condition or Physical Disability
26. Living with a Mental Health Condition, Cognitive/Intellectual Disability, or Addiction
27. Currently or Previously Incarcerated or Institutionalized
28. Low-Income or Financially Insecure
29. Survivor of Abuse, Neglect, Sexual Assault, a Hate Crime, or Human Trafficking
30. Victim of State-Sponsored Violence or Institutional/Systemic Discrimination

Bonus & Advanced Prompts
31. Read a book written by people indigenous to where you live or frequently visit.
32. Read a book translated from a language other than English.
33. Read a book that addresses social justice or ethics or in medicine, law, fashion, food, consumerism, or environmental stewardship as it relates to race, class, sex/gender, etc.
34. Read a “classic,” award-winning, or scholarly #ownvoices book that also meets the criteria for one of the above prompts.
35. Read a book of poetry or a graphic novel that also meets the criteria for one of the above prompts.
36. Read an #ownvoices book promoted or written by a Bookstagrammer, Booktuber, Book Blogger, Goodreads Super Reviewer, or an Activist or Educator who uses social media as a tool to teach and inspire change.
37. Listen to an #ownvoices book read by the author, read the book and attend an author event about the book, or watch a recording of such an event.
38. Read a book about intersectional feminism or Black feminism.
39. Read a book that discusses unearned privilege, colonialism, imperialism, or white supremacy.

Anti-racist Eduction Listopia:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...