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Booklist Queen

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Booklist Queen’s 2021 Reading Challenge

Reading Challenges

Ready to diversify your reading this year? Join the best Reading Challenge of 2021 and read a book a week with the Booklist Queen!

Want to up your reading game in 2021? Then I have the ultimate goal for you – The Booklist Queen 2021 Reading Challenge.

Join thousands of others as we read a book a week in 2021. That’s right, this 2021 Reading Challenge has 52 different categories to expand your reading selection.

When I originally launched the reading challenge a few years ago, I worried I would be the only one crazy enough to want to do a 52 book challenge. Oh, I was so wrong.

Since then, I’ve been joined by thousands of readers who are just as crazy as me.

If you feel overwhelmed by 52 categories, don’t worry. It’s okay if you don’t finish the challenge. I want this Reading Challenge for 2021 to be aspirational. I want to push you to read more – whether that’s 12 books a year or 52. I want you to get out of your reading rut and try new genres. 

Don’t like one of the categories in the 2021 Reading Challenge? Change it or skip it. Double count a book for multiple prompts. Interpret the prompts any way you like. Do what you want to make this reading challenge your own.

As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.

Enjoy!

Reading Challenge 2021

A Book A Week with The Booklist Queen

1. A Productivity Book
2. Book Becoming Movie in 2021
3. Goodreads Winner in 2020
4. Biography
5. About a Pressing Social Issue
6. A Book About Books
7. Set in the 1920s
8. An Author Who Uses Initials
9. Poetry
10. A 2020 Bestseller
11. Recommended by a Colleague
12. With a Number in the Title
13. Bottom of Your To-Read List
14. Reread a Favorite Book
15. Own Voices Story
16. Published in the 1800s
17. Local Author
18. Longer Than 400 Pages
19. A Book Turned Into a TV Series 
20. A Book That Makes You Think
21. A WWII Story
22. A Highly Anticipated Book
23. Eye-Catching Cover
24. A Summer Read
25. Coming of Age Story
26. Bestselling Memoir
27. Book Club Favorite
28. A Book About Friendship
29. An Audiobook
30. Set in Australia
31. By a Nobel Prize winner
32. About an Immigrant
33. Time Travel Novel
34. An Author You Love
35. Childhood Favorite
36. Classic Read in High School
37. Borrowed from the Library
38. Nonfiction New York Times Bestseller
39. From an Indie Publisher
40. Fantasy
41. A Sequel
42. Recommended by a Librarian
43. Psychological Thriller
44. Oprah Winfrey Book Club Pick
45. A Book About Technology
46. Title with Three Words
47. Debut Novel of Famous Author
48. Genre You Don’t Usually Read
49. A Book Everyone Is Talking About
50. You Own But Haven’t Read
51. Borrowed from a Friend
52. A 2021 New Release

 

Free Bookmark

Booklist Queen Reading Challenge 2021

 

Printable Reading Challenge

While the bookmark is great for Pinterest, it’s way too small to write your book selections on it. I would know because I’ve witnessed my husband try it.

That’s why, exclusively for my newsletter subscribers, I’ve created an awesome printable handout for the 2021 Reading Challenge that has space for all your book selections. 

Not a subscriber yet? Just enter your email below to join the weekly newsletter. You’ll stay up to date on the reading challenge, my blog posts, and receive exclusive content just for you. Every week I highlight one of this reading challenge’s prompts with book suggestions just for my favorite readers.

Booklist Queen 2021 Reading Challenge

Monthly Challenges

If the full 2021 Reading Challenge feels like to me, you can break it down into monthly segments. Feel free to do the Reading Challenge in order or skip around. If 52 books are too many, just try one of these monthly challenges and do it instead. That’s only 4 or 5 books to read in a year. 

Need a little more challenge than that but not ready for the full Reading Challenge 2021? Just pick one category from each month. 

Personalize my 2021 Reading Challenge as much as you want. The goal is for you to read more and to have fun doing it!

January Reading Challenge 2021February Reading Challenge 2021March Reading Challenge 2021April Reading Challenge 2021May Reading Challenge 2021June Reading Challenge 2021July Reading Challenge 2021August Reading Challenge 2021September Reading Challenge 2021October Reading Challenge 2021November Reading Challenge 2021December Reading Challenge 2021
 

Read Along with Me

Be sure you don’t miss a thing. Sign up for my weekly newsletter. I’ll keep you up-to-date on the reading challenge, my blog posts, and provide exclusive content just for you. Every week I highlight one of the reading challenge prompts with book suggestions just for my favorite readers. Plus, only subscribers get the printable version of my Reading Challenge 2021 with space to fill in your selections.

Have fun reading in 2021! Be sure to let me know what books you pick for the 2021 Reading Challenge.

Rachael

Related

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Looks great! For 2020 I’ve been doing one book per month chosen from one of the categories lister for that month. For 2021 maybe I’ll just do it randomly and see if I can read all 52 books. I read over 100 books already this year so it shouldn’t be a problem! Thanks for putting this together again!

  6. Hey! Thank you for compiling such an amazing booklist. And I love your collection of books. They are really inspirational!

    I wanted to try the 52 book 2021 challenge this time, and I was wondering if there’s also a way to share our book choices or just short book reviews under the categories that you suggest and maybe some #hashtag to label our posts in social media regarding your challenge?

    Thank you 🙂

  7. I joined late for 2020 and filled it with books I’ve read this year. That was so much fun! I look forward to actually starting in January with you!

  10. I am so excited for the 2021 reading challenge!! Hoping to get closer to that 52 mark. 2020 my goal was to read 40 books. Almost there…

  11. Hey Rachel! I rediscoverded Reading books this year. And am loving it! I will join your challenge from the Netherlands! I am also following the dutch version from “Hebban”, so i hope to read around 109 Books in 2021! Will keep you posted!

  12. I’ve completed 44 books so far for 2020 and looking forward to challenging myself in 2021. Can’t wait.

  13. I’m in, Rachael! Already thinking about some titles that will check some categories. And I’ve decided that if there are any prompts I skip, I’m substituting a book already unread on my shelf!! Here’s to a good reading year!

    Cris @ The Biblio Blonde

    • That’s a great idea! I might have to mention that in next year’s post. I just want everyone to have fun with the challenge.

    • Sorry, I am not the most social media savvy, so no Facebook group (yet) or custom hashtag or anything. Definitely areas I need to expand to in the future!

  15. I am looking forward to this challenge. I like your comment if you don’t like a category change it or skip it. “The goal is to read more and have fun.” I have seen people already stressing out over what books to read for the Popsugar Challenge. Book challenges are supposed to be fun, not stress inducing. I like the way you think.

    • Thanks! One reason I loved the bigger 52 book challenge is that it means there’s something for everyone, so it makes it easier to pick and choose.

  16. Happy New Year!

    I thank you for creating this challenge , I stumbled across this specific challenge during a google search in efforts of engaging in a new healthy habit that I actually look forward to and one that allows me to connect with myself. Being a small business owner at a young age I often feel like I’m in boss mode all the time, it was hard for me to enjoy the holidays with family without thinking of working. I believe something as simple as reading a good knowlegdable book will help me tune in to my true self and ground me in some sense. I like the way you present a guide and allows us readers to select a book of personal choice (I chose a read from the productivity book recommendations linked above) Thank you every so kindly. Wishing us all a healthy and wise new year .

    • I’m so glad you found the reading challenge. I think reading is just a grounding activity. Even better, it feels like an indulgence but is actually really good for you.

    • I don’t. You could download the images on this page, or if you subscribe to the newsletter, I talk about the reading challenge prompts each week.

  19. Thank you for putting this together… my mom and I love the challenges. What does “own voices story “ mean though?

    • Own voices story is a book by an author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their experiences or from their own perspective. For example, an immigrant writing a story (fiction or nonfiction) involving the immigrant experience or an autistic person with a novel whose protagonist has autism.

    • Own voices story is a book by an author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their experiences or from their own perspective. For example, an immigrant writing a story (fiction or nonfiction) involving the immigrant experience or an autistic person with a novel whose protagonist has autism.

  22. I’m looking forward to the 2021 challenge! I did the challenge for 2020 and had a blast.
    Thanks for the lists, book reviews and all the blogging articles.
    Really appreciate it all!