2022 Reading Challenges

 All of these this year are my favorites from years' past. I'm signing up for:

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2022 hosted by My Reader's Block

I am once again setting my goal at Mt. Ararat, at 48 books from my TBR shelves. I missed it last year, with just 38 books from my shelves, but I want to challenge myself because my shelves are overflowing! Note that the challenge allows e-books and audios to count, but my main goal is to get through some of the physical books I own (my TBR bookcase now has double rows), so I only count physical books. This challenge has monthly review link-ups.

1. Happiness by Aminatta Forna 
2. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
3. Marshmallow and Jordan by Alina Chau
   
4. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
5. Kindred by Octavia Butler
6. Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock
7. The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Tangled Web by Drew Weing
8. Katie John by Mary Calhoun
9. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
10. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
11. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu 
12. Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
13. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas 
14. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
15. Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
16. The Overstory by Richard Powers
17. Button Pusher by Tyler Page
18. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
19. Sycamore Row by John Grisham 
20. The Falcon and the Owl by Matty Dalrymple 
21. The Guide by Peter Heller 
22. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
23. High Country by Nevada Barr 
24. A Furnace for Your Foe by Matty Dalrymple 
25. The Hotel Neversink by Adam O'Fallon Price
26. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
27. History Comics: The National Parks by Falynn Koch 
28. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
29. Pinball by Jon Chad
30. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
31. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
32. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
33. The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
    

 

2022 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge hosted by Girlxoxo.

I enjoy this challenge every year! I hit all of twelve of the month monthly motifs last year, so I will try to hit them all again in 2022! This also has monthly review link-ups. 2022 Monthly Motifs:

JANUARY-  New To You. Celebrate the New Year with something new to you- a new genre, a new author, a new book series, a new book purchase, etc. Janesville by Amy Goldstein (new author)

FEBRUARY- Girl Power. Highlighting Women! Female Authors, Fierce female characters, feminism, female body positivity, females in science/government, etc. Kindred by Octavia Butler

MARCH- Buzzed About Books. Read a book you saw buzzed about a lot in 2021 but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. The Editor by Steven Rowley

APRIL- Books to Screen. Read a book that has a movie or TV adaptation made based on it. For an extra challenge, watch the show after reading the book. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

MAY- Book Lovers Unite. Read a book set in a library or bookstore; with a librarian, author, or book loving character; OR a book with the word ‘BOOK’ in the title. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson

JUNE- Supporting PRIDE through books. Read a book by an author who is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or a book featuring LGBTQIA+ character(s). A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

JULY- Summer Lovin’ – Having a Blast. This month it’s all about the beach reads, rom coms,  and/or love stories. Pick something fun and light-hearted. Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach

AUGUST- Quick Lit. Novellas, Graphic Novels, Poetry Collections, books under 200 pages, one sitting reads. Button Pusher by Tyler Page

SEPTEMBER- Title Play. Read a book with a clever title that uses a play on words, a pun, a joke, or titles that have double meanings. Booked by Kwame Alexander & Dawud Anyabwile

OCTOBER- Murder or Magic. Read a murder mystery book or a magical realism book. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (murder)

NOVEMBER- Books in Translation. Read any book that wasn’t originally written in your native language but has since been translated to it.

DECEMBER- The Fire is So Delightful. Read a book that has a fire, flames, candles, smoke, or burning in the title or on the cover. The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

 

Back to the Classics Challenge 2022 hosted by Books and Chocolate.

Another challenge I return to each year. I usually set my goal at 6 classics (in 6 categories), and that works well for me, though last year, I only read 4 classics. I am already reading one now, so I hope to meet my goal this year! Here are the categories for 2022:

1. A 19th century classic. Any book first published from 1800 to 1899 - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas,

The Reading Life by C.S. Lewis

2. A 20th century classic. Any book first published from 1900 to 1972. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1972 and posthumously published. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

3. A classic by a woman author.

4. A classic in translation.  Any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer. 

5. A classic by BIPOC author. Any book published by a non-white author.

6. Mystery/Detective/Crime classic. It can be fiction or non-fiction (true crime). Examples include Murder on the Orient Express, Crime and Punishment, In Cold Blood.

7. A classic short story collection. Any single volume that contains at least six short stories. The book can have a single author or can be an anthology of multiple authors. 

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

8. Pre-1800 classic. Anything written before 1800. Plays and epic poems, such as the Odyssey, are acceptable in this category. 

9. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category. Black Boy by Richard Wright

10. Classic that's been on your TBR list the longest. Find the classic book that's been hanging around unread the longest, and finally cross it off your list!  

11. Classic set in a place you'd like to visit. Can be real or imaginary -- Paris, Tokyo, the moon, Middle Earth, etc. It can be someplace you've never been, or someplace you'd like to visit again. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

12. Wild card classic. Any classic book you like, any category, as long as it's at least 50 years old!  Katie John by Mary Calhoun (children's book)

 

2022 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book.

This type of challenge was a new for me in 2021, and I enjoyed it, so I'm trying another! You just track the books you read, trying to cover all letters of the alphabet (first letter of the title, not counting articles). Last year, I filled in 21 of 26 letters.

A –
B – Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban
C – The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Tangled Web by Drew Weing
D – The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
E – The Editor by Steven Rowley
F – The Final Six by Alexandra Monir
G –The Graveyard Riddle by Lisa Thompson
H –Happiness by Aminatta Forna
I – The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
J – Janesville by Amy Goldstein
K –Kindred by Octavia Butler
L – The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
M – Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh
N – The National Parks by Falynn Koch
O – The Overstory by Richard Powers

 P – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Q –
R – Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock
S – The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
T – This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
U –
V – The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
W – The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
X –
Y – The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum
Z –

 

2022 Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Book'd Out.

I always sign up for a nonfiction challenge, and I enjoyed this one last year! I read 15 nonfiction books in 2020, so I will sign up for the Nonfiction Nosher category and shoot for reading at least 12. Last year, I read 13!

1. Janesville by Amy Goldstein 
2. Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban
3. Black Boy by Richard Wright
4. Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck 
5. The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum 
6. Button Pusher by Tyler Page 
7. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett 
8. Walden by Henry David Thoreau 
9. History Comics: The National Parks by Falynn Koch 
10. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton 
11. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand 
12. Pinball by Jon Chad 
13. The Reading Life by C.S. Lewis 

Categories:

1. Social History Black Boy by Richard Wright

2. Popular Science Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban

3. Language

4. Medical Memoir - Button Pusher by Tyler Page

5. Climate/Weather

6. Celebrity These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

7. Reference

8. Geography History Comics: The National Parks by Falynn Koch

9. Linked to a podcast The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

10. Wild Animals Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck

11. Economics Janesville by Amy Goldstein

12. Published in 2022 The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum

 

Diversity Reading Challenge 2022 hosted by Celebrity Readers.

This is also a familiar challenge for me that I enjoy every year. I read 33 diverse books last year, so I will shoot for 40 this year! This challenge also includes monthly mini challenges and a link-up for reviews. 

1. Janesville by Amy Goldstein
2. Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban
3. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich 
4. Happiness by Aminatta Forna
5. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury 
6. Marshmallow and Jordan by Alina Chau
7. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
8. Black Boy by Richard Wright
9. Kindred by Octavia Butler 
10. Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock 
11. Kent State by Deborah Wiles 
12. Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Dandicat 
13. The Editor by Steven Rowley 
14. The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Tangled Web by Drew Weing 
15. Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte 
16. Room to Dream by Kelly Yang 
17. Country of Origin by Dalia Azim 
18.  The Graveyard Riddle by Lisa Thompson 
19. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
20. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb 
21. Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade 
22. The Verifiers by Jane Pek
23. The Hollows by Jess Montgomery 
24. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson 
25. The Final Six by Alexandra Monir
26.  Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
27. A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller 
28. Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
29. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd 
30. The Overstory by Richard Powers
31. Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian 
32. Button Pusher by Tyler Page
33. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny 
34. Sycamore Row by John Grisham 
35. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais 
36. Booked by Kwame Alexander & Dawud Anyabwile
37. High Country by Nevada Barr 
38. A Furnace for Your Foe by Matty Dalrymple 
39. Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott
40. The Hotel Neversink by Adam O'Fallon Price
41. History Comics: The National Parks by Falynn Koch
42. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
43. Horse by Geraldine Brooks 
44. Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
45. The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

JANUARY – diverse folktales/culture/mythology; or diverse retelling; or non-western setting The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (Native American culture & myths)
FEBRUARY – poc: Black/African American Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead 

MARCH – #ownvoices; or gender: female authors in male-dominated genres/non-fiction
The Editor by Steven Rowley

 APRIL – poc: Middle Eastern/South Asian
MAY – poc: East Asian/Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander The Verifiers by Jane Pek
JUNE – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity
A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

 JULY – LGBT+ pride summer: sexuality and gender identity
AUGUST – mental health/addiction - Button Pusher by Tyler Page

 SEPTEMBER – poc: hispanic/latinx
OCTOBER – physical/sensory/cognitive/intellectual/developmental disabilities
NOVEMBER – poc: Native American  History Comics: The National Parks by Falynn Koch

DECEMBER – religious minorities The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

 

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge hosted by Mom's Small Victories 

I signed up for this one back in 2014, so this is a continuation (it's a perpetual challenge) - I can't wait to see what places I visit in books in 2022! In 2021, my books took me to 36 places outside the U.S., covering 17 different countries.

1. Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban (India) 
2. Happiness by Aminatta Forna (Ghana, UK)
3. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (Mars and Venus!)
4. Marshmallow and Jordan by Alina Chau (Indonesia)
5. Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Dandicat (Haiti)
6. Country of Origin by Dalia Azim (Egypt) 
7. The Graveyard Riddle by Lisa Thompson (UK) 
8. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (Canada - Vancouver) 
9. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb (Russia) 
10. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle (Brazil) 
11. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (Russia) 
12. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (France) 
13. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny (Canada - Quebec) 
14. The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill - (Ireland)
15. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (UK)
16. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (France, Moon)
    

 

2022 Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book.

I love tracking where I read domestically, as well. In 2021, I read books set in 23 different states. I'm looking forward to reading in even more states this year!

Alabama - The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California - Room to Dream by Kelly Yang, Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly, Gone by Michael Grant, High Country by Nevada Barr, Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

Colorado - The Guide by Peter Heller

Connecticut - The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum

Delaware

District of Columbia - The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson

Louisiana Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Maine - Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck, A Furnace for Your Foe by Matty Dalrymple

Maryland - Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban, Kindred by Octavia Butler

Massachusetts - Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh, Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte, Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane, Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Michigan

Minnesota  - The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, Button Pusher by Tyler Page

Mississippi - Black Boy by Richard Wright, Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Missouri - Katie John by Mary Calhoun

Montana - Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach

Nebraska

Nevada A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

New Hampshire - The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

New Jersey - Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

New Mexico

New York Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, The Editor by Steven Rowley, The Verifiers by Jane Pek, The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemia, Creep by Lygia Day Peñaflor, The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut, The Hotel Neversink by Adam O'Fallon Price, The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

North Carolina - Ruby Lee and Me by Shannon Hitchcock, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

North Dakota

Ohio  - Kent State by Deborah Wiles, The Hollows by Jess Montgomery, Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Secret Letters by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Oklahoma

Oregon - The Overstory by Richard Powers

Pennsylvania - The Falcon and the Owl by Matty Dalrymple, Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Texas The Final Six by Alexandra Monir

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin Janesville by Amy Goldstein

Wyoming

 

Big Book Summer Challenge hosted by Book By Book (me!)

My own annual challenge that I host each summer, beginning Memorial Day weekend (end of May) and running until Labor Day (first Monday of September). Hope you'll join me for the laid-back fun this summer!

1. Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
2. A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
4. Gone by Michael Grant 
5. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
6. Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane 
7. Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach
8. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd  
9. The Overstory by Richard Powers
10. Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian  
11. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
12. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
13. Sycamore Row by John Grisham 
    

 

R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) Challenge

1. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny 
2. Sycamore Row by John Grisham  
3. The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill
4. Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Secret Letters by Margaret Peterson Haddix 
5. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
6. The Falcon and the Owl by Matty Dalrymple 
7. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz 
8. The Guide by Peter Heller 
9. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters 
10. Creep by Lygia Day Peñaflor
11. High Country by Nevada Barr 
12. The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut
13. A Furnace for Your Foe by Matty Dalrymple 
14. Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott
15. The Hotel Neversink by Adam O'Fallon Price
    

 

Fall Into Reading Challenge, featuring Book Bingo, hosted on YouTube by:

Kelly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHrm2... 

Angie - https://www.youtube.com/user/arosas97 

Rainey - https://www.youtube.com/c/RaineyDayReads

1. The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny - Contemporary
2. The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill - Historical Fiction
3. Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Secret Letters by Margaret Peterson Haddix- mystery or thriller
4. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais - fantasy
5. The Guide by Peter Heller - leaves on cover
6. The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters - science fiction
7. Creep by Lygia Day Peñaflor- autumn vibes
8. Walden by Henry David Thoreau - classic
9. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton - nonfiction
10. Pinball by Jon Chad - orange on the cover