This year, challenge yourself to read a book that fits into each of the 25 categories!
- With A Color in the Title
- Part of a Series
- With A Music or Art Theme
- Involving Water
- With An Index
- Written by Two Authors
- That’s A Coming of Age Story
- That Makes You Smile or Laugh
- That Has The Name of A Place In The Title
- You Saw The Movie or TV Show But Haven’t Read The Book
- A Cozy Mystery
- A Celebrity Memoir
- Takes Place Someplace (Real) You Have Not Visited But Would Like To
- Takes Place During A War
- A Novella
- Takes Place in Canada
- Published in the 1970s
- With A Possessive In The Title
- With Trees on The Cover
- Set In Summer
- Takes Place in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico
- A Collection of Short Stories
- A Children’s Classic Published Before 1980
- For America 250, a book about American History or a Historic Novel Set In America
- Bonus – A book by an author featured on our Podcast.
What is a Reading Challenge?
It is not a contest, but a way to discover books outside your normal reading habits. Participants can look for items that match the prompts and can choose any format (print, eBook, or audio) and do the prompts in any order you wish. With 24 prompts, that averages out to 2 books a month and the bonus is to read a book by an author featured on our podcast, Behind the Books. Visit for our social media to see regular posts about the challenge – let us know what you are reading, how you discovered the book and how you feel about reading outside their normal genre. We also have a GoodReads group you may join to share your titles and book reviews.
Reader’s Advisory Resources
Personalized Picks
Looking for something new to read? Check out our personalized book selection service! Our librarians will recommend titles in print and available through our online services hoopla and eLibraryNJ!