2025 Reading Challenge discussion

A Guide to the 2020 Yearly Challenges


The year 2020 offers you 15 yearly challenges, both old and new.
Here, you’ll find both a brief introduction and a link to each of the challenges, listed in alphabetical order. (Note that the links will be added once the challenge in question has been posted.)

Incidentally, if you have any suggestions for a quarterly or monthly challenge in 2020, please visit the 2020 Challenge Ideas thread to share your ideas.

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A-Z CHALLENGE: Using the first letter of a book title’s main words, read a book for each letter of the alphabet. This year’s yearly theme of Myths, Legends, & Fairy Tales adds a new twist to qualifying books.

ADVENTURERS CLUB: This new challenge offers 24 "adventures" for exploring the world around us. It can be enjoyed as a nonfiction only, fiction only, or combined nonfiction/fiction reading challenge. Pack lightly but leave room for books, folks!

BOOK CLUB: If you enjoy reading and discussing books with other group members, this new challenge is for you! Track your progress in the group’s three virtual book club activities: Group Reads, Buddy Reads, and TBR Twins.

CLEAR THE SHELVES: If your bookshelves (and/or Kindle) are groaning under the weight of your many unread books, this challenge will help your organize and clear your shelves. Earn Marie Kondo’s eternal respect (or not).

COLOR CHALLENGE: This addictively fun challenge is a long-time group favorite. To participate, find and read books that have certain colors in their cover art or title.

FIND YOUR FLIGHT: Just like a good winery or brewery can create a flight of beverages that complement each other, this challenge lets you create your own flights of interconnected books. Choose your own flight themes and spread your wings.

GENRE BINGO: Using the bingo card provided or one you create yourself, read books to make as many "bingos" as possible. You can set a goal for total number of books, number of bingos, or both!

GENRE JAMMIN’: If you like reading book after book in the same genre, this challenge might be for you. First choose a single book genre. Next, read books in that genre (and its subgenres) to fill one or more of the challenge prompts. We hope you like jammin’ too!

GLOBAL VOICES: This challenge promotes reading diversity in every sense of the term. You will read books from authors around the world, with a special emphasis on underrepresented, marginalized, and #ownvoices authors. You may read fiction or nonfiction for this challenge.

KIND OF A BIG DEAL: Don’t let your 2020 Personal Challenge goal scare you away from those chunksters you’ve been longing to read! This challenge acknowledges your completion of 500+-page doorstoppers. If you’re a fan of novellas, graphic novels, or manga, you can also separately track books less than 200 pages long.

LET’S TURN PAGES: Rather than the number of books you’ve finished in 2020, this challenge counts the pages you've read. Choose your yearly goal and let's turn pages!

LISTOPIA: Choose from GoodReads’ user-created favored listopias and decide how many books to read from each one. You can mix it up however you like: read 20 books from a single listopia or read the top 5 books from four listopias.

POPSUGAR: We've brought over the prompt-based 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge so you can track your progress with this popular challenge alongside other group members. How many prompts you sign up for is up to you.

SERIAL READER: This challenge is all about serial reading. Decide on your yearly reading goal to start, continue, or finish series or to read series from start to finish. Let’s make progress in both our new and unfinished series in 2020!

TBR JAR: This challenge aims to help you (randomly) tackle your growing mountain of To-Be-Reads. List your TBRs, write them down on slips of paper, place them in a physical jar, then SHAKE. Pull out a slip to choose which TBR to read next.

I’m excited to be a part of the reading challenges.

Yulonda wrote: "I’m excited to be a part of the reading challenges."

We're so glad to hear that, Yulanda!
Hope you find a select few that will make reading more fun! 😄

This was going to be my year of no challenges but I love the thought and creativity behind the 15 you are doing this year. There are so many good ones to choose and it's hard to narrow them down.

Martha wrote: "This was going to be my year of no challenges but I love the thought and creativity behind the 15 you are doing this year. There are so many good ones to choose and it's hard to narrow them down."

That is so nice of you to say!
We are all excited about a new year of reading!
Perhaps you can choose a very select few that mostly allow you to read books you'd planned to read anyway? :)

oshizu wrote: "Perhaps you can choose a very select few that mostly allow you to read books you'd planned to read anyway?"

Yeah... you do know that's easier said than done, right oshizu? :)
So I mean this in the nicest way possible, but: damn all you, mods! ;) Why must you make the challenges so appealing and irresistible?

I kid of course. You're all awesome!
I'm super excited to hopefully get a little bit back in the social aspect of Goodreads again with some great challenges :)

Lisa wrote: "I'm super excited to hopefully get a little bit back in the social aspect of Goodreads again with some great challenges :)"

Haha, I'm the fool who signed up for all 15 of the group's yearly challenges in 2019. Never again!
Love your enthusiasm for 2020, Lisa!

oshizu wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I'm super excited to hopefully get a little bit back in the social aspect of Goodreads again with some great challenges :)"

Haha, I'm the fool who signed up for all 15 of the group's ..."

lol, I'm sure you still did fine :) I'm planning on joining 9 yearly, plus I have 5 personal perpetual ones ... I might have to sleep on it. Not even my first year as a group member did I join that many, and I thought I went a lil' crazy back then :D

I think I need to do the Clear The Shelves challenge.

I am super excited to do some reading challenges this year. I think I will for sure be doing the Popsugar challenge. Lot's of great prompts in there!

@Lisa
Let me tell you! I was so burned out and exhausted by around October end that I turned into an even pickier-than-usual reader.
This year, I'm saying a big No! to reading a book just to fill a prompt.

@Ross
Haha, I'm sure we could all benefit from clearing our shelves!
Hope you enjoy that yearly challenge!

@Catherine
So glad to learn that you're as excited about the 2020 reading challenges as the rest of us!

oshizu wrote: "@Lisa
Let me tell you! I was so burned out and exhausted by around October end that I turned into an even pickier-than-usual reader.
This year, I'm saying a big No! to reading a book just to fill a..."

lol! good for you :) You live and you learn. Or you know, you keep doing the same thing and hope for the best :D

I swear it's like my brain resets every year and I forget how much "work" it is to set everything up on my corner! geez. But Hallefrigginglujah! I think I'm finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. I just need to set up 2 of my personal challenges and I'll be ready for the new year :D

Will there be a discussion thread set up for the Modern Mrs Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge this year?

Is the traditional yearly challenge of number of books still available? I haven't been able to find a link for it.

L.O.D. wrote: "Will there be a discussion thread set up for the Modern Mrs Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge this year?"

@L.O.D.
If you'd like, challenges that aren't officially hosted by our group can be shared in the
Blogs/Vlogs, Events, & Challenges" folder.
You can see that, besides two 2020 yearly challenges, I am also leading an unofficial yearly challenge in that folder.

If you do share the MMD challenge, be sure to clarify whether you plan to lead the challenge (track everyone's progress in a list of participants) or only wish to announce/share the challenge.
Good luck!

Susan wrote: "Is the traditional yearly challenge of number of books still available? I haven't been able to find a link for it."

@Susan
We will be able to set our Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge goal no earlier than January 1st.

Ah Ok. Did my first yearly challenge this year.

I'm looking to set up my Clear the Shelves challenge of about 50ish next year.

Apart from the yearly challenge section on the site, does anyone else have any other ways to record their challenge?

Ross wrote: "Ah Ok. Did my first yearly challenge this year.

I'm looking to set up my Clear the Shelves challenge of about 50ish next year.

Apart from the yearly challenge section on the site, does anyone else have any other ways to record their challenge..."

Did you already create a Member's Corner for yourself, Ross?
That's where I track my progress in the challenges I join.
I also use Excel to plan and track my personal reading journey, though I believe some members prefer Google Sheets.

I love this thread!! I want to do all of them, but that would mean i need to do it full time.

I might start a spreadsheet with different tabs and fill as I go.

Richelle wrote: "I love this thread!! I want to do all of them, but that would mean i need to do it full time.

I might start a spreadsheet with different tabs and fill as I go."

Richelle, I did all 15 plus the 2019 Reading Women challenge last year and I was deeply burned out by late October. It might be okay if you set modest goals for each challenge, though.
You'd be surprised how time-consuming it can be to update all your challenge threads as you go. I was doing only one monthly update per challenge.

I have a multi-tabbed spreadsheet for the prompt-based challenges I've joined. I use it mostly to keep track of page counts for my chosen books. (Should I fill the challenge prompt by reading this 630-page book or that 312-page book?)
Mostly, though, I like to use my Member's Corner because it allows me to add book links.

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to setting up their member's corner thread. Here's my member's corner. :)

Here for 10! Thanks for doing this.

Exploration
1. Read a travelogue or travel guide.
2. Read a book featuring flânerie (description of exploring a city on foot)
3. Read a book in which geography, mapmaking, or maps play a central role.
4. Read a non-fiction work of history or a micro-history. Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World
5. Read a work featuring an alternative history or time travel.

Nature
6. Read a book that focuses on animals or is narrated by a non-human, terrestrial animal.
7. Read a non-fiction book about flora (such as botany or gardening), or read a novel where a garden or gardening plays a central role.
8. Read a book with a plant or non-human animal on its cover.
9. Read a book that focuses on a mineral or rock, or prominently features one on its cover.
10. Read a book that features climate change.
11. Read a book with a weather-related word in its title.

Space, Science, and Technology
12. Read a book about our solar system, or a book set on another planet/world.
13. Read a book about life in an extra-terrestrial colony.
14. Read a book about any science or a scientist (real or fictional), or authored by a scientist.
15. Read a book authored by an engineer or has an engineer (any field) as its main character.
16. Read a book touching on how information technology influences daily life.

Society & Health
17. Read a memoir, biography, or autobiography.
18. Read a book about a fine art or craft, or about someone (real or fictional) who is an artist, such as a painter, musician, or artisan.
19. Read a collection of essays.
20. Read a non-fiction book on a past or current social issue.
21. Read a book that features an individual who strives toward healthier living.
22. Read a book that describes a community’s efforts to improve its quality of life.

Bonus Adventures
23. Read a book about a real or fictional adventurer.
24. Wild-card: Create your own "adventure" related to this challenge's themes.
If you choose this prompt, be sure to share your created adventure with us!

Betül wrote: "Here for 10! Thanks for doing this.

Exploration
1. Read a travelogue or travel guide.
2. Read a book featuring flânerie (description of exploring a city on foot)
3. Read a book in which geography,..."

@Betul
This thread only provides a summary of the yearly challenges. To sign up, you need to visit the individual thread of the target challenge. In the 1st post above, click on the ADVENTURERS CLUB link.