The challenge of a challenge

Lately, I have not participated in that many challenges. Mostly because I tend not to follow the list I prepare for each challenge. However, I did join a few challenges this summer that has been rather successful. You know what it is like when hybrid sets in? You feel you can do anything.

I follow a few book readers on Youtube, which is both inspiring and encouraging. I have found a few odd challenges lately and felt eager to follow them. There are three in particular which caught my attention. None of them very easy.

HRCYED II - The Hardest Reading Challenge You've Ever Done (7 July 2025 - 6 July 2026)

This amazing, and difficult, challenge is hosted by Qwordy, but has been picked up by several other youtubers. It should last for a year, but you can be flexible if you feel like it. In principal you can start whenever you like. I am sure I will need more than one year to cover this challenge. The good thing is that you can keep track on The StoryGraph, and, I presume, Goodreads (which I don't use anymore). Here are the prompts for 25/26.

The Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do (7 July 2025 - 6 July 2026)

• By the 100s (up to 800)

• 24-Hour Readathon

• Subgenre Reads: First to Sixth

• Series Staircase: (Standalone book/Duology/Trilogy/Quadrilogy +)

• Award Season: Entrants, semi-finalists, finalist, and winners)

• TBR Game Books

• The Last Ten Years: 2015 - 2025 - Bonus 2026)

• All the Adaptations: Original Books - Modern Retelling - Comic/Graphic - Musical - Stage Play - TV Show - Web Series - Animation - Movie

• Disability Challenge: 5 books

• Heritage Months: Disability Pride - Hispanic - Indigenous - Black - Women’s History - Arab - Jewish - AAPI - Queer Pride

• Translation Challenge: 5 books

• Around the World - North America - South America - Africa - Europe - Asia - Australia - Antarctica

• The Bigger Rainbow: Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Teal - Light Blue - Blue - Purple - Pink - Black - White - Gold/Silver + Rainbow, any cover with more than seven colours on it

• Make a Quote

• Spooky Creatures: Vampire - Shifter - Magic User - Fae Folk - Spirit - Merfolk - Zombie - Other Creature

• The Avatar Challenge: Water - Earth - Fire - Air

• Readathon Challenge

• Animals Challenge: House Pets - Exotic Pets - Farm Animals - Wild Animals - Zoo Animals

• The Bigger Queere Alphabet: Gay - Lesbian - Bi/Pan - Trans - Intersex - Asexual - Polyamory - Non-binary -Genderfluid

• Your Favourite Prompt from HRCYED 1

• Bipoc Authors: 10 books

• New Release: July 2025 - June 2026

• Your Own Custom Prompt

• Non-fiction Challenge: 5 books

• Q’s Reviews and Recs: Cozy Mini review - Full reading vlog - TikTok/Reel/Short

• Secret Prompts

I hope I got that right. Under many of the headings are several books to read. Some are customizable so you can choose what to read. Each prompt has a separate entry on StoryGraph and when you add your books, it shows clearly what you have read and where you are in the process. Please let me know if you are joining this one.

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The 52 Book Club

The 52 Book Club (youtube channel) has another interesting challenge called Connections Reading. Here are some of the rules, but head over to their web-site for more information.

"Special Challenge Rules:

One of the unique elements of this challenge is that each prompt somehow connects to the prompt that came before it. Each book you choose will influence the books that come next. This is why the challenge must be completed in order. The prompts may look a little confusing at first, so take the challenge one prompt at a time.

For example:

Prompt 1 is “Pick any book.” Let’s say that you pick Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess as your first prompt.

Prompt 2 is “Title shares a word with the previous book’s title.” For this prompt, you could pick Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie because it shares the word “Murder” with your prompt 1 title.

Prompt 3 is “Set in the country where the previous author is from,” so you choose to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The book is set in England, which is where the previous author, Agatha Christie, was from.

And so on. Continue through the challenge, taking it one prompt at a time."

It sounds like an interesting way of reading.

Words and Peace

Emma at Words and Peace has a similar reading challenge called BookBound. It is related to Connected reading, but has fewer prompts for each first book. Here you deal with three books, connected by title, author, country or whatever you can find. If you are interested, ask Emma for the excel sheet to share your reading with others.

Thematic months

For the autumn I am thinking of adding a theme for each month. The idea is not to only read the thematic books, but more like reading about a special subject, author, classic or similar. I am thinking the following themes for the rest of the year. Preferably from my own shelves.

September - Roman empire/Antiquity - I feel like reading about old times again.

October - Russian authors - I have a few on my shelves, most of them very thick.

November - Biographies - I have quite a few lying around, very thick as well.

December - Egypt - to prepare for our trip there over Christmas and New Year.

I don't set up a number of books, and I will read other books as well. I am pleased with my 20 Books of Summer that I already fulfilled in the beginning of August. Not all on my original list, but still. I also intend to continue reading from my list. Left are mostly very thick books, so might not be able to finish them this year. I am also travelling for more or less a month, which means I will stick with e-books.

I must not forget November which is a busy challenge month. I might only join Nonfiction November this year, due to my travels.

Have you made a plan for your autum reading? Or Spring if you are from down under? Please let me know, it is always interesting and inspiring to hear.